For every mega-expensive blockbuster grossing more than a billion dollars worldwide, there's
always a mega-expensive box office flop greeted by moviegoers with all the enthusiasm of Tax
Day.
Now, every major studio film seems to cost upwards of 100 million dollars to produce,
and inevitably, many movies never come close to making that money back.
These are the films whose production bills and astronomical marketing budgets landed
them on the list of the biggest flops of the past 15 years.
Speed Racer
2008's Speed Racer was a risky proposition to begin with: an adaptation of a manga and
anime from the late '60s, with little known Emile Hirsch in the lead.
Studio Village Roadshow and distributor Warner Brothers, however, had no qualms about throwing
money at the vehicle.
Along with a reported $120 million price tag, Speed Racer additionally had one of the most
expensive advertising campaigns and media blitzes ever for a film.
The gambit failed spectacularly, as Speed Racer was among the first in a long line of
casualties who dared to duel Marvel Studios.
Go, go, go Speed Racer didn't, with a mere $18 million opening weekend.
Making matters worse, it was demolished by Iron Man in its second week of release.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian opening the following weekend didn't help matters
either, and Speed Racer stalled out to a $94 million worldwide gross.
The flop ultimately lost Village Roadshow and Warner Brothers a cool $100 million.
Sahara
It's the kind of pulpy fun that should have made for an entertaining flick.
Sahara was an attempt to kick-start a new adventure franchise in the mold of Indiana
Jones, but trouble started brewing long before the film hit theaters in 2005.
The film's initial budget of $80 million swelled to $130 million, and author Clive Cussler
— who hadn't been given the final say over the script he'd been promised — tacked on
millions in legal fees suing the producers during an unsuccessful bid to block the film's
release.
"Finally I said, 'This is going down the tube.'
The scripts are getting worse and worse and worse.
Finally I just pulled myself away."
Even the ever-affable Matthew McConaughey wasn't enough to attract audiences.
Adding insult to injury, the legal snafu and associated fees wormed its way through various
courts for eight more years until ultimately being thrown out in 2013.
With a worldwide gross of only $119 million, Sahara was no oasis, amassing a loss just
north of $100 million.
How Do You Know
There's no denying television and film renaissance man James L. Brooks is comedy royalty.
For TV he helped create The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Taxi, and on the big screen he delivered
thoughtful comedies like Broadcast News.
But if you're unfamiliar with his 2010 effort How Do You Know, you're not alone.
Despite a cast featuring Paul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, and even Jack Nicholson,
the romantic comedy barely sparked, collecting just under $49 million worldwide.
For most rom-coms that tally isn't terrible.
But How Do You Know cost an insane $120 million to produce, due in part to the whopping salaries
commanded by its stars.
Brooks also took the unusual step of reshooting the beginning and end of the film, pushing
the budget into the stratosphere.
Audiences found the romantic comedy neither romantic nor funny as the movie ultimately
lost $105 million for Sony.
"That's fantastic."
"Yep that's a good one."
"That's great."
Ben-Hur
The 1959 epic Ben-Hur is an unassailable legend, and at its time, was the most expensive film
ever made.
Creating an update to the Charlton Heston epic after 57 years, however, proved to be
a major miscalculation for co-financing studios Paramount and MGM.
The production delivered plenty of CGI spectacle, but it was hampered by absolutely toxic reviews.
The remake was taken out in its opening weekend by Suicide Squad, and the debut of smash hit
Don't Breathe the following week sealed its tragic fate.
Ben Hur's eventual $94 million gross wasn't even enough to cover its $100 million budget,
and the movie eventually took an estimated $120 million loss.
The Alamo
Based on the historic San Antonio siege, Disney had big plans for The Alamo.
The studio lined up Ron Howard as director, tapped red-hot Russell Crowe to star, and
strategically set a 2003 holiday season release date.
Exactly none of those things worked out.
Then-Disney chief Michael Eisner balked at the $125 million budget, and slashed costs
by hiring the much-more-affordable John Lee Hancock to direct, and ditched Crowe in favor
of Billy Bob Thornton.
Unfortunately, Eisner's caution was no match for the public and critical indifference toward
the film, with one critic calling it,
"The equivalent of one long drone from a stiff Social Studies teacher who can scarcely be
bothered to add any sort of relevance to the topic."
Who remembers the Alamo?
Apparently moviegoers didn't as the movie only grossed a paltry $25 million worldwide.
Analysts speculate Disney flushed $120 million down the drain on the picture, making it one
of the biggest bombs ever at the time.
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
DreamWorks Animation once looked like a champion of hand-drawn animation in an era when it
had been all but completely phased out.
The Prince of Egypt was a hand-drawn hit, and The Road to El Dorado looked to keep the
streak going.
But their success came to an abrupt end with 2003's Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas.
With a modest $60 million budget and a heavyweight voice cast, DreamWorks felt confident pouring
ridiculous amounts of money into a massive worldwide marketing campaign and promotional
tie-ins.
The film opened against stiff competition with the likes of Terminator 3 and Legally
Blonde 2.
Sinbad fell overboard, earning only $80 million worldwide.
Because of its huge marketing budget, the movie washed out with a $125 million loss
and DreamWorks cut ties with oldschool animation.
Mars Needs Moms
Mars Needs Moms had "giant gamble" written all over it.
Despite being produced by the legendary Bob Zemeckis, the story of a young boy who must
rescue his mother from Martians failed to strike a chord with audiences.
Negative reviews cited the animation, which many moviegoers found flat and mechanical.
With a whopping $150 million budget, the film would have had to overperform just to turn
a profit.
But Disney executives found they needed antacid instead of moms after the film pulled in just
$39 million worldwide.
Putting a serious dent in the House of Mouse's 2011 earnings, Mars Needs Moms never left
the launch pad and finished $130 million in the hole.
Tomorrowland
In 2015, Disney returned to the world of massive flops with Tomorrowland, a film with a pedigree
so solid the studio could be forgiven for its misplaced confidence.
Co-written and directed by The Incredibles Oscar-winner Brad Bird, and featuring a cast
including George Clooney and Hugh Laurie.
Tomorrowland promised an exciting, brain-bending ride through alternate dimensions — and
somehow managed to fall disappointingly short.
"This part's gonna get a little weird."
The film had the dubious honor of opening at number one during the worst Memorial Day
weekend for Hollywood in recent memory.
Critics panned the film for being maudlin, preachy and not adventurous enough to live
up to its premise.
Tomorrowland made $209 million worldwide, but that barely covered its $190 million budget,
and analysts estimate Disney saw $140 million vaporize on the movie.
The Lone Ranger
"Hi ho silver, Away!"
In any discussion of the most ill-conceived would-be blockbusters of all time, 2013's
The Lone Ranger deserves a prominent place.
The film's struggle began years before release as producers searched for ways to wrangle
the budget down from a proposed $260 million.
When cameras finally rolled, the budget quickly spiraled out of control again, to the point
where production was briefly shut down over cost concerns.
The film's release date was also delayed several times, and in the meantime, images of star
Johnny Depp in full regalia as the Ranger's sidekick Tonto were deemed both ridiculous
and insulting.
With Armie Hammer in the title role, the film opened to wildly indifferent audiences and
brutal mockery from critics.
"The men you seek think you are dead Kemosabe."
All in all, Disney and The Lone Ranger got bucked off to the tune of a $190 million loss.
John Carter
There are sickeningly pricey flops, and then there's John Carter.
"Who is that?"
The movie was a decades-long effort to adapt author Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom novels
into an epic, live-action Disney film.
When John Carter finally made it to screens in 2012, the sci-fi action flick just wasn't
worth the long wait.
Just how bad was it?
"Go on, shock me."
Star Taylor Kitsch led a production that found a way to be stupendously dull, despite the
fact the movie ballooned up a $250 million budget.
Audiences were confused, critics were bored, and the film's massive marketing push left
it deeper in the red than almost any film to date.
Its worldwide take of $284 million didn't come close to covering costs, and for the
second year in a row, Disney was responsible for one of the biggest flops of all time,
a breathtaking $200 million loss.
Disney's dreams of a John Carter franchise?
"Let them be crushed like unhatched eggs!"
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