Hugo
As we ’ve visit , it does n’t cost much to make a successful drama . In fact , some of the most successful dramas ever made were produced on a pinch , with budgets that are minuscule by Hollywood ’s standards . course , it would be well-off to think that a higher - budgeted dramatic event would make even more money . However , as is often the casing , a big budget does not guarantee a successful getting even on investments , and can really make a bad berth even risky .
It ’s one thing for a micro - budgeted picture to flunk , but when a output with a multimillion - dollar budget implodes , the shockwaves are felt throughout the diligence . Below are ten of the biggest dramas ever to bombard at the box office , coif by the size of their worldwide grosses . Before we get started , we want to thank The Numbers , Rotten Tomatoes , and IMDb , whose stats and entropy made this tilt possible .
Hugo (2011) - Budget: $150 Million, Box Office: $185 Million
It ’s significant to mention that just because a film makes back its budget does n’t mean it ’s automatically successful . It first has to ‘ break even , ’ meaning that it needs to cover the expenses of production and make a profit for the studio apartment . As we ’ll see , there are numerous examples of movies that bombed because they fail to create any strong income for the God Almighty , as is the casing with the Martin Scorsese vehicleHugo .
Despite being heralded as a masterpiece by many critics , the moving picture only just just made back its budget following its passing in 2011 . While some of Scorsese ’s movie have underperform in the past tense , this one was particularly harrowing due to its large budget . If anything , Hugo’sentry on this list is also proof that not all adept motion picture are blockbuster .
Deepwater Horizon (2016) - Budget: $110 Million, Box Office: $121 Million
As a formula of ovolo , it ’s generally poor taste to make a movie about a famous disaster when articulate event is still raw in people ’s minds . Case in distributor point , Deepwater Horizon , a movie about the deathly 2010 Gulf - Coast crude spill . Deepwater Horizongot comme il faut inspection and was even nominated for a few visual upshot honor at the Oscars .
However , not even Mark Wahlberg and music director Peter Berg could saveDeepwater Horizonfrom sinking at the box office . Ironically , Berg ’s next picture show , Patriots Day , a flick about the Boston Marathon bombing , also underperformed , though not to the same extent as its former .
Cleopatra (1963) - Budget: $44 Million, Box Office: $57 Million
No list about the worst - performing movies , of any genre , is complete without mentioningCleopatra , the gran of all big - budget failures . One of the last great Hollywood productions place in antiquity , 1963’sCleopatrastared Elizabeth Taylor as the nominal Egyptian ruler . A grandiose picture similar in scale toThe Ten CommandmentsandBen - Hur , Cleopatrais best known today for its riotous production cycle , including expensive reshoots , that caused its budget to balloon to floor not escort at the metre .
While $ 44 million does n’t sound like much by today ’s standards , when adjust for ostentation , Cleopatra’sbudget hovers around $ 340 million , making it one of the most expensive movies in history . WhileCleopatrawas the high grossing photographic film of 1963 , its absorbent budget prevented it from turn a profit upon its initial release .
How Do You Know? (2010) - Budget: $120 Million, Box Office: $48 Million
There ’s no reasonableness a sports - play likeHow Do You Know?should have such a big budget . This was mostly because of the salaries of the ensemble casting , which includes the likes of Reese Witherspoon , Paul Rudd , Owen Wilson , and Jack Freaking Nicholson .
A flick about the ( allegedly ) riveting domain of professional softball , How Do You Know?ended up receiving lukewarm review , with much of the criticism levied at the underwritten part and predictable plot . Audiences were n’t enthusiastic either , and the picture was strike out upon release .
Mars Needs Moms (2011) - Budget: $150 Million, Box Office: $38 Million
One of the biggest bombs in account , Mars want Momsnetted production company Disney a immense departure .
hype as an invention in estimator quicken flick , the film proved that motion capture is n’t just expensive , but also kind of creepy when used too . It also does n’t help oneself that , in addition to giving them nightmare , the moving-picture show ’s plot did n’t resonate with children , leave behind them scared , then blase , then scar again .
Wonder Wheel (2017) - Budget $25 Million, Box Office: $15 Million
Writer / director Woody Allen has seen more ups and John L. H. Down than an actual Ferris wheel . Despite being know as one of the gravid film producer of all time , the auteur has faced allegation of sexual assault for long time . Recently , these allegation have resurfaced because of the # MeToo motion , make the release ofWonder Wheelproblematic , to say the least .
Premiering justly as the radioactive dust of the Weinstein scandal was at its prime , Wonder Wheelwas one of Allen ’s biggest bombs to engagement . Its poor execution was pick on the forged PR smother Allen , and many of the leads later press out sorrow for staring inWonder Wheel . It was the last moving picture Allen made with Amazon Studios , who endorse out of a remunerative deal with the director after present insistence to disavow him .
The Promise (2016) - Budget: $90 Million, Box Office: $12 Million
Set against the backcloth of the Arminian Genocide , The Promiseis a romance that star Oscar Isaac , Charlotte Le Bon and Christian Bale . Made in the same vein as other catastrophic - romance motion-picture show likeTitanic , The Promiseis one of the few movies brave enough to tackle what is considered an extremely dark , and highly controversial , chapter in human history .
Still , critics were break open over whether or not it was a good idea to concentre on just three characters , in an outcome that kill an estimated 2 million people . Hopefully , another motion picture will amount along that ’ll pay the victims of the genocide more respect .
Gigli (2003) - Budget: $54 Million, Box Office: $7 Million
Considered as one of the uncollectible movies ever made , this Ben Affleck / Jennifer Lopez read-only memory - com was dead mauled at the box office .
After a pretty poor opening , Gigliall but pop off during its 2d weekend , and it made less than a fraction of its comparatively lowly budget . critic and consultation were merge in their disdain , with much of the vitriol levy at the laughter - out - loud script . It ’s turkey time indeed .
Heaven’s Gate (1980) - Budget: $44 Million, Box Office: $3 Million
Often cited as the movie that killed the Western and the New Hollywood wave , Heaven ’s Gateall but ruined the career of its managing director , Michael Camino . Hot off his success ofThe Dear Hunter , Camino poured everything he had intoHeaven ’s Gate , and his obsessional middle for perfection cause the budget to corkscrew out of control .
When it was at long last released , the movie was take to task by critics for its bloated runtime and affirm cases of creature abuse , including a horse that was accidentally blown up with pyrotechnics . While retrospective analysis on the movie has been more positive , the moving-picture show was reckon toxic for decades , and in the end cause its product ship’s company , United Artists , to go bankrupt .
United Passions (2014) - Budget: $25 Million, Box Office: $171 Thousand
No , that ’s not a literal error . United Passions , a film about the extraction of the soccer league FIFA , made less than a million worldwide . Funded almost entirely by FIFA itself , United Passionswas exhaust amid a massive ethics outrage that caused much of its top brass to either resign and/or go to prison house . But even if the movie was n’t released during such an uncomplimentary time for the company , it still would ’ve suck .
critic said that the film was tedious and self - gratulatory , and it currently hold a rare 0 % military rating on Rotten Tomatoes . And if the worldwide 144 was n’t high-risk enough , the motion-picture show made just ( expect for it ) $ 607 in the United States . Not really a gooooaaaalllll , now is it ?
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