Box Office Bombs: When Legendary Directors Fail

The Box Office Bombs:

Even if you have watched some of the most popular and epic movie directors such as Martin Scorsese or Steven Spielberg, you might not know that these Hollywood heroes had movies that just flopped! Sometimes it's hard to see the reasoning why audiences, didn't feel the hype!

The Most Influential Directors:

Sometimes directors get carried away with their creativity. Maybe they get carried away. Or perhaps audiences are ready for something completely different! It happened to Oliver Stone and Michael Cimino. If you think those were the only ones who hit this speed bump? The big name Christopher Nolan was on this list too!

Here is a list of Movies, some might have made you feel a certain way, some not so much!

Megalopolis - 2024

Coppola's movie Megalopolis, is a sci-fi, futuristic take on New York City, and is an epic, adventurous take! Coppola has been thinking about making this for decades and had an initial vision way back in the 1970s! But getting things together, the final product is not what everyone expected.

The production cost was also really expensive: around $120 Million to create.

The stars really show up Adam Driver is known for amazing roles like those in Star Wars and even more exciting for viewers: Giancarlo Esposito

• Aubrey Plaza was a fantastic choice too.
• And that isn't all, there's Laurence Fishburne and Grace VanderWaal!

It was also pretty surprising for the team as Coppola used a good chunk of his business assets (from his wine company) to pay for everything.

There were also lots of rumors flying around the film's creation.

This new movie, even with the actors that people adore. didn't meet its goals at the box office! Even those who watch the film could only generate a little over $4 Million for its initial run, in comparison to its price tag, this was pretty far off the mark! In the world of film, there are some times when films flop and this was one of them. It’s important to remember that filmmaking is a risky business, and sometimes, even the biggest names in Hollywood miss the mark!

Hugo - 2011

If you are a fan of Scorsese's work, you are familiar with some of his classic crime and gangster films! They have earned huge, epic audiences and recognition but Hugo, which came out 2011 was something a little different, he stepped into the realm of family-friendly films with a focus on 3D filmmaking that captured hearts with all of the 3D effects! It's a really special, magical journey!

Scorsese went for something big: $180 Million budget! For those who may have thought, "no way! No one will watch this" they actually found success!

But you know that movies have those overhead costs. Not only was Hugo very special, with some great reviews it's one of those things, that critics, were not so quick to embrace. While some families loved it and for those who were fans of the books. That just wasn't enough for it to reach its box office goals.

Alexander - 2004

Oliver Stone has an impressive collection of great stories! Alexander is a tale that takes viewers through history with a truly interesting character, Alexander The Great! For fans of Oliver Stone's work, the project was something really ambitious, spending more than $155 million for production. Alexander was even on the list of one of the biggest-budgeted movies!

To show the scale of the movie the main actor is Colin Farrell and the roles don't get more iconic for audiences. You may be able to guess just who played Alexander's mother: Angelina Jolie. Val Kilmer also starred, playing "King Philip II." Even though they had such amazing performances.

• Stone's story had an incredible performance at the global box office
• This film made $167 Million. It also performed very well in Europe.

What wasn't anticipated was how American movie watchers responded.

At the time, Stone's story faced the harsh reality of an overwhelming audience.

• Fans at that time, were not quite as invested, as the box office really wasn't on par. They were not so invested as "Gladiator
• or even "Troy. "

You see Stone is such a remarkable director and the fans expected an incredible tale! "Alexander" was perceived as a little more academic and, perhaps a bit more like a history class lecture, than it was exciting action.

Stone is one of the most prolific and amazing, talented directors to capture the world of history and all the complexity behind such incredible figures! But maybe audiences wanted something a little more thrilling, and this is where that difference showed up.

Heaven's Gate- 1980

When it comes to directorial greatness, it looks like Cimino made a fast mark as The Deer Hunter was on its way to being hailed as one of the greatest wars films, which also earned the Academy Award for Best Director! You could say Cimino had one of the fastest rides up to the top! This might be one of the most difficult parts of show business and this was Cimino's experience. This is why his next project, "Heaven's Gate," is so important.

The film was made back in the early 1980s and was about the real struggles of America's west. While it was considered a classic by those in the movie world it was seen as a complete flop in the box office.

• It cost a lot of money!
• Cimino was given an extraordinary $44 million to create.

It didn't do as well in the box office as the team hoped for and only garnered just over $3 Million! The success of a movie was incredibly dependent on Hollywood studio executives, giving directors their vision, to go make some extraordinary works! The box office performance had some really dire consequences!

As the movie made less money, that meant that American studios became much more conservative with directors and that they started to think twice about giving those "creative liberties" as directors like "Cimino had back then.

Tenet - 2020

Christopher Nolan! A box office force. One of the few that can pull everyone into a movie!

But you might think even Nolan wasn't completely perfect, right? In 2020, his "Tenet" spy movie didn't get those huge returns that previous movies did! It also came out in the midst of COVID!

• Nolan wanted a more traditional release of his movie.
• The move to go directly into theaters made this one even riskier than before.
• The goal? Not to use streaming. That's a bold strategy!
• Nolan's spy-thriller was truly a movie-theater experience, in the true sense of that experience.

While the movie did well with those who tuned in. This came during lockdown and restrictions.

• Those who went out! It generated nearly $360 Million! But for this movie in 2020, the reality is the movie made about $205 Million!

So it ended up losing money as all those marketing dollars! They didn't add to the budget. The strategy was bold! But in this case, that wasn't the best option.

Citizen Kane- 1941

It's crazy, the movie that most audiences would list as one of the all-time classics: "Citizen Kane!" But for Welles, this project did not bring in as many crowds. He really didn't hit those box office numbers! The biggest challenge is that the plot had so much inspired by real-world figures that even someone like William Randolph Hearst who was the real world influence.

The movie's characters were based on this figure and Welles found himself in trouble because he created something that someone might not be so thrilled to watch.

• Hearst, who had the most amazing and widespread network for all things entertainment really did all he could do to ensure that movie didn't see its box office success, especially in its original run.
• He pushed theater chains that were super large to boycott his film, and that certainly did make an impact as this made this project lose a great deal!
• To think about this film was able to earn a lot in re-runs.

It still took a while! Fans began to rediscover it and make it a truly, highly praised piece of cinema! However, it's fascinating how a few events can make or break an amazing, brilliant director and how much these powerhouses really can go into motion in this incredibly complicated industry.

Death Proof - 2007

Tarantino. Is he one of those director that never misses? Not necessarily, his style may have made audiences adore the style! However, when he brought a collection of movie parts together. They just did not reach their potential.

• Tarantino joined forces with his great movie-making buddy, Robert Rodriguez. And together they made "Grindhouse".
• Fans of their work were really in for something special, however.

You might have thought Grindhouse had its charm, but that really wasn't enough to make its way to the box office!

• "Grindhouse only grossed a little more than $25 Million! When this project cost nearly $67 Million!
• The production was intended to show what classic drive-in movies were like, even using a b-movie vibe with special effects.

If anything, audiences in the early 2000s really weren't ready to give a go to something like Grindhouse. It seemed as if the love for those "exploitation films" just had limited audiences!

Dune - 1984

David Lynch! An auteur who has made an indelible mark on cinema, has done the extraordinary to give audiences his special, unique world! The movie world saw him try something new: A giant space opera

This movie would go on to be a super popular film but in 1984 this movie wasn't quite so well-known. He's one of those creative geniuses with an incredibly original mind, and "Dune did come to life with an incredibly complex, creative vision.

The film also got a major production budget, something he wasn't always accustomed to, over $40 Million!. Which would be like spending nearly $120 Million by today's standards! The money didn't quite pay off! Lynch did his best, the "box office" really wasn't the best performance of his work! While the audience didn't seem to quite "get it" ,Lynch's Dune has grown a cult audience.

The real lesson was that audiences really couldn't grasp that massive story in one installment, what was great about "Dune was its spectacular visual design, even if its production didn't turn out to be super successful. It has become a much beloved series and film. This gave us that opportunity to experience an epic sci-fi saga which in turn really brought to life, the story from the source material!

The Last Duel - 2021

Ridley Scott, a truly, masterful, talented director and when he was involved in making the "The Last Duel", this film was something a lot of people got excited about. Fans would want to see how this creative visionary would recreate such a fascinating historical event! A unique combination: Matt Damon and Ben Affleck came together for the screenplay! If there's any team to make this epic movie, this was it!

This really stood out, and had lots of interest for those who may not be familiar! "The Last Duel" is a true story!

And the film was set in a truly fascinating and interesting period!

• The Hundred Years War took place! And it really set this whole film in motion as this film takes us back to history, as these individuals engage in a duel!
• Scott's films have often brought us into worlds that capture this intensity and emotion and these real-life moments.

This movie, however, failed at the box office.

• "The Last Duel cost around $100 million.
• The worldwide gross for this epic tale? $30 Million!

The Last Duel was not so fortunate in making its way back to Scott. There's some really unfortunate timing around The Last Duel that made things even tougher for the film!

• The pandemic was one thing! Scott's movie didn't come out at the right moment and people may have felt more comfortable staying home than going to the theaters.
• The storyline, itself might not have had what was expected, which also, could have played a role in the box office performance!

West Side Story- 2021

Steven Spielberg has done an impressive amount of work. He is a filmmaker who always has so many audiences captivated! Fans were pretty excited about his idea to take one of Broadway's classics, "West Side Story. It was also his life long ambition! You know the story about this show!

That was enough to attract even more movie lovers to watch this special version.

• It was truly one of Spielberg's most memorable and compelling movies to have come out in this century.
• This really pushed the box office. Audiences came in. But did this bring those big numbers!?
• This movie was able to generate close to $75 million but, still didn't quite make back its budget!

It's something to ponder about! For those of us who watched the movie version. For the big studios it was a risky move! It is one that might remind the movie world! Not everyone will flock to these types of projects. In the case of "West Side Story" that audience didn't materialize as much as anticipated.

There have been several Movies with similar plots.

• There was also "In the Heights"
• Another musical that wasn't able to do well. "The Color Purple"

In this realm of musicals and for the studios that have had huge ambitions of giving a new life to classics. These flops are a big reality check! There were big ambitions to reimagine "West Side Story" with the intention of capturing what made the original so remarkable, however, that audience, wasn't able to form and come out to the theaters.

It might be difficult to find out how long "West Side Story", and this film's box office run lasted! But if it taught Hollywood anything! Some things might just need to be left in the past or require a little extra help to get on screen!