We all have fond memories of the first time we saw one of our favorite movies. And if a movie became one of your favorites, there’s a good chance it was other peoples’ favorite too and did quite well at the box office for the studio that dreamed it up.
But for every Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and Avengers blockbuster, there are plenty of films that simply bombed and were lost to the winds of Hollywood history or — worse — became infamous as one of the biggest movie flops of all time.
But we won’t let them stay hidden forever. So, whether you’re just curious or are actively looking for films to avoid for your next movie night, here’s the biggest movies flops ever.
Don’t forget: There are thousands of great films available to watch any time on DIRECTV!
1. John Carter (2012)
Worldwide Gross: $284.1 Million
Loss: $255 Million
John Carter, Disney’s disastrous big screen adaptation based of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars, was essentially doomed before it ever hit theaters. Disney’s massive marketing missteps and the film’s vague title left potential viewers confused as to what the film was actually about. Plus, the lead actor, Taylor Kitsch, was a relative unknown at the time. All in all, there was no real draw to this film
Couple that with the production’s massive budget, and you have a recipe for a losing film. That’s exactly what happened, to the tune of $255 million, making John Carter the biggest box office flop of all time.
2. The Lone Ranger (2013)
Worldwide Gross: $240 Million
Loss: $240 Million
OK, if John Carter failed because no one could figure out what it was about and nobody knew who the lead actors in it were, The Lone Ranger had none of those headwinds against it going into theaters. It was riding high on the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, had two household name leads in Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer playing the lead roles of Tonto and the Lone Ranger and it was backed by an equally Disney-sized budget.
Nonetheless, people hated it. This film was reviled for its combination of a dark, violent tone and poorly received humor, and it was released alongside numerous other blockbusters.
3. The Marvels (2023)
Worldwide Gross: $206.1 Million
Loss: $237 Million
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a box office juggernaut since Robert Downey, Jr. outed himself as Iron Man in 2008, and nearly everything Marvel Studios has produced since has been a box office hit.
Not so with The Marvels. Following the conclusion of the Infinity Saga after the Avengers fight with Thanos, things started to go a little off the rails over at Marvel Studios, and The Marvels suffered from this trend more than most of the newer MCU offerings. The villain was not compelling, and the film tried to tie together too many storylines to make things work.
4. The 13th Warrior (1999)
Worldwide Gross: $61.7 Million
Loss: $227 Million
The 13th Warrior flopped mostly due to how ambitious the film’s production was at the time. Despite a Michael Crichton-produced plot and an A-list lead in Antonio Banderas, the film’s budget, initially around $85 million, soared to nearly double that by some estimates amid re-edits and expensive special effects use, and audiences cited its lack of compelling plot and repetitive elements. The film also suffered from poor marketing and steep competition from other films released around the same time.
5. Mortal Engines (2018)
Worldwide Gross: $83.7 Million
Loss: $204 Million
Mortal Engines was an attempt continue riding the wave of success generated by movies based on popular young adult novels (especially The Hunger Games franchise) and with a director like Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings), expectations were high. Unfortunately, the wave it was trying to ride had mostly faded by 2018, and the film flopped hard due to audiences’ unfamiliarity with the source material, a crowded release window, and a massive budget that it was unable to recoup.
6. Cutthroat Island (1995)
Worldwide Gross: $18.3 Million
Loss: $202 Million
Another high-budget, low-grossing film that became the butt of many a joke in the late 90s, Cutthroat Island bombed so hard that it led to the bankruptcy of the studio that produced it. On top of a chaotic production, poorly written story and bad casting choices, critics were not kind to this film and the studio did not have the resources to properly market it. It was a shipwreck waiting to happen.
7. Sinbad: Legend Of The Seven Seas (2003)
Worldwide Gross: $80.8 Million
Loss: $199 Million
History’s next-worst cinematic flop was also a pirate movie: Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas. Sinbad’s CGI was impressive for the time, but it was an expensive film to make, especially considering that it released nearly simultaneously with the inaugural entry of what would become one of the most successful pirate film franchises of all time, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. This film was also heavily criticized for its departure from the Sinbad story’s Arab origins.
8. Strange World (2023)
Worldwide Gross: $73.6 Million
Loss: $197 Million
It’s always strange to see an animated film from a studio revered for its animation bomb at the box office, but Disney’s Strange World did just that. Hard.
Disney was experimenting with delivering movies directly to streaming following the release of its Disney+ streaming service, but Strange World was released in theatres. This dualistic release strategy confused audiences, and many simply missed the release entirely, expecting it to be readily available at home. Those who did see it panned the film’s confusing storyline, and it was banned in some countries amid controversy, further hampering its reach.
9. Battleship (2012)
Worldwide Gross: $303 Million
Loss: $199 Million
Though movies based on board games have historically done pretty well at the box office (Think: Jumanji, Clue) Battleship cannot be counted among them. A predictable plot and action sequences, poor writing and uncompelling characters sunk this movie like a torpedo to one of its titular warships.
10. Pan (2015)
Worldwide Gross: $128.4 Million
Loss: $185 Million
Pan was a pretty hyped movie when it was first announced as a live-action retelling of the classic Peter Pan story, but it bombed at the box office due to poor critical and audience reception of its much darker tone than and divergence from the story of the source material, which made it difficult to attract the family audiences that the franchise has historically been aimed at. Combining those factors with the film’s massive budget meant it was unable to break even.
Top 25 Biggest Box Office-Busts of All Time
Now, let’s check out the remaining box office-busts that make up the top 25 biggest movie flops of all time.
| Title | Year | Budget | Worldwide Gross | Loss (Inflation Adjusted) |
| John Carter | 2012 | $263.7M | $284.1M | $255.0M |
| The Lone Ranger | 2013 | $250.0M | $260.5M | $256.0M |
| The Marvels | 2023 | $270.0M | $206.1M | $245.0M |
| The 13th Warrior | 1999 | $160.0M | $61.7M | $243.0M |
| Mortal Engines | 2018 | $110.0M | $83.7M | $219.0M |
| Cutthroat Island | 1995 | $98.0M | $18.3M | $217.0M |
| Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas | 2003 | $60.0M | $80.8M | $214.0M |
| Strange World | 2022 | $180.0M | $73.6M | $212.0M |
| Joker: Folie à Deux | 2024 | $200.0M | $206.4M | $206.0M |
| Battleship | 2012 | $220.0M | $303.0M | $205.0M |
| Mars Needs Moms | 2011 | $150.0M | $39.0M | $201.0M |
| Pan | 2015 | $150.0M | $128.4M | $199.0M |
| Tomorrowland | 2015 | $190.0M | $209.0M | $199.0M |
| King Arthur: Legend of the Sword | 2017 | $175.0M | $148.7M | $197.0M |
| Titan A.E. | 2000 | $90.0M | $36.8M | $183.0M |
| Turning Red | 2022 | $175.0M | $19.8M | $179.0M |
| Jungle Cruise | 2021 | $200.0M | $220.9M | $174.0M |
| Mulan | 2020 | $200.0M | $66.8M | $171.0M |
| The Adventures of Pluto Nash | 2002 | $100.0M | $7.1M | $168.0M |
| Dark Phoenix | 2019 | $200.0M | $252.4M | $167.0M |
| Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within | 2001 | $137.0M | $85.1M | $167.0M |
| Wonder Woman 1984 | 2020 | $200.0M | $166.5M | $166.0M |
| A Wrinkle in Time | 2018 | $125.0M | $133.2M | $164.0M |
| Monster Trucks | 2016 | $125.0M | $64.5M | $161.0M |
| The Flash | 2023 | $200.0M | $271.3M | $160.0M |
Watch More Movies with DIRECTV
OK, so these movies flopped pretty hard. But there’s many, many more films that didn’t, and you can watch tons of them right from the comfort of your home on DIRECTV!
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the biggest movie flop of all time?
Disney's John Carter lost $255 million at the box office.
What is a movie flop?
A movie flop is when a movie is considered to be generally unsuccessful, particularly as measured by box office performance and earnings.
What causes movies to flop?
A combination of studio dysfunction, inflated budgets, bad writing and poorly executed marketing, most often.
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