Box-office Flop
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A box-office bomb is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the combined production budget, marketing, and distribution costs exceed the revenue after release has technically "bombed", the term is more frequently used for major studio releases that were highly anticipated, extensively marketed, and expensive to produce, but nevertheless failed commercially. Originally, a "bomb" had the opposite meaning, referring instead to a successful film that "exploded" at the box office. The term continued to be used this way in the United Kingdom into the 1970s.


Causes


Negative word of mouth

With the advent of
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platforms such as
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and
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
in the 2000s,
word of mouth Word of mouth is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one person tells others a ...
regarding new films is easily spread and has had a marked effect on box office performance. A film's ability or failure to attract positive or negative commentary can strongly impact its performance at the box office, especially on the opening weekend.


External circumstances

Occasionally, films may underperform because of issues largely unrelated to the content of the film, such as the timing of the film's release. This was one of the reasons given for the commercial failure of ''
Intolerance Intolerance may refer to: * Hypersensitivity or intolerance, undesirable reactions produced by the immune system * ''Intolerance'' (film), a 1916 film by D. W. Griffith * ''Intolerance'' (album), the first solo album from Grant Hart, formerly ...
'', D. W. Griffith's follow-up to ''
The Birth of a Nation ''The Birth of a Nation'' is a 1915 American Silent film, silent Epic film, epic Drama (film and television), drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. The screenplay is adapted from Thomas Dixon Jr.'s 1905 novel and ...
''. Owing to production delays, the film was not released until late 1916, when the widespread antiwar sentiment it reflected had started to shift in favor of
American entry into World War I The United States entered into World War I on 6 April 1917, more than two and a half years after the war began in Europe. Apart from an Anglophile element urging early support for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British and an a ...
. Another example is the 2015 docudrama about
FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
entitled '' United Passions''. A glowing portrayal of FIFA, which had mostly funded the film, ''United Passions'' was released in theaters in the United States at the same time FIFA's leaders were under investigation for fraud and corruption. The film grossed only $918 at the US box office in its opening weekend. Sometimes, a film's performance may be adversely affected by national crisis or a disaster, such as the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
in 2001,
Hurricane Harvey Hurricane Harvey was a devastating tropical cyclone that made landfall in Texas and Louisiana in August 2017, causing catastrophic flooding and more than 100 deaths. It is tied with 2005's Hurricane Katrina as the costliest tropical cy ...
in 2017, and the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
in 2020–2021.


High production costs

Box-office gross numbers are not always reflective of profit as not all money is returned to the film studio. Some of the gross is kept by the film exhibitors and the film distributor. A
rule of thumb In English language, English, the phrase ''rule of thumb'' refers to an approximate method for doing something, based on practical experience rather than theory. This usage of the phrase can be traced back to the 17th century and has been associat ...
for making an estimate of a studio's portion of the gross is that the studio usually gets half. A large budget can often harm a film's chances to recoup its investment. The 1944
Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...
biography '' Wilson'' was a spectacular flop in its day, because the unusually high budget (US$5,200,000, equal to about US$90,000,000 today) caused
20th Century-Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film production and distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Com ...
to ask a much higher rental price. Theaters that usually charged 25 cents admission were forced to charge an entire dollar (US$18.17 in 2025) for ''Wilson'', keeping customers away in droves. Sometimes a film will fail financially, even when it performs reasonably well at the box office. For the 2005 film ''
Sahara The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...
'', its budget ballooned to US$281.2 million for production, distribution, and other expenses. The film earned US$119 million in theaters and US$202.9 million overall with television and other subsidies included, resulting in a net loss of US$78.3 million. In 2012, Disney reported losses of US$200 million on '' John Carter.'' The film had made a considerable US$234 million worldwide, but this was short of its $250 million budget plus worldwide advertising. The 2007 film '' The Golden Compass'' had a production budget of US$180 million. To be able to fund the film,
New Line Cinema New Line Productions, Inc., Trade name, doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film production, film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, a division of the Major film studios, ...
had to sell all of the film's international distribution rights to various film distributors around the world. The film underperformed domestically, but was an international success; New Line Cinema did not have a cut of the international box office. These events were major factors in New Line Cinema becoming a division of
Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film studio and distribution arm of the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group division of Warner Bros., both of which are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex ...
.


Recovery

Films initially thought of as "flops" may recover income elsewhere. Several films have underperformed in their countries of origin, but have been sufficiently successful internationally to recoup losses or even become financial successes. Films may also recover money through international distribution, sales to
television syndication Broadcast syndication is the practice of content owners leasing the right to broadcast their content to other television stations or radio stations, without having an official broadcast network to air it on. It is common in the United States whe ...
, distribution outside of cinemas, and releases on
home media Home media refers to media used for recording, copying, delivery, and playback of various types of entertainment and information in the home. Forms of home media include: * Home audio * Home video * Magnetic tape * Phonograph record * Home comput ...
. The 1995 post-apocalyptic action film ''
Waterworld ''WaterWorld'', also known as ''WaterWorld: A Live Sea War Spectacular'', is a stunt show attraction based on the 1995 film '' Waterworld'' found at Universal Studios Hollywood (1995), Universal Studios Japan (2001), Universal Studios Singap ...
'' was the most expensive film ever made at the time after undergoing significant production difficulties. While it performed relatively well in the US box office, it did not initially turn a profit and became known as a box-office flop. International box-office takings and video sales led it to turn a profit. Other films have succeeded long after cinema release by becoming
cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...
s or being re-evaluated over time. High-profile films fitting this description include ''
Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...
'', ''
Blade Runner ''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Di ...
'', ''
The Wizard of Oz ''The Wizard of Oz'' is a 1939 American Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Based on the 1900 novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left pro ...
'', '' It's a Wonderful Life'', ''
Citizen Kane ''Citizen Kane'' is a 1941 American Drama (film and television), drama film directed by, produced by and starring Orson Welles and co-written by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz. It was Welles's List of directorial debuts, first feature film. ...
'', ''
The Shawshank Redemption ''The Shawshank Redemption'' is a 1994 American Prison film, prison Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont, based on the 1982 Stephen King novella ''Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption''. The film t ...
'', ''
Showgirls ''Showgirls'' is a 1995 erotic drama film directed by Paul Verhoeven, written by Joe Eszterhas, starring Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, Gina Gershon, Glenn Plummer, Robert Davi, Alan Rachins, and Gina Ravera. The film focuses on an ambi ...
'', ''
Fight Club ''Fight Club'' is a 1999 American film directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter. It is based on the 1996 novel ''Fight Club (novel), Fight Club'' by Chuck Palahniuk. Norton plays The Narrator (F ...
'', '' The Thing'', and '' Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'', all of which initially lost money at the box office but have since become popular.


Studio failure

It is common for a single film's lackluster performance to push its studio into the red, in the sense of recording a net loss on its income statement. In extreme cases, a bomb may push its studio into
bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...
or closure. Examples of this include
Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company that is a subsidiary of Comcast ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of N ...
(''
Sutter's Gold ''Sutter's Gold'' is a 1936 American Western film. It is a fictionalized version of the aftermath of the discovery of gold on Sutter's property, spurring the California Gold Rush of 1849. Edward Arnold plays John Sutter. The supporting cast in ...
'', a 1936 fiasco that prompted a wholesale reorganization of the company, and forced studio head Carl Laemmle out of the industry altogether); United Artists (''Heaven's Gate''); and Carolco Pictures (''Cutthroat Island''). ''The Golden Compass'' was a success at the international box office and grossed $372 million worldwide; nonetheless, its underperformance at the box office in North America was seen as a significant factor in influencing the decision by Warner Bros. Pictures to take direct control of New Line Cinema. In 2001, Square Pictures, a division of Square (video game company), Square, released its only film, ''Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within''. It received mixed reviews from critics and failed to recover its $145 million cost. Following the film's struggles, Square Pictures did not make any more films and is now a consolidated subsidiary of Square Enix as Visual Works. In 2011, ''Mars Needs Moms'' was the last film released by ImageMovers#Disney era, ImageMovers Digital before The Walt Disney Company, Disney's stake got absorbed by ImageMovers to a loss of nearly $140 million – the largest box-office bomb of all time in Real versus nominal value (economics), nominal dollar terms. Regardless of this loss, the decision to close the production company had been made a year prior to the film's release.


Independent films

The 2006 independent movie ''Zyzzyx Road'' made $30 at the US box office. With a budget of $1.2 million and starring Tom Sizemore and Katherine Heigl, its box office revenue was limited to six days in a single theater in Dallas for the purpose of meeting Screen Actors Guild requirements. According to co-star Leo Grillo, it sold six tickets, two of which were to cast members. The 2000 British film ''Offending Angels'' took in less than £100 (~$150) at the box office. It had a £70,000 (~$105,000) budget and was panned by critics, including the BBC, who called it a "truly awful pile of garbage", and ''Total Film'', who called it "irredeemable". In 2011, the film ''The Worst Movie Ever!'' opened to $11 at the US box office. It played in one theater.


See also

* Hollywood accounting * List of biggest box-office bombs * List of films considered the worst


Notes


References


External links


GetBack.com: Biggest Film Flops and Fiascoes

Biggest Box-Office Bombs of All Time – Inside Movies Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Box Office Bomb Film box office, Bomb Film and video terminology