In the age of streaming services, theaters have become an unreliable source of income for studios. Movies likeBarbie, Oppenheimer,andDeadpool & Wolverineproved that cinema culture is here to stay, but it is becoming harder to tell when audiences will show up in person. Recently, several movies that were expected to make big bucks at thebox officeflopped. However, some films were doomed from the start. Everyone could smell the disappointment, except those who were involved in making them.
Whether it was production challenges, poor creative choices, scandals, poor marketing, or poor timing, every movie lover could have predicted the failure of some productions. Unfortunately, Hollywood has yet to have a wake-up call. In an industry where hundreds of millions come in and go out so regularly, the few lost bucks aren’t always a major reason for concern. Even so, we can’t help but wish that the money was spent on more reasonable projects.
10‘Megalopolis’ (2024)
Megalopolis
From as early as 1977, Francis Ford Coppola had wanted to retell theCatalinarian conspiracystory in a modern-day New York setting. However, studios couldn’t buy into his ambitious idea, so he waited till he was rich enough. The director pumped $120 million of his own money intoMegalopolis, a film abouta visionary architect keen on building a futuristic utopia named “Megalopolis.“Unfortunately, most moviegoers weren’t interested.
Worst Personal Investment in History?
Coppola is now on record for making one of the worst personal investments in history as the movie only made $13 million. Such a budget could have been used to make another gangster flick, something he was particularly good at. The director bet big on himself, but he was too ambitious. Hehadn’t had a box office hit in years. He isn’t well-known among younger audiences either. Like most Coppola films,Megalopoliswas alsoplagued by on-set chaos, and in a modern world where information spreads quicker, such developments were always going to work against the director.
9’Madame Web' (2024)
Madame Web
Madame Webstars Dakota Johnson as Cassandra Webb, a Manhattan paramedic in Manhattan whodevelops the ability to see the future. She thenbefriends three young women who are destined to become Spider-Womanand protects them against a villain keen on ensuring their planned destiny doesn’t evolve into reality.
The Sony Curse
It has become increasingly obvious thatMarvel fans don’t want to see a Spider-Man movie without Spider-Man in it… a mean bunch since DC fans tend to be just fine when Batman isn’t around. Except for theVenomfilm series, every other entry in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe has flopped, so it was easy to predict howMadame Webbwould fare in theaters. Even though the film had been made for only $100 million (modest for a superhero movie nowadays), its web failed to catch many dollars. At the end of its theatrical run, the film had grossed just about the same amount as its budget globally.
8‘Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1’ (2024)
Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1
Kevin Costner’slove for Westernshas always been evident. Like Coppola, he decided to work on a passion project that had been on his mind since the ‘80s, but the move turned out to be a bad one. He provided $38 million ofHorizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1’s budget, so the horses began running. Unfortunately, the film,exploring the challenges of Western expansion during the American Civil War, didn’t resonate with audiences and critics.
Bigger Loss Than Money
Costner must feel a tiny bit of regret sincemaking the film caused him to be booted fromYellowstone, a superior production.The producers of the Paramount+ seriesrefused to tailor the schedule to his availability,so his character was killed off.
WithHorizon,Costner must have pictured a huge return on investment, given hisYellowstonefame, butthe craving for the Old West is no longer as strong as it used to be in previous decades. Audiences are more interested in neo-westerns, so the low box office figures came as no surprise.
7‘The Flash’ (2023)
Drawing inspiration from the “Flashpoint” comic storyline,The Flashsees the titular hero going back in time to prevent his mother’s death. While at it,he triggers a multiverse malfunction with dangerous consequences.The film was well-received compared to other DCEU installments but failed to make a profit.
Ghosts of Ezra Miller
Under favorable circumstances,The Flashwould have been a huge hit. Unfortunately,Ezra Miller’s legal issues and controversies ruined everything.Warner Bros.’ decision to carry on, despite serious allegations against the actor, dissuaded large sections of the fan base from buying tickets. News about a franchise reboot didn’t help either. Why watch a DCEU film when the entire storyline is discarded?
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6‘Argylle’ (2024)
Argylleis about a reclusive author whofinds herself in the world of espionage, after realizing her latest spy novel mirrors real-world happenings.The Henry Cavill-led film also features stars like Bryan Cranston, John Cena, Samuel L. Jackson, and Dua Lipa, but all the big names weren’t enough to bring in the big bucks.
Poor Reviews and Poor Marketing
5‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ (2024)
Joker: Folie a Deux
Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix? This initially felt like a magic pairing, and the chemistry was there, but actor performances weren’t enough to hoist this DC flick to box office glory.Joker 2follows Phoenix’s Jokeras he is awaiting trial following his incarceration.He falls in love with Lee Quinzel (Gaga) and discovers his love for music. Regrettably, what initially seemed like a beautiful setup results in an anticlimax.
A Wrong Genre Choice
After the success of Todd Phillips’Joker, fans expected a bigger anarchy-packed story that would introduce a time jump to enable a showdown between the older Joker and the younger Bruce Wayne. Instead, news came that the sequel would be a musical. Unsurprisingly, skepticism began bubbling and when the film was finally released, all fears were confirmed. Too much time andeffort was put into the songs rather than on a good plot. Consequently, the sequel only grossed $206 million, a sharp drop from the first film’s $1 billion gross.
4‘Borderlands’ (2024)
Borderlands
Borderlands— based on the video game series of the same name by Gearbox Software —stars Cate Blanchett as Lillith,an outlaw who teams up with a group of misfits to locate the missing daughter of the universe’s most powerful man.The film’s talented ensemble cast includes Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Flawed Casting
The video game adaptation was doomed the moment the cast was announced. The game’s hardcorefans felt Kevin Hart was too tiny to play the brawny Roland, and Cate Blanchett too old to play Lilith, who is originally twenty-something. Reports of poor test screenings, followed by reshoots byDeadpooldirector Tim Miller, caused a further loss in confidence. The film ended up making just $33 million, making itone of the lowest grossing video game adaptations of all time.
3‘The Crow’ (2024)
The Crowis a reboot of the infamous 1994 movie of the same name which made plenty of headlines due to the on-set demise of Brandon Lee. The new film stars Bill Skarsgård as Eric Draven,a young man who resurrects and pursues a crime syndicate that murdered him and his girlfriend.
A Film No One Asked For
Reboots of classic films hardly ever do well, yet Hollywood keeps making them. It’s a mystery, just like the supernatural theory surrounding Eric’s resurrection. Fans immediately condemned the film as soon as it was announced and refused to watch it when it was released, resulting in an embarrassing $25 million gross, about half of its production budget,according to The Numbers.
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2‘Fly Me to the Moon’ (2024)
Fly Me to the Moon
Fly Me to the Moonhas Scarlett Johansson as Kelly Jones, a renowned marketing specialist, and Channing Tatum as Cole Davis, a launch director at NASA. The two bond romantically during the Apollo 11 mission, whenJones is tasked with creating a fake moon landing in case the original fails.
Blame It on the Studio
In-house, confusion was a major reason forFly to the Moon’s poor performance. First,there was limited information about it in the media.So, why did a film starring two of the most recognizable stars on Earth have little to no marketing? Well, the rom-comwas originally planned for an Apple TV+ streaming release only to be moved to theaters after strong test screenings.Still, it only lasted a month in theaters before being moved back to streaming. Given these conditions, success was never going to happen.
1‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ (2023)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Sequels of old films are becoming increasingly popular, so we were always going to get anotherIndiana Jonesinstallment. Set in the late ‘60s, the filmfollows the titular character and his estranged goddaughter, Helena, as they try to locate a powerful artifact before a former Nazi scientistwho now works at NASA uses it to change the outcome of World War II.
Too Expensive
Dial of Destiny’s $387 million budget made it one of the most expensive movies ever made, a huge gamble considering that this wasn’t the ‘80s. The Indiana Jones appeal issimply not as strong now as it was decades ago, and the box-office figures proved it.Things might have been better if Steven Spielberg returned to direct, but he wasn’t keen on such an opportunity, so fans had to bear with a sequel with a slightly different tone from the first four films.
