- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Coaching Changes
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
Top 25 expensive movie flops
Posted on 12/29/25 at 1:51 am
Posted on 12/29/25 at 1:51 am
Loading Twitter/X Embed...
If tweet fails to load, click here. quote:
1. John Carter (2012) - Loss: $255M
2. The Lone Ranger (2013) - Loss: $256M
3. The Marvels (2023) - Loss: $245M
4. The 13th Warrior (1999) - Loss: $243M
5. Mortal Engines (2018) - Loss: $219M
6. Cutthroat Island (1995) - Loss: $217M
7. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003) - Loss: $214M
8. Strange World (2022) - Loss: $212M
9. Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) - Loss: $206M
10. Battleship (2012) - Loss: $205M
11. Mars Needs Moms (2011) - Loss: $201M
12. Pan (2015) - Loss: $199M
13. Tomorrowland (2015) - Loss: $199M
14. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017) - Loss: $197M
15. Titan A.E. (2000) - Loss: $183M
16. Turning Red (2022) - Loss: $179M
17. Jungle Cruise (2021) - Loss: $174M
18. Mulan (2020) - Loss: $171M
19. The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002) - Loss: $168M
20. Dark Phoenix (2019) - Loss: $167M
21. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) - Loss: $167M
22. Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) - Loss: $166M
23. A Wrinkle in Time (2018) - Loss: $164M
24. Monster Trucks (2016) - Loss: $161M
25. The Flash (2023) - Loss: $160M
Note: Loss figures are estimates based on production budgets, marketing costs, theatrical revenue splits, and inflation-adjusted calculations. Exact studio losses are not publicly disclosed.
Source: Compiled from DIRECTV Insider - “The 25 Biggest Movie Flops of All Time” and other reliable sources.
29
Posted on 12/29/25 at 5:39 am to hawgfaninc
Did 13th Warrior have a huge advertising budget? How in the world could it have lost that much money?
No way it cost that much to film, right?
No way it cost that much to film, right?
Posted on 12/29/25 at 5:41 am to hawgfaninc
The only one on that entire list that I have seen is Jungle Cruise.
Posted on 12/29/25 at 5:53 am to hawgfaninc
At least one omission I can see - there is no way the last Indiana Jones movie didn't lose at least $200m. If there was honest and transparent accounting, it might be a $300m loser (would be good enough for the #1 spot), but at least $200m and in Top 10 territory.
Posted on 12/29/25 at 6:03 am to hawgfaninc
Still have no idea what John Carter is about to this day. Pretty sure I’ve even tried to watch it before. Naming a movie after a guy with two bland first names and no description of the movie was sure to not draw any interest from audiences
Posted on 12/29/25 at 6:07 am to The Cow Goes Moo Moo
quote:
Did 13th Warrior have a huge advertising budget? How in the world could it have lost that much money?
It was expensive due to reshoots and production issues but not THAT expensive. Those numbers are way off.
Biggest budget flops from 1999
quote:
The 13th Warrior (1999)
Director: John McTiernan
Studio/Distributor: Buena Vista/Touchstone Pictures
Budget: $100-160 million
Domestic Gross: $32.7 million
Worldwide Gross: $61.7 million
Total Net Loss: $69-129 million
Total Estimated Loss (Inflation-Adjusted): $112-210 million
Maybe they're doing the extreme high end of the inflation-adjusted? If that's what they're doing, where is Heaven's Gate?
This post was edited on 12/29/25 at 6:10 am
Posted on 12/29/25 at 6:15 am to hawgfaninc
There’s something to be said of the number of female-led action movies in this list.
- Marvel 2
- WW 1984
- Mulan
- dark phoenix
Also some female-led other movies:
- Turning Red
- Wrinkle in time
Men are the majority of audiences for action movies.
Also a number of step out one-off flops that got too much budget for the amount of risk they had:
- John Carter
- Lone Ranger
- most of the rest of the list
A few odd balls:
- Joker 2 - just an epic flop after the success of Joker 1
- The Flash - released after the unlikeable replacement flash actor turned into a trans, kidnapping lunatic. His personal life probably tanked this one into this list, though he wasn’t likeable in Justice League anyway and the movie likely wouldn’t have done big numbers
- Marvel 2
- WW 1984
- Mulan
- dark phoenix
Also some female-led other movies:
- Turning Red
- Wrinkle in time
Men are the majority of audiences for action movies.
Also a number of step out one-off flops that got too much budget for the amount of risk they had:
- John Carter
- Lone Ranger
- most of the rest of the list
A few odd balls:
- Joker 2 - just an epic flop after the success of Joker 1
- The Flash - released after the unlikeable replacement flash actor turned into a trans, kidnapping lunatic. His personal life probably tanked this one into this list, though he wasn’t likeable in Justice League anyway and the movie likely wouldn’t have done big numbers
Posted on 12/29/25 at 7:15 am to Upperdecker
quote:
Still have no idea what John Carter is about to this day. Pretty sure I’ve even tried to watch it before. Naming a movie after a guy with two bland first names and no description of the movie was sure to not draw any interest from audiences
John Carter is not a bad movie at all. Its poor performance is due to one of the worst marketing campaigns in movie history. The movie was based on A Princess of Mars, the first book in the Barsoom series of novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It was first published 100 yrs before the film's release, and the series was quite influential--including being a partial inspiration for Superman.
You had to be a pretty intense sci-fi nerd to know this stuff, but the marketing seemed to assume it was pretty common knowledge. They would have been better off naming it after the book than the WTF John Carter.
Posted on 12/29/25 at 7:23 am to hawgfaninc
I liked The Lone Ranger. Good movie.
Posted on 12/29/25 at 7:25 am to hawgfaninc
I enjoyed John Carter, The Lone Ranger and Battleship.
Posted on 12/29/25 at 7:30 am to hawgfaninc
Where is Waterworld?
Posted on 12/29/25 at 7:31 am to SlowFlowPro
quote:The OP needs to highlight the "adjusted for inflation", because I think most posters are missing that. Also, I didn't click, but there must be an historical cap. Heaven's Gate would absolutely be on this list.
Maybe they're doing the extreme high end of the inflation-adjusted? If that's what they're doing, where is Heaven's Gate
Posted on 12/29/25 at 7:53 am to alajones
Wow, how many of these are Disney movies? Seems like a good bit.
Posted on 12/29/25 at 8:09 am to hawgfaninc
quote:
Jungle Cruise
Posted on 12/29/25 at 8:20 am to ell_13
quote:
Where is Waterworld?
Along with The Postman and Horizon
Posted on 12/29/25 at 8:30 am to TideWarrior
Don’t forget Horizon Part 2 since they filmed it but won’t release it.
Posted on 12/29/25 at 8:31 am to hawgfaninc
I would like to see what the list would be adjusted for inflation.
Posted on 12/29/25 at 8:33 am to hawgfaninc
quote:
1. John Carter (2012) - Loss: $255M
2. The Lone Ranger (2013) - Loss: $256M
3. The Marvels (2023) - Loss: $245M
4. The 13th Warrior (1999) - Loss: $243M
5. Mortal Engines (2018) - Loss: $219M
6. Cutthroat Island (1995) - Loss: $217M
7. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003) - Loss: $214M
8. Strange World (2022) - Loss: $212M
9. Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) - Loss: $206M
10. Battleship (2012) - Loss: $205M
11. Mars Needs Moms (2011) - Loss: $201M
12. Pan (2015) - Loss: $199M
13. Tomorrowland (2015) - Loss: $199M
14. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017) - Loss: $197M
15. Titan A.E. (2000) - Loss: $183M
16. Turning Red (2022) - Loss: $179M
17. Jungle Cruise (2021) - Loss: $174M
18. Mulan (2020) - Loss: $171M
19. The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002) - Loss: $168M
20. Dark Phoenix (2019) - Loss: $167M
21. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) - Loss: $167M
22. Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) - Loss: $166M
23. A Wrinkle in Time (2018) - Loss: $164M
24. Monster Trucks (2016) - Loss: $161M
25. The Flash (2023) - Loss: $160M
John Carpenter, The 13th Warrior, and Titan A.E. were all good movies that just suffered from external issues (like advertising or poor release date luck) that should have been successful.
Battleship isn't necessarily a "good" movie like the other three, but it is absolutely a FUN movie that I will rewatch even today.
Posted on 12/29/25 at 8:33 am to tigerfan84
quote:
I would like to see what the list would be adjusted for inflation.
If it isn't already I would imagine Cutthroat Island would destroy all the other movies easily in that situation.
Posted on 12/29/25 at 8:46 am to ell_13
quote:
Where is Waterworld?
Man, this has been the narrative for 30 years now...but Waterworld was actually fairly successful back then. Just not as successful as they thought it would be.
I definitely remember it being hailed as the "biggest flop of all time" and all of that shite. But it made $274 million at the box office against like a $175 million budget. So even factoring in marketing costs, it still did okay. And IIRC I believe it did pretty well in rentals at the time too, which studios consider as well.
Also, it should have made a lot more anyway since it's just awesome.
Also, I would love to see the truthful, actual list, minus all the Hollywood Accounting involved. Something like Battleship is on the list. It cost $209 million and made $303 at the box office. Even factoring in marketing and production, there's no way it lost over $200 million...that's just a ridiculous thought.
This post was edited on 12/29/25 at 8:53 am
Page 1 of 3
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News