- Home
- slideshows
- miscellaneous
- 12 of the worst summer movie flops of the last decade at the box office
12 of the worst summer movie flops of the last decade at the box office
"Dark Phoenix" (2019)
"Solo: A Star Wars Story" (2018)
Domestic box office: $213.8 million
Worldwide box office: $392.9 million
Production budget: $275 million
By Disney "Star Wars" standards, "Solo: A Star Wars Story" is an utter disappointment. "Solo" was ravaged by behind-the-scenes turmoil, and director Ron Howard replaced Phil Lord and Chris Miller late into production. The prequel is the only movie during the Disney era, which started in 2015 with "The Force Awakens," that hasn't cracked $1 billion worldwide, and the first that potentially lost Disney money.
"The Happytime Murders" (2018)
Domestic box office: $20.7 million
Worldwide box office: $27.5 million
Production budget: $40 million
"The Happytime Murders," a R-rated puppet movie starring Melissa McCarthy, was a bomb critically and commercially. The movie was one of the worst reviewed of 2018 with a 23% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it didn't even make back its $40 million production budget.
"The Mummy" (2017)
Domestic box office: $80.2 million
Worldwide box office: $409 million
Production budget: $125 million
"The Mummy" fared better internationally than it did in the US, but it wasn't enough to save Universal's "Dark Universe," a cinematic universe of classic monsters that "The Mummy" was meant to kickstart. Instead, after a critical bruising and a disappointing box office, the Dark Universe has been scrapped for standalone movies.
"Alice Through the Looking Glass" (2016)
Domestic box office: $77.04 million
Worldwide box office: $299.5 million
Production budget: $170 million
The first movie, Tim Burton's 2010 live-action remake of "Alice in Wonderland," made over $1 billion worldwide. This sequel didn't even crack $300 million.
"Fantastic Four" (2015)
Domestic box office: $56.1 million
Worldwide box office: $168 million
Production budget: $120 million
This was Fox's third "Fantastic Four" movie, a reboot of the 2005 "Fantastic Four" and its sequel, "Rise of the Silver Surfer." As the numbers show, this was far from the revival Fox was hoping for. The characters are now in Disney and Marvel Studios' hands after the Disney-Fox merger.
"The Lone Ranger" (2013)
Domestic box office: $89.3 million
Worldwide box office: $260.5 million
Production budget: $215 million
Disney's big-budget take on the classic Western hero and his Native American partner was a big-budget mess, with production costs that surpassed $200 million and a worldwide box office that barely made that back. It was also torn apart by critics with a 31% Rotten Tomatoes critic score.
"John Carter" (2012)
Domestic box office: $73.1 million
Worldwide box office: $284.1 million
Production budget: $250 million
"John Carter" is considered one of the biggest box-office flops of the decade. Disney's sci-fi adventure failed to attract audiences, which is unfortunate considering it cost $250 million to make.
"Total Recall" (2012)
Domestic box office: $58.9 million
Worldwide box office: $198.5 million
Production budget: $125 million
This remake of the 1990 sci-fi movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger made less than $200 million worldwide, and was produced for $125 million. Adjusted for inflation, the original "Total Recall" made $254 million in the US.
"Green Lantern" (2011)
Domestic box office: $116.6 million
Worldwide box office: $219.9 million
Production budget: $200 million
"Green Lantern," starring Ryan Reynolds as the title character, is one of the biggest superhero movie bombs of recent memory. Fortunately for Reynolds, he rebounded at the competition as the money-making Deadpool.
"Cowboys and Aliens" (2011)
Domestic box office: $100.2 million
Worldwide box office: $174.8 million
Production budget: $163 million
Jon Favreau has made hit movies like "Iron Man" and "The Lion King," but "Cowboys and Aliens" is another story. The movie stars two heavy hitters in James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), yet failed to resonate with viewers.
"Funny People" (2009)
Domestic box office: $51.9 million
Worldwide box office: $71.6 million
Production budget: $75 million
In a year when "The Hangover" became a massive hit, another summer comedy didn't have such luck. Perhaps audiences were turned away by the two-plus-hour runtime, especially in the aftermath of the breezy "Hangover" a month earlier. $71 million isn't a terrible performance for a comedy, at least by today's standards when movies like "Booksmart" and "Late Night" have difficulty reeling viewers into the theater. But "Funny People" still failed to earn back its production budget. "The Hangover," meanwhile, cost half as much to make and earned $467 million worldwide.
Popular Right Now
Popular Keywords
Advertisement