Top Ten Biggest Movie Flops

It's impossible to read a news item about the weekly box office results, without somebody mentioning the fact that this or that movie is a flop. It's a word that is used with ease, even in the case when a movie is not a flop at all. Of course, history has had it's fair share of flops, some losing enough money for you to buy your own football team that has enough expensive talent to win the Champions League. So, what are the ten biggest flops of all time? Read on and find out.

Before we go ahead with this article, let's define the term flop. Many people, when they hear the word flop, assume that the movie in question is a bad movie. This, however, does not necessarily have to be the case. There are plenty of movies that made no money at all, but which were a lot of fun to watch regardless. There are even some pretty good, well made movies that are relegated to the flops list because of bad marketing, bad timing and just plain bad luck. Mystery Men, a movie that just missed out of being in the top ten, was an expensive flop, but turns out to be a nice parody of the superhero genre. Osmosis Jones may be a movie that not many people saw in the cinema, but the people who did see it were pretty universal in their praise for this interesting combination of live action and animation.

Lately, it has become more and more difficult for a studio to make a movie that flops. Moviegoers outside America have elevated recent movies like Kingdom of Heaven and The Island from potential bombs into big hits, turning them into nice moneymakers for the studios that released them. In other words, you really have to botch up the release of a movie for it to reach that legendary status that no filmmaker really aspires to, but which does raise the awareness people have of your movie (meaning that many flops are able to clean up after all, when they are released on DVD!).

In the following top ten list, based on numbers from websites Box Office Mojo, The Numbers and the Internet Movie Database, you will find the ten movies which lost the most money in absolute numbers, where the worldwide gross was deducted from the budget. There are plenty of movies which did not cost half as much as the movies on this list, but which were even bigger disasters when you count in percentages. But, since I like big numbers, I decided to present you the absolute list. And you can probably add between 30 to 50 million dollars to the figures mentioned below, since the budget does not take into account the budget for advertising the movie. Imagine that. The number one movie already lost almost 100 million dollars without the advertising budget (although you have to wonder, the movie being such a flop, if they actually spent any money on advertising at all). Read on, and be amazed at the fact that the biggest flop is not actually an action movie!

10. Osmosis Jones
Money lost: $ 61 million
Worth checking out?: Definitely

I really like Osmosis Jones, and wonder what on earth went wrong with this movie. It's directed by the Farelly Brothers, features Bill Murray in the live action parts and the voice talent of Chris Rock in the animation, and still it lost a massive amount of money. Maybe people just weren't ready for a cross between animation and live action that did not feature any fluffy animals singing happy songs, but which was instead more a cross between the yuckiest parts of Dumb and Dumberer and those educational movies about the workings of your inner body.

9. Stealth
Money lost: $ 63 million
Worth checking out?: I wouldn't bother

Showing that even nowadays they can make big flops, here is Stealth. It actually made more money than most other movies in this list, but was so insanely expensive that the studio will need to sell a lot of DVD's in other to pull this movie into the green.

8. The Postman
Money lost: $ 63 million
Worth checking out?: Not really

Kevin Costner made a lot of movies that were considered to be flops, but this is the only one that really lost a huge amount of money. Then again, it's probably his worst movie too, so maybe sometimes there is justice after all.

7. The 13th Warrior
Money lost: $ 64 million
Worth checking out?: For sure

In a time when everybody was turning Michael Crighton books into money spinners (Jurassic Park, Congo), Disney was able to turn this one into a disaster. The biggest crime about this is the fact that The 13th Warrior is actually a pretty good movie.

6. Monkeybone
Money lost: $65 million
Worth checking out?: Probably the coolest movie in the list

This is one of those movies where originality has killed any chance of the thing becoming a success. And yes, Monkeybone is quite a ride, but if you can find it on DVD somewhere, it definitely deserves a shot.

5. The Alamo
Money lost: $69 million
Worth checking out?: Actually pretty good

A lot of things went wrong during the making of The Alamo, which, amongst other things, caused director Ron Howard to pull out. There was a stir about the fact that the movie could not be too violent, but turning down the bloodshed did not help this movie into becoming a breakaway hit after all.

4. A Sound of Thunder
Money lost: $ 74 million
Worth checking out?: This couldn't have been any worse if Uwe Boll had made it

When the release of a movie is delayed by several years, you know something is wrong. And there are plenty things wrong with this monstrosity, most of all the fact that it was released at all.

3. Cutthroat Island
Money lost: $ 82 million
Worth checking out?: There's definitely a novelty factor there

Flops don't come much more legendary than this one, the movie that sank production company Carolco, a company before then known for megahits like Terminator 2 and Total Recall. Their risk to make a pirate movie in a time when pirate movies were considered uncool did not pay off...

2. Pluto Nash
Money lost: $ 93 million
Worth checking out?: This movie is just horrible

Watching Pluto Nash makes you wonder how on earth they spent all that money on a movie that looks like a direct to DVD special. Over 100 million dollars were spent, presumably not on hiring a writer that could turn this mess into something remotely interesting to watch.

1. Town and Country
Money lost: $ 95 million
Worth checking out?: Well, it is the biggest flop ever!

The fact that this movie is at number one baffles me, because how on earth can you even spend 100 million dollars on a romantic comedy? There are no special effects and no big explosions, presumably just a lot of big ego's who turned this movie into a legendary one. Sadly, all for the wrong reasons.

Comments

[DFW GUY]

can you tell me how much the movie War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise made to date? And if it was considered a hit or flop by the studio who made the film.
Thank you

[Patrick]

War of the Worlds cost 132 million dollars to make, and made 591 million dollars worldwide. 234 of those millions were made in the US, the rest was thanks to foreign moviegoers. As far as I know, the studio was very pleased with this result, although lots of moviegoers were less excited about the movie...

[Veronika]

Can you tell me if your information about movie flops is based on absolute loss on worldwide gross or just loss on USA box office.
Thank you.

[isaac ellis]

what would you say spielbergs biggest flop was?

[Phillip]

What about waterworld?

[Randy Paynter]

To be fair I always thought Disney was weak.

[Andrew Cheater]

amathieson@amerexenergy.co.uk

so how do you explain Superman ?

[peter]

the 13th warrior? im shocked i thought that that film was superb, they never make films like that any more. When British cinema died so did films from that era. (Gone the way of the western i guess... shame).

[b]

"Can't stop the Music" starring the Village People, Bruce Jenner. Directed by Nancy Walker. EEEEEEWW!!!!!!!! So bad it's good?

[Me]

Heaven's Gate?

[danny nolan]

I have just watched Monkeybone.

Awful. Truly awful. I would like to interview everyone involved with the commissioning of this and ask them 'what in the name of God did you think you were doing?'

[Filipo Dimwit]

How does one judge "The Soloist?" The acting by Downey and Foxx was superb but the movie still stank. I'm confused.

[Eddie]

what do you all think of these movies:

-men in black I & II, really don't understand why these movies make so much money. Complete no-brain movies.

-Hancock; probably the worst movie Will Smith has ever made. Why on earth did this movie made box office gold?

-bulletproof monk. Stupid movie and even more stupid acting.

-Open water. Worst movie ever. And you know what?? They made open water 2. Im speechless.

-And I think we saw enough SAW movies.

[J. Warner]

I have to say I love A Sound Of Thunder, ive seen it several times and love it, its WAY better then some big hits, special effects are great and story not too hokey, ok some problems but deserves a look.

[Tom E]

Don't forget the non-movie "Blair Witch Project"-what a bogus stinker!

[jo jo]

Let's face facts. Battlefield Eath with John Travolta was just mawvalous!
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

[Trace]

With Sci Fi and Fantasy films unless you are making a 2001 type film you have to spend big to ow ah the crouds. But that can spell a money loss if the film does not over preform. I think Avatar had to make 600 million to be considered a sucess because of cost to make

[Donna miller]

its no wonder from justin to kelly flopped
like Simon Cowell says "that was dreadful

[Brent Norris]

I'm shocked that "The Alamo" was on any kind of "Movie Flop" list. I thought it was really good and watch reruns of it anytime I get a chance. I didn't know John Wayne ever made a movie that was rated anywhere but between Good and Great.

[vidtrekker]

WORST SPIELBERG MOVIE (ON SO MANY MANY LEVELS): INDY & THE PLASTIC SKULL...

[Mary Sigley]

To ScribbleKing: Do you ever proofread your work before posting? You turned Dumber and Dumber into Dumb and Dumberer! And there were more silly errors also.

To commenter Brent Norris: The J. Wayne movie The Alamo was huge. There must have been an attempted remake if Ron Howard pulled out of the film. Ron was a little child when the original was released circa 1960. I am a contributor on IMDb.

[Sharon Junger]

A Sound of thunder and The 13th Warrior are my all-time favorites. Can't understand how all the Saw's Movies did not make your list.

[Frank Araujo]

I think some of your viewers are confused about the Alamo. It's obvious that the listing is NOT the classic with Duke Wayne, Chill Wills, Richard Widmark and Laurnce Harvy but the remake with Thornton, et al.

[Pb]

Does this include worldwide? I though Speed 2 lost over 110,000,000 in terms of us box-office vs. budget.

[Pb]

"Sahara" a movie from 2005 had total losses of $121,730,514 making it the top movie for money losses.