When it comes to the film industry, a lot of it is built on hype. Be it the reveals of certain actors to play a given role or the drip-feeding of information in the form of interviews, trailers, and the first reviews of a new film, there’s always something to be excited about. This can be worthwhile and some productions can go on to be smash hits and hugely successful. However, in some cases, it can go spectacularly wrong – here are some of the biggest box office bombs in history.
It should come as a major surprise to learn that one of the biggest box office bombs in history comes courtesy of the combination of Disney and acclaimed producer Robert Zemeckis in the bundle of Mars Needs Moms. It tells the story of nine-year-old boy Milo who ends up grounded and following learning the importance of family, is tasked with rescuing his mother after she gets abducted by aliens. Even from that synopsis, it’s quite easy to see why the film ended up failing as spectacularly as it did – it ended up being pretty hard to follow. What’s more, reviewers at the time condemned its motion-captured animation as being weird and creepy, which comes as little surprise given the film’s dark art style. In total, the film lost around $110 million despite a neat $40 million gross at the box office.
Source: Pixabay
In the last few years, Disney appears to have taken a few gambles when it comes to films, not least within two or three years of one another. Following Mars Needs Moms in 2011 came another reboot of The Lone Ranger starring both Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer, as well as Helena Bonham Carter. With such a familiar story and such star power, it would be reasonable to assume that The Lone Ranger was a reasonable success, and, in part, it did net a profit at the box office, although only just so the film could break even. In this instance, it would be the sky-high marketing costs of $150 million that pushed The Lone Ranger over the edge; Disney had such strong faith in the film that they shelled out a small fortune in promotion and marketing and, unfortunately, people didn’t take the bait.
In the Internet age, it’s become of paramount importance to be able to review such films retrospectively and to see if their criticisms were warranted. Therefore, aggregator sites such as IMDB have provided a valuable service to film buffs to be able to compare and review the worst box office bombs and see if the bad reviews at the time were needed. This desire for comparison has extended beyond film circles into areas that have been positively affected by the rise of internet communication, such as online casinos. Comparison sites like CasinoWings.com have been born out of this desire, as well as the boom that the online casino industry has experienced. With such a raft of providers existing, it has become integral to be able to compare them to find out who is offering the best welcome bonuses for instance. Such sites employ industry experts to provide honest reviews about their experiences to help players find the best sites for them.
Source: Pixabay
It is a major surprise that Disney have fallen victim to box office bombs, especially given their might and power as a studio. However, it must be stressed that everyone makes mistakes and Disney’s errors have been replicated throughout the film industry; sometimes people just don’t take to a picture in the way a studio expects them to.