Top 10 Biggest Movie Flops of 2019 (So Far)
“Shaft” (2019)
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John Shaft is a pop culture icon. Originally played by Richard Roundtree in the 70s, Shaft got a new lease on life in 2000 when Samuel L. Jackson took up the mantle as John Shaft II, the original character’s nephew. Its success established Shaft as a character with timeless appeal - or so we thought. This 2019 film retconned Jackson’s character to make him the son of the original Shaft and introduced a third generation Shaft, played by Jessie T. Usher. Sadly, more Shafts isn’t always better. All three characters wind up feeling underdeveloped, while the film as a whole seems unsure of what it’s trying to be. It failed to make back its budget, earning only $21.3 million at the box office.
“Captive State” (2019)
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At first glance, “Captive State” looked like it had the potential to be the next “District 9”. Unfortunately, the more people saw of “Captive State”, the more it gave off a direct-to-streaming vibe. Maybe that’s why nobody showed up to see it in theaters - everyone just assumed it would pop up in the new arrivals section of Netflix! The film’s release date was pushed back 7 months, and then moved up two weeks - never a good sign. A sci-fi thriller set on a version of Earth that has been conquered by alien invaders, “Captive State” failed to thrill or captivate. And so it earned a paltry $8.8 million at the box office, failing to recoup its modest $25 million budget.
“UglyDolls” (2019)
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We’re not saying that Kelly Clarkson’s involvement should be considered a box office death sentence, but “From Justin to Kelly” is the sort of movie that casts a long shadow. And when the voice cast is primarily made up of stars better known for singing than acting, it doesn’t help matters. Cinemas are oversaturated with computer-animated kids movies these days. But to make matters worse, this film felt very visually similar to the Angry Birds Movie and the Emoji Movie, both of which, despite making money, received a lot of criticism. Really, is it any wonder that people didn’t want to see a movie adapted from a toy line? Sure enough, “UglyDolls” barely made back half its estimated budget.
“Tolkien” (2019)
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We’re going to be honest with you, this one both surprised and disappointed us. J.R.R. Tolkien is one of the most celebrated and influential writers in history, and “The Lord of the Rings” continues to occupy a major place in popular culture. Based on those facts alone, a biopic about the author seemed destined to resonate with audiences, but add to that glimpses of Tolkien’s fantastical creations that featured in the trailers, and this seemed like a sure thing - especially with a budget of just $20 million. Unfortunately, critics were unimpressed, criticizing the film’s lack of imagination - an especially egregious error in depicting the life of a creative genius. And so the film floundered with just $7.8 million.
"The Kid Who Would Be King" (2019)
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While we’re on the subject of fantasy films, let’s talk about the criminally overlooked second feature film from writer/director Joe Cornish. In 2011, he gave us the critically acclaimed cult classic “Attack the Block”. Having put his unique touch on sci-fi, Cornish next turned his sights on fantasy with this story about a young boy who finds King Arthur’s sword in the modern day. Like “Attack the Block”, "The Kid Who Would Be King" was well-received by critics. Unfortunately (again like “Attack the Block”), it flopped at the box office, making just $32.1 million against a budget of nearly $60 million. Profitability be damned, be sure to check it out next time you’re looking for a family film - it’s a lot of fun.
“Replicas” (2019)
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It’s Keanu Reeves’ world… we’re all just living in it. Between the John Wick franchise, his epic role as himself in “Always Be My Maybe”, and “Toy Story 4’s” Duke Caboom, we’re truly witnessing a Keanussance. 2019 has been an insanely good year for the actor, so much so that when he starred in this colossal flop, nobody really mentioned it! Against a modest budget of $30 million, this sci-fi thriller pulled in a mere $8.2 million, even with its instantly recognizable star. So what went wrong? The movie itself. The trailer failed to make any sort of impression, which was actually a blessing in that so few people had to sit through this best-forgotten film.
“Missing Link” (2019)
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Hey, if you’re going to flop, at least do it in spectacular fashion! The budget for this stop-motion animated film was an estimated $100 million. Its box office haul? A quarter of that at $24.7 million. It’s a real shame that so few people turned up though, because “Missing Link” is a great film. Laika is the same studio that has given us such beautiful and unique films as “Coraline”, “ParaNorman” and “Kubo and the Two Strings”. And in terms of cast, the film was stacked with names like Hugh Jackman, Zach Galifianakis, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Fry, and more. The reviews were rock solid, so chalk this one up to poor marketing, bad timing, and the changing interests of modern cinemagoers.
“Hellboy” (2019)
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We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: give us a third Hellboy film from Guillermo del Toro! When it was announced that “Hellboy” was getting a reboot, the response was mixed, but many fans tried to approach the movie with an open mind based on the R-rating and the involvement of creator Mike Mignola. Then the trailer dropped, and hordes fans realized they were better off without it. Gore and respect for the source material, a good film does not automatically make. It felt like a B-movie and it lacked the heart that defined both the source material and previous Hellboy films. And so Hellboy made just $40.8 million against a budget of $50 million.
“Serenity” (2019)
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A surreal and dramatic thriller such as this is never going to do massive numbers at the box office. What it should be able to do, however, is make back a budget of $25 million, especially when it involves such an impressive and recognizable cast, including Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Diane Lane, Jason Clarke and Djimon Hounsou. Apparently, following test screenings, the distributor knew exactly what they had on their hands, and so the marketing budget was drastically reduced, dooming the film to come and go from theaters with minimal attention to the tune of $11.4 million. It’s a hard film to watch; the only success “Serenity” has any hopes of finding is in the “so bad it’s good” sense.
“Dark Phoenix” (2019)
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So this is the way the world ends for Fox’s X-Men franchise . . . not with a bang, but a whimper. With 2017’s “Logan” and 2018’s “Deadpool 2”, the franchise proved that it still had something to offer by venturing into new territory. So it’s a real shame that for 20th Century Fox’s last X-Men film, they decided to revisit one of the franchise’s greatest failures, the Phoenix Saga, and mess it up all over again. Even before this film hit theaters, substantial reshoots and production issues made it clear that this phoenix was going down in flames. It was an unworthy send off that, despite recouping its basic budget, still lost millions in ancillary costs.
