List of U.S. box office bombs

List of U.S. box office bombs

The following is a partial list of U.S. box office bombs, films with
low box office revenue.

A film's financial success is often measured by its gross revenue.
Studios expect that a film's "domestic" (which the American film
industry defines as the United States and Canada) box office gross
revenue will exceed production costs. This does not make the film
profitable: typically, the exhibiting theater keeps 45% of the gross,
with the remainder paid to the studio as the rental fee. However, if a
film has a higher domestic gross than its production and marketing
costs, it will almost certainly turn a profit once the overseas gross
is included.

If a film recoups production and marketing costs, then it can be
considered a success; otherwise, if it fails to do so by a significant
margin, it is referred to as a box office bomb, even though
international distribution, sales to television syndication, and home
video releases often mean some films considered flops in North America
eventually make a profit for their studios. For example, Head, a 1968
film featuring The Monkees, was a flop which became profitable for the
studio years later when its cult film status led to its sale to Rhino
Entertainment and its re-release in various video formats. The
popularity (and profitability) of DVD sales has increased this trend
significantly, leading many to doubt the significance of domestic
grosses as a predictor of a film's overall success.

Different genres of film are subject to different standards of
success. For example, action movies typically have higher production
and promotion costs than love stories. Typically, the most notorious
flops are summer blockbusters, which often entail huge costs to
produce and face a highly competitive market. Advertising costs are
not included in a movie's production costs, and can make a bomb's
failure all the more crushing for the studio.

In the most dramatic cases, a film's poor performance can push a
studio into financial ruin, as happened with United Artists (Heaven's
Gate), Carolco Pictures (Cutthroat Island), and Square Pictures (Final
Fantasy: The Spirits Within).

During the 1980s the performance of a film on its opening weekend
became crucial to its perception with a film suffering a poor opening
weekend often being dropped by cinemas. With the growth of the
Internet during the 1990s, chat rooms and websites such as Ain't It
Cool News enable negative word of mouth to spread rapidly.

Most flops are not career-ending for the film's main cast and crew.
Duck Soup, for example, a critical and box-office flop in 1933, got
the Marx Brothers fired from Paramount Pictures, yet two years later,
with help from Irving Thalberg, they starred in the successful A Night
at the Opera and "Duck Soup" has since become one of the most highly
regarded of the Marx Brothers' films. Ishtar was a notorious flop but
both its stars Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman recovered their
careers. Jude Law has appeared in a series of major flops including
the 2004 remake Alfie and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, but
is still able to be cast in leading roles.

The size of a box office 'bomb' can be determined by either the net
loss sustained, or by a loss percentage (1 - gross revenue/production
costs). By using these two measurements, the biggest U.S. box office
bombs listed below are (respectively) Alexander (2004) with a net loss
of $120,702,809, and Zyzzyx Road (2006) with a loss percentage of
99.9985% of production costs. Considering worldwide box office sales,
the biggest loser was The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002) with a net
loss of $95,588,898, which ended the producing company and the movie's
stars.
Contents

0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

0–9

A

* The Adventures of Baron Münchhausen (1988)
o Budget: $40,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $8,083,123, 20.2% of budget

* The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)
o Budget: $100,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $4,411,102, 4.4% of budget

* The Alamo (2004)
o Budget: $95,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $22,414,961, 23.6% of budget

* Alexander (2004)
o Budget: $155,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $34,297,191, 22.1% of budget

* Alfie (2004)
o Budget: $60,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $13,399,812, 22.3% of budget

* An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1998)
o Budget: $10,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $45,779, 0.5% of budget

* Around the World in 80 Days (2004)
o Budget: $110,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $24,008,137, 21.8% of budget

* The Avengers (1998)
o Budget: $60,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $23,322,832, 38.9% of budget

B

* Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002)
o Budget: $70,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $14,294,842

* Basic Instinct 2 (2006)
o Budget: $70,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $5,851,188

* Battlefield Earth (2000)
o Budget: $73,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $21,471,685

* Bloodrayne (2006)
o Budget: $25,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $2,400,000

* The Blue Bird (1976)
o Budget: $12,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $887,000

* The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)
o Budget: $47,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $15,700,000

* The Boondock Saints (2000)
o Budget: $6,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $30,471

* The Brown Bunny (2003)
o Budget: $10,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $365,734

C

* Can't Stop the Music (1980)
o Budget: $20,000,0000
+ Domestic Gross $2,000,000

* Catwoman (2004)
o Budget: $100,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $40,202,379

* Chasing Liberty (2004)
o Budget: $23,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $12,195,626

* The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
o Budget: $105,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $57,761,012

* Cleopatra (1963)
o Budget: $44,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $26,000,000

* The Core (2003)
o Budget: $74,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $31,111,260

* Cradle Will Rock (1999)
o Budget: $32,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $2,899,970

* Cutthroat Island (1995)
o Budget: $92,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $10,017,322

* Crash (1996)
o Budget: $10,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $3,000,000

D

* Daylight (1996)
o Budget: $80,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $32,885,565

* Dragonfly (2002)
o Budget: $75,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $30,063,805

* D-Tox (2002)
o Budget: $55,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $79,161

* Driven (2001)
o Budget: $72,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $32,616,869

* Dune
o Budget: $45,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $27,400,000

E

F

* Fight Club (1999)
o Budget: $63,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $37,030,102

* Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
o Budget: $137,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $32,131,830

* From Justin to Kelly (2003)
o Budget: $12,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $4,922,166

* The Four Feathers (2003)
o Budget: $80,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $18,306,166

G

* Gigli (2003)
o Budget: $54,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $6,068,735

* Glitter (2001)
o Budget: $22,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $4,273,372

* Get Carter (2000)
o Budget: $40,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $14,967,182

* Get Rich or Die Tryin'
o Budget: $40,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $30,984,537

* Gods and Generals (2003)
o Budget: $56,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $13,006,000

H

* Hart's War (2002)
o Budget: $70,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $19,076,815

* Heaven's Gate (1980)
o Budget: $44,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $1,500,000

* Hollywood Ending (2002)
o Budget: $16,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $4,839,383

* Howard the Duck (1986)
o Budget: $30,000,000
+ Domestic Gross $16,295,136

* Hudson Hawk (1991)
o Budget: $65,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $17,218,080

I

* Inchon! (1981)
o Budget: $46,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $5,200,986

* Intolerable Cruelty (2003)
o Budget: $60,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $35,096,190

* Ishtar (1987)
o Budget: $40,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $14,375,181

* The Island (1980)
o Budget: $22,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $10,000,000

* The Island (2005)
o Budget: $122,200,000
+ Domestic Gross: $35,799,026

J

* Jade (1995)
o Budget: $50,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $9,795,017

* Jakob the Liar (1999)
o Budget: $15,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $4,956,401

* Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
o Budget: $23,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $20,763,013

* Jersey Girl (2004)
o Budget: $35,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $25,266,129

* Josie and the Pussycats (2001)
o Budget: $22,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $14,252,830

* Judge Dredd (1995)
o Budget: $90,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $34,694,000

K

* K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)
o Budget: $100,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $35,168,677

* King Arthur (2004)
o Budget: $90,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $51,882,244

* Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
o Budget: $130,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $47,396,698

L

* The Last Castle (2001)
o Budget: $60,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $18,208,078

* Legend (1985)
o Budget: $24,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $15,000,000

* Lucky Numbers (2000)
o Budget: $65,000,000
o Domestic Gross: $10,014,234

M

* The Majestic (2001)
o Budget: $72,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $27,796,042

* Maximum Overdrive (1986)
o Budget: $10,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $7,000,000

* Meet Joe Black (1998)
o Budget: $90,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $44,606,335

* Meet the Deedles (1996)
o Budget: $24,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $4,308,981

* Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)
o Budget: $40,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $14,358,033

* Mighty Joe Young (1998)
o Budget: $90,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $50,632,037

* The Molly Maguires (1970)
o Budget: $11,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $1,100,000

N

* New York Minute (2004)
o Budget: $30,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $14,045,006

* North (1994)
o Budget: $40,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $7,138,449

* Nothing But Trouble (1991)
o Budget: $40,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $8,479,793

O

* Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
o Budget: $30,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $5,300,000

* One Night Stand (1997)
o Budget: $24,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $2,618,335

* Osmosis Jones (2001)
o Budget: $75,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $13,596,911

P

* Pirates (1986)
o Budget: $40,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $1,650,000

* The Postman (1997)
o Budget: $80,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $17,593,391

Q

Queen of the Damned

R

* Red Planet (2000)
o Budget: $75,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $17,473,245

* Ride with the Devil (1999)
o Budget: $35,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $630,779

* Rollerball (2002)
o Budget: $70,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $18,990,542

S

* The Scarlet Letter (1995)
o Budget: $50,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $10,000,000

* The 6th Day (2000)
o Budget: $82,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $34,543,700

* Shanghai Surprise (1986)
o Budget: $32,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $2,200,000

* Showgirls (1995)
o Budget: $45,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $20,302,961

* Slither (2006)
o Budget: $29,500,000[1]
+ Domestic Gross: $12,489,254

* Solaris (2002)
o Budget: $47,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $14,970,038

* Soldier (1998)
o Budget: $75,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $14,623,082

* Sorcerer (1977)
o Budget: $22,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $10,000,000

* A Sound of Thunder (2005)
o Budget: $80,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $89,575

* Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)
o Budget: $160,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $48,068,396

* Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
o Budget: $70,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $43,119,879

* Stay (2005)
o Budget: $50,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $3,626,883

* Stealth (2005)
o Budget: $138,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $31,704,416

* Steel (1997)
o Budget: $16,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $1,710,972

* Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker (2006)
o Budget: $40,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $652,526

* The Stupids (1996)
o Budget: $25,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $2,415,593

* Swept Away (2002)
o Budget: $10,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $598,645

T

* Thirteen Days (2000)
o Budget: $80,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $34,566,746

* 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001)
o Budget: $62,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $15,738,632

* The 13th Warrior (1999)
o Budget: $85,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $32,694,788

* Thunderbirds (2004)
o Budget: $57,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $6,880,917

* Town & Country (2001)
o Budget: $90,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $6,810,050

* Treasure Planet (2002)
o Budget: $140,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $38,120,554

U

* U Turn (1997)
o Budget: $19,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $6,633,400

* Undiscovered (2005)
o Budget: $9,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $1,069,318

W

* Waterworld (1995)
o Budget: $175,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $88,246,220

* Waterloo (1970)
o Budget: $25,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $1,400,000

* Welcome to Mooseport (2004)
o Budget: $26,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $14,470,947

* The Whole Ten Yards (2004)
o Budget: $40,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $16,323,969

* Windtalkers (2001)
o Budget: $115,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $40,911,830

* Wing Commander (1999)
o Budget: $30,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $11,576,087

* The Wiz (1978)
o Budget: $24,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $13,000,000

* Wyatt Earp (1994)
o Budget: $63,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $25,052,000

X

Y

Z

* Zabriskie Point (1970)
o Budget: $7,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $900,000, 12.9% of budget

* Zathura (2005)
o Budget: $65,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $28,045,540, 43.1% of budget

* Zyzzyx Road (2006)
o Budget: $2,000,000
+ Domestic Gross: $30, 0.0% of budget

Labels: box office bombs