Ranking The 12 Biggest Box Office Flops

From sure thing…. to the biggest box office flops.

Some movies that were meant to be guaranteed box office blockbusters, sometimes, end up being box office flops instead.

But, which movies were the biggest flops of all?

We listed the top 12 biggest box office bombs revealing the gigantic amount of money these movies lost. The financial details in our list are considering inflation adjustments as of 2021.

1. John Carter (2012)

The most expensive box office flop had a production budget going as high as $263 million, besides a $100 million spent on the marketing campaign. The estimated loss was more than $220 million, leading Disney to cancel its sequel.

Fortunately, by the end of 2012 Disney owned Star Wars, leaving this massive flop behind and going forward with a more prolific franchise.

IMDb: 6.6/10

 2. The Lone Ranger (2013)

Unlike Pirates of the Caribbean, this movie wasn’t a box office success.

The Lone Ranger was bashed by the critics and was not a favorite of the audience either. Even though it received two Oscar nominations (for ‘Visual Effects’ and ‘Makeup and Hairstyling’) it carried a production budget of around $225-250 million, in addition to $150million spent on marketing. Unfortunately, the result wasn’t a box office hit, causing Disney to lose up to $211 million.

IMDb: 6.4/10

3. The 13^th Warrior (1999)

This action movie starring Antonio Banderas as an Arab character got many negative reviews and made a major loss.

The production costs reached up to $160 million, but only grossed the negligible amount of $61 million worldwide. Adjusted for inflation The 13^th Warrior gets an estimated loss of $200 million.

IMDb: 6.6/10

4. Mortal Engines (2018)

Based on the young adult novel of the same name, this fantasy adventure was a box office failure, even though it carried a well-known team.

The screenwriters/producers of Mortal Engine were Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, the same team that brought to life ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Hobbit’ trilogies. The estimated loss for Mortal Engines was $180 million versus a $110 million budget.

IMDb: 6.1/10

5. Cutthroat Island (1995)

The financial disaster that was the result of this pirate adventure was so serious that it led the film company to file for bankruptcy even before it opened in theaters.

Starring Geena Davis, this movie ended up with an estimated $178 million loss, adjusted for inflation.

IMDb: 5.7/10

6. Sinbad: Legend Of The Seven Seas (2003)

This DreamWorks animated movie was a box office disaster despite the presence of Hollywood stars, such as Brad Pitt and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Competing with Pixar’s Finding Nemo, released a few months earlier, not even some positive comments were able to save this film from drowning. The estimated loss for Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas was $176 million against a $60 million budget.

IMDb: 6.7/10

7. Battleship (2012)

Based on the board game of the same name, this science fiction movie didn’t get the love it needed from the critics and the audience.

Although Battleship’s cast was formed by successful names, such as Rihanna, Taylor Kitsch and Liam Neeson, this box office bomb had a shocking shortfall of $167 million.

IMDb: 5.8/10

8. Mars Needs Moms (2011)

This computer-animated movie had a budget of $150 million but would gross just $39 million at the box office.

Some might say the fiasco happened due to the content of the movie showing a mother being kidnapped from a child. In addition, it is also said that the animated people in the movie were too realistic, creating an uncomfortable feeling in the audience. Mars Needs Moms had an estimated loss of $115-166 million.

IMDb: 5.4/10

9. Pan (2015)

One of the most popular children’s stories of all time and Hugh Jackman wasn’t even enough to guarantee a box office hit.

This movie adaptation of the work of J. M. Barrie was criticized especially by its cast decisions, such as Rooney Mara playing a Native American character. Failing spectacularly, Pan had a budget of $150 million and an estimated loss of $93-164 million.

IMDb: 5.7/10

10. Tomorrowland (2015)

This science-fiction movie was another proof that not all Disney productions are beloved popular films.

Starring George Clooney and with a total production and marketing budget of $280 million, this movie grossed around $90-150 million, with an estimated loss of $93-164 million.

IMDb: 6.4/10

11. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)

Poorly received, this Guy Richie’s movie was supposed to be the first movie in a six-film franchise. Sadly, it was released in 2017 close to big franchises, such as Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and Alien: Covenant. The result was a staggering loss of $120-162 million.

IMDb: 6.7/10

12. Titan A.E. (2000)

This animated movie was the second theatrical production from Fox Animation Studios after the well-received Anastasia (1997). Titan A. E, however, turned out to be a box-office disappointment. The movie made an estimated loss of $150 million.

IMDb: 6.6/10

After listing these 12 colossal flops we also felt the need to give a special mention to two more recent fails: Mulan (2020) with an estimated loss of $147 million and Dark Phoenix (2019), with a loss of $137 million.

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