Find out “The Top 20 Most Expensive Movie Flops Of All Time? Is King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is the most expensive movie flop.
Everyone may have a different way of judging the movie based on their cast or Rotten Tomatoes scores to the number of prestigious award nominations they have received.
Regardless of a movie’s apparent credibility, some make money, and some lose it.
The Top 20 Most Expensive Movie Flops Of All Time
We have compiled a list of all-time top 20 expensive movie flops.
20. The 13th Warrior (1999)
Budget: $85 Million
Box Office: $61.7 Million
Loss: $23.3 Million
The 13th Warrior is an American Historical action movie based on the novel Easter of the Dead by Michael Crichton.
The movie was directed by John McTiernan and produced by Michael Crichton and Ned Dowd. It stars Antonio Banderas as ibn Fadlan, Diane Venora and Omar Sharif.
The movie was released on August 27, 1999, and has a running time of 103 seconds. The film debuted at No. 2 on its opening weekend behind The Sixth Sense.
It had a gross budget of $85 Million but only gained $61.7 Million making it a flop movie. The 13th Warrior holds a 33% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 88 reviews. The consensus is: “Atmospheric, great sets, and costumes, but a thin plot.”
19. Son Of The Mask (2005)
Budget: $84 Million
Box Office: $59.9 Million
Loss: $24.5 Million
Son Of The Mask is a Superhero comedy film released on February 18, 2005.
The movie was the second installment in The Mask franchise by Lawrence Guterman and produced by Erica Huggins and Scott Kroopf. The film stars Jamie Kennedy, Alan Cumming, Traylor Howard, Steven Wright, Kal Penn, and Bob Hoskin.
The film was a financial and critical failure upon release, panned by fans and critics. The Rotton Tomatoes rated 6% based on 105 reviews, with an average rating of 4/10. The site’s consensus reads: “Overly frantic, painfully unfunny, and sorely missing the presence of Jim Carrey.”
It was the most nominated film at the 2005 Golden Raspberry Awards with eight, winning for Worst Remake or Sequel.
Budget: $175 Million
Box Office: $148.8 Million
Loss: $26.2 Million
King Author: Legend Of The Sword is a fantasy action-adventure film released on May 8, 2017.
The movie was directed by Guy Ritchie and was produced by Akiva Goldsman, Joby Harold, Tory Tunnell, and Steve Clark-Hall. The film stars Charlie Hunnam, Jude Law, Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, Aidan Gillen, Djimon Hounsou, and Eric Bana.
On Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, the film has an average rating of 4.7/10 and a rating of 31% based on 275 reviews.
On Metacritic, the film scored 41 out of 100 based on 45 critics. CinemaScore gave the film a grade of “B+” on an A+ to F scale.
17. Land Of Lost (2009)
Budget: $100 Million
Box Office: $68.8 Million
Loss: $31.2 Million
Land Of Lost is an American science fiction adventure film directed by Brad Silberling.
The movie was released on June 5, 2009, by Universal Pictures and is about 102 minutes. The film’s casts are Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, Jorma Taccone, and Anna Friel.
Although the film received negative reviews and was a box office bomb, it received seven Golden Raspberry Award nominations and even won Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off, or Sequel. It was nominated for worst picture of the year.
Rotten Tomatoes rated the movie 4.2/10 with an approval rating of 26% based on 191 reviews, and the cinema weighted average score of 32 out of 100 by 32 critics on Metacritic.
16. Deepwater Horizon (2010)
Budget: $156 Million
Box Office: $121.8 Million
Loss: $34.2 Million
Deepwater Horizon is an American biographical film based on the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.
The movie was adapted from “Deepwater Horizon’s Final Hours,” a December 25, 2010 article in The New York Times.
The movie was released on September 13, 2016, with 107 minutes of duration. The film was directed by Peter Berg and produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian, Mark Wahlberg, and David Womark.
Its casts are Mark Wahlberg, John Malkovich, Kurt Russell, Gina Rodriguez, Dylan O’Brien, and Kate Hudson.
Rotten Tomatoes rated the movie 7/10, with an approval rating of 83% based on 260 reviews. The film scored 68 out of 100 on 52 critics of Metacritic.
15. Wind Talkers (2002)
Budget: $115 Million
Box Office: $77.6 Million
Loss: $37.4 Million
Wind Talkers was released on June 24, 2002. It is based on an American war film that was directed and co-produced by John Woo.
The movie is based on the real story of Navajo code talkers during World War ll. Its cast includes Nicolas Cage, Adam Beach, Peter Stormare, Noah Emmerich, Mark Ruffalo, and Christian Slater.
It received mixed reviews and was a financial disaster movie. Rotten Tomatoes has an approval rating of 38% from 168 critics, and Metacritic has scored the movie 51% based on the reviews of 25 critics.
14. Around The World In 80 Days (2014)
Budget: $110 Million
Box Office: $72.2 Million
Loss: $37.8 Million
Around The World In 80 Days is an American action-adventure comedy directed by Frank Coraci.
The movie is based on the novel of the same name and the remake of the film of the same name in 1956. Its cast is Jackie Chan, Cecile de France, and Steve Coogan.
According to Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has an approval rating of 32% based on 128 reviews, and Metacritic gave it a score of 49 out of 100 based on 33 critics. The Los Angeles Times has listed the movie as one of the most expensive box office flops in 2014.
It was also nominated at The Golden Raspberry Awards for the Worst Remake or Sequal and the Worst Supporting Actor.
13. Titan AE (2000)
Budget: $75 Million
Box Office: $36.8 Million
Loss: $38.2 Million
Titan AE is an American animated science fiction movie released on June 16, 2000.
The movie was directed by Bon Bluth and Gary Goldman starring Matt Damon, Bill Pullman, John Leguizamo, Nathan Lane, Janeane Garofalo, and Drew Barrymore.
The movie combines 2D traditional hand-drawn animation with extensive computer-generated imagery.
The film received mixed reviews from critics and made a loss at the box office. The movie has an approval rating of 50% based on 103 critics from Rotten Tomatoes, and Metacritic has scored the film 48 out of 100 critics.
12. R.I.D.P (2013)
Budget: $130 Million
Box Office: $78.3 Million
Loss: $51.7 Million
R.I.D.P ( Rest In Peace Department) was released on July 17, 2013. Robert Schwentke directed the movie.
It is an American supernatural action comedy movie with the stars Jeff Bridges, Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Bacon, Mary-Louise Parker, Stéphanie Szostak, and Marisa Miller. The movie is based on a 1999 comic book of the same name by Peter M. Lenkov.
The movie was a box bomb grossing only $78 million on a budget of $130 Million. The Rotten Tomatoes approval rating was 13% based on 104 reviews. Similarly, Metacritic scored the movie 25 out of 100 based on 27 critics.
In August 2022, it was announced that a prequel reboot film titled R.I.P.D.: Rise of the Damned had been filmed and produced by Universal Home Entertainment. The film will be released directly on Blu-ray and DVD on November 15, 2022.
11. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
Budget: $137 Million
Box Office: $85.1 Million
Loss: $51.9 Million
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is a science fiction film directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi and released in 2001.
The movie was the most expensive video game-inspired film until the release of Prince of Persia in 2010. It features the voices of Ming-Na Wen, Donald Sutherland, Alec Baldwin, James Woods, Ving Rhames, Peri Gilpin, and Steve Buscemi.
It got mixed reviews and was also widely praised for its character realism. The film has a gross budget of $137 Million but has only grossed $85 Million at the box office.
The movie was a disaster and was blamed for the demise of Square Pictures. Metacritic scored the film 49 out of 100 based on 28 critics, and Rotton Tomatoes gave the movie an approval rating of 44% based on 145 reviews.
10. Stealth (2005)
Budget: $135 Million
Box Office: $79.3 Million
Loss: $55.3 Million
Stealth is an American science fiction movie released on July 29, 2005. Rob Cohen directed the film.
The movie follows the story of three top fighter pilots as they join an automated robotic stealth aircraft project. Its casts are Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel, Jamie Foxx, Sam Shepard, Joe Morton, and Richard Roxburgh.
The film made a gross of $79 Million worldwide against its budget, which was $135 Million. It was the worst loss in cinematic history and made the movie fall under the top 10 expensive flops movie.
As per Rotten Tomatoes, the movie got an approval rating of 12% based upon 141 critics, and Metacritic scored it 35 out of 100 based on 31 critics.
9. Monster Truck (2016)
Budget: $125 Million
Box Office: $64.5 Million
Loss: $60.5 Million
Monster Truck was an American computer-animated action comedy movie directed by Chris Wedge.
The movie was released on December 2016 with a cast starring Lucas Till, Jane Levy, Amy Ryan, Rob Lowe, Danny Glover, Barry Pepper, and Holt McCallany,
It was a box office failure as it grossed $64 Million worldwide against $125 Million and received mixed reviews from the critics.
On the review website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an average rating of 4.6/10 with an approval rating of 32% based on 98 reviews. Metacritic has scored the movie 41 out of 100 based on 23 critics
8. The Nutcracker In 3D (2010)
Budget: $90 Million
Box Office: $20.5 Million
Loss: $79.5 Million
The Nutcracker In 3D is a 3D musical fantasy film directed and co-produced by Andrei Konchalovsky.
The movie has been adapted from the 1892 ballet The Nutcracker, which stars Elle Fanning, Nathan Lane, John Turturro, Charlie Rowe, and Shirley Henderson as the Nutcracker.
It was released on November 2010 and had a duration of 110 minutes.
The movie was criticized for its story, deviations from the ballet, performances, visuals, and rats’ similarities to Nazis. It was a box office bomb crossing only $20 Million against $90 Million.
There was not a favorable rating about the movie on Rotten Tomatoes, and Metacritic scored 18 out of 100 based on the 18 reviews.
7. How Do You Know (2010)
Budget: $120 Million
Box Office: $48.7 Million
Loss: $71.3 Million
How Do You Know was directed by James L. Brooks. It is an American romantic comedy movie released on December 13, 2010.
Its stars are Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd, and Jack Nicholson. The movie only grossed $49 Million, whereas its budget was $120 Million. It was a flop movie. It was the last movie directed by Brooks.
Rotten Tomatoes has an approval rating of 31% based on 150 critics, whereas Metacritic scored the movie 46 out of 100 based on 38 critics.
Richard Corliss of Time magazine noted that the film had already received particularly negative reviews but responded, “Yeah, well, I still like the film.”
6. The Promise (2016)
Budget: $90 Million
Box Office: $12.4 Million
Loss: $77.6 Million
The Promise is an American historical war drama released on September 11, 2016, directed by Terry George from a screenplay.
The movie plot is about the love triangle that develops between Mikael, Chris, and Ana starring Oscar Isaac, Charlotte Le Bon, Christian Bale, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Marwan Kenzari.
It only grossed $12 Million against $90 Million. The movie was a complete flop, and later the studio noted the movie’s primary purpose was to bring attention, not to make money.
According to Rotten Tomatoes, the movie got an approval rating of 51% based on 161 reviews, and Metacritic scored it 49 out of 100.
5. Town & Country (2001)
Budget: $90 Million
Box Office: $10.4 Million
Loss: $ 79.6 Million
Town & Country is an American romantic comedy movie directed by Peter Chelsom. The film was released on April 37, 2001.
The movie casts include Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn, Garry Shandling, Andie MacDowell, Jenna Elfman, Nastassja Kinski, Charlton Heston, and Josh Hartnett.
It received negative reviews from critics and is regarded as one of the biggest flop films in the American industry. It grossed only $10 Million against $90 Million.
Rotten Tomatoes has an approval rating of 13% based on 31 reviews, and Metacritic has scored the movie 34 out of 100 based on 27 critics.
4. The Alamo (2004)
Budget: $107 Million
Box Office: $25.8 Million
Loss: $81.2 Million
John Lee Hancock directed the Alamo. It is an American war drama film about the battle of The Alamo during the Texas Revolution.
The movie has Dennis Quaid as Sam Houston, Billy Bob Thornton as Davy Crockett, Jason Patric as Jim Bowie, and Patrick Wilson as William B. Travis. The screenplay is credited to Hancock, Stephen Gaghan, and Leslie Bohem.
It has grossed only $25.8 Million against $107 Million, losing around $81 Million. It was a box office flop movie and created many negative reviews from critics.
The movie holds only a 29% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and Metacritic scored 47 out of 100.
3. Cutthroat Island (1995)
Budget: $92 Million
Box Office: $10 Million
Loss: $82 Million
Cutthroat Island was released on December 22, 1995. It is an adventure swashbuckler film directed by Renny Harlin.
It is the co-production between the USA, France, Germany, and Italy. Its stars are Geena Davis, Matthew Modine, and Frank Langella.
The movie has a chaotic production involving multiple rewrites and recasts. The film received negative reviews and only grossed $10 Million over the budget of $92 Million.
According to Rotton Tomatoes, the movie has an average of 39% based on 41 reviews. Metacritic has scored the film $37% based on reviews from 20 critics.
2. The Adventure Of Pluto Nash (2002)
Budget: $100 Million
Box Office: $7.1 Million
Loss: $92.9 Million
The Adventure Of Pluto Nash is an American science fiction movie released on August 16, 2002.
Ron Underwood directed the movie. Its casts are Eddie Murphy (in a dual role), Randy Quaid, Rosario Dawson, Joe Pantoliano, Jay Mohr, Luis Guzmán, James Rebhorn, Peter Boyle, Pam Grier, and John Cleese.
The movie was one of the significant failures in the industry. The film was criticized so badly and was only able to gross $7 Million against $100 MIllion.
The Los Angeles marked movie as one of the most expensive box office flops of all time. Rotten Tomatoes gave an average rating of 5% based on 91 critics.
1. Mars Needs Moms (2011)
Budget: $150 Million
Box Office: $39.2 Million
Loss: $110.8 Million
Mars Needs Moms is an American computer-animated film released by Walt Disney Pictures on March 6, 2011.
It was directed and co-written by Simon Wells. The movie has the voice of Seth Green and Seth Dusk. This was the second and the last film by Image Movers Digital.
The film received mixed reviews. Many viewers criticized its story, drama, and characters, while many praised its visuals and voice.
It grossed $39 Million on a total budget of $150 Million. It lost around $110 Million, making it one of the top expensive flop films in history.
Rotten Tomatoes gave an approval rating of 37% based on 116 reviews. The website’s consensus reads, “The cast is solid, and it’s visually well-crafted, but Mars Needs Moms suffers from a lack of imagination and heart.”
