The box office is an unpredictable field. Sometimes, an unexpected film emerges as a secret horse by earning massive revenues, while there are also days when big tentpole films fail miserably and send shock waves across the trade sector. WB Pictures’ latest release, Joker: Folie à Deux, turned out to be a massive nightmare for the studio. Not only was the film a critical failure, but its theatrical business was also very low. Here’s a look at the 7 biggest box office bombs of all time, which lost a whopping US$200 million.
7 biggest box office bombs of all time worldwide
1. John Carter
Directed by Andrew Stanton, John Carter is a sci-fi action adventure that failed miserably to strike a chord with the audience. The Hollywood film, released in 2013, stars Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Mark Strong, Dominic West and others. Based on the book A Princess of Mars’s Barroom series of novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs, John Carter was a box office bomb of epic proportions.
According to Box Office Mojo, the film, backed by Disney, collected a total revenue of US$284.1 million at the worldwide box office and suffered a huge loss of approximately US$255 million. This disastrous theatrical performance was caused by a poor marketing campaign and weak writing. John Carter is undoubtedly one of the biggest box office bombs of all time.
2. Lone Ranger
It is a Western-style Hollywood action film directed by Gore Verbinski. It was released in 2013 and stars Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer with William Fichtner, Barry Pepper, Ruth Wilson and others. The action film flopped badly at the box office and lost approximately US$240 million.
Negative things started being said about it, which immediately affected its business. The film failed to generate any curiosity among the audience and became the second highest losing film of all time after John Carter. Interestingly, both production ventures were financed by Walt Disney Pictures.
3. 13th Warrior
The 1999 film The 13th Warrior ranked third among the biggest box office flops in the history of cinema. According to Box Office Mojo, the historical epic action drama only grossed US$61.7 million globally and lost a whopping US$227 million.
John McTiernan of Diehard fame directed this film, which almost ended his career. Antonio Banderas and Diane Venora played the lead roles. The film received poor reviews and was criticized for its weak story and thin plot.
4. Mortal Engines
Directed by Christian Rivers, Mortal Engines is set in a post-apocalyptic world. The steampunk film stars Hera Hilmar, Robert Sheehan, Hugo Weaving, Jiha, Ronan Raftery and others.
The film could not survive at the box office due to negative critical response. It has been criticized for its weak implementation, which has no substance. Mortal Engines grossed less than US$84 million and became one of the biggest flops at the global box office with a loss of approximately US$204 million.
5. Cutthroat Island
Released in 1995, Cutthroat Island ranks fifth among the biggest box office bombs worldwide. The film was made on a huge production budget of between US$90 million to US$100 million; It failed miserably and collected only US$18.3 million during its theatrical release.
Adjusted for inflation, the production enterprise suffered a loss of USD 202 million. The adventure action film was directed by Renny Harlin and stars Geena Davis and Matthew Modine.
6. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
Starring Brad Pitt and Catherine Zeta-Jones in the lead roles, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas was a major theatrical film globally. Against a massive budget, the animated adventure film is expected to gross US$80.8 million throughout its run.
Adjusted for inflation, DreamWorks lost approximately US$199 million, nearly bankrupting the production company. It proved to be the sixth biggest box office flop of all time.
7. Strange World
The 2023 Disney animated film Strange World ranked seventh among the biggest box office bombs, proving to be a nightmare for the studio. The film featured a star-studded cast including Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, and Jaboukie Young in the lead voice cast, although it did not attract much audience.
The adventure animated film directed by Don Hall was made on a huge budget. However, it failed and grossed only US$73.6 million at the worldwide box office, suffering a loss of approximately US$197 million.
Here is the list of 7 box office bombs around the world:
| Post | Movies | ww total box office | Loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Carter | US$284.1 million | US$255 million |
| 2 | lone ranger | 240 billion US dollars | US$240 million |
| 3 | 13th warrior | US$61.7 million | US$227 million |
| 4 | mortal engine | US$83.7 million | US$204 million |
| 5 | Jackfruit Island | US$18.3 million | US$202 million |
| 6 | Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas | US$80.8 million | 199 million US dollars |
| 7 | strange world | US$73.6 million | 197 million US dollars |
Apart from the above mentioned commercial failure titles, some of the other biggest flops include Pan, Tomorrowland, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Turning Red, Mulan, Wonder Woman 1984 and more.
If you enjoyed reading this story, check out the highest-grossing Disney movies of all time and Joker: Folie à Deux: What Went Wrong? Check out our box office analysis of.
Disclaimer: The data used in the mentioned list has been adjusted for inflation and is curated by Box Office Mojo.
Also read: The 7 highest-grossing Christopher Nolan movies worldwide: The Dark Knight Rises, Oppenheimer, and more
