50 Box Office Bombs Worth Watching
British impresario Malcolm McLaren’s tombstone reads: “Better a spectacular failure than an innocuous success.” This happens in life and sometimes in movies . Many films are made in Hollywood. Most of them are not good. Sometimes good people make money (many bad people do too). But sometimes… they don’t. Movies fail at the box office for many reasons—a bad release date, a bad trailer, being out of touch with the zeitgeist, a global pandemic—and not always because they’re bad . Some infamous failed films are among my favorites, and maybe yours too. Below are 50 movies that didn’t resonate with audiences in theaters, which is a nice way of saying they flopped, earning less in ticket sales than they cost. produce and sell. Whatever the reason they didn’t get butts in seats, these films were initially viewed as disappointments, although many are now considered cult classics; too unusual, quirky or complex to initially connect with mainstream audiences, they have found their following on video or streaming. Or maybe I just think they’re good. (This is my list, after all.) (Note: I didn’t include The Shawshank Redemption – perhaps a ne plus ultra flop movie worth watching – because it didn’t need my help. It was a favorite movie on the Internet for over a decade , after all, consider it already mentioned.)
Furiosa (2024)
Yes, this one just came out. But as much as I’d like to join the chorus of voices bemoaning the box office failure of this prequel to 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road , it crashed nearly 60% in its second weekend – and after initially underperforming — pretty much guarantees the studio will lose money on the latest chapter of George Miller’s long-running post-apocalyptic sci-fi saga. There’s a lot to blame here: the early trailers were undercooked, leading picky viewers to complain about the “bad” (read: super stylized) CGI; the fact that it was a prequel meant a recasting of Charlize Theron, who created the character in Fury Road ; The trend of panicked studios launching movies on streaming after just a few weeks has forever changed the urgency of “gotta see this on the big screen.”
This is all very disappointing. The movie kind of rocks, even if it’s a different model of muscle car than Fury Road , and its failure will only convince Hollywood not to bank on eccentric weirdos with big dreams. Check it out in theaters while you still can, because it will likely be released digitally before the end of the month.
Where to stream: Nowhere yet, but too early on Max.
Bo’s Afraid (2023)
I don’t know what made A24 give Ari Aster $35 million to make this disturbing, off-putting comedy grotesquerie about an agoraphobe’s increasingly frantic journey to visit his sick mother. Despite having a lucrative leading role in Joaquin Phoenix’s fever dream of The Odyssey (if Odysseus were a neurotic mama’s boy), this thing seems tailor-made to alienate general audiences. But if you can catch his wave, I’d argue that there are few films that as effectively bridge the gap between character and audience and place you firmly in Bo’s broken emotional state. Of course, said emotional state is omnipresent anxiety. But what a picture!
Where to watch: Paramount+ with Showtime
Creator (2023)
As a seasoned consumer of sci-fi novels and films, let me preface this by acknowledging that no, there’s nothing original about “The Creator” – the story of a disillusioned soldier (John David Washington, admittedly lacking in charisma but not fatally so here) attempt protecting the life of the first child of artificial intelligence in a dystopian future in which humans are losing the war to machines is like a papier-mâché robot sculpture made from pages from 100 different science fiction books. But as cliché as it is, it’s quite cleverly put together, and director Gareth Edwards ( Rogue One ) also manages to make it look completely real, eschewing the recent trend of 100% CGI in favor of location shooting and adding the -fi a bit later. The result was the best-looking blockbuster in years, but even its relatively reasonable $80 million budget proved too much to break even in theaters; it only made $40 million in the US and lost money worldwide after taking over marketing.
Where to watch: Hulu
Northerner (2022)
As with Ari Aster’s Entourage , it’s hard to understand why a studio would give a cult director like Robert Eggers ( The Witch, The Lighthouse ) $90 million to make a dirty, violent, artsy Scandinavian epic. But one did, and we’re all the better for it: it’s filled with intense action scenes, original sets and costumes, and stunning performances from a group of stars (Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy) who know exactly what movie they’re in are removed, it’s just a miracle. It was lost in theaters, grossing less than $70 million worldwide . Luckily for the money, folks, it ended up turning a profit digitally , but this is the kind of film that calls for an epic canvas.
Where to watch: Starz
Three thousand years of longing (2022)
It might be redundant to include yet another George Miller film at the top of this list, but this 2022 box office flop—grossing $20 million on a $60 million budget—deserved much more. Adapted from a story by A. S. Byatt, it tells the story of a mousey college professor (Tilda Swinton) who accidentally stumbles upon a magic lamp and awakens a magical genie (Idris Elba), who proceeds to share with her the story of his many lives. that unfold in whimsical, richly conceived storybook detail. Miller cashed his blank check by winning all those Fury Road Oscars, but when it came to ticket sales, it turned out to be more like Baby: Pig in the City than Baby . Bummer is a bedtime story that will invade your dreams and is worth experiencing.
Where to watch: Prime Video
Babylon (2022)
Hollywood loves to make films about itself, but audiences are not always interested. That’s the case with director Damien Chazelle’s epic love letter to the Golden Age of cinema, a frantic three-hour dive into the glitz, glamor and excesses of the movie business as it transitioned from silent films to talkies. It’s loud, edgy and full of cocaine-fueled energy, but for every misstep (the opening sequence in which a mountain of elephant excrement is sprayed directly into the camera) there are two bravura sequences (my favorite is a harrowing portrayal of what it’s like to film a movie scene under intense pressure, which could be a short film in itself) and the cast is full of movie stars (Brad Pitt and pre- Barbie Margot Robbie are standouts) as they’re used to filming them – larger than life and best seen on the big screen.
Where to watch: Prime Video
The Last Duel (2021)
Ridley Scott is in his 80s and hasn’t slowed down, even if he doesn’t seem to quite understand how to make an epic period film that will appeal to audiences the way Gladiator did. But where Napoleon and the Gods of Egypt may have earned its average ratings, the failure of 2021’s The Last Duel was a crying shame. A medieval take on Rashomon, it tells three versions of what happened the night a noble knight’s (Matt Damon) wife (Jodie Comer) was sexually assaulted by her squire (Adam Driver). Filled with great performances, powerful dialogue, and real complexity and narrative ambiguity, it was one of the best films of 2021, but it got completely lost in the shuffle of the pandemic and received more attention from memes making fun of co-star Ben Affleck’s funny wig than it sold tickets.
Where to stream: FXNow
On top (2021)
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway success before Hamilton is admittedly not Hamilton , despite winning its own Tony Award . But I still can’t figure out why so few people came to see this uplifting story of an immigrant community in New York coming together to sing and dance in theaters, especially given the trailer that always makes me cry. . (Yes, it was released right in the middle of a pandemic, but many other films were still making money, and this one deserved to have people in the aisles dancing along.) At the very least, it turned out to be a decent test run for director Jon M. Chu’s stage shots ; Let’s hope his two-part adaptation of Wicked doesn’t turn out to be such a flop.
Where to stream: Max
West Side Story (2021)
Another 2021 musical that no one wanted to see in theaters. Of course, it’s worth wondering why Steven Spielberg felt the need to remake one of the best musicals of all time. But then you see it and you understand exactly why he wanted to do it: the dude can pull off a song and dance number with the same verve and flair he brings to a T-rex attack or an Indiana Jones tank chase. It didn’t make back its $100 million budget , but if you watch it at home, you’ll be kicking yourself for not making it to the theater.
Where to watch: Disney+, FXNow.
Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (2020)
It’s common knowledge that superhero movies are having a tough time these days – witnessing a string of comic book flops in 2023 – but the relative failure of pre-pandemic spin-off Suicide Squad was something of a warning sign. Despite the presence of Margot Robbie in the title role (everyone agreed that she was the only person worthy of praise in David Ayer’s half-baked anti-hero story), the colorful cast of supporting bad girls (including Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Jurnee Smollett), an even more colorful appearance comics (director Cathy Yan and Oscar-nominated cinematographer Matthew Libatique) and snarky, self-referential tone seemed unable to shake off the patina that would eventually lead to a complete overhaul of the DC Extended Universe. It’s a shame, because this is one of only three comic book movies since Avengers: Endgame that actually justifies its existence. Because it’s interesting to watch.
Where to watch: Max, Tubi
Cats (2019)
Cats was the last movie I saw in the theater before the pandemic. I’m not ashamed of it. It’s just something I have to live with. But while I can’t argue that this horribly uncoordinated adaptation of the long-running Broadway musical about… cats doesn’t deserve its 19% Rotten Tomatoes score, it’s too mesmerizing and confusing to avoid entirely; indeed, you may find yourself drawn into his strange cult and start attending gleeful midnight shows and singing (you know, eventually). Even if you don’t, I can’t imagine witnessing Judi Dench in a computer-generated version of the cat song singing about the difference between cats and dogs won’t change you forever.
Where to watch: Netflix
Annihilation (2018)
This 2018 sci-fi thriller, based on the novel by Weird with a Capital W writer Jeff VanderMeer, deviates from the book’s plot but tells the equally disturbing story of a group of female scientists who venture into a strange, unnatural phenomenon known as “The Shimmer.” from which no one has emerged (at least with their sanity intact) since it suddenly appeared in the wilds of the southeastern United States.
Director Alex Garland’s follow-up to the critically acclaimed Ex-Machina was shaping up to be one of Paramount’s most successful releases—until the studio got cold feet and sold the foreign rights to Netflix and put as little effort as possible into a cursory domestic release. . However, there was early critical support, and genre fans seemed to embrace it as a heady environmental horror film.
Where to watch: Paramount+
A Cure for Health (2017)
Director Gore Verbinski takes a step back from popcorn epics like Pirates of the Caribbean and The Lone Ranger for this twisted, small-scale homage to Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain . A young businessman (Dane DeHaan) goes to pick up his boss from a “health resort” in the Swiss Alps and encounters a strange, isolated community run by a sinister doctor (Jason Isaacs) and soon finds himself the subject of disturbing experiments. The deeply strange plot involving bloodthirsty leeches and the quest for immortality turned off theater audiences, but like all of Verbinski’s films, this one is too visually inventive to miss. you took your own “medicine” for what ails you).
Where to watch: digital rental.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)
I was so excited about this sci-fi production—a project that has been the lifelong passion of director Luc Besson ( The Fifth Element, Lucy )—that I almost saw it dubbed into French at a Paris theater while on vacation. This might have been a better choice because the sometimes terrible dialogue and poor performances are essentially my only problems with this over-the-top live-action cartoon.
Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne, turning elsewhere, display a detached hipster anti-chemistry as Valerian and Laureline, two government agents of humanity’s spacefaring future who are embroiled in a colorful conspiracy on a major space station, but everyone around them is eye to eye. – the stunning production design (ripped from the pages of the original French comics), the supporting cast (including Rihanna as a sexy alien) and the fast-paced episodic plot are irresistible. Switch language track, turn on subtitles (or leave it alone) and enjoy.
Where to watch: Prime Video, Filmbox.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)
Considering how often The Lonely Island’s Saturday Night Live parody songs have become viral sensations, I can’t understand why this tale of the rise and fall of a high-profile musician didn’t do well—it’s essentially a feature-length adaptation. from ” I’m on a Boat “. Yet just five years later, despite having earned less than $10 million in the US, it is already often talked about among the best low-brow comedies of the last decade, and that’s no small thing. If you like its sister film Walk Hard , which became a cult classic and a box office disappointment ($20 million on a $35 million budget), put it on your weekend playlist.
Where to watch: Pluto TV.
Crimson Peak (2015)
Sandwiched between Guillermo del Toro’s summer blockbuster Pacific Rim and his Best Picture winner The Shape of Water , this pictorial ode to gothic horror is a sinister, over-sexed haunted house where an aspiring writer (Mia Wasikowska) ) marries a wealthy aristocrat (Mia Wasikowska). Tom Hiddleston) and travels to her family’s remote, crumbling mansion, where she encounters the tangled relationship between her new fiancé and his sister (Jessica Chastain), with whom he shares a terrible secret. The film is a visual marvel, with the ramshackle manor haunted by bloody ghosts being a marvel of artistic design that more than makes up for the somewhat overdone Grand Guignol plot.
(Much of the above also applies to del Toro’s money-losing 2021 film Nightmare Alley , but I focused on Crimson Peak because it didn’t receive a Best Picture nomination.)
Where to watch: digital rental.
Blackhat (2015)
Michael Mann is so revered as a director that it’s easy to forget how many of his films have had bad reputations in theaters (1999’s The Insider lost $30 million but received seven Oscar nominations). One of his most notorious in this regard is the techno-thriller starring Chris Hemsworth’s average Thor , which cost $70 million and earned $8 million in the US. And that’s great!
Hemsworth shows real charisma (and range) as an ex-convict hacker tasked with saving the world from cyber-terrorists, and the twisty plot unfolds expertly – at least since Mann tinkered with the editing to create his director’s cut, which worth a look. if you can find it (it’s not currently streaming anywhere).
Where to watch: Netflix
The Man from UNCLE (2015)
It’s hard to say why Guy Ritchie protégé Matthew Vaughn found success (and a franchise) with 2014 spy thriller Kingsman: The Secret Service, while Ritchie himself had no luck the following year with this clever reboot of the cult 1960s series The Man from “UNCLE” . Starring Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer (problematically!), the film also teeters between serious action and genre parody, moving a mile a minute between elaborate effects sequences and clever jokes as its titular secret agent engages in international espionage. jokes. (Spy jokes?) I’d love a sequel, but the poor box office performance ($45 million on a budget of over $100 million) probably means I’ll have to make do with what I have.
Where to watch: TNT, TBS, TruTV.
Inherent Vice (2014)
Director Paul Thomas Anderson’s box office success often pales in comparison to his critical reputation, but he has never swung harder or missed more ($8 million gross on a $20 million budget) than with this first-ever cinematic adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s novel. .
In retrospect, it’s no surprise that the confusing, twisted, drug-addled los-a-noir built around Joaquin Phoenix’s off-putting performance didn’t set the world on fire, but as with all OTA films, every frame is worth watching – not a single working director. (with the possible exception of Wes Anderson) is so tonally consistent – and perhaps with enough repeat viewings the plot will begin to make sense.
Where to watch: Paramount+
John Carter (2012)
John Carter’s failure seems timely. Released a few years after Avatar , it arrived just as audiences were tiring of 3D special effects extravaganzas and marketing had failed to justify its existence—admittedly a problem when adapting source material (the Edgar Rice Burroughs novels “Barsoom”) are well-established stereotypes of science fiction and fantasy that have long become clichés.
However, like two other potential space blockbusters later on this list (see if you can spot them), it’s far better than its tarnished reputation. Taylor Kitsch is suitably heroic as a Civil War soldier mysteriously transported to the surface of Mars, whose unusual environment gives him the superhuman abilities needed to change the course of an alien war; In his first live-action film, director (and Pixar mainstay) Andrew Stanton brings real dimension to an array of impressive computer effects.
Where to watch: Disney+.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
That Edgar Wright managed to create the best comic book adaptation of all time, if for a comic of extremely niche appeal, yet see it fail to find an audience is all too fitting: a slacker protagonist (Michael Cera), part Musician and misanthrope living in Toronto in early August would laugh at becoming too popular.
While the film generated buzz at Comic-Con, no one came to theaters (where it grossed about half of the $60 million it cost to make) to see Scott engage in video game duels with his girlfriend Ramona ( Mary Elizabeth Winstead) “seven”. evil exes” to win her hand (no one but me ), but his nostalgic appeal to geriatric millennials (not to mention a cast of future stars like Aubrey Plaza and Brie Larson) has won him a legion of fans after the fact —enough to This is an anime adaptation on Netflix .
Where to stream: Max
Sunshine (2007)
Director Danny Boyle brings an arthouse style to this sci-fi drama that attempts to take a grounded approach to the story of a ragtag team of astronauts’ desperate mission to rekindle our dying sun (at least until the final 30 minutes, when it forces a difficult turn into thriller territory ). A strange sense of elegiac sadness hangs over the whole novel – this is no Armageddon , which is perhaps why it only made $4 million in the US – but more patient fans of the genre will find arresting, sun-scorched imagery and a commitment to realism. quite useful.
Where to watch: digital rental.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
I completely understand why this dark, picturesque Western—a nearly three-hour free-flowing biography of its main characters that favors long silences and artful visuals over plot impulse—didn’t become a summer blockbuster, but you’d still think it was a piece of Bait awards starring Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck could have generated more than $4 million in ticket sales. However, if you have any patience for the genre, it’s a must-see – when paired with career-best work from cinematographer Roger Deakins, the sober tone and measured pacing are almost hypnotic.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Children of Men (2006)
Audiences may be expecting too much to ask of them to turn out in droves to see a gritty sci-fi thriller set in a near-future world ravaged by violence and climate disaster. But this 2006 flop from acclaimed director Alfonso Cuaron is something of a depressing masterpiece. In it, Clive Owen plays a depressed man who unwittingly becomes the shepherd of the last child born in a world plagued by infertility, and his efforts to fight against undeniably hopeless odds may actually be… kind of inspiring? In depressing form. However, even though it didn’t perform well in theaters (especially when compared to the rapturous critical reception ), it deserves to be seen if only for the filmmaking’s sake – the chase sequences are seemingly short in one continuous take . became an instant cult classic and are still relevant almost 20 years later.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Kiss Bang Bang was supposed to be a comeback of sorts for both pre- Iron Man Robert Downey Jr. and writer-director Shane Black, who hadn’t written ’80s hits like Lethal Weapon for years. However, despite rave reviews from critics, it only grossed $4 million at the US box office, although, like most of these films, it found its audience on DVD. It’s worth watching both for its insight into an actor on the cusp of global superstardom that will change his career, and for its funny, fast-paced plot – a tongue-in-cheek homage to hard-boiled Hollywood noir.
Where to watch: digital rental.
The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
Vin Diesel earned his credentials from XxX and The Fast and the Furious to create a twisted action role-playing campaign sequel to David Twohy’s spare sci-fi thriller Pitch Black (2000). If you’re asking yourself why, the answer is pretty simple: Vin Diesel is a huge nerd .
Did the world need to know that a kind-hearted criminal who could see in the dark was actually part of an ancient space-faring civilization known as the “Furyans”? I’d say no (and in fact many people haven’t bothered to look into it at all – it only grossed $57 million in the US on a budget of over $100 million). But that doesn’t mean that I, also a huge nerd, wasn’t around for the opening weekend, and I declare: pretty good. I mean, again, Judi Dench.
Where to watch: Hulu, Peacock
Peter Pan (2003)
With the notable exception of Disney’s animated version, Hollywood just can’t seem to bring Peter Pan to life — though not for lack of trying . And none of these box office misfires sting worse than the utter failure of this faithful 2003 adaptation, which follows closely the original novel and stars Wendy (Rachel Hurd-Wood) and Peter (Jeremy Sumpter) as real, real children. against the evil Captain Hook Jason Isaac. Director P.J. Hogan ( Muriel’s Wedding ) perfectly captures the tension of the metaphor at the heart of this story of almost teenagers who never want to grow up.
Where to watch: Starz
Death to Smoochy (2002)
Iconic diminutive star Danny DeVito has had a strange side career as a director, from the over-the-top divorce comedy The Wars of the Roses to the acidic children’s film Matilda to the outright misfire, abject noir. about a preschool entertainment program in which a failed TV presenter (Robin Williams) concocts a cruel plan to destroy his upstart rival, Edward Norton in a purple rhino suit. It’s so raw and brutal that I’m not shocked that no one wanted to see it in theaters (where it made $8 million on a $50 million budget), and I’m not surprised that it found a more forgiving audience on DVD.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Treasure Planet (2002)
Disney’s attempt to attract a non-princess audience with a space adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island —long a passion project for co-directors Ron Clements and John Musker—failed so badly (losing about $75 million) that it essentially marked the end of the traditional 2-D animation in the House of Mouse (projects in development such as Tangled and Frozen quickly switched to CGI). And yet, despite the super-2000-stylized aesthetic (the main character’s flowing hair, that “space surfing” sequence), it’s actually an entertaining, creative update of the original story, and one of the best-looking animated films yet. movies ever made. (Kids who grew up with this seem to agree .)
Where to watch: Disney+.
Josie and the Pussycats (2001)
It’s not entirely original to call Josie and the Pussycats a good movie of 2021 (Jezebel interviewed Rachael Leigh Cook about its legacy this week ), but I’m not exactly late to the trend: I was one of the few people to see it. at the theater in 2001 (final box office: $14.9 million), and I became an instant fan (I definitely liked it more than the only people at my screening—a mom and her two young daughters, who didn’t seem to understood why I laughed so much).
The film, which was once dismissed as a cliched post-“Girl Power” rags-to-riches story, has been re-evaluated as a smart satire with a great cast (including Rosario Dawson, Alan Cumming, Parker Posey and Tara Reid) and an irresistible pop score. punk soundtrack.
Where to watch: digital rental.
The Iron Giant (1999)
Not every movie can say its studio has closed, but, well, director Brad Bird’s E.T.-style historical fable about an alien machine that crashes in 1950s Red Scare America and the little boy who befriends with him, we fell so hard. The bad thing ($23 million on a $50 million budget) is that Warner Bros. Animation essentially abandoned its ambitions for the feature film upon its release.
But critics loved it from the start, and audiences soon found it on DVD, especially after the release of Pixar’s The Incredibles raised Bird’s reputation. By 2018, the titular character had become well-known enough to earn a major cameo in Steven Spielberg’s shared IP extravaganza Ready Player One , and was also expected to be found in the next big crossover IP , Space Jam: A New Legacy “ .
Where to watch: digital rental.
Muppets from Space (1999)
I know it’s a bold choice: Muppets from Outer Space is no one’s favorite Muppet movie. But it’s also far better than its reputation as the nadir of the beloved felt creations’ storied career. As with any Muppet movie, the plot—about blue weirdo Gonzo’s hunt for his origins (the title deserves a spoiler warning)—is just a framework on which to hang Muppet-like antics and recognizable human cameos (including a completely playful Jeffrey Tambor in role of an eternally irritated government agent). It performed so poorly in theaters (failing to live up to its $24 million budget) that Jim Henson’s creations were shelved for more than a decade.
Where to watch: Prime Video, Tubi
Fight Club (1999)
Fight Club flopped in theaters (grossing in at about half its production cost), but by the time it came out on DVD, it was well on its way to cult status in an elaborate multi-disc set filled with thrillingly comprehensive special features exploring each aspect of its production. . Judging by his lasting influence on cinema (his major twist becomes something of a narrative shorthand) and culture at large (the misreading of his message by some audiences… is problematic), his legacy seems assured, something you’ve probably seen many times before , as Edward Norton and Brad Pitt meet sweetly, fight sweetly, and then create an underground boxing club that becomes a terrorist organization. Where to watch: Hulu
Man on the Moon (1999)
The talent behind the scenes in this biopic of 1980s outsider comedian Andy Kaufman couldn’t be more impressive: Oscar-winning director Milos Forman ( One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest ), acclaimed screenwriters (Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski). , who wrote the biopics Ed Wood and The People vs. Larry Flynt ), as well as the talents of producer/star (and Kaufman confidant) Danny DeVito. However, it seems that 1999 audiences simply didn’t want to see Jim Carrey in a serious mood; he did a fine job as the troubled comedy legend, but failed to please the Oscars (though he did win a Golden Globe) or audiences (the film dropped to $47 million on an $82 million budget). This is a rather risqué and enticing look into the life of an unknowable celebrity who remains a mystery even after death.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Gattaca (1997)
This low-key sci-fi drama from director Andrew Niccol (writer of The Truman Show ) feels eerily prescient, even though it doesn’t really get anything right about the future. In the “not so distant future”, the wealthy elite will genetically create ideal children in the womb (“valids”), making life doubly difficult for the “handicapped” born by nature, such as Vincent (Ethan Hawke), who tries to pass himself off as not valid for participation in historic space mission. The production is a classic sci-fi piece that favors cerebral fireworks and moral musings over flashy special effects, and it took a while to find an appreciative audience, earning only a third of its $36 million budget from ticket sales.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Waterworld (1995)
What if Mad Max , but on the ocean? proved to be a dud for audiences in 1995, when this mega-budget post-apocalyptic saga about a future world flooded by melting ice caps became something of a laughing stock among critics (who dubbed it “Fishtar”; see later article on this list). But seen today, it’s something of a sweet throwback – sure, Kevin Costner is dour and humorless as the fish man who will lead humanity into the future, but the action sequences are still killer and refreshingly devoid of CGI, and Dennis Hopper makes for a fabulously insane villain. And it’s even better if you can watch the extended TV version, which adds 45 minutes of story trimmed from the original release .
Where to stream: Starz, although if you want to see the longer version you’ll have to purchase the (excellent) Blu-ray edition.
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
The Coen brothers’ drug-fuelled bowling noir The Big Lebowski famously dropped the ball in the gutter in theaters before the stoners turned it into a huge cult hit on video, and I’d like to see a similar re-evaluation of this previous flop , a darkly comic morality play about the inventor of the hula hoop (Tim Robbins), feels like a dark reflection of the screwball comedies of the 1940s. The fun characters and stunning graphics may have you wondering what it’s all about, but honestly, you’ll be too entertained to care.
Where to watch: Roku Channel.
Crybaby (1990)
Rude cult film icon John Waters achieved mainstream success in 1988 with Hairspray , a ’50s musical about a deadpan young woman’s obsession with appearing on a teen dance show, so it followed up with a ’50s musical about a deadpan young woman’s obsession with goodness. The hearty bully (played by Johnny Depp in peak teen movie star form) seemed like a good bet.
No: it made about $8 million on a $12 million budget and faded into video store obscurity. But its story of singing tough guys and the girls who love them proved too irresistible, and it eventually attracted the cult audience it deserved – to the point that it was even remade as a Tony-nominated (though quickly canceled) Broadway musical, running almost Also. way in the form of hairspray (which went from film to stage and back again).
Where to watch: digital rental.
Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)
Of course, this adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s blockbuster novel, a long-winded saga of 1980s excess, was a notorious flop even before its 1990 release, despite the involvement of award-winning director Brian De Palma and a cast. this includes big stars like Melanie Griffith, Tom Hanks and Bruce Willis.
At the time it was considered a poor interpretation of the book, in keeping with the zeitgeist, and spent only a third of its $47 million budget on ticket sales, but it plays better in the distance – when was the last time anyone actually read The Bonfire of the Vanities ? — or as a companion piece to the controversial 1991 book The Devil’s Candy, journalist Julie Salamon’s no-holds-barred account of its troubled production.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)
On paper, the film should have been a huge success: a romantic comedy starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, written and directed by playwright John Patrick Shanley, who had just won an Oscar for Moonstruck . And yet: It turns out that 1990 audiences didn’t know what to make of the strange fable about a man with a terminal illness who travels to the South Pacific to throw himself into a volcano. Its highly artificial eccentric flair eventually found its adherents , but only after it had already earned a reputation as an ill-conceived box office disappointment.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Heathers (1989)
Are you telling me that audiences in 1989 couldn’t appreciate this black-as-night teen comedy satire about a pair of murderous high school students (Christian Slater and Winona Ryder) seeking revenge on the eponymous clique of terribly rich girls? What was their damage? Thankfully, this devilish romp from Daniel Waters (whose brother Mark would have found success in the equally edgy but more engaging Mean Girls ) hasn’t aged a day in the decades since it managed to earn just $1 million in theaters (well, except for Mean Girls). all this gay panic… and the fact that today it will never, never be done ).
Where to watch: Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Tubi.
Chameleon Street (1989)
This late ’80s outlandish film was the only film director Wendell B. Harris Jr. ever made, and that’s a damn shame. I don’t want to say too much about it—it’s one of those movies that’s best viewed blind—but the opening titles tell you that this is the true story of a Catch Me If You Can style conman who built a life of his own. living in a series of disparate identities. Despite acclaim at the 1990 Sundance Film Festival, it was shelved and received only a cursory release a year later . But it’s a brilliant film, if complex and ambitious, and I’m glad it’s attracting more and more fans . It’s easy to find on almost every free streaming service these days, and I highly recommend giving it a try.
Where to watch: Prime Video, Peacock, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Tubi.
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)
One strange, gritty “children’s” film from Terry Gilliam was a hit – 1981’s Time Bandits – so why not this one? Unfortunately, this chronicle of the high-profile adventures of eccentric aristocrat Baron Munchausen (John Neville) cost too much ($46 million) and made too little ($8 million). But its episodic plot, which takes you by airship to the moon, on a journey under the sea and beyond, plays well on video – and it’s fun to see future stars like Sarah Polley and Uma Thurman in early roles.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Ishtar (1987)
Writer-director Elaine May’s folly has long been synonymous with Hollywood hubris, the epitome of failure: an outrageously expensive, dry “comedy” starring Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman as a pair of semi-talented musicians unwittingly embroiled in a foreign policy disaster. in the fictional Middle Eastern country mentioned in the title. He lost so much money (almost $100 million in today’s dollars) that decades later he remains notorious, despite the fact that almost no one has seen him (he lost so much money, you see).
Well, rent it and you’ll find: it’s actually pretty good, especially the first half, which is the kind of rambling, good-natured, star-studded romp they really don’t make anymore.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Hunger (1983)
Recently, Warner Bros. has announced plans to remake this stylish 1983 vampire flick, which seems ill-advised: director Tony Scott brought the entire aesthetic of his music video to an adaptation of Whitley Strieber’s pulpy novel, essentially defining a “glam” gothic aesthetic. By the time Buffy the Vampire Slayer hit television, it had become a cliché and it’s hard to imagine it any other way. But there’s also the matter of trying to improve on roles that have featured the likes of Susan Sarandon (as a naive geneticist), Catharina Deneuve (as an immortal succubus) and, most notably, the late David Bowie (as an ageless killer suddenly battling its mortality). Yes, the plot is almost incomprehensible nonsense, but the style …
Where to watch: digital rental.
One from the Heart (1982)
After both The Godfather films were blockbusters and critical acclaim (not to mention redefining the war film with Apocalypse Now) , Francis Ford Coppola could seemingly do no wrong, and probably which is why he was able to secure a $23 million budget for this production. an extremely artificial, modern ode to classic Las Vegas-style musicals.
After a difficult and expensive production, the film’s initial showings performed so poorly that many distributors decided not to show it, resulting in a disastrous box office gross of less than $1 million that nearly spelled the end of Coppola’s Zoetrope Studios. It’s hardly a film for everyone, but you can clearly see its influence on urban life in the later Oscar-winning sensation La La Land, and even Coppola’s misfire is worth watching at least once.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Speed Racer (2008) / Cloud Atlas (2012) / Jupiter Ascending (2015) / The Matrix Rebirths (2021)
The Wachowskis have created a cottage industry of ambitious genre films that fail miserably to grab audiences’ attention, starting with the 2008 adaptation of the Japanese anime Speed Racer , a perfect live-action embodiment of the cartoon’s manic energy that alienated critics upon its initial release. , which resulted in a US gross of $43 million against a $120 million budget (and here I should again note that I saw this film in a theater; that’s the rule). They did a little better with their expansive approach to David Mitchell’s “unfilmable” film. spanning the 2012 romance novel Cloud Atlas , which earned $130 million worldwide but still lost huge sums of money, only to end up in prison for the director after their 2015 fairy-tale epic Jupiter Ascending. they were put in the face, as a result of which they received 100 dollars. million dollar loss for Warner Bros.
After this failure, Lana Wachowski returned alone to revive the Matrix series. Even by pandemic standards, however, the fourth ( but not the last? ) film in this uneven but always ambitious saga was a distinct underperformer, grossing $160 million worldwide against a $190 million budget. Moreover, the heavily meta plot and subdued action sequences divided fans, much like the first two sequels.
As clunky, formless and tonally inconsistent as these films are, they feel like rare big-budget spectacles that are the product of a single vision and well deserve a second chance.
Where to watch: Digital rental ( “Speed Racer” and “Jupiter Ascending” ), Paramount+ (” Cloud Atlas” ), Max and Netflix ( “The Matrix: Rebirth “).