“Cowboys & Aliens” was a project that went through several adaptations throughout its 14(!) years of development, but ultimately, it turned out to be a waste of money and creative efforts. On the day the movie premiered, it came second place to “The Smurfs.” This was considered a surprise because, with headliners like Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig, “Cowboys & Aliens” was expected to be the big winner that weekend.
The president of Universal Pictures, Ron Meyer, said “Certainly you couldn’t have more talented people involved in Cowboys and Aliens, but it took, you know, ten smart and talented people to come up with a mediocre movie. It just happens.” Evidently, neither James Bond nor Indiana Jones could rescue the film. In 2014, the Los Angeles Times listed Cowboys & Aliens among “The Most Expensive Box Office Flops Of All Time”.
Estimated loss: $63-$75 million
Titan A.E. (2000)
This one stumbled out of the blocks with the producer and director getting canned $30 million into the production budget with little to show for it. It never fully recovered. Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, directors of Anastasia, took over from there. Alas, it was still a disaster.
According to critics, the storyline lacked originality, but the animation is a visual masterpiece, a riveting 94-minute digital canvas. The action-adventure tale takes place on a post-apocalyptic Earth, far off in the 31st century. Popular Hollywood legends Matt Damon and Drew Barrymore lend some weight to the film voicing Cale and Akima, respectively. The characters try to save the remnants of mankind left on the fantastical scorched Earth. It flopped. Box office totals for Titan A.E. were a pathetic $36.8 million dollars. It tanked locally and globally.
Estimated loss: $100 million
Gigli (2003)
We couldn't possibly make a list of the biggest box office bombs without mentioning good ol' "Gigli." Since its release, "Gigli," has topped the lists of worst films of ALL times, and there are no excuses here. It's simply a bad movie. Its production cost was $75.6 million but it grossed a subpar $7.3 million. The criticism of the movie was brutal, to say the least. The movie's title even became synonymous with failure — comedian Conan O'Brien once said "The Mets are doing so badly that they will be renamed 'The New York Gigli."
Soon after the movie's release, its lead actors, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, who had been involved romantically in real life, called it quits. Little did they know...
Estimated loss: $72 million
The Happytime Murders (2018)
Initially pitched as"Who Framed Roger Rabbit but with puppets instead of cartoons," "The Happytime Murders" sounded like it had solid potential. After all, Roger Rabbit was a blockbuster hit. Unfortunately, when it debuted, stateside viewers were not impressed, and its acceptance overseas was just as calamitous.
The film was a bit controversial from its beginning. When the first trailer was released critics believed the film's vulgar humor to be unnecessary, and at times, forced. The production was even involved in a law-suite. Sesame Workshop, the company behind "Sesame Street", sued them for potentially harming their innocent, child-friendly brand. The film received 6 Golden Raspberry Awards nominations, including Worst Picture and Worst Actress for McCarthy. So much for the wishful "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" success. Watching Muppets behave very R-rated was quite impressive from a technical standpoint, but apparently, the movie as a whole was not.
Estimated loss: $12.5 million
Rise of the Guardians (2012)
DreamWorks Animation and Paramount produced and distributed the whopping flop, pouring $125 million into a massive marketing barrage. The movie marked the end of their contract that produced a slew of fantastic films. "Rise of the Guardians" was a wonderful kids' flick, however, it was also one of their biggest disappointments (from the profit margin angle).
Based on William Joyce's "The Guardians of Childhood" and on "The Man in the Moon," all the troops must be called in to thwart Pitch Black (Jude Law) from sinking the world into never-ending darkness. Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin), The Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), even the Sandman join the fight. Together they recruit Jack Frost to save the day. Adjusted for inflation, the loss is about $93 million dollars, after bringing in $306.9 million dollars!