Top 10 Biggest Sci-Fi Box Office Bombs of All Time
Top 10 Sci-Fi Movie Box Office Flops
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The losses on these movies were out of this world! Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 10 sci-fi movie box office flops. For this list, we’ll be going over the science fiction movies which flopped at the box office and are considered failures. These can still be good movies, and some of them technically garnered more box office revenue than their budgets, but the studios still took a significant financial — and reputational — loss.
#10: “John Carter” (2012)
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Given that its source material was written by the man who created “Tarzan,” it’s surprising that it took so long for an adaptation of this pulp sci-fi story. Even so, the books were quite influential on numerous other stories throughout the 20th century. Maybe that’s why audiences found the plot relatively formulaic…even if its source material helped create the formula. Whatever the reason, “John Carter” struggled to recoup its production budget of 263 million dollars, only making 284 million worldwide. When you factor in advertising, “John Carter” ended up being one of the most expensive movies ever made, and Disney lost money on it.
#9: “Gemini Man” (2019)
Will Smith has always been a big name at the box office, but even he can’t save everything. “Gemini Man” follows an assassin pursued by a younger clone of himself. If that sounds like a generic action movie from the ‘90s, that’s because that’s how long ago the script for this one was shopped around waiting for technology to reach the point it could be properly made. And although the effects are indeed fairly impressive, the tired premise didn’t draw people in, particularly domestically, where “Gemini Man” grossed an unimpressive 48 million dollars. Its overall earnings of 173 million were better, but against a budget of 138 million, the movie still faced losses. We guess it was its own worst enemy.
#8: “Annihilation” (2018)
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This sci-fi horror film follows a team of scientists who investigate an area whose plants and animals have been infected by an alien influence. Although well-received by critics, audiences were less enthusiastic. They clearly put their money where their mouths were too, since “Annihilation” barely made back its 40 million dollar budget by earning 43 million worldwide, and with additional costs factored in, that’s definitely not a success. The movie was distributed partially online internationally on Netflix a month after its release, and although this probably didn’t hurt its gross too much, it probably didn’t help either.
#7: “Dune” (1984)
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Based on the influential sci-fi novel of the same name, “Dune” may have featured an all-star cast and been helmed by a well-known director (the legendary David Lynch), but audiences and critics alike soundly rejected the movie. With most finding it an incomprehensible mess, and even fans of the book left scratching their heads. “Dune’s” 40 million dollar price tag was a bit too steep, since its earnings fell shy by about 10 million. Despite everyone’s best efforts and a later cult following, neither the spice, nor profits, managed to flow.
#6: “Jupiter Ascending” (2015)
The Wachowskis are no strangers to sci-fi epics, but this original outing of theirs failed to live up to their other work. Following a young woman who discovers she is the heir to an intergalactic empire, and her attempts to save Earth, “Jupiter Ascending” has been roundly criticized for its lame dialogue, disjointed plot, and campy acting — and those criticisms translated to a poor performance at the box office. 176 million dollars went into its budget, and after a paltry 47 mil in domestic earnings, the film only “ascended” to 183 million dollars in its worldwide gross.
#5: “Mortal Engines” (2018)
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Based on the book series of the same name, “Mortal Engines” is set in a post-apocalyptic world with huge motorized cities, and follows a conspiracy in mobile London. Director Peter Jackson has been lauded for his previous book-to-screen adaptations…well, some of them, but this is easily the most costly in losses. With a budget estimated to be between 100 and 150 million, plus post-production and marketing costs, “Mortal Engines” only pulled in 83 million at the box office. This lost the studio many tens of millions, and made the film not just one of the biggest sci-fi box office bombs, but a giant fail of any genre.
#4: “Blade Runner” (1982)
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Although this cyberpunk detective film about a hunter of androids has since been hailed as a masterpiece and as one of the best sci-fi movies ever made, its initial reception was much more lukewarm, with many audiences disliking its relatively slow and thoughtful pace. Its box office returns barely exceeded its 30 million dollar budget. Sadly, its sequel, “Blade Runner 2049,” would follow in its footsteps 35 years later and become another flop, with many of the same box office issues, despite critical praise. All those potential profits lost in time…like tears in rain.
#3: “Battlefield Earth” (2000)
An adaptation of a book by Scientology creator L. Ron Hubbard was always going to be a risky proposition, and it turned out that the financial risk was not worth the reward! “Battlefield Earth” follows a group of humans rebelling against alien overlords in the future, yet its generic premise has rarely been received quite so poorly. With critics lambasting the film’s hammy acting and preponderance of Dutch angle camera shots, it was hardly surprising that it failed to recoup its 73 million dollar budget; only managing to earn 29 million at the box office. This legendary bomb even led to the collapse of its production company, although falsely overstating the budget to investors was also a prime factor.
#2: “Supernova” (2000)
It’s never a good sign when a director disowns a movie and asks to have their name removed from the credits. Despite a decent cast and effects, “Supernova” is yet another “spaceship encounters evil force, leading to lots of death” movie, which was all too common in the ‘90s. Audiences were evidently tired of them too, since the film only earned just shy of 15 million in theaters. That’s what’s called in the business: not so good . Considering its 90 million dollar budget, “Supernova” proved as explosive as its namesake . . . but not in the cool way. Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: “Tomorrowland” (2015) “Children of Men” (2006) “Cowboys & Aliens” (2011) “Ender’s Game” (2013) “Escape from L.A.” (1996)
#1: “The Adventures of Pluto Nash” (2002)
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This is your all-timer right here! “The Adventures of Pluto Nash” is an infamous film about a nightclub owner on the moon who fights against the mafia. Now there’s a pitch. Critically panned, and the subject of mockery since its release, “Pluto Nash” is also one of the biggest bombs in box office history, making only around 7 million against its hundred million dollar budget. While the big budget’s influence can definitely be seen on screen with the special effects, the writing and acting were simply not up to snuff. Welcome to Flop City: population, Pluto Nash.
