Big budgets don’t always translate to big box office returns formovies, as proven by several expensive films where things went disastrously wrong. At the end of the day, the film industry is a business like any other, and thehighest-grossing films of all timegambled on some massive budgets full of special effects, visual splendor, and star power. However, this doesn’t always work out well for studios willing to shell out for expensive projects, as evidenced by some of the most infamous blockbusters of all time.
A film’s quality isn’t necessarily dictated by how well it does at the box office,but many of thebiggest box-office bombsare undeniably critical duds as well, proving that money can’t buy everything. Even for low-grossing films that are good stories, ambitious budgets are always a dangerous gambit to run, sometimes ballooning out exponentially over time or running up against unfortunate production woes. Sometimes, it’s hard not to laugh at how profoundly wrong things go for certain productions whose ledgers were far in the red.
Waterworld
Cast
Waterworld follows a lone drifter known as “The Mariner”, played by Kevin Costner, who finds himself in a conflict between a group of survivors seeking a mythical place called “Dryland” and a gang of pirates who want to capture and enslave them. Directed by Kevin Reynolds, the 1995 post-apocalyptic action movie is set in a future where sea levels have risen, covering most of the Earth’s landmass.
No one can say thatWaterworldwasn’t an intriguing idea.Set in a dystopian future in which global warming has caused the majority of the Earth’s surface to be flooded with one giant ocean, the film took place in a world that could be accurately described as aMad Max-themed water park, starring Kevin Costner as an unnamed mutant with gills. Sadly, in addition to its aesthetics, the film also inherited the typical production woes of theMad Maxfranchiseof films.
The very nature of the film’s setting necessitated incredibly expensive sets, with the lack of sophistication in CGI necessitating vast amounts of practical effects for the various ships, weapons, and floating contraptions swinging about the action. At the time it was made,Waterworldwas the most expensive film ever, running up 75 million dollars past its initial budget due to weather, safety issues, Costner’s creative tyranny, and even an entire set sinking into the bottom of the ocean.All that effort was rewarded with only middling reviews and a pitiful box office take.
Battlefield Earth
In the year 3000, Earth is dominated by the Psychlos, a powerful alien race led by Terl, who use humans as slaves to strip the planet of resources. Reduced to a primitive state, humanity’s survival rests on Tyler, a captive who takes on the mission to save his people from alien tyranny.
From its very inception,Battlefield Earthwas doomed to be a controversial film. The project was based on the book of the same name written by science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the controversial new-age religion of Scientology. A Scientologist himself, actor John Travolta took it upon himself to find funding for aBattlefield Earthadaptation, being passed over by every major studio. This should have been a sign for Travolta to stop, considering what happened when the film finally was funded through an independent studio.
Critics eviscerated the film’s cheap production values, terrible performances, nonsensical plot and dreadfully slow pace.
Battlefied Earthis widely considered to be not only one of the worst films of John Travolta’s career (Which also includes dudes likeGottiandThe Fanatic), but one of the worst films ever made in general. Critics eviscerated the film’s cheap production values, terrible performances, nonsensical plot and dreadfully slow pace.On top of all that, moviegoers weren’t any kinder, leavingBattlefield Eartha 93-million-dollar bomb that permanently damaged Travolta’s reputation.
Cats
An adaptation of the stage musical by the same name, Cats boasts a star-studded cast playing the Jellicles, a tribe of street cats who make a choice once a year about which one of them will ascend to what they call the Heavenside Layer and be reborn to a new life. The original musical is itself based on a book by famous poet T.S. Eliot, and remains one of the longest-running Broadway shows.
Not every play that might work as a theater performance is destined to translate into a good film, as evidenced by 2019’s infamous disaster,Cats.Based on the classic stage play,Catswas confident on its ability to make back a hefty budget of 80 to 100 million dollars thanks to the name recognition of the source material and the impressive marquee value of its star-studded cast. However,Catsended up being a scathing lesson for Hollywood that would go on to lose most of its budget.
The story ofCatsis incredibly sparse to begin with, leaving the film to make do with the concept of a colony of flamboyant cats who introduce themselves one by one, competing for the honor of committing ritual suicide by hot air balloon.This left only the disturbing special effects for audiences to feast their eyes upon, which ended up forcingCatsto release a post-release “patch"updating some areas where the CGI was blatantly unfinished.In the end, iconic songs couldn’t save such an absurd concept for a film in the first place.
Sahara
Sahara follows adventurer Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey) and his partner Al Giordino (Steve Zahn) as they search for a lost Civil War ship believed to hold a secret cargo. Alongside Dr. Eva Rojas (Penélope Cruz), they uncover a deadly contaminant affecting West Africa. Based on the novel by Clive Cussler, the film combines elements of action, adventure, and mystery against the backdrop of the Sahara Desert.
On paper, nothing aboutSaharaseems to deserve its spot among the worst box-office bombs of all time. Based on a novel of the same name, the 2005 action-adventure film starred Matthew McConaughey as a treasure hunter who teams up with a World Health Organization doctor to find a cache of missing Confederate gold amid the wreckage of a lost ship that somehow wound up in the Sahara desert. Sadly, unlike the characters therein,Saharawould never strike the gold of a planned franchise meant to rival Indiana Jones'.
Much of the film’s losses could be attributed to the production costs that ballooned out of control, with entire extravagant action setpieces being edited out of the final film.The budget also allegedly included bribes to the Moroccan government meant to smooth over the use of certain filming locations, miring the already risky venture in further controversy. In the end,Saharawould be lost to the sands of time with slightly below-average reviews, crumbling under the weight of its massive budget in the box office.
Mad Max: Fury Road
Mad Max: Fury Road is a post-apocalyptic film set in a desolate desert landscape where society has collapsed. Released in 2015, the story follows two rebels, Max Rockatansky and Imperator Furiosa, as they attempt to survive and bring balance to a world torn by chaos and strife.
Mad Max: Fury Roadis the perfect exception to the rule that all fraught productions that lose big in theaters result in bad movies.Despite being (or perhaps, because it is) the ultimate action film,Mad Max: Fury Roadtook decades to get off the ground, first halted by the 9/11 terror attacks plummeting the economy in the early 2000s and then delayed once more by unexpected heavy rains in Australia, ruining the barren shoot location with beautiful vegetation. By the time filming began in Namibia, the film quickly began to soar over its initial budget.
That’s not even to mention the dangerous practical effects and hordes of working vehicles needed to be kept in line. In the end,Mad Max: Fury Roadwas a critical marvel of an action film.
Actual filming was no less disastrous, withTom Hardy and Charlize Theron’s on-set beefinfamously putting a hostile spin on the shooting.That’s not even to mention the dangerous practical effects and hordes of working vehicles needed to be kept in line. In the end,Mad Max: Fury Roadwas a critical marvel of an action film, but was only able to more-or-less break even against such a massive budget despite all its success.
Apocalypse Now
In Francis Ford Coppola’s classic Vietnam War film, loosely based on Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness, an army Captain is tasked with assassinating a rogue Colonel who has created a cult-like compound in the Cambodian jungle and is currently waging his own war outside the army’s purview. Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando star as Captain Willard and Colonel Kurtz respectively, with an ensemble cast that includes Robert Duvall, Laurence Fishburne, and Dennis Hopper.
Today, Francis Ford Coppola’sApocalypse Nowis considered to be one of the greatest films ever made by many, re-telling the events of the famous literary classicHeart of Darknessthrough the lens of the Vietnam War.But it wouldn’t be unfair to say that the production of the film was just short of a complete disaster.It’s a wonder thatApocalypse Nowwas ever able to release, let alone ascend to the heights of cinematic fame it has.
Filming on-location in the Philippines, the film’s sets were laid waste to by the 1976 storm Typhoon Olga, causing thousands of dollars in damages.Marlon Brando was also infamously a source of trouble on set, showing up overweight and forcing a re-write of the script’s ending. Meanwhile, Charlie Sheen actually suffered a heart attack during filming, which stretched on for months after the initial proposed dates.Apocalypse Nowmay be considered a masterpiece today, but Coppola had to crack more than a few eggs to get his perfect omelet.
The Lone Ranger
Based on the character of the same name, The Lone Ranger follows John Reid (Armie Hammer), A.K.A. The Lone Ranger, and his Native American companion Tonto (Johnny Depp). Narrated by Tonto, The Lone Ranger recounts the duo’s early efforts to bring peace and justice to the Old West, apprehending various unscrupulous characters. Alongside Depp and Hammer, The Lone Ranger stars Tom Wilkinson, William Fichtner, Barry Pepper, James Badge Dale, and Helena Bonham Carter.
With Gore Verbinski having created blockbuster royalty once before with the belovedPirates of the Caribbeanfranchise, the visionary director was contracted to make lightning strike twice in the early 2010s withThe Lone Ranger.Based on the classic pulp hero, the film clearly set out to be a Wild West version of the same action-adventure antics that made thePirates of the Caribbeanfilms so special. Johnny Depp was even recruited once more to play another peculiar character in a goofy hat, this time as the sidekick Tonto.
Thanks to its ambitious scope,The Lone Rangerquickly let its budget grow out of control, ending production to the tune of 250 million dollars, losing almost all of it at the box office.Numbers likely weren’t helped by the poor word-of-mouth reviews that cited tonal inconsistency and the controversy over Johnny Depp’s contested Native American ancestry, which made a big difference in his performance of a character as stereotypical as Tonto. Sadly,The Lone Rangeris a huge black spot on Verbinski’s cinematic career.
Evan Almighty
Evan Almighty is a 2007 comedy film directed by Tom Shadyac. The story follows Evan Baxter (Steve Carell), a newly elected congressman who is tasked by God (Morgan Freeman) to build an ark in preparation for a great flood, mirroring the biblical tale of Noah. As Evan grapples with his mission, he faces skepticism from his family and colleagues while trying to fulfill his divine obligation.
Jim Carrey’sBruce Almightymight be one of the finest achievements in his illustrious comedic career, telling the story of what one man might do with godly powers.The spin-off filmEvan Almighty, featuring the return of Steve Carell and Morgan Freeman as Evan and God, respectively, seemed to be in good hands. However, the production would soon prove to be a task as arduous as constructing Noah’s Ark itself.
Between the CGI pairs of creatures marching two by two, the expensive construction of an actual Ark, andthe very-real animal actors that needed to populate many scenes,Evan Almightyquickly flooded past its initial budget.Doubling the budget ofBruce Almighty,Evan Almightyquickly became the most expensive comedy film ever made in its time, though it was later surpassed byMen in Black 3. Ultimately, the film drowned in the box office, unable to recoup the arduous costs of its lofty filmmaking.
John Carter
Adapted from Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars, Disney’s John Carter brings the author’s Barsoom series to life. When American Confederate Civil War captain John Carter accidentally transports himself to Mars, he soon becomes entangled in the planet’s own internal power struggles. Using the increased strength and speed afforded to him by Mars' atmosphere, Carter fights to achieve peace on the distant planet known by the natives as Barsoom.
Considering all the success Disney have historically had adapting classic tales and public domain stories,John Cartercertainly seemed like a safe bet.The company had already successful portrayed one of Edgar Rice Burroughs' novels before withTarzan, andtheBarsoombook seriesmust have seemed like the perfect ripe opportunity for establishing a sci-fi franchise at the box office.Unfortunately, despite all its potential,John Carterwould end up being a legendary dud for the House of Mouse.
It seems as though Disney should have dipped their toes in the water more carefully before funneling a whopping 263 million dollars into the film’s expansive CGI worlds, bringing to life the alien fauna and locations of the original books.Taylor Kitsch didn’t prove to be the charismatic leading man the film needed, and the final result was a historic 255 million dollar loss. Still the single biggest box-office bomb of all time,John Carteroverestimated the appeal of a relatively obscure classic literature series before going all-in on a gamble that didn’t pay off.
Battleship
Rihanna, Liam Neeson, and Taylor Kitsch star in the 2012 action movie adaptation of the board game Battleship. They play a group of Navy SEALs who confront an invading fleet of alien ships. As humanity’s only hope, they must use all their training and resources to fight the alien invasion and save the planet.
LikeJohn Carter, Battleshipwas another ambitious blockbuster starring Taylor Kitsch in 2012 that vastly overestimated the appeal of its brand recognition.Based on the classic board game of the same name,Battleshipmanages to somehow wring a story out of the simple back-and-forth of charting hits by describing an alien invasion that is countered by the U.S. Navy. Amazingly, the film actually took itself relatively seriously, unlike more subversive board game movie adaptations likeClue.
Battleship’s troubled pre-production actually led Universal to consider canceling the film, a decision that would have served them better financially in the long run. Losing 150 million at the box office,Battleship’s formulaic and boring plot, blatant advertising for the United States military, and terrible performances from the likes of Rihanna didn’t impress audiences. Today,Battlleshipis only dimly remembered as a sunken wreck of a science fiction actionmovie.
