MOVIE STARS

10 resounding flops in film history

There are not only successes in the history of cinema: there are many cases of flops, i.e. feature films that cost a lot and grossed very little, or that were generally panned by critics.

Both in the past and in more recent times, there have been many flops and in some cases they have even caused the bankruptcy of the production companies that generated them, as they were unable to recover after the economic collapse.

Here are 10 resounding flops in the history of cinema.

Movie Frames
The flops in the history of cinema have been many
There are not only successes in the history of cinema: there are many cases of flops, i.e. feature films that cost a lot and grossed very little, or that were generally panned by critics. Both in the past and in more recent times, there have been many flops and in some cases they have even caused the bankruptcy of the production companies that generated them, as they were unable to recover after the economic collapse. Here are 10 resounding flops in the history of cinema.
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47 Ronin (2013)
47 Ronin, starring Keanu Reeves, cost around $175 million and earned only $151 million at the box office. In addition to the financial failure, this film received heavily negative reviews from critics: on the review aggregator site 'Rotten Tomatoes' the film holds a 15% rating based on 81 professional reviews, with an average rating of 4.2 out of 10.
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The Lone Ranger (2013)
An established and successful actor like Johnny Depp is not enough to guarantee success. This was the case with 'The Lone Ranger', produced in collaboration with Walt Disney Pictures: the film's budget amounted to about 300 million dollars and grossed about 260 million in the theatres, receiving bad reviews, not least because of the decision to cast Johnny Depp in the role of a Native American.
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The Last Duel (2021)
Again, the cast of The Last Duel was respectable, with Matt Damon, Adam Driver and Ben Affleck. However, this film, set in 14th century France, grossed just over $30 million against a budget of around $100 million. Director Ridley Scott's disappointment was great, but the film was nevertheless appreciated by industry experts, receiving 87% positive professional reviews.
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Sahara (2005)
Based on the novel of the same name by Clive Cussler, starring Matthew McConaughey and Penélope Cruz, 'Sahara' had a very expensive production and the box office takings only managed to cover half of the invested budget. However, expectations were totally different: already during the filming of the first film, a sequel was planned, which was cancelled due to the disappointing box office results.
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Mars needs Moms (2011)
A $150 million animated film, Mars need Moms grossed less than $40 million and this failure was fatal: the resounding box office flop caused the bankruptcy of the ImageMovers production company, which was forced to declare bankruptcy.
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The Conqueror (1956)
The flop of "The Conqueror," starring John Wayne as the historic Mongol leader Genghis Khan, also led to financial disaster: the historic U.S. film company RKO went bankrupt, and producer Howard Hughes himself said he was embarrassed by the film.
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Cutthroat Island (1995)
From one bankruptcy to another: the flop of "Cutthroat Island" caused the bankruptcy of Carolco Pictures, the company that had financed the feature film. This film entered the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest cinematic flop in history because against a budget of $115 million it earned just $11 million, also putting the whole "pirate" strand in a bad light, to the point that the Pirates of the Caribbean saga encountered many difficulties in receiving authorization for the project precisely in light of the failure of "Corsairs."
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A Troll in Central Park (1994)
"A Troll in Central Park" also holds a dismal negative record: in fact, it is the film com the lowest ratio of production expenses to box office. Against a cost of $23,500,000, this animated film earned just $71,368, or 0.3 percent of the budget and thus characterized by a 99.7 percent loss. The film's director, Gary Oldman, stated that, according to him, the reason for the flop was due to the feature's poor promotion and the total lack of confidence on the part of the distribution company, Warner Bros. Pictures.
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Solo - A Star Wars Story (2018)
Incredible to think about, but even a film from the glorious and profitable Star Wars saga can turn out to be a flop. 'Solo - A Star Wars Story', which tells the story of Han Solo's character from the age of 19 to 22, closed with a $100 million loss, becoming the first film in the famous saga to become a box office flop, despite Star Wars being the second most profitable film franchise in history, behind only the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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Heaven's Gate (1980)
An epic Western, "Heaven's Gate" was a film with a troubled history since its making: in fact, production of the work suffered numerous setbacks due to cost and time overruns. At the box office, the film grossed only $3 million at a cost of $44 million, bringing United Artists to the brink of bankruptcy and destroying the reputation of director Michael Cimino, who, after winning two Oscars (best director and best picture) in 1979 with "The Deer Hunter" was considered a director on the rise.
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