- 6 days ago
From ambitious sci-fi epics to failed franchise starters, Hollywood has seen some spectacular financial disasters! Join us as we look at the biggest box office bombs from each year this century. These films lost studios hundreds of millions despite star power, massive budgets, and beloved source material. Which cinematic catastrophe surprised you the most?
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're taking a look at the biggest movie flops of each
00:11year since the start of the new millennium.
00:22Fox Animation Studios tried to kick off the Century with an ambitious sci-fi epic.
00:39Titan A.E. followed the last embers of humanity trying not to die out in space.
00:45Unfortunately, this potentially cool idea never stood a chance.
00:49During development, a lot of key people on the production team were fired.
00:53And even the voice talents of actors like Matt Damon and Drew Barrymore couldn't distract audiences from a cliché-heavy script.
01:01We're good to go.
01:04Let's hope she starts.
01:06Oh, she'll start.
01:08Yeah, right.
01:09After premiering in fifth place at the box office, Titan A.E.'s financial hopes continued to plummet.
01:15Estimates say that the studio's troubled epic caused them to lose around $100 million.
01:20To add insult to injury, Fox Animation Studios closed not long after the movie bombed.
01:26Yeah.
01:27You got it.
01:28Open her up.
01:29Give these angels something to chase.
01:31Alright.
01:32Try this, guys.
01:352001.
01:37Final Fantasy.
01:38The Spirits Within.
01:39Do you realize you've just risked the lives of my squad and me?
01:43Look, I don't want to talk about it.
01:44The fact of the matter is, it was worth the lives of you and your men.
01:47When Final Fantasy The Spirits Within premiered, it made cinematic history by being a completely photorealistic computer animated movie.
01:56But its groundbreaking nature might have also been its undoing.
02:00The film aimed to tell an original story where characters fought for survival against an invading alien force.
02:06It's been 34 years since they arrived on this planet.
02:09And not a day passes that the survivors, forced to live in various cities, do not live in fear.
02:15Since this tale had a runtime of around 1 hour and 46 minutes, the production had to worry about paying for animators, a new studio, and promotion.
02:25Their efforts were met with mixed reviews from audiences and critics.
02:29After losing around $137 million at the box office, this title became one of the biggest video game movie failures of all time.
02:37Get us out of here, Neil.
02:39Sir, I would love to, but I…
02:41Just do it!
02:422002.
02:43The Adventures of Pluto Nash.
02:45Could you help me?
02:46I'm looking for the owner, Pluto Nash.
02:48Why would you be looking for a lowlife like that?
02:50Over a decade after a Pluto Nash script floated into Hollywood's orbit,
02:54legendary comedian Eddie Murphy joined the project.
02:57Although the fact that he was playing a former criminal running a nightclub on the moon didn't change,
03:02the rest of the script went through many alterations.
03:05None of the changes prevented the movie from becoming 2002's biggest flop.
03:10Its plot was hard to follow, the pace was sluggish, and not even Murphy could make the lame humor work.
03:16Oh no, I don't like that. That makes me look like a big doofus, doesn't it, honey?
03:20Yeah, where would we buy clothes?
03:22The original version of the movie was in such shambles that the studio spent millions on reshoots.
03:28However, that money went to waste once the public heard about this space disaster.
03:32Pluto Nash's embarrassingly low 4% Rotten Tomatoes score proves rewrites can't save everything.
03:39Thank you. Thanks for nothing, worthless computer.
03:43How's it going?
03:44It's not going at all.
03:462003, Sinbad, Legend of the Seven Seas.
03:50So this is the infamous Sinbad. I heard all about this morning.
03:55First you try to rob Proteus, and then you save his life.
03:59An animated pirate named Sinbad nearly sunk Dreamworks Animation's hopes for the future.
04:05The swashbuckling tale followed the titular character and his crew trying to get their hands on a magical item while avoiding supernatural threats at sea.
04:13While the movie wasn't a complete shipwreck with critics or audiences, it set sail at the worst possible time in the United States.
04:23Pretty cool, huh?
04:24I thought you overworked it. Just a bit.
04:27Sinbad was released the same week as Terminator 3 and competed with Pirates of the Caribbean during its second weekend.
04:34Since people flocked to the live-action Jack Sparrow, the animated movie made Dreamworks walk off the plank and fall into a financial disaster.
04:42Fortunately, the company avoided bankruptcy and left this pirate product at the bottom of its sea of movies.
04:49Really? Now see, now I just feel bad because you're gonna get fired.
04:53You can't be serious.
04:552004, The Alamo.
04:57What is it about the damn place anyway?
05:00What place?
05:01The Alamo.
05:03During the early stages of this historical drama about a significant Texas conflict, the production had impressive talent.
05:10The great director Ron Howard was behind the camera and Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe were both attached.
05:16Although the studio managed to pivot after both of them left the project, the Alamo's production went downhill.
05:22I just seem to take my chances fighting out in the open.
05:25Hell, I don't like being hemmed in any more than you do, but here we see it.
05:29The historical drama was criticized for being dry as the desert in between its action scenes.
05:35And since Alamo's three-hour cut was trimmed down, character storylines had a few holes.
05:41A lack of compelling cast and exciting narrative translated to the movie making less than half of its budget worldwide.
05:48Buena Vista Pictures definitely wanted to forget about the Alamo after producing this lackluster drama.
05:54If anyone wishes to depart under the white flag of surrender, you may do so now.
06:012005, Stealth.
06:04On paper, a movie where a jet with artificial intelligence goes rogue sounds like it could be full of smart commentary and slick action scenes.
06:13Looks and sounds like science fiction, George.
06:16Well, so did everything once upon a time.
06:18Ain't that the truth?
06:19But Stealth completely squandered its potentially cool premise and its considerable star power.
06:25Unlikable characters, rough dialogue, and terrible side plots ruined every chance this movie had at success.
06:32Alright, take a seat.
06:34Let's get.
06:35Talk to me.
06:36Where are the holes?
06:37How can we improve?
06:39While the movie was being shot out of the sky by critics, audiences went to see films like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory instead.
06:46Bad word of mouth and better theatrical options made it impossible for Stealth to recover after its rough opening week.
06:53After it crashed and burned, it's estimated that the studio lost around $127 million.
06:59And then they tell you, uh, they tell you to drop a bomb.
07:04It's like you just erased something they told you had to be erased.
07:082006, Poseidon.
07:11Now we're not sure exactly what happened here, but our best guess is that we were struck by what is known as a rogue wave.
07:20Not every movie about a ship disaster can be a titanic success.
07:24In this thriller, a gigantic tidal wave crashes into the RMS Poseidon.
07:29The story focuses on survivors avoiding water, working together, and trying to get out of the wreck.
07:34Poseidon's effects were impressive enough to earn an Oscar nomination for the special effects and a Guinness World Record for its CG detail.
07:42So how did such a stunning film lose the studio the equivalent of $107 million?
07:48The script just wasn't that great.
07:51I wasn't trying to surprise you.
07:54We weren't really surprised, sir.
07:56Audiences didn't care to find out which characters got out alive from the sinking ship.
08:01Despite having impressive visuals, no one really wanted to see any of 2006's Poseidon in theaters.
08:08Have you found anything?
08:11Nothing.
08:12There's just no way out.
08:152007, Evan Almighty.
08:17I want you, Evan Baxter, to build a mark.
08:23Okay, you know what?
08:24This conversation is a little thing I like to call over.
08:28Although Steve Carell is one of the funniest actors around, he couldn't rescue this comedy from washing out at the box office.
08:34Universal Pictures spent around $175 million on everything from marketing Evan Almighty to building its sets.
08:42The high cost of assembling animals and promotion turned Evan Almighty into one of the century's most expensive comedies.
08:49While the movie wasn't without its highlights, it didn't generate nearly enough laughs to justify its price tag.
09:03Evan Almighty needed a miracle to make a profit from the start.
09:06But despite opening up as the number one at the box office, low ticket sales meant the expensive Evan didn't break even.
09:13Obviously the stresses of this office have proven too much for you.
09:17Please have the congressman removed.
09:19No, please. You don't understand.
09:212008, Speed Racer.
09:23So, how are you feeling Speed?
09:26It's very impressive.
09:29You think that maybe there's something that could work out here?
09:33Hollywood executives had been trying and failing to get a live action Speed Racer movie made since 1992.
09:39Suddenly, the Wachowski siblings took the wheel.
09:42They did a fantastic job of making the story look and feel like an episode of the anime.
09:47While audiences didn't mind the campy plot and characters, not enough paying moviegoers showed up to support Speed Racer.
09:54If we drive tomorrow, like we drive today, we will lose!
09:59You will get nothing.
10:01Potential viewers were probably watching a little movie called Iron Man that had debuted a week earlier.
10:08Speed Racer completely spun out so hard worldwide that it became the year's biggest flop.
10:13While the movie was an embarrassing story for Warner Brothers in 2008, at least it now has a reputation of being somewhat of a cult classic today.
10:22Looks like another change of plan.
10:242009, A Christmas Carol.
10:29You will be halted by three spins.
10:32That's the Johnson hoop.
10:37I'd rather not.
10:40Ebenezer Scrooge got a motion capture makeover when he appeared in this 2009 take on the classic seasonal myth.
10:47While some aspects of the film looked a little uncanny for people's tastes,
10:51Carrie's performance as the title character and the story were mostly well received.
10:56But it turns out, Disney should have taken lessons from the stingy version of Scrooge about spending money.
11:03What shall we put you down for?
11:06Nothing.
11:07Oh, you wish to remain anonymous?
11:10I wish to be left alone.
11:12The company chose to promote its tail by sponsoring expensive marketing stunts.
11:16In one case, they put together a Christmas Carol themed train and sent it to dozens of cities.
11:22Unfortunately, when these bold tactics were combined with the poor reception, the movie lost an estimated $137 million.
11:29A few marketing executives probably got coal in their stockings for overspending on Christmas Carol.
11:35It's British!
11:36Get it to show me that I may change these shadows you've told me!
11:40Change them by an altered life!
11:452010.
11:46How do you know?
11:47I have a date.
11:48Date?
11:49Son, we are in a rapidly evolving situation here.
11:52I must tell you, I was afraid to use the telephone.
11:55Because?
11:56The fact that it cost around $50 million just to pay the director and four actors
12:02was actually the least of this rom-com's problems.
12:05This absurd story sees a man named Charles frame his son George for a federal crime.
12:11At the same time, a skilled softball player named Lisa has to deal with an unfaithful boyfriend.
12:17If she doesn't fall for George during the utterly baffling climax, he'll go to jail in place of his dad.
12:23I'm going up there and I'm taking my shot.
12:27If I don't have a chance with her, I will go to jail for you, Dad.
12:31And this is the story that came after key plot points were changed during production.
12:36How do you know?
12:37Eventually debuted at a miserable 8th place position at the U.S. box office.
12:42It's a shame Jack Nicholson ended his film career with this horrendous bomb.
12:47You should go home now and think about interviewing attorneys.
12:50I don't know whether circumstances will allow the company to pay.
12:542011.
12:55Mars Needs Moms.
12:57Milo!
12:58My life would be so much better if I didn't have to be a nagging mom.
13:02Yeah, well my life would be so much better if I didn't have a mom at all.
13:05If we ever found intelligent life on our neighboring red planet, we probably shouldn't show them this Disney disaster.
13:12In Mars Needs Moms, Milo has to search the Martian world to save his mother from an underground society.
13:19The aliens essentially want to transfer the essence of motherhood from a human into their special robots before terminating her.
13:26Fact is, Mars Needs Moms.
13:33What the heck does that mean?
13:38If audiences weren't put off by the bizarre plot, the unsettling motion capture design definitely did the trick.
13:45Since the movie cost at least $150 million to make, empty seats were extremely bad news for Disney.
13:51It only managed to make just over a quarter of its initial budget worldwide.
13:55As of January 2022, it still had the reputation of being Disney's biggest box office flop.
14:022012 John Carter
14:19Unfortunately for Disney, Mars spelled box office doom for them once again just a year after their last bomb.
14:26The company entrusted this sci-fi epic about a 19th century man going to the red planet to Andrew Stanton.
14:33Although he directed animated projects like the space masterpiece, WALL-E, he hadn't made any full-length Hollywood live-action films.
14:41His lack of experience in this medium might have been why John Carter had extensive and costly reshoots.
14:48How did this happen?
14:49Who is to blame?
14:52The final result was a film that only earned about a tenth of its massive budget back in the U.S. during its opening week.
14:59And since it got a lukewarm critical reception, the film hurtled down the charts and out of the public consciousness faster than a falling star.
15:092013 The Lone Ranger
15:18Believe it or not, The Mouse House completed a financial failure hat trick.
15:32Disney had Hollywood's worst box office bust for the third year in a row thanks to The Lone Ranger.
15:38Audiences were pretty split about how they felt about this modern western due to its odd pacing and jarring tonal shifts.
15:45Behind the scenes, it didn't help that bringing this movie to life was so expensive that the two leads and director had to take pay cuts to keep the lights on.
16:06Unfortunately, the set was also affected by natural disasters that ran up the already gigantic budget.
16:12Some experts estimate that Disney lost close to $200 million for this expensive misfire.
16:17You were right.
16:18There is no justice.
16:19Go on.
16:20Controls everything.
16:242014 Legends of Oz
16:28Dorothy's Return
16:29But with all of Oz at risk, I need you two to stand guard while I try to contact Dorothy.
16:34Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
16:35Contact Dorothy?
16:36How?
16:37Released in the US in 2014, this animated feature sees Dorothy travel back to a distant land to try and stop an evil jester from taking over.
16:47The absolutely stacked cast included talents like Lea Michele as the titular protagonist, Martin Short as the main villain, and Bernadette Peters as Glinda.
16:57But they were all stuck in a lackluster fantasy that could only scrape up an abysmal 17% on Rotten Tomatoes.
17:06I know, I know.
17:07Hard to take me seriously.
17:09It's my curse.
17:10Literally.
17:11After failing to make anywhere near its $70 million price tag, the company that made the film closed its doors.
17:19Unlike Dorothy, the studio couldn't just click its heels to get away from this financial nightmare.
17:25You've got a lot of nerve.
17:27Not my idea.
17:28Hey, I know her.
17:302015, Pan.
17:32Because you're not special, Peter.
17:35You're not even special in your own way.
17:39Peter Pan is arguably one of the most recognizable and interesting fictional characters in pop culture.
17:45So, a movie that followed his origins while pitting him against the legendary pirate Blackbeard sounded like it would soar at the box office.
17:53However, reports suggest that Warner Brothers lost $164 million by betting on this lost boy.
18:00The movie's accusations of whitewashing, weak script, and forgettable performances could be blamed for Pan's failure.
18:07Because of you, everything my people have fought to protect will be destroyed.
18:11Hey.
18:12Because of you, the chief is dead.
18:13Smee was harassed.
18:14He was your friend.
18:15How was I supposed to know?
18:16You should've known.
18:17I'm sorry.
18:18You should've known.
18:19Both director Joe Wright and actress Rooney Mara also expressed disappointment with many aspects of the film years later.
18:26At the end of the day, it doesn't seem like many people were happy that Pan took flight.
18:31I ask.
18:32Shall you have mercy for the willful child?
18:34No.
18:35No.
18:36No.
18:37No.
18:38No.
18:39No.
18:40No.
18:41No.
18:42No.
18:43No.
18:44No.
18:45No.
18:46No.
18:47No.
18:48No.
18:49No.
18:50No.
18:51No.
18:52No.
18:53No.
18:54Anywho and her won best picture, the production team decided to go all out on this 2016 film.
18:57They spent huge amounts of money on A-list actors, a 3-D conversion, and to build chariots that kept braking while they were filming the big racing scenes.
19:10But they should've budgeted more time into making the actors interesting.
19:12If there's truth to what he's saying, there must be something better.
19:17Better than what?
19:18When the movie wasn't giving us pulse-pounding action, we struggled to get invested in rough dialogue and flat performances.
19:25But not too many people got to know the yawn-inducing characters.
19:29Ben-Hur bombed right away and opened at 6th place in the U.S. box office.
19:35Honestly, executives probably should have kept their horses out of this remake race.
19:39They deserve justice for what's happened to them.
19:41There's nothing here for you anymore. Nothing.
19:502017, King Arthur, Legend of the Sword.
19:54You're all over the place. You can't keep your questions in a straight line.
19:57I'm trying to tell a story here and you keep interrupting.
20:00Originally, Warner Brothers believed this fantasy film would kick off an action-packed franchise.
20:05After retelling the classic story of King Arthur's rise to power,
20:08there were plans for audiences to return to his roundtable at least four times.
20:14But spending over $200 million on a bland retelling of a very old story didn't go as planned.
20:20Now, when you say we're going to take the castle, what does that mean?
20:27I thought you said you weren't going to push me.
20:29While Charlie Hunnam's Arthur could lift a magical sword, he couldn't manage to draw audiences in.
20:35American moviegoers ditched the bland retelling of an old story in favor of new fictional epics
20:41like Guardians of the Galaxy Valium 2.
20:44King Arthur eventually lost around $150 million
20:46and guaranteed that any talk of continuing the franchise was nothing more than a fairy tale.
20:53Luthor, I don't think we can win this fight.
20:56I know Mordred, he would accept surrender.
20:592018, Mortal Engines.
21:01Opening against the Oscar-winning Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse was surprisingly
21:15not the biggest obstacle Mortal Engines had to overcome.
21:19The film had an extremely high concept that centered around moving cities that
21:23essentially eat smaller settlements.
21:25As a scarred woman attempts to get revenge, she also must prevent a superweapon's completion
21:31and avoid a cyborg.
21:33Your heart is broken.
21:39I will take away the pain.
21:45Although this seemingly random assortment of ideas was all loosely based on a book, readers
21:50didn't exactly show up in droves to support it.
21:53Mortal Engines sputtered so hard at the box office that it couldn't make back its massive
21:57budget after a worldwide release.
22:00While we still like to see original ideas on screen, we understand why people let this
22:06complex film pass them by.
22:07Where am I supposed to go?
22:09I need to get back on London.
22:10Six months.
22:11Six months.
22:12It took me to get on that city.
22:14I had one shot at Valentine's and you ruined it.
22:182019, Terminator Dark Fate.
22:21Happy!
22:22Happy!
22:23That is not your father.
22:25That is a machine that was sent here to kill you.
22:28Let me go!
22:29You come with me or you're dead in the next 30 seconds.
22:32After Terminator 2 Judgment Day became a sci-fi classic, the franchise's next three films
22:37all disappointed fans.
22:39But Dark Fate aimed to break that vicious cycle.
22:43Franchise favorites like Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger were back in a whole new
22:48story.
22:48Unfortunately, their return alone couldn't bring the audience back to theaters.
22:55I'll be back.
22:56Although critics liked the film more than the last two efforts, fans had seemingly lost faith
23:01in the series.
23:03Poor attendance caused the sci-fi outing to lose an estimated $134 million.
23:07It's safe to say that Dark Fate's performance has terminated any chances the series might achieve
23:15its former glory.
23:16Caring for this family gave me purpose.
23:18Because without purpose, we are nothing.
23:21Touching story.
23:22Does it have a point?
23:242020, Mulan and Wonder Woman 1984.
23:28Thanks to 2020 being a highly unusual year for a number of reasons, we had to take a different
23:44approach for this century.
23:46Although both Mulan and Wonder Woman 1984 were estimated to have lost over $140 million each,
23:53it's hard to tell who lost more.
23:55The two films coincidentally happened to follow two heroines with special abilities, fighting
24:00to protect loved ones.
24:02I shouldn't probably go and figure out how a stone brought my boyfriend back in someone
24:08else's body.
24:09And while audiences unanimously loved previous interpretations of Mulan and Wonder Woman
24:14respectively, perception to their pair of stories was mixed this time around.
24:20It's impossible to know if either film would have thrived if they released at a different
24:24time.
24:25All we know for sure is that neither audiences nor production teams for these films want
24:31a year like 2020 again.
24:33I can't say goodbye.
24:37You don't have to.
24:43I'm already gone.
24:44Wow.
24:452,021.
24:47Chaos Walking.
24:48Yeah.
24:49I wouldn't know.
24:51Never seen a real woman before.
24:53They're all gone.
24:54All gone.
24:55Wouldn't know.
24:55Woman before.
24:57Weak.
24:59This abstract sci-fi film sees a woman crash land on a planet that is seemingly only populated
25:04by men who project their thoughts out loud.
25:08In 2019, an original cut of this wild concept was said to be unreleasable and tried to make changes.
25:15Huge mistake.
25:16Shut up, Posh.
25:16Shut up, Posh.
25:17Shut up.
25:17I'm not going to do that.
25:19Since the final product earned a mere 21% on Rotten Tomatoes, the first version must have been as bad as the executives claim.
25:27Whether audiences heard about all the bad press or forgot the movie existed, it lost an estimated $112 million.
25:33Maybe they would have been better off not releasing this movie at all.
25:39I didn't ask for any of this, just so you know.
25:42I didn't say you did.
25:45Yeah, but your noise said it.
25:472022 Strange World
25:49What did it feel like?
25:55And how does it feel?
25:58Feels perfect.
26:01How badly did Strange World bomb?
26:04It made even less than Treasure Planet, which came out 20 years earlier.
26:09To be fair, the game has significantly changed since then thanks to the rise of streaming, not to mention COVID.
26:15Disney also could have done much more to market Strange World, not receiving the same fanfare as some of their other films.
26:23If Puss in Boots, The Last Wish proved anything a month later, though, it's that positive word of mouth can still produce a sleeper hit.
26:31Even after an underwhelming opening weekend against stiff competition.
26:36You're still here?
26:36All amigos!
26:38Okay, okay, one more number.
26:41I call this one, The Legend Will Never Die!
26:45The word of mouth simply wasn't there for Strange World.
26:49While the film has performed better on Disney+, the financial loss of $147 million will forever be tied to its legacy.
26:58You could be right there with me when I did it.
27:01This was supposed to be our legacy.
27:05Father and son!
27:06You want to talk about legacy?
27:08I'm about to destroy mine.
27:102023.
27:11Shazam!
27:12Fury of the Gods
27:132019's Shazam!
27:16Probably surprised a lot of people with its 90% Rotten Tomatoes score and $367 million box office.
27:23What wasn't a surprise, though, was that Warner Brothers started planning a sequel the instant the film became a hit.
27:29Circle up, fam!
27:31But unfortunately, that sequel didn't live up to the first film in either quality or box office.
27:51Shazam!
27:52Fury of the Gods holds a 49% score on Rotten Tomatoes,
27:55and its box office hall was a rather unimpressive $134.1 million.
28:01The production budget alone was $110 to $125 million.
28:06The studio was definitely not Shazam-ing a profit out of this one.
28:10There are more.
28:17Perfect.
28:18We'll take them all.
28:19No, that's not why we're here.
28:222024.
28:23Joker.
28:24Fully adieu.
28:25Given the massive hit that was 2019's Joker,
28:29we can't fault the filmmakers or the studio for thinking the sequel also had the potential to be a big moneymaker.
28:35Maybe I could talk to Joker about it.
28:39Would he like to talk to me?
28:41But it wasn't.
28:42In fact, the film grossed just north of its estimated production budget of $200 million.
28:47Not counting marketing, projections have the studio losing anywhere from $125 to $200 million when all is said and done.
28:57Fully adieu translates to madness of two, as in a shared delusional disorder.
29:03And it would appear that those who thought a dark Joker jukebox musical was a good idea all shared in a delusion, until the reality came and shone a big bright light on it.
29:15Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
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29:332025 Snow White
29:43Combine an iconic Disney princess with a well-worn format of live-action remakes and, you get, one of the most embarrassing bombs of the 2020s.
29:52Yeah, somehow, this modern retelling of Snow White absolutely tanked.
29:57There was contention over just about every piece of this movie.
30:07From the casting, to the dwarves, to Disney's politics, to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and more.
30:13To say nothing of the film itself, which received reviews ranging from awful to downright unwatchable.
30:19We commend Disney for trying to fix Snow White with massive reshoots, but given how few people were interested, they should have just cut their losses.
30:37Leave.
30:39Now.
30:40And never come back.
30:42Did you see any of these flops in theaters?
30:45Let us know in the comments.
30:49Let us know in the comments.
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