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No one wants to see a movie fail. Making movies takes countless hours of hard work, creativity, and collaboration. Every project starts with high hopes, and even the most notorious flop likely involves at least one person who is passionate about telling a story. There are movies that undeservedly flop at the box office. However, some films face so many obstacles—be it production troubles, poor creative decisions, or a mismatch with audience expectations—that their failure seems inevitable long before they hit the big screen.
Whether it’s unnecessary remakes or high-concept projects that spiral out of control, some movies serve as cautionary tales for Hollywood. Movie enthusiasts and box office pundits have foreseen their poor performance. General audiences can also sense when something is off, and in the cases below, their instincts were proven right. Let’s take a look at some films that seemed destined for box office disaster and examine why they couldn’t overcome the odds.
20
‘Dark Phoenix’ (2019)
Back in 2000, Bryan Singer‘s X-Men kicked off the superhero movie craze that would go on to define not just the rest of the 2000s, but the 21st century as a whole. The highly-acclaimed movie spawned a franchise that had its ups and downs over the course of its run, but, tragically, its biggest down also happened to be the final chapter in the series, Dark Phoenix.
It’s one of the worst comic book movies of all time, a sequel to X-Men: Apocalypse—and after that movie turned out to be catastrophic, fans weren’t exactly expecting much from Dark Phoenix. Production problems, reshoots, and rewrites were the name of the game when it came to making the film, and fans knew that going in. As such, it was hardly a surprise that Dark Phoenix ended up being the worst-performing film in the X-Men franchise, with a reported net loss of over $130 million dollars. —Diego Pineda Pacheco
19
‘Mercy’ (2026)
A pro-AI film produced by Amazon and starring one of Hollywood’s most vocally optimistic supporters of the technology, released at a time when there’s perhaps no topic more controversial? No, thank you! At least that’s what audiences said when they saw Mercy was playing at their nearest theater, since the movie failed to recoup its already-pretty-small budget of $60 million dollars.
Frankly, the writing was on the wall for this one, and whether anyone behind the movie actually thought it had any chances of performing well is anyone’s guess. It’s not even like Mercy deals with its subject with nuance or layered thoughtfulness: It’s brazenly dumb, entirely predictable, and poorly acted. It’s in no way a stretch to say that it was probably written by actual artificial intelligence, considering its stance on it. —Diego Pineda Pacheco
18
‘Madame Web’ (2024)
Even though Sony Pictures has the film rights to Spider-Man, one of the most lucrative heroes available, they’ve struggled with turning a profit from the wall crawler’s extended universe. One such misfire was the Dakota Johnson-starring Madame Web, a film that introduced audiences to the comic book character of Cassandra Web, a blind psychic who can see into the future. The movie saw Johnson step into the shoes of Cassandra as her powers emerged, but the story wasn’t compelling enough to draw audiences.
Madame Web pulled in a worldwide box office of roughly $100 million, a number Sony wasn’t celebrating when the estimated production budget was between $80 million and $100 million. The low ticket sales weren’t shocking, as there was already skepticism about basing a movie around a comic book character that few casual audience members were familiar with. Madame Web was known primarily for its negative press before premiering, a fact that Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra cited as a reason the film didn’t succeed. —Brad LaCour
17
‘Battleship’ (2012)
Who hasn’t played the game Battleship and thought, “What if this were a two-hour movie instead?” Universal Pictures heard those cries and gifted audiences everywhere with the sci-fi action extravaganza Battleship. In the film, war games for a naval fleet take on deadly stakes when an alien invasion interrupts the planned exhibition. After several ships are contained within an energy field, the trapped soldiers will need to fight for their lives.
A movie based on a board game was met with more than a few chuckles, even with the cult-classic Clue as proof that it can be done. However, a bloated budget that came in somewhere at an estimated $220 million made turning a profit a near-impossible feat for Universal, especially with a $65 million take-home domestically. Battleship’s failure turned out more disastrous than even its critics were expecting, sinking Universal’s planned Hasbro Cinematic Universe. So, depending on your tastes, this story possibly has a happy ending. —Brad LaCour
16
‘The Mummy’ (2017)
Not to be confused with the 1999 film, the Tom Cruise-starring The Mummy bombed so powerfully that it caused an entire slate of films to be canceled. The updated tale featured Cruise as Sergeant Nick Morton, a man who finds himself doomed by a deadly curse after discovering an ancient Egyptian tomb. Nick is then forced into a confrontation with Princess Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella), a powerful Mummy that needs to be returned to the afterlife.
Initially, audience excitement was high. One of the world’s biggest movie stars was going to kick off a modern reimagining of Universal Studios’ classic monster movies in a shared franchise called The Dark Universe. However, there were soon reports of a troubled set with creative power clashes, and the first trailer was hilariously released with large audio tracks missing. The Mummy performed poorly domestically, and despite a large number overseas, Universal would lose money on the film, causing the studio to cancel all future plans for The Dark Universe. —Brad LaCour
15
‘The Lone Ranger’ (2013)
Disney is responsible for some of the biggest movies of all time, and they’re also on the hook for some of the biggest flops, such as The Lone Ranger. Directed by Gore Verbinski, The Lone Ranger had Armie Hammer in the lead role of the masked vigilante with Johnny Depp as his faithful sidekick Tonto. The film followed the two heroes as they were off on a quest for justice and revenge against the outlaw Butch Cavendish (William Fichtner) and his gang.
Did a film version of an old TV show that audiences weren’t familiar with need a $250 million budget? Probably not. Disney felt the same way, delaying production on The Lone Ranger and drawing negative attention before the movie started filming. Additionally, the public reception wasn’t sold on Depp cast in the role of a Native American character, further impacting any positive buzz for the big-budget western. Seemingly doomed from the start, The Lone Ranger would lose somewhere between $160 million and $190 million. —Brad LaCour
14
‘Morbius’ (2022)
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing
Not unlike a vampire, Morbius rose from the grave to die twice at the theaters. The antihero superhero film saw Jared Leto star as Dr. Michael Morbius, a brilliant biochemist who attempts to cure his lifelong blood disease using vampire bats. Although the doctor’s treatments restore his body, they also turn Michael into a vampiric creature who sucks the life from his enemies and moviegoers.
There was relative curiosity when Morbius was released for the first time, but that goodwill didn’t last long. A poor critical reception and lukewarm word of mouth put a wooden stake into the film’s chances of meeting blockbuster expectations. In a case of not quitting while possibly breaking even, Sony Pictures misinterpreted Morbius’ online notoriety of memes and “it’s morbing time” jokes as growing interest, and re-released the film in theaters for it to fail once again. —Brad LaCour
13
‘Ishtar’ (1987)
Directed by Elaine May, Ishtar stars Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman as two struggling musicians who get caught up in Cold War-era espionage in the Middle East. The film was an all-out production, shot on location in Morocco, and features the leads at the height of their fame. But due to its failure, Ishtar is now synonymous with notorious box office flops.
The film’s behind-the-scenes chaos and bloated budget overshadowed its potential. The on-location shoot turned out to bring problems, due to the region’s political tension and the country’s inexperience in handling a Hollywood production. The director also clashed with the main actors, making production and post-production difficult. The negative publicity lingered until its release, eventually hurting its chances of making a profit. Nevertheless, recently, Ishtar has been reevaluated much more objectively, with names like Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese as its proponents.
12
Battlefield Earth (2000)
Based on L. Ron Hubbard’s novel, Battlefield Earth sees the human race enslaved by alien invaders led by Terl, played by John Travolta. Sick of their enslavement, a faction of humans begins to plan a rebellion to take over the planet. Directed by Roger Christian, the film has high hopes to be a sprawling sci-fi epic in the vein of Star Wars.
Battlefield Earth had a long road to production, mainly because of its relationship with the Church of Scientology, which made studios and investors hesitant. As a member of the church and a fan of the book, Travolta himself jump-started the production, leveraging his fame in the late 1990s. However, the bad buzz surrounding the film had already spread to the mainstream audience. It does not help that the movie features bizarre performances, laughable dialogue, and an incomprehensible plot. To no one’s surprise, Battlefield Earth flopped and is consistently labeled as the worst sci-fi movie ever made.
11
‘The Adventures of Pluto Nash’ (2002)
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Set in the year 2087, The Adventures of Pluto Nash stars Eddie Murphy as a nightclub owner on the moon who sees his club threatened by the lunar mafia. With Murphy still riding the success of Doctor Dolittle and The Nutty Professor, the hopes are high to see this futuristic comedy thrive.
However, the film was marred by production troubles that saw reshoots and lukewarm pre-release buzz. Director Ron Underwood and Murphy himself were not satisfied with the level of fun in the movie, diminishing audiences’ interest. When reviewed by critics, the movie was panned for its nonexistent humor and weak script, making it one of the worst-reviewed comedies of the 2000s. The movie barely registered with audiences, quickly earning its reputation as one of the worst box-office bombs in history.
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Marcel Ardivan
Almontather Rassoul
