Over the last 25 years, Hollywood has been churning out movies with astronomical budgets. Production studios sink hundreds of millions of dollars into these films, trying to make the greatest spectacles possible. These massive budgets afford bankable stars, sets and location shooting, marketing and advertising, quality CGI, and so much more.
But sometimes, the gamble doesn’t pay off.Box officenumbers can fall below expectations, turning these films into flops rather than hits, and producers end up losing tons of money. Maybe the movie was a critical catastrophe that didn’t appeal to audiences. Or maybe the film’s commercial failure stemmed from poor timing and uncontrollable external events. Whatever the case may be, here are the biggest box office bombs over the last 25 years, ranked by how much money they lost.
10’Tomorrowland' (2015)
Lost $193 Million
Tomorrowland
Disney struck gold when they turned one of their most iconic theme park rides, Pirates of the Caribbean, into a blockbuster. So they did it again, convinced that they had found a formula for success. 2015’sTomorrowlandis one of those films. Based on one of the themed lands from the Disney Parks,Tomorrowlandis a sci-fi adventure that transports a a teenage science enthusiast and a genius inventor to an alternate dimension known as Tomorrowland.
However, audiences were tired ofDisney’s ride-based shtick, and it showed in the box office numbers.Tomorrowlandtanked at the box office. It grossed $209 million worldwide against a $190 million budget, losing upwards of $193 million when adjusted for inflation.
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9’Mars Needs Moms' (2011)
Lost $195 Million
Mars Needs Moms
Mars Needs Momsis an animated family film that follows a nine-year-old boy, who sets out to save his mother after she’s abducted by Martians. It had a massive budget of $150 million – and it grossed a pitiful $39.2 million worldwide. That’s an estimated loss of $195 million when adjusted for inflation.
Although Disney distributed the film, it was ImageMovers Digital that produced it. AndMars Needs Momswas their last animated film.
8’Battleship' (2012)
Lost $199 Million
Battleship
Battleshipis exactly like it sounds. And also as terrible as it sounds. Loosely based on the famous board game Battleship, this film captures naval ships battling not enemy battleships but a destructive alien species. The film strayed so far from its source material that its connection to the board game seems absurd.
Battleshipgarnered negative reviews from critics and minimal interest from audiences. Its unoriginal concept and formulaic structure sunk the film at the box office, losing upwards of $199 million when adjusted for inflation.
7’Joker: Folie à Deux' (2024)
Lost $200 Million
Joker: Folie a Deux
Joker: Folie à Deuxis the follow-up to 2019’s critically acclaimed film,Joker.It pairs Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscar-winning portrayal of the Joker with Harley Quinn, played here by Lady Gaga. But even with this talented cast and Todd Phillips returning as director,Joker: Folie à Deuxfell short of its predecessor, both commercially and critically.
Jokerhad a budget of only $70 million, and it raked in over $1 billion worldwide. By comparison,Joker: Folie à Deuxwas given a whopping $200 million budget but grossed a meager $206 million. In the end, this unneeded sequel cost Warner Bros. somewhere between $125 to $200 million, makingJoker: Folie à Deuxthe biggest bomb of 2024.
6’Strange World' (2022)
Lost $205 Million
Strange World
Strange Worldfollows a legendary family of explorers, the Clades, who venture to a mysterious land to restore the energy that powers their society. Its voice cast is led by some big names, such as Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Gabrielle Union, and Lucy Liu.
Strange Worldreceived positive reviews from critics, but for viewers, Disney went too woke with the film’s story and characters. Its budget was somewhere in the range of $135–180 million, butStrange Worldonly grossed $73.6 million.The film lost somewhere between $187-$205 million for Disney, making this one of the biggest flops of all time.
Lost $207 Million
Sinbad: Legend Of The Seven Seas
In the early 2000s,Dreamworks was a rising force in the world of animation, thanks to their recent box office hit,Shrek.The studio releasedSinbad: Legend of the Seven Seasshortly afterward, an adventure film that traded in the emerging 3D computer animation in favor of classic 2D animation. The movie follows the legendary character, Sinbad the Sailor, and features a star-studded cast that includes Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seassunk at the box office, losing an estimated $207 million when adjusted for inflation. This monumental loss nearly bankrupted DreamWorks. While the studio managed to survive, their interest in 2D animation did not.Sinbadwas Dreamworks' last 2D animated film.
4’Mortal Engines' (2018)
Lost $212 Million
Mortal Engines
Mortal Enginesis a steampunk action film based on the young adult novel of the same name. The film rights were purchased by Peter Jackson, the legendary filmmaker behind the wildly successfulThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy. But Jackson and his team weren’t able to catch lightning in a bottle twice.
WhileMortal Engineswas lauded for its impressive visual effects, the film was lambasted for its narrative and execution.The film wound up being an epic flopcommercially, losing $212 million when adjusted for inflation.
3’The Marvels' (2023)
Lost $237 Million
The Marvels
The Marvelsis the sequel to 2019’s box office hit,Captain Marvel.Itunites Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) with two other characters under the Marvel alias, Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel, forcing them to work together to save the universe.The Marvels' box office performance pales in comparison to its predecessor.The original film is the 11th highest-grossing film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), grossing $1.1 billion worldwide.
The Marvels,on the other hand, grossed only $206 million worldwide against a budget of $374 million. That’s a staggering loss of $237 million. This number makesThe Marvelsthe lowest-grossing film in the MCUand one of the few MCU films to not break even during its theatrical run.
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2’The Lone Ranger' (2013)
Lost $249 Million
The Lone Ranger
Originally conceived as a 1930s radio show,The Lone Rangerhas appeared in various forms of media, from novels and comic books to television shows and movies. In 2013, Disney attempted to bring the iconic masked cowboy back to the big screen –and failed miserably.
The Lone Rangerwas criticized for its overly long running time, for its bloated story, and for whitewashing a Native American character with Johnny Depp. It lost upwards of $249 million, forcing Disney to scrap their plans for a franchise.
1’John Carter' (2012)
Lost $265 Million
John Carter
John Carterwas meant to bethe next big thing for Disney. Based on the influentialBarsoomnovels, it was supposed to be the first in a series of sci-fi adventure films about a Civil War veteran who’s transported to the thriving world of Mars. With a whopping cost of $300 million,John Carteris one of the most expensive films ever made. And it suffered a staggering loss at the box office – roughly $265 million when adjusted for inflation.
John Carterisn’t just the biggest flop of the last 25 years. It’s one of the biggest box office bombs in movie history. Now that’s one legacy you donotwant to have.
