Top 10 Movies That BOMBED in 2024

Despite receiving a prime release date, “Furiosa” led what turned out to be a slow Memorial Day weekend, grossing just over $30 million in four days. The film quickly ran out of gas from there, barely making back its $168 million budget - which doesn’t account for advertising and additional costs. Given its critical acclaim, seeing “Furiosa” flop was disheartening, although not entirely surprising. While “Mad Max: Fury Road” was an instant action classic and won several Oscars, people forget it opened second to “Pitch Perfect 2.” When you make a prequel to a film that only did respectable numbers nine years earlier, you can’t expect it to reach such a high break-even ceiling. As such, this sadly may be our last trip to the wasteland.

With so many superhero reboots, Hollywood was bound to revisit “The Crow” eventually. The Crow isn’t like Batman or Spider-Man, however. Where those characters possess broad appeal, the Crow has a smaller cult following - a following that won’t accept anyone other than Brandon Lee in the role. Even with a talented actor like Bill Skarsgård, Lee’s performance is iconic. Given Lee’s tragic death on set, many found the idea of a reboot to be disrespectful. This included the original film’s director, Alex Proyas, who called the reboot a “cynical cash grab.” Cynical, yes. Cash grab, not exactly since the film didn’t make back half its $50 million budget. The film’s financial failure seemingly vindicated the argument that nobody wanted this.

“The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” is one of those action movies that people might look back on years later, asking why it didn’t perform better upon release. Well, for starters, you didn’t go see it. Of course, even if you wanted to, this Guy Ritchie film opened in fewer theaters than some of its competitors. Only making $9 million during its first weekend, the film lost the battle and soon the war. The international box office did little to help recoup its $60 million investment, as the film was a direct-to-streaming release in markets like the United Kingdom. Ritchie’s home country could’ve given “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” a boost, although the director’s name alone isn’t always enough to sell a movie.

Kevin Costner left a hit Western show to produce a Western film… that ironically plays like the first half of a TV season. Costner’s vision for “Horizon” was so grand that he insisted it be released on the big screen. He also felt the story couldn’t be told in one, two, or even three films. Costner intends to make four “Horizon” pictures, the first costing $50 million. For a three-hour epic that received mixed reviews, the film’s ultimate gross of $38.2 million could’ve been much worse. Still, we wouldn’t call it a win. With three more movies supposedly on the horizon, it’s hard to imagine this passion project ever being profitable. That hasn’t stopped Costner from investing his own money to help with costs.

Sony should know by now that unless their superhero movies prominently feature Spider-Man or at least Venom, the masses won’t be interested. Failing to learn anything from “Morbius,” the studio kept trying to make this cinematic universe happen with “Madame Web.” Whatever hope the film might’ve had was dashed with one infamous line from the trailer, which Sony didn’t even have the courtesy to include in the finished film. If you’re going to make a bad movie, commit! Regardless, those who showed up wanting to see how bad “Madame Web” was weren’t disappointed. That’s a pretty niche audience, however. It was just enough to push the film past the $100 million global mark, making its budget back - yet still far from the break-even point.

The “Joker” sequel was granted a budget as high as $200 million, more than double its predecessor’s. Since the first “Joker” made over $1 billion, though, “Folie à Deux” was virtually guaranteed to print money as long as it didn’t alienate every demographic. Well, the joke’s on Warner Bros. (and us) because Todd Phillips seemingly went out of his way to piss everybody off. “Folie à Deux” is bizarrely antagonistic towards fans of the first film while doing little to win over the original’s detractors. Whether you love or hate musicals, most agree that the genre shift was misguided. Some might argue there’s a clever commentary underneath, but this sequel left nobody laughing - least of all to the bank, reportedly losing $125–200 million.

Apple is a tech company first and a streaming service second. Thus, this media giant can afford to produce a few box office duds. That said, it isn’t surprising Apple is reportedly reconsidering its movie business strategy after 2024. “Fly Me to the Moon” almost went straight to Apple TV+, but promising test screenings led to a theatrical release with Sony joining as a partner. With the companies dividing marketing and distribution expenses, a $100 million budget didn’t seem like the biggest gamble. The chemistry between Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum wasn’t enough to make the film a sleeper hit, however. Debuting at #5 on the domestic box office chart, the film failed to launch, going on to make just over $40 million.

Another Apple release, this time partnering with Universal, “Argylle” came with a massive budget of $200 million. The espionage comedy’s $80 million ad campaign was inescapable with clear aspirations to build a franchise. Not enough people cared who the real Agent Argylle was, however. On the heels of negative reviews that criticized the film’s excessive action, bloated runtime, and needlessly stacked cast, “Argylle” couldn’t make back half its production budget in the end. Seeing how Apple’s net worth is over $3 trillion, some might argue that the company can afford to take a blow like this. If they’re serious about making “Argylle” sequels, prequels, and crossovers, though, Apple will need to sell a lot more iPhones. Or you know, make better movies that cost less.

After the success of “Super Mario Bros.,” some were quick to say that video game movies would be the next big thing in Hollywood. “Borderlands” was a wake-up call that video game movies can still be huge commercial and critical flops - even with Jack Black voicing a character. Behind-the-scenes troubles were evident as director Eli Roth didn’t return for reshoots and co-writer Craig Mazin requested his name be removed after his script was rewritten. As abysmal reviews poured in, fans chose to skip the movie and just play the games. Ironically, the film’s existence helped game sales according to CEO Strauss Zelnick. Lionsgate was still left with a colossal dud that only made $33 million - not even a third of its production budget. Game over.

It cost no less than $120 million, but “Megalopolis” is technically an independent film. After fantasizing about this sci-fi epic for over four decades, Francis Ford Coppola decided to finance “Megalopolis” himself. The funds largely derived from Coppola’s wine business, which he sold in a $650 million deal. In addition to bankrolling the film’s budget, Coppola paid for marketing costs after Lionsgate agreed to be its distributor. While many were interested in seeing Coppola’s passion project come to life, few thought it’d be profitable. They weren’t wrong, as “Megalopolis” made a mere $13.7 million. Coppola seems hopeless that time will be kind to “Megalopolis.” Like Coppola’s “One from the Heart,” though, the film may never shake its reputation as a swing and a miss.


What box office bomb do you think deserved to do better? Let us know in the comments.

[b]AR-guile / argyle