Movies are an expensive form of media, and they are never guaranteed to return a profit. However, some movies lose so much money at the box office that they become massive flops.
“Onward,” 2020
This Pixar film takes place in a modern suburban fantasy world and follows two elf brothers who uncover a spell that would bring back their deceased father for 24 hours. After the spell goes awry, bringing only their father’s legs, they must search for an artifact to bring the rest of him back before the 24 hours are up. The film had a theatrical release in February of 2020; however, movie theaters were forced to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This led to the film only grossing $142 million against a $175-200 million budget, according to movieweb.com.
“West Side Story,” 2021
Directed by Stephen Spielberg, this adaptation of the classic 1957 musical tells the story of the forbidden love of a young couple from two rival gangs in 1950s New York City. This movie’s box office failure can also be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was also released next to “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which could have also hurt its theatrical run. With an estimated budget of $100 million, the film made $76 million at the box office, according to imdb.com.
“Turning Red,” 2022
“Turning Red” follows a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl, who—due to a hereditary curse—turns into a giant red panda whenever she feels overwhelming emotions. This Disney flick can also attribute its poor box office performance to the COVID-19 curse. Coupled that with the film attracting controversy due to it tackling mature themes such as puberty and periods. Despite having a budget of $175 million, the movie only made $20 million at the box office, according to movieweb.com.
“The Flash,” 2023
“The Flash” is a live action film about the titular DC character. Being released during the 2023 writers strike already put this film at a disadvantage. But with the movie’s lead star Ezra Miller attracting a heap of controversy likely also put people off from seeing the movie. With a total expenditure of $405 million, the movie made $250 million at the box office, according to deadline.com.
“Fly Me to the Moon,” 2024
Set in the 1960s, this romantic comedy starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum follows a marketing specialist who teams up with NASA to record a fake moon landing in case the real one is unsuccessful. With the $100 million budget, the film only made back $42.2 million, less than half of the budget. The poor box office performance can be connected to the confusing release of the film; it was originally meant to go straight to streaming, leading to its theatrical release being underdeveloped, according to screenrant.com.
