Name: 10 Most Expensive Box Office Bombs of All Time
Uploaded: 2025-05-23T04:48:48.000Z
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Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for those films that suffered the widest profit loss margins, taking into account things like budget and marketing costs.

Number 10 Cutthroat Island – $217 Million

It's the film that allegedly threw Hollywood off of pirate-themed pictures for years.

Yet Cutthroat Island had a lot going for it on paper.

Director Rennie Harlan was an experienced hand at delivering exciting, action-focused films.

and Matthew Mody were marketable names for the marquee.

So why did Cutthroat Island flounder at the box office to the tune of $217 million?

This was supposed to be a way of saving Coralco Pictures from going under, but it ended up doing the exact opposite.

The casting was marred by tons of back and forth, crew members were fired, delays occurred, and overall chaos was the norm.

It's sort of a shame because the end results, as troubled as they were, remain fun enough today.

Number 9 King Arthur – Legend of the Sword – $144 to $197 Million

The name of Guy Ritchie didn't mean what it used to mean back in 2017 when King Arthur

The writer-slash-director had enjoyed hits like Snatch back in the 90s, but this adaptation of Arthurian legend arrived with a price tag between $144 and $197 million.

The Guardian reported at the time how the screenplay stitched together elements of various other Arthur-adjacent scripts to create its story.

There was also allegedly an intention for multiple sequels, and a shared Arthurian cinematic universe.

Alas, mixed reviews and low box office receipts put a kibosh on that plan.

The film still hasn't broken even at the time of its writing.

Was 2015 the year where audiences were clamoring for a prequel to Peter Pan?

This film reportedly lost distributors Warner Bros. between $114 and $199 million.

This was despite actors such as Hugh Jackman, Rooney Mara, and Amanda Seyfried attached to the project.

Fans and critics were mixed at best to the final results.

A film that utilized a lot of CGI, but seemed to add little to the established lore of Peter

Unfortunately, the film's screenplay, which had initially earned praise on the Hollywood blacklist of potential features, didn't come across that way on screen.

Pan does have some critical defenders, but that mattered little to the receipts of its theatrical release.

Number 7 Strange World – $193 to $212 Million

Strange World was Walt Disney Animation's first feature to include a LGBTQIA plus character in the lead role.

But some feel this decision may have contributed to its lackluster box office.

Strange World was pulled in some markets due to this creative choice, despite critical appraisal of the film generally being positive.

Strange World's source material of pulpy adventure novels may not have been a good fit for its target audience, which may have contributed to its financial loss.

In addition, audiences had become accustomed to waiting for animated films to stream rather than going to theaters, thanks to the COVID pandemic.

This film was one of that year's biggest bombs, reportedly costing the studio between $193 to $212 Million.

Number 6 Sinbad – Legend of the Seven Seas – $214 Million

The stories of Sinbad the Sailor used to be the home of box office gold back in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.

Those were live-action productions, however, and Sinbad – Legend of the Seven Seas attempted to revitalize the brand via animation.

The end results unfortunately blew up in the face of DreamWorks, to the tune of $214 Million.

Critics were mixed at the time of the film's release, largely praising the visuals and music, but less so other important elements such as story.

DreamWorks almost didn't recover from the loss, and Sinbad – Legend of the Seven Seas remains a black mark within the company's history.

Could the steampunk subculture translate onto the silver screen?

Hollywood seemed to think so back in 2018 with Mortal Engines.

Peter Jackson co-wrote and co-produced the film, which was based upon a book series.

Audiences, however, didn't respond to Mortal Engines in quite the same way as Jackson's journeys to Middle Earth.

The film ended up a $219 Million failure to Universal and its co-production companies, including Jackson's Wingnut Films.

Mortal Engines, like many bombs, had its defenders, while also retaining some very familiar criticism.

The picture was flashy to be sure, but didn't seem to have what it took in terms of world building or originality to translate into a new and successful franchise.

Number 4 The 13th Warrior – $130-243 Million

Director John McTiernan was responsible for some of the most influential films in the pop culture zeitgeist, including Predator and Die Hard.

Author Michael Crichton was the man who brought us Jurassic Park, so why did this otherwise awesome film about a stranger in a strange land flop with such force?

Advertising for The 13th Warrior was everywhere back in 1999, resulting in a budget estimated between $100 and $160 Million.

Yet, McTiernan's film only mustered a paltry $61.7 Million in receipts.

Today, The 13th Warrior possesses a cult following with movie fans.

At the time, however, we're talking about a loss of between $130 and $243 Million.

Even imagine Marvel coming up short at the box office.

Nothing good lasts forever, though, and audiences were definitely feeling tired of superhero fare by 2023.

Marvel's increasingly divisive creative decisions didn't help the Marvels when it was released at this time, despite containing a script that brought Captain and Ms. Marvel to the big screen.

Some blamed a culture of fandom that rejected the Marvels' female-led story and creative team, while still others just called it a bad movie with a bad script and questionable CGI.

Whatever the case, the glory days of Marvel Studios certainly seemed to be in the rearview in 2023, and several subsequent Marvel films have also fallen short at the box office.

Number 2 The Lone Ranger – $216 to $256 Million

Some characters retain their historical place within pop culture, while others fade away into that great cinematic sunset.

The Lone Ranger from 2013 seemed to follow in the footsteps of its equally infamous forebear from 1981 with its historic box office flop.

Sources alleged at the time of the former's release that it was going to take Disney a $650 million return in order to break even on their investment.

This all takes into account the huge marketing budget, combined with the production totals.

When all was said and done, however, The Lone Ranger lost Disney between $216 and $256 million.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

The Adventures of Pluto Nash – $168 Million

Joker Fully Adept – $125 to $200 Million

Some sour notes for this musical disaster.

Hi-ho, hi-ho! On a sad walk to the bank we go.

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We'll probably never know whether or not Edgar Rice Burroughs' character,

John Carter of Mars, could have carried a movie franchise.

The source material certainly remains fascinating, and the story of John Carter is another one where some have revisited it and come back with a more sympathetic view.

However, the extra money afforded to John Carter for both production and marketing once again created a gap that proved insurmountable by Disney.

A $600 plus million dollar gross was allegedly needed for the House of Mouse to make a profit on their investment. This predictably didn't occur, and John Carter wound up costing Disney between $153 and $274 million dollars by the time everything was all said and done. Did critics and audiences get any of these wrong? Let us know in the comments down below. Did you enjoy this video? Check out these other clips from WatchMojo, and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.