Hollywood: These Are The 10 Most Expensive Flops In Movie History

Hollywood, the land of glitz, glamour, and…sometimes, spectacular flops. Even the dream factory isn’t immune to churning out movies that land with a thud. While everyone remembers the blockbusters, there’s a certain morbid fascination with the films that bomb so hard they become known as the Most flop movies in Hollywood. These aren’t just your average box office disappointments; we’re talking about the contenders for the title of Biggest flop in movie history films with sky-high budgets that end up as cautionary tales for aspiring filmmakers.

Every year, the list of Biggest movie flops seems to get a new entry. 2023 was no exception, with some highly anticipated releases failing to live up to the hype. But flops aren’t a new phenomenon. This list explores the Top 10 movies expense but they got flop in Hollywood dissecting the reasons why these ambitious projects ended up sinking without a trace. From marketing blunders to creative misfires, we’ll uncover what caused these films. So, settle in and get ready for a crash course in Hollywood flops, a world where even the biggest budgets can’t guarantee success.

Movie	Year	Budget	Worldwide Gross	Notes
John Carter	2012	$263 million	$284 million	Sci-fi action film based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novels. Critically panned and underperformed commercially.
The Lone Ranger	2013	$225-250 million	–	Johnny Depp western. Reported loss of $190 million for Disney.
Cutthroat Island	1995	$100 million	–	Pirate adventure film starring Geena Davis and Matthew Modine. Led to the closure of Carolco Pictures.
Mars Needs Moms	2011	$150 million	$39 million	Robert Zemeckis’ motion-capture animation film. Critical and commercial bomb.
The 13th Warrior	1999	$160 million	$61 million	Historical action film starring Antonio Banderas. Box office disappointment.
The Haunting of Hill House	1999	$90 million	$174 million	Remake of the 1963 film. Critical and commercial flop.
King Arthur	2004	$156 million	$154 million	Epic historical film starring Clive Owen. Underperformed at the box office.
Battlefield Earth	2000	$75 million	$26.5 million	Sci-fi film based on L. Ron Hubbard’s novel. Critical and commercial disaster.
Pinocchio	2022	$150 million	$54 million	Live-action adaptation of the Disney animated film. Recent critical and commercial flop.
The Adventures of Pluto Nash	2002	$100 million	$4 million	Sci-fi action comedy starring Eddie Murphy. Major box office bomb.

John Carter (2012)

Budget: $263 million

This sci-fi action film based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novels was a critical and commercial failure, grossing only $284 million worldwide.

Reasons for Flopping:

• Poor marketing failed to capture the essence of the story and world-building, leaving audiences confused.
• The last-minute title change from “A Princess of Mars” to the more generic “John Carter” lacked mainstream appeal.
• Mixing sci-fi with pulp adventure alienated some viewers who weren’t sure what kind of movie it was.

The Lone Ranger (2013)

Budget: $225-250 million

This Johnny Depp western was a box office bomb, losing Disney a reported $190 million.

Reasons for Flopping:

• The overly long 149-minute runtime felt bloated and lost audience interest.
• The portrayal of Tonto, the Lone Ranger’s Native American companion, was criticized for being stereotypical.
• Johnny Depp’s over-the-top performance as Tonto divided audiences.

Cutthroat Island (1995)

Budget: Around $100 million (massive for the time)

This pirate adventure film starring Geena Davis and Matthew Modine was a major flop, leading to the closure of Carolco Pictures, the studio that produced it.

Reasons for Flopping:

• Extensive reshoots and delays caused the budget to balloon out of control.
• The derivative plot and generic characters failed to capture the imagination of audiences.
• The production company, Carolco Pictures, was facing financial difficulties before the film’s release.

Mars Needs Moms (2011)

Budget: $150 million

This Robert Zemeckis directed motion-capture animation film was a critical and commercial bomb, grossing only $39 million worldwide.

Reasons for Flopping:

• The animation style’s “uncanny valley” effect made the characters appear creepy and unsettling to audiences.
• The marketing focused on the Martian abduction plot, which scared away younger viewers.
• It faced stiff competition from Disney’s highly anticipated “Tangled,” released around the same time.

The 13th Warrior (1999)

Budget: Around $160 million

This historical action film starring Antonio Banderas was a box office disappointment, grossing only $61 million worldwide.

Reasons for Flopping:

• Studio interference resulted in heavy-handed editing, making the final product confusing and incoherent.
• The marketing faced challenges in accurately portraying the historical setting and themes for a broad audience.
• It faced stiff competition from other big-budget action films released that summer.

The Haunting of Hill House (1999)

Budget: $90 million

This remake of the 1963 Shirley Jackson film was a critical and commercial flop, grossing only $174 million worldwide.

Reasons for Flopping:

• Critics found the film more derivative than scary, failing to capture the psychological horror of the original.
• It faced competition from other successful horror films like “The Sixth Sense” and “Sleepy Hollow” released around the same time.
• Alleged studio interference may have compromised the director’s vision for the film.

King Arthur (2004)

Budget: $156 million

This epic historical film starring Clive Owen was a box office disappointment, grossing only $154 million worldwide.

Reasons for Flopping:

• The film took significant creative liberties with the Arthurian legends, alienating some purists.
• The complex plot and multiple characters were difficult for viewers to follow.
• The big-budget action sequences failed to live up to expectations.

Battlefield Earth (2000)

Budget: $75 million

This science fiction film based on a novel by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard was a critical and commercial disaster, grossing only $26.5 million worldwide.

Reasons for Flopping:

• The film’s connection to Scientology turned off many viewers.
• It was widely panned for its wooden performances and unconvincing CGI.
• The derivative plot and clichéd characters offered nothing new to the sci-fi genre.

Pinocchio (2022)

Budget: $150 million

This live-action adaptation of the classic Disney animated film was a critical and commercial flop, grossing only $54 million worldwide.

Reasons for Flopping:

• It offered little that audiences hadn’t already seen in the beloved Disney animation, lacking originality.
• Releasing directly on the Disney+ streaming service bypassed potential for higher box office revenue.
• The film received mixed reviews, with some criticizing the overly dark tone and unnecessary changes to the source material.

The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)

Budget: $100 million

This sci-fi action comedy starring Eddie Murphy was a major flop, grossing only $4 million worldwide.

Reasons for Flopping:

• The unfunny script relied heavily on outdated slapstick gags.
• Eddie Murphy was miscast in a role that didn’t fit his comedic style well.
• The weak marketing campaign failed to generate interest or excitement for the film.

Conclusion

The top 10 biggest movie flops serve as an important lesson that having a huge budget and grand vision is not enough to make a successful film. Flawless execution is equally crucial. By taking a closer look at what went wrong with these failed movies, filmmakers and studios can learn how to avoid repeating the same mistakes in the future.

Hollywood thrives on taking big risks, but studying past failures can actually increase the chances that those risky projects become big hits instead of legendary flops. The next time you watch a new blockbuster movie, remember that behind the scenes, there is another side of Hollywood filled with good intentions that unfortunately resulted in extremely expensive mistakes.

Learning from these cautionary tales of runaway budgets, poor marketing, screenplay issues, and misguided creative decisions can help steer the film industry towards making better calculated risks. While ambition is laudable, paying closer attention to quality execution is pivotal to transforming an ambitious idea into a box office smash rather than a notorious bomb.