Worst Film Week – Biggest Box Office Bombs: 2012 Edition

Every time we kick into Worst Film Week, we usually pull out the latest list of the biggest box office bombs of all time – thanks to Wikipedia. So, here in the 2012 edition of the current Top 20 Box Office Bombs of All Time.

Every time we kick into Worst Film Week, we usually pull out the latest list of the biggest box office bombs of all time – thanks to Wikipedia. So, here in the 2012 edition of the current Top 20 Box Office Bombs of All Time.

Of course, everyone’s favorite punching bag, Cutthroat Island remains the King of the Bombs, with adjusted losses of nearly $150m in today’s money, or some 84% of money spent was never recouped. Ouch. Recent entries may surprise – 2011’s Mars Need’s Moms makes the list in at 5, losing some $137m at the box office. Also from last year, Green Lantern, a film I felt was judged a little harshly by audiences, makes a landing in at 11. Poor Martin Campbell. You relaunch James Bond (twice) successfully and you still make a list like this. That’s gotta hurt.

Old faithful, Battlefield Earth, which remains high on the “all time shittiest” list of every critic alive today, has been shunted down a few places since we last looked at this list, but it’s nice to see it’s still here. And I don’t know about you, but I actually liked Treasure Planet – just not enough to keep it from being considered a financial disaster. ….Still, just think – Eddie Murphy will go to his grave knowing he was at least partially responsible for Pluto Nash – the highest percentage loser of the lot.

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All Time Box Office Disasters

 

FilmYearTotal cost (production + marketing) (USD)Worldwide theater gross (USD)Net losses (USD)Net loss as a percentage of total costNet losses inflation adjusted (2012 USD)
Cutthroat Island1995115,000,000[1]18,517,322[2]96,482,67883.90147,157,681
The Alamo2004145,000,000[3][1]25,820,000[3]119,180,00082.19146,644,313
The Adventures of Pluto Nash2002120,000,000[1]7,103,973[1]112,896,02794.08145,877,124
Sahara2005241,000,000[4][1]119,269,486121,730,51450.51144,857,030
Mars Needs Moms2011175,000,000[5][6]38,992,758136,007,24277.72140,513,991
The 13th Warrior1999160,000,000[1]61,698,89998,301,10161.44137,142,407
Town & Country2001105,000,000[7][1]10,372,29194,627,70990.12124,202,203
Speed Racer2008200,000,000[8][1]93,945,766106,054,25453.03114,479,584
Heaven’s Gate198044,000,000*[1]3,484,33140,515,66992.08114,281,677
Stealth2005170,800,000[9]76,932,87293,867,12854.96111,700,123
Green Lantern2011325,000,000[10][6]219,851,172105,148,82832.35108,633,050
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within2001167,000,000[1]85,131,83081,868,17049.02107,454,858
The Fall of the Roman Empire196419,000,000*4,750,000[11]14,250,00075.00106,783,262
Supernova200090,000,000*14,828,08175,171,91983.52101,449,407
Battlefield Earth2000103,000,00029,725,66373,274,33771.1498,888,497
Inchon198246,000,000*[12][1]5,200,000[12]40,800,00088.7098,257,655
Treasure Planet2002180,000,000[1]109,578,11570,421,88539.1290,994,717
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever200290,000,00019,924,03370,075,96777.8690,547,743
The Postman199780,000,000*[1]17,626,23462,373,76677.9790,302,318
Red Planet2000100,000,000[1]33,463,96966,536,03166.5489,794,713

 

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9 thoughts on “Worst Film Week – Biggest Box Office Bombs: 2012 Edition

    1. I think you'll find a lot of the films budget was used to "enhance" Ryan Reynold's CGI genital region.

      Sorry, I've been over at The Bar None too much. xD

  1. Surprisingly, I enjoyed Sahara too, so I was at a loss to explain its inclusion here. I do rememeber that it was pretty highly hyped when it came out, but nobody went, although I was unaware of just how much they spent on making it. Still, it's a pretty impressive feat to climb in at number four considering the other Hall Of Fame-ers, as it were.

  2. Ah, the box office bomb. The classic case of "wrong place, wrong time", or "bad idea, even worse timing".

    Sahara at Number 4? Wow. I actually enjoyed that film. Wonder where the money went… possibly on suntan lotion for Mr McConaughey.

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