It’s tough right now to be a movie.Streaminghas revolutionized the way we watch movies and, for better or worse, has ushered in the digital age of Hollywood. Blu-rays and DVDs have become obsolete – and for some people, so has going to the movies. Unless there’s a major movie event, most people don’t feel the need to spend the money or time to go to the theater. They’d rather wait a couple of months for that movie to be available to stream or rent, and then watch it from the comfort of their home. Or, because there’s a surplus of content vying for their attention, maybe they’ll never get around to watching that movie at all.
These factors have led to underwhelmingbox officenumbers, even commercial bombs. Sure, some of those bombs are legitimately bad movies. But these days, even well-done, well-reviewed movies end up tanking at the box office. Yet despite their abysmal numbers, some of 2024’s biggest flops have found new life on streaming, among people who never intended to buy a movie ticket but were at least interested enough to check out the movie at home. Maybe these 7 movies weren’t a hit at the box office, butthey’ve at least found success on streaming.
7Lisa Frankenstein
Lisa Frankenstein
Lisa Frankensteinis a horror comedy that spoofs the classic tale ofFrankenstein.Set in the 1980s, a misunderstood teenage girl falls for a Frankenstein-like monster, who’s really a reanimated Victorian-era corpse. It was the feature-length directorial debut of Zelda Williams, the daughter of beloved comedy legend Robin Williams.Lisa Frankensteinis set in the same universe asJennifer’s Body.But it seems like this cinematic universe just doesn’t perform well in theaters.
LikeJennifer’s Body, Lisa Frankensteinwas a commercial failure. It grossed $9.9 million, unable to even make back its small production budget of $13 million. These numbers might have been better if this movie was released during the 2024 Halloween season, at a time when it might have actually gained traction and attracted more viewers looking for spooky flicks.
This Frankenstein Inspired Horror-Comedy Is the Only Movie Ever to Get an S Rating
Inspired by Frankenstein, the horror-comedy Frankenhooker was given a very odd and unprecedented rating on release.
Its February 2024 release seemed like a death sentence. ButLisa Frankensteinwas brought back to life on streaming, where it became a hit. It achievedstreaming success on Max, making it into the top 10 in almost 20 countries worldwide.
IFwas a unique, imaginative film. Literally. It reveals that our world is filled with imaginary friends who have been left behind by their growing and maturing real-world children.IFhad a lot of the right pieces, including John Krasinski as director and an all-star cast that included Ryan Reynolds, Steve Carell, and Krasinski himself. And yet, it grossed $190.3 million worldwide.
Sounds pretty good, right? Wrong. According toVariety, IFestimated that the film had to gross $275 million worldwide in order to break-even, making this a box office bomb.ButIFdid eventually find its real-world friends. It cracked the top ten of the most popular movies on streaming for the week of June 18, 2025. It claimed the top spot the following week, becoming the most streamed release in the US.
5Horizon: An American Saga
Horizon centers around fictional characters and takes place in pre- and post-Civil War America, and details the exploration of the American West. Depicting a twelve-year span, the movies feature an ensemble cast portraying various characters and their experiences pioneering into new territory from their homes.
Horizon: An American Sagais the first installment in what’s meant to be a series of Western epics by actor and filmmaker Kevin Costner. Set during the American Civil War, this film and its forthcoming sequels follow several characters who are navigating life in the Midwest. Costner conceived the idea for this series back in 1988, and it’s been stuck in developmental hell ever since. And perhaps it should’ve stayed there.Horizon: An American Sagafinally saw the light of day in 2024, but it underperformed at the box office, grossing $38 million worldwide against a budget of $50 million.
Westerns just don’t rope in audiences like they used to. At least, not to the movie theater.Horizon: An American Sagawas a streaming hit on Max, becomingthe tenth most popular movie on streaming the week of June 05, 2025. Three more sequels are currently in production.Chapter 2premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, though it hasn’t yet been given a theatrical release date.Chapter 3began production in May 2024, andChapter 4is in development.
4The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy is an action thriller from Bullet Train and Deadpool 2 director David Leitch. Ryan Gosling stars as a stuntman who is forced to find a missing movie star, investigate a conspiracy, and repair his relationship with the love of his life. The film was written by Drew Pearce and inspired by the 1980s TV series of the same name.
There was so much media hype aroundThe Fall Guythat it almost felt destined to fail. And it did.The Fall Guyfollows a stuntman who finds himself involved in a conspiracy while working on his ex-girlfriend’s directorial debut action film. It focuses on an overlooked aspect of filmmaking and gives stunt performers the recognition they deserve.The Fall Guywas led by an all-star cast that includes Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, both of whom had seen tremendous success the previous year withBarbenheimer(Barbiefor Gosling andOppenheimerfor Blunt). It was even co-directed by David Leitch, who’s directedaction hits likeJohn WickandDeadpool 2.But none of them could repeat the success they’ve seen in the past.
Despite stellar reviews,The Fall Guyfell flat at the box office, grossing $181 million worldwide against a $125–150 million production budget. In layman’s terms, this movie lost producers about $50 million.The Fall Guydebuted on streaming via Peacock later in the year. And to everyone’s surprise, itbrokeOppenheimer’sall-time streaming record and became Peacock’s most streamed movie. This is a wild statistic, givenOppenheimer’sextreme success and popularity. It just goes to show that peoplewereinterested in seeing this movie. Just not at a movie theater, an issue that studios and producers will need to contend with.
Argyllewas another movie that came with tremendous hype but left theaters with a whimper. A standalone spin-off from theKingsmanfranchise,Argyllefollows a reclusive author who gets sucked into the world of espionage when her new spy novel eerily mirrors real-world events. Apple TV+ bought the movie rights for a whopping $200 million.Argyllewas given a massive $200 million budget – butthis negatively reviewed film only grossed a lowly $96 million worldwide. Woof. But there is a small silver lining here for Apple.Argyllewas a hit on AppleTV+, becomingthe second most popular title on streaming in the U.S. back in April 2024.Argyllewas intended to be a movie franchise. Perhaps its streaming success will keep those plans in place.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
A prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa is an action-adventure film that tells the origin story of the headstrong and fearless Furiosa. Set shortly after the beginning of the “end of the world,” Furiosa is kidnapped and brought before a powerful warlord, now forced to work for him. To find her way back home, Furiosa will adapt to the new harsh and arid world as she grows into the Furiosa she becomes known to be.
2015’sMad Max: Fury Roadwas a huge hit. Warner Bros. was hoping to repeat that success with a spin-off prequel, 2024’sFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga.But despite stellar reviews and a stacked cast that includes Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth,Furiosabombed at the box office. It grossed $173 million worldwide against its budget of $168 million.
ButFuriosahit streaming platforms with a vengeful furyand led the home viewing charts. The film came in at #1 on iTunes and Fandango at Home and was one of the most popular movies streaming on Max.
1Madame Web
Madame Web
Madame Webhas gone down as one of the worst movies of 2024, garnering a pathetic 11% on Rotten Tomatoes. It tells the origin story of Madame Webb (Johnson), who must save three future Spider-Women from being hunted down and killed by a time-traveling, evil-looking Spider-Man. It’s another uninspired superhero origin story. Another unnecessary Spider-Man adjacent film from Sony, who’s desperate to get something going with this Marvel property. Not even A-listers like Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney could spare this movie from tanking at the box office.
10 Box Office Bombs From 2024 That Deserve a Second Look
Not all box office flops deserved their lackluster fate. Here are 2024 theatrical disappointments worth a watch.
Madame Webgrossed an abysmal $100 million worldwide (that’s very, very low for a superhero movie) against a production budget of $80 million. But believe it or not, this box office bomb was rescued from the depths of despair by streaming giant Netflix, the real superhero in this story.Madame Webdebuted at number one on Netflix’s Top 10 Movies list, clocking in a total of 1.16 billion minutes watched during its first week. Sure, most viewers are probably hate-watching it, intrigued to see just how bad this movie really is. But that doesn’t stopMadame Webfrom going from 2024’s most publicized bomb to the year’s biggest streaming hit.
