DreamWorks Animation and Paramount produced and distributed the whopping flop, pouring $125 million into a massive marketing barrage. The movie marked the end of their contract that produced a slew of fantastic films. “Rise of the Guardians” was a wonderful kids’ flick, however, it was also one of their biggest disappointments (from the profit margin angle).
Based on William Joyce’s “The Guardians of Childhood” and on “The Man in the Moon,” all the troops must be called in to thwart Pitch Black (Jude Law) from sinking the world into never-ending darkness. Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin), The Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), even the Sandman join the fight. Together they recruit Jack Frost to save the day. Adjusted for inflation, the loss is about $93 million dollars, after bringing in $306.9 million dollars!
Estimated loss: $87 million
Cowboys & Aliens (2011)
"Cowboys & Aliens" was a project that went through several adaptations throughout its 14(!) years of development, but ultimately, it turned out to be a waste of money and creative efforts. On the day the movie premiered, it came second place to "The Smurfs." This was considered a surprise because, with headliners like Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig, "Cowboys & Aliens" was expected to be the big winner that weekend.
The president of Universal Pictures, Ron Meyer, said “Certainly you couldn’t have more talented people involved in Cowboys and Aliens, but it took, you know, ten smart and talented people to come up with a mediocre movie. It just happens.” Evidently, neither James Bond nor Indiana Jones could rescue the film. In 2014, the Los Angeles Times listed Cowboys & Aliens among "The Most Expensive Box Office Flops Of All Time".
Estimated loss: $63-$75 million
The Happytime Murders (2018)
Initially pitched as"Who Framed Roger Rabbit but with puppets instead of cartoons," "The Happytime Murders" sounded like it had solid potential. After all, Roger Rabbit was a blockbuster hit. Unfortunately, when it debuted, stateside viewers were not impressed, and its acceptance overseas was just as calamitous.
The film was a bit controversial from its beginning. When the first trailer was released critics believed the film's vulgar humor to be unnecessary, and at times, forced. The production was even involved in a law-suite. Sesame Workshop, the company behind "Sesame Street", sued them for potentially harming their innocent, child-friendly brand. The film received 6 Golden Raspberry Awards nominations, including Worst Picture and Worst Actress for McCarthy. So much for the wishful "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" success. Watching Muppets behave very R-rated was quite impressive from a technical standpoint, but apparently, the movie as a whole was not.
Estimated loss: $12.5 million
Stratton (2018)
It's hard to believe that a film that came out in 2018 with a budget of just under $20 million can be so bad. This is exactly what happened with Simon West's British action thriller, "Stratton," a film based on the novel by the same name. The movie is very similar in plot to "Mission: Impossible." Our hero is a tough-boy British Special Boat Operative, who gets betrayed by a friend and suspects a mole, then goes out to save the world.
"Stratton" had one of the worst box office bombs in recent years, earning less than $100,000 worldwide against a budget of almost $20 million. The film basically ticks all the boxes that you’d expect from your average action flick, then fails to deliver on all of them.
Estimated loss: $16-19 million
Jupiter Ascending (2015)
Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) is a young, ordinary girl who always thought she was destined by the stars for greatness. And then it happens. Tatum (Caine Wise) an interplanetary warrior comes down from the galaxy to inform her that she is, indeed, destined for greatness that extends far beyond Earth.
If it sounds corny, it kinda is. When it opened in January 2015, it floundered against "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water," landing with a domestic run of $47.4 million at the box office. Directed and written by the Wachowskis with help from Grant Hill, critics shunned it, Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 26%, though it may just be that one movie you go see with your friends, just for kicks. “It’s so stupid it’s beautiful,” according to The Mary Sue review site. Gross global sales for "Jupiter Ascending" totaled $184 million.