“It seemed like such a slam dunk, and then Pixar was like, ‘Hey, what if we made the Buzz movie a depressing time dilation drama about accepting loss?’”

Former 9-to-5 tech worker turned content writer with a passion for all things pop culture, TV, and film!

“On paper, Disney, Gore Verbinski, Johnny Depp, Jerry Bruckheimer, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio teaming up again for a new film seemed like a recipe for guaranteed success after Pirates of the Caribbean. The Lone Ranger wasn't a hit. Not even close. A huge flop.” 

How it bombed: Despite being a highly advertised remake of a beloved classic, the film only made $260.5 million against an estimated $225-250 million budget, on top of an additional $150 million in marketing costs, making it one of the biggest box-office bombs of all time.

“The release date for Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One was picked to move away from the 'guaranteed box office hits' of Indiana Jones and The Flash, and closer to the wild cards of Barbie and Oppenheimer. We all saw how that turned out." —firesharknado

“Putting 'Part One' in the title cost them tens of millions.” 

How it bombed: While not a total box-office failure, the film was still a disappointment relative to its estimated massive budget of $291 million. Despite its acclaim, the film only grossed $571.1 million worldwide. 

“Not an outright bomb, but Detective Pikachu was widely predicted as a billion-dollar film before its release.” 

How it bombed: The film actually became one of the highest-grossing video game film adaptations of all time, but was still considered a financial disappointment. Although the film grossed $433 million worldwide, it did not meet expectations at the box office against its $150 million budget.

"This one seemed like such a slam dunk, and then Pixar was like, 'Hey, what if we made the Buzz movie a depressing time dilation drama about accepting loss?' No way in heck was THAT the story that made Andy a fan of Buzz."

How it bombed: Despite favorable reviews, the film was a box-office bomb, grossing only $226.4 million worldwide against a $200 million budget, resulting in an estimated $106 million loss for Walt Disney Studios.

“It was the sequel to a billion-dollar film, so even if it didn't perform as well as the first movie did, a lot of people still expected it to rake in the big bucks.” 

How it bombed: One would think the follow-up to the successful Captain Marvel film would make billions at the box office. Alas, the sequel was a flop at the box office, grossing only $206.1 million worldwide against a whopping $374 million budget. It's currently the lowest-grossing film in the MCU. 

“I’ve been called delusional for predicting The Flash to flop; certain people here expected it to be a surefire hit.” 

How it bombed: Despite being centered on an iconic DC superhero, the film grossed $271.4 million worldwide on a $200-$220 million budget. Its dismal box-office performance was heavily impacted by controversies surrounding actor Ezra Miller. 

"Quantumania was kickin’ off Phase 5 and introduced Kang the Conqueror; it was supposed to make bank." 

How it bombed: With a substantial $388.4 million budget, the film was unprofitable, grossing only $476.1 million worldwide. The film is one of the few MCU box-office disappointments that failed to break even. 

“The Fall Guy starring the Teflon Barbenheimer box office wonder pairing of Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt.” 

“Especially, given the hype surrounding Ryan Gosling Post-Barbie.” 

How it bombed: Even with the endless marketing for this film, it completely underperformed at the box office, grossing only $181 million worldwide against a high $125-$150 million budget.

“Solo: A Star Wars Story is the first that comes to mind.” 

How it bombed: Solo was the first-ever Star Wars film to be a box-office bomb, grossing $393 million worldwide against an estimated budget of around $300 million. The film needed to gross around $600 million to break even. 

“Technically, Black Adam fits the criteria. It's literally The Rock in a comic book movie. That's a recipe for printing money, yet it barely pulled in $400M."

How it bombed: Another DC superhero film makes the list! It failed to break even at the box office, grossing $393 million against a $190-$260 million budget. Since it needed to make about $600 million to break even, it's considered a certified box-office bomb. 

“On paper, R.I.P.D. should have made serious bank. Jeff Bridges AND Ryan Reynolds (among others) starring together in a quirky action comedy with sequel potential? It was a reasonably safe bet that it would make a profit, yet it didn't recoup half of its cost during its theatrical run. Then again, it was released in 2013, and Reynolds didn't really start peaking until a few years later with Deadpool.” 

How it bombed: The film grossed only $78.3 million on a $134 to $154 million budget and received mostly negative reviews, making it a financial disaster and a clear box-office flop.

“Does Tomorrowland count? They spent a ton of money on that and marketed it like they thought it'd be big. You got George Clooney as the lead. Brad Bird directing. He's responsible for The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol. This should hit $600 million at the least, right? But it barely made back its budget in worldwide box office money.” 

How it bombed: Despite an original premise and an A-list actor lead, the film was a big let-down for Walt Disney Studios, grossing only $209 million worldwide against an $180-$190 million budget plus additional millions in marketing expenses.

How it bombed: Unfortunately, the film failed to match its predecessor's success. The film grossed only $389.6 million, earning significantly less than the first film. 

"John Carter. No one wanted to see a movie that was just some random dude's name."

How it bombed: John Carter is considered one of the biggest box-office bombs in history, resulting in a $200 million loss for Walt Disney Studios. It was one of the most expensive movies ever made, yet it didn't even come close to breaking even. The film only grossed $284 million worldwide, against a $263 million production budget and $350 million spent on marketing.

How it bombed: Even with a stellar cast and being an adaptation of a beloved book, the film was a financial failure, after reportedly losing $130.6 million at the box office. The film only grossed $133 million worldwide against an estimated $250 million budget.

“The Little Mermaid live-action remake, before the announcement of the lead’s casting and with the original being the first Disney Renaissance film backed with an iconic soundtrack, had all the potential to go bonkers at the box office.” 

How it bombed: While not widely considered a box-office bomb, the film failed to meet international financial expectations compared to previous Disney live-action adaptations. The film grossed $569.6 million against a $240.2 million budget, which is not bad, but not great either. 

How it bombed: The film grossed $119.5 million worldwide against a budget of $85 million, but was still a box office flop when factoring in all other expenses. 

“In 1998, the entire industry was convinced that Godzilla was going to be the behemoth of the summer. I remember seeing interviews with actors in other movies, like Deep Impact, who were worried that their movie might get swallowed up by Godzilla's release. Then the movie came out, and people stopped thinking that.” 

How it bombed: The film actually made a slight profit after grossing $379 million worldwide against an estimated budget of $230 million. However, it was still considered a box-office disappointment, leading to the cancellation of any planned sequels. 

“Seemed like a sure thing IMO — The Wachowskis, a good cast with Emile Hirsch hot off Into the Wild, a famous cartoon, and cool, innovative visuals for an adaptation of a cartoon.” 

How it bombed: The film performed significantly below studio expectations, grossing only $94 million on a $120 million budget — a considerable loss for Warner Bros. and a box-office failure. 

“Wish, a Disney princess on Walt Disney Studios’ 100th anniversary, released on Thanksgiving/Christmas. Yet, it was the most incomplete, inconsistent, directionless Disney animated movie since The Black Cauldron. They clearly rushed it through to get it released on time for 2023, but the script was at least 20 reviews away from being done.” 

How it bombed: Wish had the makings of a box-office hit. Sadly, it was labeled a box-office bomb after grossing only about $255 million worldwide against a budget of $175-$200 million. It resulted in an estimated $131 million loss for Walt Disney Studios.

Note: Responses have been edited for length/clarity.