For every mega-expensive blockbuster grossing
more than a billion dollars worldwide, there's always a mega-expensive box office flop greeted
by moviegoers with all the enthusiasm of Tax Day. Now, every major studio film seems to cost
upwards of 100 million dollars to produce, and inevitably, many movies never come close
to making that money back. These are the films whose production bills
and astronomical marketing budgets landed them on the list of the biggest flops of the
past 15 years. Speed Racer 2008's Speed Racer was a risky proposition
to begin with: an adaptation of a manga and anime from the late '60s, with little known
Emile Hirsch in the lead. Studio Village Roadshow and distributor Warner
Brothers, however, had no qualms about throwing money at the vehicle. Along with a reported $120 million price tag,
Speed Racer additionally had one of the most expensive advertising campaigns and media
blitzes ever for a film. The gambit failed spectacularly, as Speed
Racer was among the first in a long line of casualties who dared to duel Marvel Studios. Go, go, go Speed Racer didn't, with a mere
$18 million opening weekend. Making matters worse, it was demolished by
Iron Man in its second week of release. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian opening
the following weekend didn't help matters either, and Speed Racer stalled out to a $94
million worldwide gross. The flop ultimately lost Village Roadshow
and Warner Brothers a cool $100 million. Sahara It's the kind of pulpy fun that should have
made for an entertaining flick. Sahara was an attempt to kick-start a new
adventure franchise in the mold of Indiana Jones, but trouble started brewing long before
the film hit theaters in 2005. The film's initial budget of $80 million swelled
to $130 million, and author Clive Cussler — who hadn't been given the final say over
the script he'd been promised — tacked on millions in legal fees suing the producers
during an unsuccessful bid to block the film's release. "Finally I said, 'This is going down the tube.' The scripts are getting worse and worse and
worse. Finally I just pulled myself away." Even the ever-affable Matthew McConaughey
wasn't enough to attract audiences. Adding insult to injury, the legal snafu and
associated fees wormed its way through various courts for eight more years until ultimately
being thrown out in 2013. With a worldwide gross of only $119 million,
Sahara was no oasis, amassing a loss just north of $100 million. How Do You Know There's no denying television and film renaissance
man James L. Brooks is comedy royalty. For TV he helped create The Mary Tyler Moore
Show and Taxi, and on the big screen he delivered thoughtful comedies like Broadcast News. But if you're unfamiliar with his 2010 effort
How Do You Know, you're not alone. Despite a cast featuring Paul Rudd, Reese
Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, and even Jack Nicholson, the romantic comedy barely sparked, collecting
just under $49 million worldwide. For most rom-coms that tally isn't terrible. But How Do You Know cost an insane $120 million
to produce, due in part to the whopping salaries commanded by its stars. Brooks also took the unusual step of reshooting
the beginning and end of the film, pushing the budget into the stratosphere. Audiences found the romantic comedy neither
romantic nor funny as the movie ultimately lost $105 million for Sony. "That's fantastic." "Yep that's a good one." "That's great." Ben-Hur The 1959 epic Ben-Hur is an unassailable legend,
and at its time, was the most expensive film ever made. Creating an update to the Charlton Heston
epic after 57 years, however, proved to be a major miscalculation for co-financing studios
Paramount and MGM. The production delivered plenty of CGI spectacle,
but it was hampered by absolutely toxic reviews. The remake was taken out in its opening weekend
by Suicide Squad, and the debut of smash hit Don't Breathe the following week sealed its
tragic fate. Ben Hur's eventual $94 million gross wasn't
even enough to cover its $100 million budget, and the movie eventually took an estimated
$120 million loss. The Alamo Based on the historic San Antonio siege, Disney
had big plans for The Alamo. The studio lined up Ron Howard as director,
tapped red-hot Russell Crowe to star, and strategically set a 2003 holiday season release
date. Exactly none of those things worked out. Then-Disney chief Michael Eisner balked at
the $125 million budget, and slashed costs by hiring the much-more-affordable John Lee
Hancock to direct, and ditched Crowe in favor of Billy Bob Thornton. Unfortunately, Eisner's caution was no match
for the public and critical indifference toward the film, with one critic calling it, "The equivalent of one long drone from a stiff
Social Studies teacher who can scarcely be bothered to add any sort of relevance to the
topic." Who remembers the Alamo? Apparently moviegoers didn't as the movie
only grossed a paltry $25 million worldwide. Analysts speculate Disney flushed $120 million
down the drain on the picture, making it one of the biggest bombs ever at the time. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas DreamWorks Animation once looked like a champion
of hand-drawn animation in an era when it had been all but completely phased out. The Prince of Egypt was a hand-drawn hit,
and The Road to El Dorado looked to keep the streak going. But their success came to an abrupt end with
2003's Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas. With a modest $60 million budget and a heavyweight
voice cast, DreamWorks felt confident pouring ridiculous amounts of money into a massive
worldwide marketing campaign and promotional tie-ins. The film opened against stiff competition
with the likes of Terminator 3 and Legally Blonde 2. Sinbad fell overboard, earning only $80 million
worldwide. Because of its huge marketing budget, the
movie washed out with a $125 million loss and DreamWorks cut ties with oldschool animation. Mars Needs Moms Mars Needs Moms had "giant gamble" written
all over it. Despite being produced by the legendary Bob
Zemeckis, the story of a young boy who must rescue his mother from Martians failed to
strike a chord with audiences. Negative reviews cited the animation, which
many moviegoers found flat and mechanical. With a whopping $150 million budget, the film
would have had to overperform just to turn a profit. But Disney executives found they needed antacid
instead of moms after the film pulled in just $39 million worldwide. Putting a serious dent in the House of Mouse's
2011 earnings, Mars Needs Moms never left the launch pad and finished $130 million in
the hole. Tomorrowland In 2015, Disney returned to the world of massive
flops with Tomorrowland, a film with a pedigree so solid the studio could be forgiven for
its misplaced confidence. Co-written and directed by The Incredibles
Oscar-winner Brad Bird, and featuring a cast including George Clooney and Hugh Laurie. Tomorrowland promised an exciting, brain-bending
ride through alternate dimensions — and somehow managed to fall disappointingly short. "This part's gonna get a little weird." The film had the dubious honor of opening
at number one during the worst Memorial Day weekend for Hollywood in recent memory. Critics panned the film for being maudlin,
preachy and not adventurous enough to live up to its premise. Tomorrowland made $209 million worldwide,
but that barely covered its $190 million budget, and analysts estimate Disney saw $140 million
vaporize on the movie. The Lone Ranger "Hi ho silver, Away!" In any discussion of the most ill-conceived
would-be blockbusters of all time, 2013's The Lone Ranger deserves a prominent place. The film's struggle began years before release
as producers searched for ways to wrangle the budget down from a proposed $260 million. When cameras finally rolled, the budget quickly
spiraled out of control again, to the point where production was briefly shut down over
cost concerns. The film's release date was also delayed several
times, and in the meantime, images of star Johnny Depp in full regalia as the Ranger's
sidekick Tonto were deemed both ridiculous and insulting. With Armie Hammer in the title role, the film
opened to wildly indifferent audiences and brutal mockery from critics. "The men you seek think you are dead Kemosabe." All in all, Disney and The Lone Ranger got
bucked off to the tune of a $190 million loss. John Carter There are sickeningly pricey flops, and then
there's John Carter. "Who is that?" The movie was a decades-long effort to adapt
author Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom novels into an epic, live-action Disney film. When John Carter finally made it to screens
in 2012, the sci-fi action flick just wasn't worth the long wait. Just how bad was it? "Go on, shock me." Star Taylor Kitsch led a production that found
a way to be stupendously dull, despite the fact the movie ballooned up a $250 million
budget. Audiences were confused, critics were bored,
and the film's massive marketing push left it deeper in the red than almost any film
to date. Its worldwide take of $284 million didn't
come close to covering costs, and for the second year in a row, Disney was responsible
for one of the biggest flops of all time, a breathtaking $200 million loss. Disney's dreams of a John Carter franchise? "Let them be crushed like unhatched eggs!" Thanks for watching! Click the Looper icon to subscribe to our
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