Universal strangely agreed to produce a movie based on the childhood-favorite Hasbro board game — Battleship. The songstress Rihanna, who made her acting debut in the film, was the most familiar face featured, but she alone wasn’t enough to attract moviegoers.
As if “Battleship” hadn’t received enough negative criticism, the film about an alien invasion that was halted by the U.S. Navy was called one of the worst Naval war films ever. Fans and Men in Uniform alike, felt as though the film made a mockery of how the military really functions. Ultimately, the film was a bit too “dumbed down” to appeal to the adult audience it desperately needed to help fill theater seats. Perhaps this will make screenplay producers hesitate when the next screenplay-writer comes to them with a “brilliant” idea of a movie based on Monopoly.
Estimated loss: $220.4 million
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
This one may be the most surprising movie featured on this list, as it's now arguably one of the greatest films in cinema history. But when "The Wizard of Oz" made its debut, it was far from the box office hit you'd expect it to be. Naturally, this was quite disappointing to MGM, as it was their most expensive production at the time.
It wasn't until the movie's re-release in 1949, 10 years after its initial release, that this musical fantasy film was widely received, and earned MGM an additional $1.5 million (which is around $16 million today). Later, in 1956, it aired on television and won over new viewers, becoming an instant sensation and an overall classic. This just goes to show you that the box office doesn't always get it right, and sometimes, it's all about having the right timing.
Estimated loss: $1.1 million
Evan Almighty (2007)
Big on comedy legends, “short on laughs,” according to Rotten Tomatoes. Stunning special effects helped it register 23%. Those special effects, CGI in order to animate an ark-load of Noah’s species-protected beasts during the flood made it the most expensive movie at the time it was produced.
Evan (Steve Carell) who is a newly elected congressman of fictional town Prestige Crest, chills with God (Morgan Freeman) hoping the Almighty will answer the congressman’s prayers. He just won an election on a campaign promise to save the world and now the difficulties are piling up. The official production budget was $175 million. However, according to rumor, it likely looked more like $210 million. The box office grossed at $173.4.
Estimated loss: $104 million
Mars Needs Moms (2011)
"Mars Needs Moms," the adorable animated children's flick about Martian leaders finding a use for moms on their planet was produced by Disney with animation studio partner, ImageMovers Digital (Polar Express). The book, authored by Berkeley Breathed, may very well be better than the movie. Milo (Seth Green) is an Earthling who gets grounded because he will not complete his chores. The movie revolves around the 9-year-old boy and his personal journey that, by quest’s end, finds him realizing the value of a loving family.
The film had a raging budget of $150 million. Mars Needs Moms would have to tear it up at the box office to break even. That didn’t happen. The movie brought in $39 million at the box office.
Estimated loss: $100-$144 million
Megaforce (1982)
"Megaforce" was a 1982 passion project film made by American stuntman Hal Needham. Needham decided to try his luck as a director in the late '70s and directed a total of twelve films in his decade of directorial career. He pitched the idea of the film to audiences, claiming it was "like no other movie ever made before". The director also made sure to include himself as one of the film's actors but was unfortunately hurt during production when he fell off a motorbike and broke several ribs.
The film was released at around the same time as "Mad Max 2," the sequel to the ultra-popular dystopian Mel Gibson movie. "Megaforce" had poor box-office performance and lost almost three-quarters of its budget due to low ticket sales. Interestingly, the director later admitted that he was completely wrong about what he believed audiences wanted at the time.