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AshishBiggest Box Office Bombs
September 29th 2010 06:15
What defines a box office bomb? It's not a movie's disappointment to fans after much hype, but rather total amount of money lost on the film.
Indexed to inflation, there have been some massive losses (more than $100 million!) inflicted on various disastrous movies over the years.
CNBC.com takes a look at the biggest money loosing films of all time. View the full list here.
Net losses, inflation adjusted: $146,947,958
Total cost: $115,000,000
Worldwide theater gross: $10,017,322
Net losses (actual): $104,982,678
1995’s Cutthroat Island is the biggest financial disaster in all of movie history, a fact confirmed by the Guinness Book of World Records. That its star and its director still have careers is nothing short of remarkable.
Starring Geena Davis and directed by her husband, Renny Harlin, the feminist pirate movie was poorly reviewed, with multiple critics suggesting that those involved in making it should walk the plank. When all was said and done, the movie lost over $100 million, an unprecedented amount that bankrupted the studio that made it, Carolco Pictures.
Net losses, inflation adjusted: $134,396,524
Total cost: $120,000,000
Worldwide theater gross: $7,103,973
Net losses (actual): $112,896,027
The Adventures of Pluto Nash was a 2002 science fiction comedy starring Eddie Murphy that’s become legendary in the annals of box office bombs. The movie’s first script was written in the 1980s and was rewritten multiple times before it was finally turned into a movie.
The finished product was so badly made that it was shelved for two years before the studio released it, to almost universal critical disgust. When all the wailing and gnashing of teeth was over, it had earned $7.1 million against its $120 million cost, more than earning its reputation as one of the worst box office bombs in all filmdom.
Net losses, inflation adjusted: $125,887,312
Total cost: $160,000,000
Worldwide theater gross: $61,698,899
Net losses (actual): $98,301,101
The 13th Warrior was a movie about Vikings, Arabs and the pre-human bear people who eat them. Originally based on a Michael Crichton novel with the sure-to-please title Eaters of the Dead, the movie did badly with test audiences, prompting Crichton to take over for original director John McTiernan and re-shoot several scenes.
The entire enterprise delayed the movie for a year and exploded the budget to $160 million, almost twice its original size. The movie performed modestly at the box office, but nowhere near what it needed in order to make its money back.
Legendary actor Omar Sharif, who appeared in the film in a small role, was so enraged by the experience that he didn’t act again until 2003.
Net losses, inflation adjusted: $104,542,449
Total cost: $44,000,000
Worldwide theater gross: $3,484,331
Net losses (actual): $40,515,669
Michael Cimino, the Oscar-winning director of The Deer Hunter, followed up his highly regarded movie with an epic western called Heaven’s Gate. To achieve cinematic perfection, Cimino demanded up to fifty takes of individual scenes and would delay filming until a cloud that he liked rolled into the frame. Production fell behind schedule immediately, and the movie exceeded its budget by 400%.
The movie was mercilessly thrashed by critics such as the New York Times’ Vincent Canby, who compared it to "a forced four-hour walking tour of one's own living room." It earned less than $3 million of its $44 million budget, and the studio, United Artists, folded soon after. Cimino, once a promising director with a great career ahead of him, has barely worked since 1980.
Net losses, inflation adjusted: $83,346,947
Total cost: $80,000,000
Worldwide theater gross: $17,626,234
Net losses (actual): $62,373,766
In the early 1990s, Kevin Costner was as A-list an entertainer as it gets. After winning Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director with Dances With Wolves, he went on to star in such hits as Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, JFK and The Bodyguard. Then came 1995’s Waterworld, a commercial and critical disaster that almost destroyed his career.
To get back on track, he decided to repeat the Dances With Wolves formula and directed The Postman, another three-hour epic starring himself as the titular letter carrier. The post-apocalyptic movie (which inexplicably had a cameo by Tom Petty as himself) was eaten alive by critics and took in less than $18 million, barely even a quarter of its $80 million budget.
Indexed to inflation, there have been some massive losses (more than $100 million!) inflicted on various disastrous movies over the years.
CNBC.com takes a look at the biggest money loosing films of all time. View the full list here.
Cutthroat Island (1995)
Total cost: $115,000,000
Worldwide theater gross: $10,017,322
Net losses (actual): $104,982,678
1995’s Cutthroat Island is the biggest financial disaster in all of movie history, a fact confirmed by the Guinness Book of World Records. That its star and its director still have careers is nothing short of remarkable.
Starring Geena Davis and directed by her husband, Renny Harlin, the feminist pirate movie was poorly reviewed, with multiple critics suggesting that those involved in making it should walk the plank. When all was said and done, the movie lost over $100 million, an unprecedented amount that bankrupted the studio that made it, Carolco Pictures.
The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)
Total cost: $120,000,000
Worldwide theater gross: $7,103,973
Net losses (actual): $112,896,027
The Adventures of Pluto Nash was a 2002 science fiction comedy starring Eddie Murphy that’s become legendary in the annals of box office bombs. The movie’s first script was written in the 1980s and was rewritten multiple times before it was finally turned into a movie.
The finished product was so badly made that it was shelved for two years before the studio released it, to almost universal critical disgust. When all the wailing and gnashing of teeth was over, it had earned $7.1 million against its $120 million cost, more than earning its reputation as one of the worst box office bombs in all filmdom.
The 13th Warrior (1999)
Total cost: $160,000,000
Worldwide theater gross: $61,698,899
Net losses (actual): $98,301,101
The 13th Warrior was a movie about Vikings, Arabs and the pre-human bear people who eat them. Originally based on a Michael Crichton novel with the sure-to-please title Eaters of the Dead, the movie did badly with test audiences, prompting Crichton to take over for original director John McTiernan and re-shoot several scenes.
The entire enterprise delayed the movie for a year and exploded the budget to $160 million, almost twice its original size. The movie performed modestly at the box office, but nowhere near what it needed in order to make its money back.
Legendary actor Omar Sharif, who appeared in the film in a small role, was so enraged by the experience that he didn’t act again until 2003.
Heaven’s Gate (1980)
Total cost: $44,000,000
Worldwide theater gross: $3,484,331
Net losses (actual): $40,515,669
Michael Cimino, the Oscar-winning director of The Deer Hunter, followed up his highly regarded movie with an epic western called Heaven’s Gate. To achieve cinematic perfection, Cimino demanded up to fifty takes of individual scenes and would delay filming until a cloud that he liked rolled into the frame. Production fell behind schedule immediately, and the movie exceeded its budget by 400%.
The movie was mercilessly thrashed by critics such as the New York Times’ Vincent Canby, who compared it to "a forced four-hour walking tour of one's own living room." It earned less than $3 million of its $44 million budget, and the studio, United Artists, folded soon after. Cimino, once a promising director with a great career ahead of him, has barely worked since 1980.
The Postman (1997)
Total cost: $80,000,000
Worldwide theater gross: $17,626,234
Net losses (actual): $62,373,766
In the early 1990s, Kevin Costner was as A-list an entertainer as it gets. After winning Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director with Dances With Wolves, he went on to star in such hits as Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, JFK and The Bodyguard. Then came 1995’s Waterworld, a commercial and critical disaster that almost destroyed his career.
To get back on track, he decided to repeat the Dances With Wolves formula and directed The Postman, another three-hour epic starring himself as the titular letter carrier. The post-apocalyptic movie (which inexplicably had a cameo by Tom Petty as himself) was eaten alive by critics and took in less than $18 million, barely even a quarter of its $80 million budget.
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