You'll be shocked when you discover how many awesome movies underperformed at the box office. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 movies that surprisingly bombed at the box office.
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00:00Where are you going?
00:01It's all full of hope!
00:04There is no hope!
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 movies that surprisingly bombed the box office.
00:12Any film that failed to double its budget during its theatrical run is up for grabs this time around.
00:17And I also believe if things had gone on that way, this place would have got the best of it.
00:24Number 10, Fight Club
00:27Every evening I died, and every evening I was born again.
00:33Resurrected.
00:35We were all Jack's sense of complete surprise when we found out that this dark comedy didn't do that well at first.
00:41Fight Club boasted an impressive cast that featured stars like Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, and Helena Bottom Carter.
00:47Its subversive humor and quotable lines made it memorable, and Fight Club features one of Hollywood's best twists.
00:53Despite all of the film's advantages, it lost somewhere around $24 to $28 million.
00:58Someone loved it intensely for one day, then tossed it.
01:04This may have been because critics were extremely split on the film's quality upon its release,
01:08or maybe audience members didn't talk it up because they were following the first rule of Fight Club.
01:12Either way, this Fincher film managed to stay relevant after losing the battle for the top of the box office.
01:18Tomorrow will be the most beautiful day of Raymond Cahill's life.
01:21His breakfast will taste better than any meal you and I have ever tasted.
01:25Number 9, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
01:28Mr. Pilgrim!
01:31It is I, Matthew Patel.
01:35Consider our fight begun.
01:39It turns out that the 8-bit hero of this film had to fight seven evil exes and low box office returns.
01:46With budgets that ranged from $60 to $85 million,
01:49Scott Pilgrim sadly made less than $50 million when it was first released.
01:53It's likely that audiences were just too unfamiliar with the character to give it a shot.
01:57If more moviegoers had shown up, they'd find fast-paced editing, unique visuals, and extremely catchy songs.
02:03We are Sex Bob-Omb, and we're here to make you think about death and get sad and stuff!
02:10They'd also see a cast that was jam-packed with future superstars.
02:13Since the film's release, the property had found massive success in mediums like video games and TV.
02:18It's hard to nail down why the world was against Scott Pilgrim when he first stepped on the stage.
02:22Am I dreaming?
02:26I'll leave you alone forever now. Thanks.
02:29Number 8, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
02:32Look, everybody, look, I've got it! The fifth Golden Ticket is mine!
02:36You're pulling our legs, Charlie.
02:38After the young Charlie Bucket found a Golden Ticket, he took us on a journey unlike any other.
02:42His Chocolate Factory tour captured our imaginations
02:45because of great production design and the unforgettable characters he found along the way.
02:49Speaking of icons, Gene Wilder's pitch-perfect performance as Willy Wonka
02:53managed to unnerve us and make us smile in equal measure.
02:57Yes, the danger must be growing for the rowers keep on rowing
03:03and they're certainly not showing any signs that they are slowing!
03:12But this sweet treat wasn't savored right away.
03:14While it cost a relatively small $4 million to make,
03:18it failed to double its original budget.
03:20The strong reviews didn't help bring people in either.
03:23Since Willy Wonka achieved massive popularity after TV airings and a major re-release,
03:27it's almost impossible to imagine a time when this movie was a financial failure.
03:31But I am different. I want it more than any of them.
03:34Charlie, you'll get your chance. One day things will change.
03:38Number 7, Furiosa a Mad Max Saga
03:41Who do we have here?
03:44She's from a place of abundance.
03:46Nearly a decade after Fury Road raced its way into moviegoers' hearts,
03:50Warner Bros. released a high-octane prequel.
03:52The 2024 Furiosa-focused film delivered with an engrossing story
03:56that fleshed out the tough anti-heroine.
03:58It also contained impressive set pieces that could compete with Fury Road's best moments.
04:03Surprisingly, neither the well-reviewed story nor thrills were enough.
04:07As of May 2024, the film stands to lose at least $100 million.
04:11Where did you think you were going?
04:16If you survive everything we take on together,
04:20you'll have all the skills you need to get wherever you want to go.
04:22Did Furiosa arrive too long after the initial hype for the franchise had died down?
04:26Or was it a mistake to give it a slightly higher budget than its predecessor
04:30since Fury Road barely turned a profit?
04:32Whatever the reason, Furiosa's stunning failure could spell trouble
04:36for the future of the Mad Max franchise.
04:38What was that?
04:40That is the darkest of angels.
04:48Alright, alright!
04:50So tonight is a social experiment, boys and girls.
04:53Brotherhood and all that, and you're the guinea pigs.
04:57The simultaneous release of In the Heights in theaters and on streaming
05:01is likely what caused that well-reviewed musical to flop at the box office.
05:04But it's much harder to figure out why West Side Story met a similar fate.
05:08Don't leave me here!
05:11Get off of me!
05:14Cheeto, kill me!
05:16Kill me too, Cheeto!
05:19Since the previous version of this tale of two star-crossed lovers
05:22won Best Picture the last time it was in theaters,
05:25it was far from an obscure musical.
05:27And while it had the legendary Steven Spielberg behind the camera,
05:30young stars shone in the cast.
05:32The new West Side Story also made great updates
05:34that served as great additions for longtime fans.
05:36But even Oscar buzz couldn't help this movie earn back its $100 million budget.
05:41You know, I wake up to everything I know
05:43either getting sold, or wrecked, or being taken over by people that I don't like.
05:47And they don't like me.
05:51Your crimes include multiple homicide and the attempted murder of a judge.
05:55If you do not comply, the sentence is death.
05:59In 2012, Karl Urban starred as the violent and no-nonsense Judge Dredd.
06:04Whenever this officer went after a criminal,
06:06we knew we were in for brutal and stylized action.
06:09Dredd was also surrounded by wonderful allies and truly intimidating villains.
06:13Although good word of mouth allowed the movie to open at number one,
06:16it still lost approximately $20 million.
06:19If I don't come back, and you get cornered,
06:23you might not want to get taken alive.
06:25A good chunk of the audiences may have avoided the film
06:29because the 1995 Dredd film was so campy and terrible.
06:32At the same time, it's still a mystery as to why the 2012 movie
06:36was only showered with love from legions of fans after it left the theaters.
06:40She's a pass.
06:43I knew she would be.
06:44Number four, Killers of the Flower Moon.
06:47Thinking I got a beat in this horse race, that's all.
06:52I didn't realize this was a race.
06:56I don't care for watching horses.
06:58A hefty price tag of $200 million
07:00meant the odds were stacked against this historical drama
07:03as soon as the budget was approved.
07:05However, there was a lot of faith that they could make it back.
07:08While Martin Scorsese was behind multiple aspects of production,
07:11talents like Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio,
07:14and Lily Gladstone were busy giving towering performances.
07:18I don't even know if you love me anymore.
07:21Why?
07:23Of course I love you.
07:25I need you here.
07:27Their efforts seemed to be for naught
07:29when the film lost around $100 million.
07:31The poor returns were especially shocking
07:33in a year where the historical drama Oppenheimer broke box office records.
07:37Even though Killers of the Flower Moon
07:39earned more money after Oscar buzz surrounded it,
07:41the production couldn't recoup all of their losses.
07:43You're not gonna give me that money.
07:45No, sir.
07:46Or you're gonna regret this.
07:47Number three, Blade Runner 2049.
07:50You're hurt.
07:52I'm not paying for that.
07:55I'll glue it.
07:56Although the first film in the sci-fi universe
07:58failed to light the box office on fire,
08:00no one was expecting history to repeat itself.
08:03Unfortunately, Blade Runner 2049
08:05couldn't break even on its reported $150 million budget.
08:09The film's failure stunned so many
08:11because it gave audiences more of what they loved
08:13from the first go-around.
08:14Not only did the writers expand upon the futuristic world,
08:17but we also got to see it through a completely new point of view.
08:20I know it's real.
08:25Kill him!
08:27Kill him!
08:29The long-awaited sequel also answered lingering questions
08:32while setting enticing new mysteries.
08:34Sadly, none of the praise for 2049's production design
08:37or main performances translated into big box office receipts.
08:41Only I know
08:43you love me.
08:45Number two, The Thing.
08:47How you doing, old boy?
08:52I don't know who to trust.
08:54Whenever people talk about the greatest sci-fi films of all time,
08:57this John Carpenter masterpiece
08:59inevitably ends up in the conversation.
09:01The tense story followed a group of researchers
09:03that discovered that a brutal and shapeshifting creature
09:06was hiding amongst them.
09:07Thanks to practical effects and skillful direction,
09:10the sci-fi tale felt surprisingly realistic.
09:12But the merits of this dark tale initially kept people away.
09:15Both critics and audiences weren't fans of the violence,
09:18paranoia, and slow burn plot.
09:20We're gonna find out who's the Thing.
09:23Watching Norris in there gave me the idea that...
09:26The negativity around The Thing
09:28also caused it to get frozen out of a prime box office spot.
09:31Thankfully, moviegoers were willing to give it a second chance
09:34after its stunning early failure.
09:36If it takes us over,
09:39then it has no more enemies.
09:42Nobody left to kill it.
09:45And then it's won.
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10:15This beloved Stephen King adaptation
10:17simply couldn't win when it was first released.
10:19In early test screenings,
10:21audiences showered the movie with heaps of praise.
10:23The prison struggles, plot twists,
10:25and character journeys all stuck with early viewers.
10:28Shawshank Redemption seemed poised for a great opening
10:31before a horrific box office opening brought it all crashing down.
10:34During the initial theater run,
10:36Shawshank Redemption didn't make its $25 million budget back.
10:39A big Oscar campaign and successful TV reruns
10:42brought it back into the public consciousness in the next few years.
10:45It still routinely tops many lists of must-watch films
10:48for critics and audiences.
10:50It's safe to say Shawshank Redemption overcame its shockingly bad debut.
10:53I suppose I could set it up for you.
10:55That would save you some money.
10:57If you get the forms, I'll prepare them for you.
10:59Nearly free of charge.
11:01Which of these movies deserved better box office returns?
11:03Let us know in the comments.
11:08That's not good.
11:10Full lockdown. They're going nowhere.
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