List of U.S. box office bombs

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Box office bomb. (Discuss)

The following is a partial list of U.S. box office bombs; films with low box office revenue.

A film's financial success is often measured by its gross revenue. Ideally, studios want a film's "domestic" (which the American film industry defines as the United States and Canada) box office gross revenue to exceed production costs. Only rarely do films become profitable based on domestic revenue alone. Typically, the exhibiting theater keeps 45% of the gross and the remainder is paid to the studio as the rental fee. Nevertheless, if a film has a high domestic gross in relation to its production and marketing costs, it will almost certainly turn a profit once revenue from other sources is included. During the 1980s, the performance of a film on its opening weekend became crucial to the perception of its profitability. Films that had a poor opening weekend were often dropped quickly by cinemas.[1]

[edit] Qualifications

A film that recoups production and marketing costs can be considered a success. If a film fails to recoup those costs by a significant margin, it is referred to as a box office bomb. However, international distribution, sales to broadcast syndication, and home video releases as well as revenue from other sources (such as toy merchandising) often mean some films considered domestic "box office bombs" in North America do make a profit for their studios, sometimes years after the film's release. For example, Head, a 1968 film featuring The Monkees, was a flop that became profitable for the studio years later when its cult film status led to its sale to Rhino Entertainment and its re-release in various video formats. The popularity (and profitability) of DVD sales has increased this trend significantly, leading many to doubt the significance of domestic grosses as a predictor of a film's overall success.

Foreign films like Perfume: The Story of a Murderer often qualify as U.S. box office bombs although their international distribution makes it possible to recoups production and marketing costs. For the film Perfume, the US box office revenue of $2,208,939 only accounted for 3.7% of the costs while world wide revenues of $100 million accounted for nearly 170% of the costs.

Different genres of film are subject to different standards of success. For example, action films typically have higher production and promotion costs than love stories. Typically, the most notorious flops are summer blockbusters, which often entail huge costs to produce and face a highly competitive market. Advertising costs are not included in a movie's production costs, and can make a bomb's failure all the more crushing for the studio.

[edit] Films that pushed studios into financial ruin

In the most dramatic cases, a film's poor performance can push a studio into financial ruin, as happened with United Artists (Heaven's Gate), Carolco Pictures (Cutthroat Island), Franchise Pictures (Battlefield Earth), and Square Pictures (Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within).

[edit] Impact on the film's cast and crew

Most box office bombs are not career-ending for the film's main cast and crew. Ishtar was a notorious bomb but the careers of both its stars, Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman, continued with little noticeable effect.

[edit] The size of a bomb in terms of net loss sustained or by loss percentage

The size of a box office "bomb" can be determined by either the net loss sustained, or by a loss percentage (1 - gross revenue/production costs). By using these two measurements, the biggest U.S. box office bombs listed below are (respectively) Alexander (2004) with a net loss of $120,702,809, and Zyzzyx Road (2006) with a loss percentage of 99.9985% of production costs. Considering worldwide box office sales, the biggest loser was The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002) with a net loss of $92,896,027.

Contents

0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Films with a USA gross less than 10% of budget are highlighted.

[edit] A

Title Year Budget Domestic Gross % of budget
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen [2] 1988 $40,000,000 $8,083,123 20.2%
The Adventures of Pluto Nash [3] 2002 $100,000,000 $4,411,102 4.4%
The Alamo [4] 2004 $107,000,000 $22,414,961 20.9%
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn 1998 $10,000,000 $45,779 0.5%
All the King's Men[5] 2006 $55,000,000 $7,221,458 13.1%
Alexander [6] 2004 $155,000,000 $34,297,191 22.1%
Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker 2006 $40,000,000 $659,210 1.6%
Almost Famous 2000 $60,000,000 $32,534,850 54.2%
Arabian Knight (Miramax version of The Thief and the Cobbler) 1995 $28,000,000 $669,276 2.4%
Alone in the Dark 2005 $20,000,000 $5,178,169 28.9%
Around the World in 80 Days [7] 2004 $110,000,000 $24,008,137 21.8%
Arthur and the Invisibles [8] 2006 $86,000,000 $40,578,664 47.2%
The Avengers [9] 1998 $60,000,000 $23,322,832 38.9%

[edit] B

Title Year Budget Domestic Gross % of budget
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever[10] 2002 $70,000,000 $14,294,842 20.4%
Basic Instinct 2[11] 2006 $70,000,000 $5,946,136 8.5%
Battlefield Earth[12] 2000 $73,000,000 $21,471,685 29.4%
Bee Season[13] 2005 $14,000,000 $1,180,560 8.4%
Beloved[14] 1998 $80,000,000 $22,852,487 28.6%
The Black Dahlia[15] 2006 $50,000,000 $22,545,080 45.1%
Blood and Chocolate 2007 $15,000,000 $3,526,588 23.5%
Bloodrayne[16] 2006 $25,000,000 $2,405,420 9.6%
The Bonfire of the Vanities[17] 1990 $47,000,000 $15,691,192 33.4%
The Boondock Saints[18] 2000 $6,000,000 $683,000 11.4%
The Bridge of San Luis Rey[19] 2005 $24,000,000 $49,981 0.21%

[edit] C

Title Year Budget Domestic Gross % of budget
Can't Stop the Music 1980 $20,000,000 $2,000,000 10%
Catwoman 2004 $100,000,000 $40,202,379 40.2%
The Caveman's Valentine 2001 $13,500,000 $687,194 5.1%
Chasing Liberty 2004 $23,000,000 $12,195,626 53%
Church Ball 2006 $1,000,000 $464,991 46.5%
Cleopatra 1963 $44,000,000 $26,000,000 59%
Code Name: The Cleaner 2007 $20,000,000 $8,135,024 40.7%
The Condemned 2007 $23,000,000 $7,327,940 31.8%
Connie and Carla 2004 $27,000,000 $8,085,771 29.9%
Cool as Ice 1991 $6,000,000 $1,193,062 19.8%
The Core 2003 $74,000,000 $31,111,260 41.8%
The Country Bears 2002 $35,000,000 $16,990,825 48.5%
Cradle Will Rock 1999 $32,000,000 $2,899,970 8.7%
Cutthroat Island 1995 $92,000,000 $10,017,322 10.8%
Crash 1996 $10,000,000 $3,357,324 33.6%

[edit] D

Title Year Budget Domestic Gross % of budget
Daylight 1996 $80,000,000 $32,885,565 40%
Death to Smoochy 2002 $50,000,000 $8,364,691 16.7%
Dirty[20] 2006 $3,000,000 $274,245 9.1%
Detroit Rock City 1999 $15'000'000 $2,005,512 13.37%
Doogal[21] 2006 $20,000,000 $19,886,042 28.2%
Dragonfly 2002 $75,000,000 $30,063,805 40%
D-Tox 2002 $55,000,000 $79,161 0.14%
Driven 2001 $72,000,000 $32,616,869 44%
Dudley Do-Right 1999 $70,000,000 $9,974,410 14.2%
D-War 2007 $75,000,000 $10,616,869 7.5 %

[edit] E

Title Year Budget Domestic Gross % of budget
EDtv 1999 $80,000,000 $21,431,897 28.0%
Extreme Ops 2002 $40,000,000 [1] $4,835,968 12.09%

[edit] F

Title Year Budget Domestic Gross % of budget
Femme Fatale 2002 $35,000,000 $6,630,252 18.9%
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within 2001 $137,000,000 $32,131,830 23.3%
Flyboys 2006 $60,000,000 $13,082,288 21.8%
From Justin to Kelly 2003 $12,000,000 $4,922,166 41.6%
The Fountain 2006 $35,000,000 $10,144,010 28.9%
The Four Feathers 2002 $80,000,000 $18,306,166 22.5%
Freaked 1993 $12,000,000 $29,296 0.2%

[edit] G

Title Year Budget Domestic Gross % of budget
The Game of Their Lives 2005 $20,000,000 $375,750 1.9%
Get Carter 2000 $63,600,000 $14,967,182 23.5%
Gigli 2003 $54,000,000 $6,068,735 11.1%
Glitter 2001 $22,000,000 $4,273,372 18.1%
Gods and Generals 2003 $56,000,000 $12,882,034 23%
A Good Year 2006 $35,000,000 $7,459,300 21.3%
Grindhouse 2007 $67,000,000 $25,037,897 37.3%

[edit] H

Title Year Budget Domestic Gross % of budget
Hard Rain 1998 $70,000,000 $19,819,000 27.7%
Hart's War 2002 $70,000,000 $19,076,815 27.1%
Heaven's Gate 1980 $44,000,000 $3,484,331 7.9%
The Hoax 2007 $25,000,000 $7,164,995 28.7%
Hollywood Ending 2002 $16,000,000 $4,839,383 31.5%
Holy Man [22] 1998 $60,000,000 $12,069,719 20.1%
Home On The Range 2004 $110,000,000 $50,030,461 45.5%
Hoot 2006 $15,000,000 $4,889,754 32.5%
The House of the Spirits 1994 $40,000,000 $6,265,311 15.6%
Howard the Duck 1986 $30,000,000 $16,295,136 53.3%
Hudson Hawk 1991 $65,000,000 $17,218,080 26.1%
Hurlyburly 1998 $15,000,000 $1,798,862 12.0%

[edit] I

Title Year Budget Domestic Gross % of budget
I Know Who Killed Me 2007 $12,000,000 $2,800,000 23.3%
Inchon 1981 $46,000,000 $5,200,986 11.3%
Intolerable Cruelty 2003 $60,000,000 $35,096,190 58.3%
The Invasion 2007 $80,000,000 $15,055,795 18.8%
Ishtar 1987 $55,000,000 $14,375,181 35.9%
The Island 1980 $22,000,000 $10,000,000 45.5%
The Island 2005 $122,200,000 $35,799,026 29.2%
It's All Gone Pete Tong 2005 $2,000,000 $120,620 6.0%

[edit] J

Title Year Budget Domestic Gross % of budget
Jade 1995 $50,000,000 $9,795,017 19.6%
Jakob the Liar 1999 $15,000,000 $4,956,401 33.0%
Judge Dredd 1995 $90,000,000 $34,694,000 38.5%

[edit] K

Title Year Budget Domestic Gross % of budget
K-19: The Widowmaker 2002 $100,000,000 $35,168,677 35.1%
King Arthur 2004 $90,000,000 $51,882,244 57.6%
Kingdom of Heaven 2005 $130,000,000 $47,396,698 36.5%

[edit] L

Title Year Budget Domestic Gross % of budget
Last Action Hero 1993 $85,000,000 $50,016,394 58.8%
The Last Castle 2001 $72,000,000 $18,208,078 25.3%
Laws of Attraction 2004 $32,000,000 $17,871,255 55.9%
Lolita 1997 $58,000,000 $1,060,056 1.8%
Looney Tunes: Back in Action 2003 $80,000,000 $21,600,585 27.0%
Lords of Dogtown 2005 $25,000,000 $11,273,517 45.1%
The Lost City 2005 $9,600,000 $2,484,186 25.9%
Love's Labour's Lost 2000 $13,000,000 $299,792 2.3%
Lucky Numbers 2000 $65,000,000 $10,014,234 15.4%
Lucky You 2007 $50,000,000 $7,355,993 15%

[edit] M

Title Year Budget Domestic Gross % of budget
Mad City 1997 [23] $50,000,000 $10,541,523 21.1%
The Majestic 2001 $72,000,000 $27,796,042 38.6%
Manderlay[24] 2006 $14,200,000 $78,378 0.55%
Maximum Overdrive 1986 $10,000,000 $7,000,000 70%
Meet Joe Black 1998 $90,000,000 $44,606,335 49.6%
Meet the Deedles 1998 $24,000,000 $4,308,981 18.0%
Memoirs of an Invisible Man 1992 $40,000,000 $14,358,033 35.9%
Mighty Joe Young 1998 $90,000,000 $50,632,037 56.3%
Mini's First Time 2006 $6,000,000 $49,034 0.8%
The Molly Maguires 1970 $11,000,000 $1,100,000 10.0%
Monument Ave. 1998 $11,000,000 $333,760 3.0%
Moonlight Mile[25] 2002 $21,000,000 $6,835,856 32.6%
My Big Fat Independent Movie 2005 $3,000,000 $4,655[26] 0.16%

[edit] N

Title Year Budget Domestic Gross % of budget
New York Minute 2004 $30,000,000 $14,045,006 46.8%
No Good Deed 2003 $12,000,000 $181,600 1.5%
Nomad 2007 $40,000,000 $79,123 0.2%
North 1994 $40,000,000 $7,138,449 17.8%
Nothing But Trouble 1991 $40,000,000 $8,479,793 21.2%

[edit] O

Title Year Budget Domestic Gross % of budget
The Oh in Ohio 2006 $5,000,000 $418,689 8.3%
Once Upon a Time in America 1984 $30,000,000 $5,321,508 17.7%
One Night Stand 1997 $24,000,000 $2,618,335 10.9%
Osmosis Jones 2001 $75,000,000 $25,120,66218.1%

[edit] P

Title Year Budget Domestic Gross % of budget
Pathfinder: Legend of the Ghost Warrior 2007 $45,000,000 $10,232,081 22.7%
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer † 2006 $60,000,000 $2,208,939 † 3.7%
Pirates 1986 $40,000,000 $1,641,825 4.1%
The Postman 1997 $80,000,000 $17,593,391 22%

† Perfume: The Story of a Murderer was a German production that grossed more than $100 million internationally making it a box office success.

[edit] R

Title Year Budget Domestic Gross % of budget
Raise the Titanic![27] 1980 $36,000,000 $7,000,000 19.4%
Redline 2007 $26,000,000 $6,881,022 26.5%
Red Planet 2000 $75,000,000 $17,473,245 23.3%
Ride with the Devil 1999 $35,000,000 $630,779 1.8%
Rollerball 2002 $70,000,000 $18,990,542 27.1%

[edit] S

Title Year Budget Domestic Gross % of budget
Sahara 2005 $130,000,000 $68,671,925 52.8%
The Scarlet Letter 1995 $50,000,000 $10,382,407 20.8%
Scorched 2003 $7,000,000 $8,000 0.11%
Screamers 1995 $20,000,000 $5,711,695 28.6%
September Dawn [28] 2007 $11,000,000 $1,066,555 9.7%
Serenity 2005 $40,000,000 $25,514,517 62.5%
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 1978 $18,000,000 $13,000,000 65%
Shade 2004 $10,000,000 $25,032 0.25%
Shanghai Surprise 1986 $17,000,000 $2,315,683 13.6%
The 6th Day 2000 $82,000,000 $34,543,700 42.1%
Showgirls 1995 $45,000,000 $20,302,961 45.1%
Slither 2006 $29,500,000[29] $7,802,450 52.0%
Slow Burn 2007 $15,500,000 $1,237,615 7.9%
Solaris 2002 $47,000,000 $14,970,038 31.9%
Soldier 1998 $75,000,000 $14,623,082 19.5%
Sorcerer 1977 $22,000,000 $10,000,000 45.5%
A Sound of Thunder 2005 $80,000,000 $1,900,451 2.4%
Stardust 2007 $65,000,000 $38,345,403 63%
Speed 2: Cruise Control 1997 $160,000,000 $48,068,396 30.0%
The Statement 2003 $27,000,000 $765,637 2.8%
Stay 2005 $50,000,000 $3,626,883 7.3 %
Stealth 2005 $138,000,000 $31,704,416 23.0%
Steel 1997 $16,000,000 $1,710,972 10.7%
The Stupids 1996 $25,000,000 $2,415,593 9.7%
Swept Away 2002 $10,000,000 $598,645 6.0%

[edit] T

Title Year Budget Domestic Gross % of budget
Terminal Velocity[30] 1994 $50,000,000 $16,478,900 32.9%
Thirteen Days 2000 $80,000,000 $34,566,746 43.2%
3000 Miles to Graceland 2001 $62,000,000 $15,738,632 25.4%
The 13th Warrior 1999 $85,000,000 $32,694,788 38.5%
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada 2005 $15,000,000 $5,027,684 33.5%
Thunderbirds 2004 $57,000,000 $6,880,917 12.1%
Town & Country 2001 $90,000,000 $6,810,050 7.6%

[edit] U

Title Year Budget Domestic Gross % of budget
U Turn 1997 $19,000,000 $6,633,400 34.9%
Undiscovered 2005 $9,000,000 $1,069,318 11.9%
Unidentified 2006 $400,000 $224,099 56.0%
Until the End of the World 1991 $23,000,000 $829,625 3.6%

[edit] W

Title Year Budget Domestic Gross % of budget
Waterworld 1995 $175,000,000 $88,246,220 50.4%
Waterloo 1970 $25,000,000 $1,400,000 5.6%
Welcome to Mooseport 2004 $26,000,000 $14,470,947 55.7%
The Whole Ten Yards 2004 $40,000,000 $16,323,969 40.8%
Windtalkers 2001 $115,000,000 $40,911,830 35.6%
Wing Commander 1999 $30,000,000 $11,576,087 38.6%
The Wiz 1978 $24,000,000 $13,000,000 54.2%
The World's Fastest Indian 2005 $25,000,000 $5,128,124 20.5%
Wyatt Earp 1994 $63,000,000 $25,052,000 39.8%

[edit] Z

Title Year Budget Domestic Gross % of budget
Zabriskie Point 1970 $7,000,000 $900,000 12.9%
Zathura 2005 $65,000,000 $28,045,540 43.1%
Zodiac 2007 $65,000,000 $33,080,083 50.9%
Zyzzyx Road 2006 $1,200,000 $30 0.001%

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=predator2.htm
  2. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=adventuresofbaronmunchausen.htm
  3. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=plutonash.htm
  4. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=alamo.htm
  5. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=allthekingsmen.htm
  6. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=alexander.htm
  7. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=aroundtheworldin80days.htm
  8. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=arthurandtheinvisibles.htm
  9. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=avengers.htm
  10. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=ecksvssever.htm
  11. ^ http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2006/BASC2.php
  12. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=battlefieldearth.htm
  13. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=beeseason.htm
  14. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=beloved.htm
  15. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=blackdahlia.htm
  16. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=bloodrayne.htm
  17. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=bonfireofthevanities.htm
  18. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=boondocksaints.htm
  19. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=bridgeofsanluisrey.htm
  20. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=dirty.htm
  21. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=doogal.htm
  22. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=holyman.htm
  23. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119592/business
  24. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=manderlay.htm
  25. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=moonlightmile.htm
  26. ^ http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=mybigfatindependentmovie.htm
  27. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081400/business
  28. ^ http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=septemberdawn.htm
  29. ^ http://entertainment.tv.yahoo.com/entnews/va/20060405/114423644400.html
  30. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111400/business

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://india.smashits.com/wikipedia/List_of_U.S._box_office_bombs"
Views
Personal tools

Toolbox