Box Office Flop

A box office flop or box office bomb is a film that fails to even meet or exceed the cost of the film’s budget when it is released to the public for viewing. A few films considered a box office flop end up earning enough in DVD rentals and sales to eventually turn a profit, however, many others simply are losses to the producers and companies that distribute the films. Sometimes, expectations for a movie and very high budgets far exceed critical reviews and attendance and the movie becomes an instant box office flop.

Many factors may result in a box office flop — it may be poorly directed, have a bad script or bad acting. The movie may feature good actors, but the star power alone does not result in expected box office returns. A few classic box office flops have featured extremely well known and popular actors. Although it doesn't necessarily bode well for future salary negotiations, a box office flop doesn’t always taint an actor’s career.

There are two very well known box office flops that all lovers of films
should recognize. These are Ishtar and Heaven’s Gate. Ishtar starred two very well respected actors, Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman, and the film’s budget was 40 million US dollars (USD). When the film was released it was an immediate box office flop, panned by critics, and only made about 30% back of the total costs to make the movie. It thus represented a 70% loss to investors in the film. Beatty and Hoffman have both participated in many far more popular films since, and though they may have had to suffer the embarrassment of starring in a film considered by most to be horrible, they still have been offered plum roles in other films.

Another box office flop that bears mention is the 1980 film Heaven’s Gate, which had 44 million USD budget. The film boasted an impressive cast: Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, John Hurt, Jeff Bridges, Joseph Cottton, and Willem Dafoe. Director, Michael Cimino was sure to produce a hit after his gripping and powerful 1978 film The Deer Hunter Expectations for the film’s success were extremely high. Yet when it was released, the film only made 1.5 million USD, representing over a 90% loss to its investors.

In recent years, the box office flop often falls into the category of a high budget, epic film, like Waterworld or Alexander that completely fails to capture the interest of critics or audiences. Summer “blockbuster” films are known for their penchant to flop. Action films and epics also mean high budgets, meaning greater likelihood for a film to fail to turn a profit.

Sometimes a box office flop is not a bad movie. The now classic Marx Brother’s Duck Soup was a flop. High budgets do not guarantee a good film, and low budgets don’t ensure a bad one. The opposite of the box office flop is a sleeper, a movie made on a tiny budget that earns huge box office returns. The Blair Witch Project made on a budget of 30,000 USD, was a sleeper, and grossed over 200 million USD worldwide. This represents over a 300,000% return on its initial investment.