This western, loosely based on the Johnson County War, was such a disaster that it changed the movie-making industry forever, and Michael Cimino’s directing career would never completely recover. When adjusted for inflation, the film lost approximately $123 million at the box office. Cimino had such an expensive and ambitious vision, that he pushed production costs to nearly four times over its initial budget.
“Heaven’s Gate” heavy financial loss literally drove United Artists, a major American studio at the time, to bankruptcy. When it comes to cinema history, the Heaven’s Gate “disaster” often represents the key event that eventually led American film-making away from director-driven projects, putting an end to their free-wheeling excesses. Studios began to take more control over films, as they still do today.
Estimated loss: $40.5 million
Surfer, Dude (2008)
Matthew McConaughey is known as one of Hollywood's best actors. The star has the looks, the voice, and the charisma to carry him through almost any role. However, with the horrible premise and material he had to work with when acting in "Surfer, Dude," it seems that even McConaughey couldn't live up to the challenge. This 2008 comedy film centers around a soul-searching surfer who experiences an existential crisis when there are no waves on the beach for over a month.
The film also stars Woody Harrelson, who's also a highly respected Hollywood actor. The two joked about the film being one of their easiest jobs of all time. "Surfer, Dude" ended up making just over $50,000 against a budget of more than $6 million, certifying it a true flop.
Estimated loss: $5.5 million
Monster Trucks (2016)
Nickelodeon and Paramount pulled together some big names for this irreverent, high-concept action kids flick. Lucas Till plays Tripp Coley, the high school boy who confronts an actual monster in his truck, as well as Terravex Oil, the big, bad fracking company. Rob Lowe and Danny Glover also animate the comedy adventure. Creech, the monster, turns out to be an adorable beast and a very useful ally against the formidable fracking giant.
Fun trivia: The ‘monster inside of the truck’ concept came from an actual 4-year-old. Adam Goodman, former president of Paramount, had been wanting to bring the idea to the big screen ever since his toddler son imaginatively introduced it to him. Audiences didn’t hate it, critics were mixed, but it had a budget of $125 million and a box office of $64.5 million.
Estimated loss: $109 - $123.1 million
The Wolfman (2010)
Based on the 1941 American movie of similar title, "The Wolfman" has all the classic features one would expect of a werewolf story — the full moon triggers the mangy, monstrous metamorphosis — but it lacks a certain, let’s call it, edge, that "Twilight" fans expect. Although, nonetheless, it apparently hit the mark in some ways because it became a cult classic in spite of it all.
The vivid and realistic special effects of which animate the gruesome transformations earned the movie an Oscar for makeup, by the way. But even that, as well as its big names, del Toro and Anthony Hopkins, could not make the venture profitable. The film lost $85 to $90 million, adjusted for inflation. Gross profit for "The Wolfman" is recorded at $139.8 million while the production budget was $150 million.
Estimated loss: $76 - $80 million
Highlander II: The Quickening (1991)
The original 1986 "Highlander" was an iconic fantasy action-adventure film that helped turn Christophe Lambert into a worldwide star. The film also starred heavyweights such as Sean Connery and Clancy Brown. The film was initially panned by critics and received moderate financial success, but has since garnered a dedicated cult following. It also turned into a franchise and spawned several sequels, with the first, "Highlander II: The Quickening," being considered one of the worst films of all time.
The sequel contained gaping plot holes and was panned by both fans and critics of the franchise. In fact, the film was so bad that it had multiple different versions of it released just to try and make up for the original release’s horrible editing. $34 million were invested into "Highlander II: The Quickening" and it only gained less than half of it back at the box office.