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7 Biggest Box Office Bombs Worldwide: John Carter, Mortal Engines and more
While Joker: Folie à Deux resulted in a big box office bloom for the makers, here’s taking a look at the biggest box office bombs of all time worldwide.
The box office is an unpredictable territory. Sometimes, an unexpected movie emerges as a dark horse by minting massive revenues, while there are days when big tentpole movies fail miserably and send shockwaves in the trade sector. WB Pictures’ latest release, Joker: Folie à Deux, turned out to be a big nightmare for the studio. The movie not only failed critically but also opened to an underwhelming theatrical business. Here's taking a look at the 7 biggest box office bombs of all time that faced a massive loss of around USD 200 million.
7 biggest box office bombs worldwide of all time
1. John Carter
Directed by Andrew Stanton, John Carter is a sci-fi action adventure that failed miserably to strike the chords with the audience. The 2013 released Hollywood movie stars Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Mark Strong, Dominic West, and others. Based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' book A Princess of Mars of the Barsroom series of novels, John Carter was a box office bomb of epic proportions.
Bankrolled by Disney, the movie collected a total revenue of USD 284.1 million at the worldwide box office and faced a massive loss of around USD 255 million, as per Box Office Mojo. The disastrous theatrical performance resulted from an underwhelming marketing campaign and weak writing. John Carter is undoubtedly one of the biggest box office bombs of all time.
2. The Lone Ranger
It is a Western-style Hollywood action movie directed by Gore Verbinski. It was released in 2013 and stars Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer in the lead roles, along with William Fichtner, Barry Pepper, Ruth Wilson, and others. The action movie resulted in a big box office flop, losing around USD 240 million.
It was opened to negative word-of-mouth, which instantly impacted its business. The movie failed to generate any curiosity among the audience and became the second most loss-facing movie of all time after John Carter. Interestingly, both production ventures were bankrolled by Walt Disney Pictures.
3. The 13th Warrior
The 1999 movie The 13th Warrior took the third spot among the biggest box office flops in the history of cinema. The historical epic action drama could only gross USD 61.7 million globally and faced a massive loss of USD 227 million, as per Box Office Mojo.
John McTiernan, of Diehard fame, directed this movie, which almost ended his career. Antonio Banderas and Diane Venora starred in the lead roles. The movie met with bad reviews and was criticized for its weak storyline and thin plot.
4. Mortal Engines
Helmed by Christian Rivers, Mortal Engines is set in a post-apocalyptic world. The steampunk movie stars Hera Hilmar, Robert Sheehan, Hugo Weaving, Jihae, Ronan Raftery, and others.
The movie couldn't save grace at the box office, courtesy of the negative critical response. It was panned for its weak execution, which doesn't have any substance. Mortal Engines grossed less than USD 84 million and ended up being one of the biggest flops at the global box office with a loss of around USD 204 million.
5. Cutthroat Island
Released in 1995, Cutthroat Island rests at the fifth spot among the biggest box office bombs worldwide. The movie was mounted on a massive production budget between USD 90 million and USD 100 million; it failed miserably and could collect a mere USD 18.3 million during its theatrical release.
Adjusted for inflation, the production venture faced a loss of USD 202 million. The adventure action film was directed by Renny Harlin and had Geena Davis and Matthew Modine in the lead roles.
6. Sinbad: Legend Of The Seven Seas
Starring Brad Pitt and Catherine Zeta-Jones in the lead roles, Sinbad: Legend Of The Seven Seas was a big theatrical dud globally. The animated adventure film could mint USD 80.8 million in its full run against a massive budget.
Adjusted for inflation, Dreamworks faced a loss of around USD 199 million, almost bankrupting the production company. It turned out to be the sixth biggest box office flop of all time.
7. Strange World
The 2023 Disney animated movie Strange World took the seventh spot among the biggest box office bombs, proving to be a nightmare for the studio. The movie had a star-studded cast, including Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, and Jaboukie Young among the leading voice casts, though it couldn't lure the audience much.
The adventure animated movie directed by Don Hall was mounted on a huge budget. However, it fell through and could gross only USD 73.6 million at the worldwide box office, facing a loss of around USD 197 million.
Following Is The List Of 7 Box Office Bombs Worldwide:
| Rank | Movies | WW Total Box Office | Loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Carter | USD 284.1 Million | USD 255 Million |
| 2 | The Lone Ranger | USD 240 Million | USD 240 Million |
| 3 | The 13th Warrior | USD 61.7 Million | USD 227 Million |
| 4 | Mortal Engines | USD 83.7 Million | USD 204 Million |
| 5 | Cutthroat Island | USD 18.3 Million | USD 202 Million |
| 6 | Sinbad: Legend Of The Seven Seas | USD 80.8 Million | USD 199 Million |
| 7 | Strange World | USD 73.6 Million | USD 197 Million |
Besides the above-mentioned commercial failure titles, some other biggest movie flops include Pan, Tomorrowland, King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword, Turning Red, Mulan, Wonder Woman 1984, and more.
If you loved reading this story, check out the highest-grossing Disney movies of all time and our box office analysis of Joker: Folie à Deux: What Went Wrong?
Disclaimer: The data used in the mentioned list has been adjusted for inflation and curated by Box Office Mojo.
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