# List of biggest box-office bombs

******* NOTE *******Please do not add any films to this list if they are not cited properly. A proper citation would meet [[WP:Reliability]] and would state clearly that the film in question was a box office bomb. If you cannot cite the film, do not add it or it will be reverted immediately In the film and media industry, if a film released in theatres fails to break even by a large amount, it is considered a box-office bomb (or box-office flop), thus losing money for the distributor, studio, and/or production company that invested in it. Due to the secrecy surrounding costs and profit margins in the film industry, figures of losses are usually rough estimates at best, and there are often conflicting estimates over how much a film has lost. To accommodate this uncertainty, the losses are presented as ranges where this is the case, and the list is ordered alphabetically in the absence of a definitive order. Because the films on the list have been released over a large span of time, currency inflation is a material factor, so losses are adjusted for inflation using the United States Consumer Price Index to enable comparison at equivalent purchasing power.
Some films on this list grossed more than their production budgets yet are still regarded as flops. This can be due to Hollywood accounting practices that manipulate profits or keep costs secret to circumvent profit-sharing agreements, but it is also possible for films to lose money legitimately even when the theatrical gross exceeds the budget. This is because a distributor does not collect the full gross, and the full cost of a film can substantially exceed its production budget once distribution and marketing are taken into account. For example, tax filings in 2010 for Cinemark Theatres show that only 54.5 percent of ticket revenues went to the distributor, with the exhibitor retaining the rest. While the distributor's cut will vary from film to film, a Hollywood studio will typically collect half the gross in the United States and less in other parts of the world. Marketing often represents a substantial share of the overall cost of the picture too: for a film with an average sized budget the promotion and advertising costs are typically half that of the production budget, and in the case of smaller films it is not unusual for the cost of the marketing to be higher than the production budget. In some cases, a company can make profits from a box-office bomb when ancillary revenues are taken into account, such as streaming, home media sales and rentals, television broadcast rights, and licensing fees, so a film that loses money at the box office can still eventually break even.
There are some films notorious for large production budgets and widely seen as box-office bombs that have either broken even or turned a profit. Cleopatra nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox with production and marketing costs of US$44 million and numerous delays. It was among the top ten films of the 1960s, but still failed to recoup its investment during its theatrical release. It eventually broke even in 1966 when Fox sold the television broadcast rights to ABC for $5 million. The total costs for Waterworld (1995) exceeded $300 million and it was perceived as a disaster at the time, despite grossing $264 million worldwide. It also eventually broke even through other revenue streams. Such films are still cited as high-risk examples in evaluating the prospects of future productions. For example, Cleopatra is blamed for a decline in big-budget epic films in the 1960s.
The COVID-19 pandemic, starting around March 2020, caused temporary closure of movie theatres, and distributors moved several films to premier to streaming services such as HBO Max, Disney+, and Peacock with little to no box-office takes. While these films may have had successful runs on these services, the viewership or revenue from these showings are typically not reported and excluded from the box office. As a result, several films from 2020 to 2022 are included on this list, despite potentially having been profitable for their studios through streaming.

## Biggest box-office bombs

The following is a partial list of films that lost the most money, based on documented losses or estimated by expert analysis of various financial factors such as the production budget, marketing and distribution costs, gross box-office receipts and other ancillary revenues. The list is limited to films that are potentially among the highest box-office losses, adjusted for inflation (approximately upper-bound losses of $100 million or higher as of 2024).
    † Background shading indicates films playing in the week commencing 28 February 2025 in theaters around the world.
    § indicates a film released for streaming less than 30 days after it was released theatrically.
Biggest box-office bombs :
| Title | Year | Net production budget (millions) | Worldwide gross (millions) | Estimated loss (millions) | Estimated loss (millions) |
| Title | Year | Net production budget (millions) | Worldwide gross (millions) | Nominal | Adjusted for inflation |
| The 13th Warrior | 1999 | $100–160 | $61.7 | $69–129 | $130–243 |
| The 355 | 2022 | $40–75 | $27.7 | $93 | $100 |
| 47 Ronin | 2013 | $175–225 | $151.8 | $96 | $130 |
| The Adventures of Baron Munchausen | 1988 | $46.6 | $8.1 | $38.5 | $102 |
| The Adventures of Pluto Nash | 2002 | $100 | $7.1 | $96 | $168 |
| The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle | 2000 | $76–98.6 | $35.1 | $63.5 | $116 |
| The Alamo | 2004 | $107 | $25.8 | $94 | $156 |
| Alexander | 2004 | $155 | $167.3 | $71 | $118 |
| Ali | 2001 | $107 | $87.7 | $63 | $112 |
| Allied | 2016 | $85 | $118.6 | $75–90 | $98–118 |
| Amsterdam | 2022 | $80 | $31.2 | $108 | $116 |
| Around the World in 80 Days | 2004 | $110 | $72.2 | $74 | $123 |
| The Astronaut's Wife | 1999 | $75 | $19.6 | $65 | $123 |
| Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever | 2002 | $70 | $19.9 | $70.1 | $123 |
| Battlefield Earth | 2000 | $73–103 | $29.7 | $73.3 | $134 |
| Battleship | 2012 | $209–220 | $303 | $58–150 | $79–205 |
| Beloved | 1998 | $80 | $22.9 | $68.5 | $132 |
| Ben-Hur | 2016 | $100 | $94.1 | $75–120 | $98–157 |
| The BFG | 2016 | $140 | $179.6 | $71–100 | $93–131 |
| Black Adam | 2022 | $190–260 | $393 | $50–100 | $54–107 |
| Blackhat | 2015 | $70 | $19.7 | $68–90 | $90–119 |
| Blade Runner 2049 | 2017 | $150–185 | $260.5 | $80 | $103 |
| The Call of the Wild | 2020 | $125–150 | $107.6 | $50–100 | $61–121 |
| Cats | 2019 | $90–100 | $73.7 | $71–113.6 | $87–140 |
| Chaos Walking | 2021 | $100 | $26.5 | $112 | $130 |
| Chill Factor | 1999 | $34–70 | $11.8 | $64 | $121 |
| A Christmas Carol | 2009 | $175–200 | $325.3 | $50–100 | $73–147 |
| The Chronicles of Riddick | 2004 | $105–120 | $115.8 | $47–73 | $78–122 |
| Cowboys & Aliens | 2011 | $163 | $174.8 | $63–75 | $88–105 |
| Cutthroat Island | 1995 | $98 | $18.3 | $105 | $217 |
| Dark Phoenix | 2019 | $200 | $252.4 | $79–133 | $99–167 |
| Deepwater Horizon | 2016 | $110–120 | $119.5 | $60–113 | $79–148 |
| Devotion | 2022 | $90 | $21.8 | $89–104 | $96–112 |
| Doctor Dolittle | 1967 | $17 | $9 | $10.8 | $102 |
| Dolittle | 2020 | $175 | $227.9 | $50–100 | $61–121 |
| Driven | 2001 | $94 | $54.7 | $67 | $119 |
| Dudley Do-Right | 1999 | $70 | $10 | $65 | $123 |
| Evan Almighty | 2007 | $175 | $173.4 | $87 | $132 |
| The Fall of the Roman Empire | 1964 | $18.4 | $4.8 | $14.3 | $145 |
| Fantastic Four | 2015 | $120–125 | $168 | $80–100 | $106–133 |
| Fathers' Day | 1997 | $85 | $35.7 | $67 | $131 |
| Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within | 2001 | $137 | $85.1 | $94 | $167 |
| The Flash | 2023 | $200 | $271.3 | $155 | $160 |
| Gemini Man | 2019 | $138 | $173.5 | $111.1 | $137 |
| Ghost in the Shell | 2017 | $110–180 | $169.8 | $60–100 | $77–128 |
| Gigli | 2003 | $75.6 | $7.3 | $72 | $123 |
| Gods of Egypt | 2016 | $140 | $150.7 | $76–90 | $100–118 |
| The Good Dinosaur | 2015 | $175–200 | $332.2 | $85 | $113 |
| The Great Raid | 2005 | $80 | $10.8 | $75 | $121 |
| Green Lantern | 2011 | $200 | $219.9 | $75–90 | $105–126 |
| Hard Rain | 1998 | $70 | $19.9 | $60 | $116 |
| Hart's War | 2002 | $70–95 | $32.3 | $62.7 | $110 |
| Haunted Mansion | 2023 | $150 | $117.4 | $117–127 | $121–131 |
| Heaven's Gate | 1980 | $44 | $3.5 | $40.5 | $155 |
| Home on the Range | 2004 | $110 | $76.5 | $71.8 | $120 |
| How Do You Know | 2010 | $100 | $48.7 | $104 | $150 |
| Hudson Hawk | 1991 | $65 | $17.2 | $47.8 | $110 |
| Hugo | 2011 | $150–170 | $185.8 | $91 | $127 |
| Inchon | 1982 | $46 | $5.2 | $40.8 | $133 |
| Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny | 2023 | $326 | $384 | $143 | $148 |
| Instinct | 1999 | $80 | $34.1 | $63 | $119 |
| The Invasion | 2007 | $80 | $40 | $71 | $108 |
| Ishtar | 1987 | $51–55 | $14.4 | $40.6 | $112 |
| Jack Frost | 1998 | $40–85 | $34.6 | $68 | $131 |
| Jack the Giant Slayer | 2013 | $185–200 | $197.7 | $103 | $139 |
| John Carter | 2012 | $263.7 | $284.1 | $112–200 | $153–274 |
| Joker: Folie à Deux | 2024 | $190–200 | $206.4 | $125–200 | $125–200 |
| Jungle Cruise § | 2021 | $200 | $220.9 | $150 | $174 |
| Jupiter Ascending | 2015 | $175 | $184 | $95–120 | $126–159 |
| K-19: The Widowmaker | 2002 | $100 | $65.7 | $67 | $117 |
| King Arthur: Legend of the Sword | 2017 | $175 | $148.7 | $112–153.2 | $144–197 |
| Krull | 1983 | $27 | $16.5 | $33.5 | $106 |
| The Last Duel | 2021 | $100 | $30.6 | $99 | $115 |
| Lightyear | 2022 | $200 | $226.4 | $106–122 | $114–131 |
| Lolita | 1997 | $62 | $1.1 | $61 | $119 |
| The Lone Ranger | 2013 | $225–250 | $260.5 | $160–190 | $216–256 |
| The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | 2015 | $75 | $109.8 | $80 | $106 |
| Mars Needs Moms | 2011 | $150 | $39 | $100–144 | $140–201 |
| The Marvels | 2023 | $270 | $206.1 | $237 | $245 |
| The Matrix Resurrections § | 2021 | $190 | $156.5 | $130 | $151 |
| Missing Link | 2019 | $102.3 | $26.2 | $101.3 | $125 |
| Monkeybone | 2001 | $75 | $7.6 | $71 | $126 |
| Monster Trucks | 2016 | $125 | $64.5 | $108–123.1 | $141–161 |
| Moonfall | 2022 | $138 | $67.3 | $138 | $148 |
| Mortal Engines | 2018 | $110 | $83.7 | $174.8 | $219 |
| Mulan § | 2020 | $200 | $66.8 | $141 | $171 |
| The Mummy | 2017 | $195 | $410 | $60–95 | $77–122 |
| The New Mutants | 2020 | $67–80 | $49.2 | $84 | $102 |
| The Nutcracker in 3D | 2010 | $90 | $20.5 | $82 | $118 |
| Onward § | 2020 | $175–200 | $142 | $130 | $158 |
| Osmosis Jones | 2001 | $70 | $14 | $63 | $112 |
| Pan | 2015 | $150 | $128.4 | $86–150 | $114–199 |
| Peter Pan | 2003 | $130.6 | $122 | $70 | $120 |
| Poseidon | 2006 | $160 | $181.7 | $83 | $129 |
| The Postman | 1997 | $80 | $20.8 | $70 | $137 |
| The Promise | 2016 | $90 | $10.6 | $93–102.1 | $122–134 |
| R.I.P.D. | 2013 | $130–154 | $78.3 | $92 | $124 |
| Red Planet | 2000 | $80 | $33.5 | $63 | $115 |
| Rise of the Guardians | 2012 | $145 | $306.9 | $87 | $119 |
| Robin Hood | 2018 | $100 | $85.7 | $83.7 | $105 |
| Sahara | 2005 | $160 | $119.2 | $78.4 | $126 |
| Seventh Son | 2014 | $95 | $114.2 | $85 | $113 |
| Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas | 2003 | $60 | $80.8 | $125 | $214 |
| Snake Eyes | 2021 | $88–110 | $40.1 | $88 | $102 |
| Soldier | 1998 | $60–75 | $14.6 | $60 | $116 |
| Solo: A Star Wars Story | 2018 | $250 | $393.2 | $76–123 | $96–154 |
| Son of the Mask | 2005 | $100 | $59.9 | $70 | $113 |
| A Sound of Thunder | 2005 | $80 | $11.7 | $74 | $119 |
| Space Jam: A New Legacy § | 2021 | $150 | $162.9 | $111 | $129 |
| Speed Racer | 2008 | $120 | $93.9 | $88 | $129 |
| Sphere | 1998 | $73–80 | $50.2 | $61 | $118 |
| Stealth | 2005 | $135 | $79.3 | $96 | $155 |
| Strange World | 2022 | $180 | $73.6 | $180–197 | $193–212 |
| The Suicide Squad § | 2021 | $185 | $167.4 | $120 | $139 |
| Supernova | 2000 | $90 | $14.8 | $83 | $152 |
| Tenet | 2020 | $200 | $363.7 | $50–100 | $61–121 |
| Terminator: Dark Fate | 2019 | $185–196 | $261.1 | $110–130 | $135–160 |
| Timeline | 2003 | $80 | $26.7 | $66.6 | $114 |
| Titan A.E. | 2000 | $75–90 | $36.8 | $100 | $183 |
| Tomorrowland | 2015 | $180–190 | $209 | $90–150 | $119–199 |
| Town & Country | 2001 | $90 | $10.4 | $85 | $151 |
| Transformers: The Last Knight | 2017 | $217–260 | $605.4 | $100+ | $128+ |
| Treasure Planet | 2002 | $140 | $109.6 | $85 | $149 |
| Turning Red § | 2022 | $175 | $19.8 | $167 | $179 |
| Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets | 2017 | $177.2–180 | $225.9 | $82 | $105 |
| West Side Story | 2021 | $100 | $76 | $104 | $121 |
| Wild Wild West | 1999 | $170 | $217.7 | $66.2 | $125 |
| Windtalkers | 2002 | $115–120 | $77.6 | $76–81 | $133–142 |
| Wish | 2023 | $200 | $254.9 | $131 | $135 |
| The Wolfman | 2010 | $150 | $139.8 | $76 | $110 |
| Wonder Woman 1984 § | 2020 | $200 | $166.5 | $100–137 | $121–166 |
| A Wrinkle in Time | 2018 | $125 | $133.2 | $130.6 | $164 |
| xXx: State of the Union | 2005 | $113.1 | $71 | $78 | $126 |
| Zoom | 2006 | $75.6 | $12.5 | $69 | $108 |