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Box Office Bomb index
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UglyDolls (2019) — Budget, $45 million. Box office, $32,450,241. This animated feature based on the line of dolls didn't do so beautifully in theaters, with families either continuing to see last week's smash Avengers: Endgame or waiting it out for Pokémon Detective Pikachu instead, which was released the following week to great success. On average, it received a 30% "Rotten" score on Rotten Tomatoes, with most critics calling it "well-meaning but derivative". Plans for an animated series appear to have fallen apart.
UHF (1989) — Budget, $5 million. Box office, $6,157,157. This "Weird Al" Yankovic vehicle had the misfortune of opening during an absolutely brutal summer blockbuster season, facing competition with the likes of Lethal Weapon 2, When Harry Met Sally..., Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Ghostbusters II, Licence to Kill, Dead Poets Society, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Tim Burton's Batman. UHF got lost in the shuffle, and has since become a scapegoat for the demise of Orion Pictures, who thought its great test screenings would make the film competitive despite the packed summer. It sold well on home video and is considered a Cult Classic by Weird Al fans, but Weird Al fell into a slump that wouldn't lift until Off the Deep End and stayed away from live-action films until Weird: The Al Yankovic Story 33 years later.
Ultraviolet (2006) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $18,535,812 (domestic), $31,070,211 (worldwide). Executive Meddling took this film out of director/writer Kurt Wimmer's hands to hastily cut thirty minutes of footage and secure a PG-13 rating, leading to several unfinished effect shots left in the final cut and predictably awful reviews. Wimmer and star Milla Jovovich disowned the final product due to this studio interference, and Wimmer wouldn't return to a director's chair until the 2020 adaptation of Children of the Corn.
Unaccompanied Minors (2006) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $21,949,214. Based on a story featured in This American Life, this family movie's critical and financial takedown sent Paul Feig to "movie jail." He was let out five years later to do Bridesmaids.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988) — Budget, $17 million. Box office, $10,006,806. An Acclaimed Flop. Director Philip Kaufman would thankfully have better success the following decade.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $20,300,157 (domestic), $29,116,320 (worldwide). This meta comedy starring Nicolas Cage As Himself received good reviews but struggled to compete with more high-profile competition.
Unbroken: Path to Redemption (2018) - Budget, $6 million. Box office, $6.2 million. This sequel to 2014's Unbroken had almost none of the cast or crew of the original film and was greeted with an even worse critical reception.
Uncle Nino (2003) - Budget, $2.5-3 million. Box office, $165,000. This family comedy starring Joe Mantegna and Anne Archer struggled to find a distributor that the producers ended up making a deal with a theater in Grand Rapids, Michigan in order to get it released at all. Uncle Nino ended up becoming a surprise hit in Grand Rapids and played there for over a year. It ended up getting a wide release in 2005, where critics (and audiences) were not as receptive.
The Undefeated (2011) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $116,381. The documentary was ripped to pieces and only got a limited release in ten AMC theatres. Sarah Palin's agenda in creating the movie was also undermined when she opened this film the same day as the final Harry Potter film. This was also one of the last films by ARC Entertainment that saw a US theatrical release; Most of their work since has been straight-to-video or foreign releases.
Under Capricorn (1949) — Budget, $2,500,000-$3,000,000. Box office, $1,500,000-$2,668,000. Alfred Hitchcock's costume drama was both a critical and commercial failure in large part due to expectations that it would be a thriller like a number of his other films, and was a Creator Killer for Transatlantic Pictures, Hitchcock's production company, In France, it's been hailed as one of Hitchcock's masterpieces, but remains for the most part the director's lesser-known films.
Under Fire (1983) - Budget, $9.5 million. Box office, $5,696,391. An Acclaimed Flop, though director Roger Spottiswoode (Turner and Hooch) and co-writer Ron Shelton (Bull Durham) would both do better later in the decade.
Under Suspicion (1991) — Budget, $6 million. Box office, $221,295. Simon Moore would only direct one more film after this one, afterwards sticking to TV work.
Under Suspicion (2000) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $260,562. It's an understandable gross considering that its widest release was in 19 theaters and it got a mixed reception from critics. Director Stephen Hopkins wouldn't helm another theatrically-released film in seven years until The Reaping.
Under the Cherry Moon (1986) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $10 million. Though the film flopped, it did well enough in Europe to allow Warner Bros. to greenlight Prince's next film project, Graffiti Bridge. Later became a Cult Classic on home video.
Under the Rainbow (1981) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $18,826,490. Director Steve Rash didn't direct again for another 6 years until Can't Buy Me Love.
Under the Skin (2014) — Budget: £8 million ($13.3 million). Box office: $7.2 million. This sci-fi thriller received glowing reviews but never left a limited release.
Underclassman (2005) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $5,879,555. One of several Miramax films that were placed on The Shelf of Movie Languishment due to Miramax's financial difficulties and the Weinsteins' split from Disney. It was given a limited release of 1,132 theaters and dropped out after seven weeks. Director Marcos Siega made one more feature film before he went to TV and music videos.
Undercover Blues (1993) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $12,324,660. This was Herbert Ross' penultimate film and part of a string of busts for Kathleen Turner. It didn't help that the critics didn't like it to begin with.
The Underneath (1995) — Budget, $6.5 million. Box office, $536,023. One of several films in 1995 that earned Gramercy Pictures closure threats from Universal.
Underwater (2020) — Budget, $50-80 million. Box office, $17,291,078 (domestic), $40,882,928 (worldwide) This sci-fi thriller was filmed in 2017 but sat on the shelf until January 2020, where it quickly sunk towards the bottom of the box office charts. It was also the final film from 20th Century Fox to be released under that name before their new parent company Disney renamed them to 20th Century Studios to distance them from Rupert Murdoch's Fox Corp, and in particular, Fox News.
Undiscovered (2005) — Budget, $9 million. Box office, $1,069,318. According to Box Office Mojo, this film has the second largest second-weekend drop of any wide release at 86.4%.
Undisputed (2002) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $15,220,548. This was the third of a trio of bombs for director Walter Hill, who wouldn't direct another theatrically released film until Bullet to the Head eleven years later. It was also the final film written by David Giler before his death in 2020. Did well enough on home video to spawn a few Direct to Video sequels.
Unfinished Business (2015) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $14,431,253. This marked the lowest opening for Vince Vaughn's career and its critical and financial drubbing took it down after six weeks.
An Unfinished Life (2005) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $18,618,284. Its widest release was in 888 theaters for six weeks.
Unforgettable (1996) — Budget, $18 million. Box office, $2,483,790. Critics and audiences found this sci-fi thriller forgettable and it killed off producer Bill Geddie's writing career after one movie (his TV career survived).
Unforgettable (2017) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $11,368,012 (domestic), $17,768,012 (worldwide). Critics found this erotic thriller entirely forgettable and it withered away after six weeks.
A United Kingdom (2017) — Budget, $14 million. Box office, $3,902,185 (domestic), $13,819,139 (worldwide). Critics liked it though.
United Passions (2015) — Budget, $30 million ($25 million from FIFA's own coffers). Box office, $607 (domestic), $171,511 (worldwide). Effectively a propaganda piece for the FIFA sports organization, the film premiered just after several FIFA officials were arrested on corruption charges, which made it all the more reviled for its melodramatic attempts to paint FIFA executives as saint-like figures (in one scene, Sepp Blatter hands Nelson Mandela a FIFA cup thanks to greenscreen technology). It only showed in ten theaters in the USA, and earned the rare 0% on Rotten Tomatoes. Tim Roth, who played Sepp Blatter in the film, expressed his hatred for it and stated he only took the role for the money. Director Frédéric Auburtin has not directed another film.
Universal Soldier: The Return (1999) — Budget, $45 million. Box office, $10,717,421. Jean-Claude Van Damme didn't return to the big screen again until his self-titled movie and wouldn't be fully visible again until the second Expendables adventure from Sylvester Stallone. The movie has also since been Retconned out of existence by the sequels, which went the direct-to-video route and garnered much more acclaim.
Unleashed (2005) — Budget, $45 million. Box office, $24,537,621 (domestic), $50,871,113 (worldwide). It was an Acclaimed Flop and its box-office numbers, while not impressive, exceeded distributor Rogue Pictures' expectations. It's a Cult Classic in Asia thanks to Jet Li.
Unstoppable (2010) — Budget, $100 million. Box office, $81,562,942 (domestic), $167,805,466 (worldwide). In spite of positive reviews, opening between Megamind and Harry Potter hurt its chances. This was the last film by Tony Scott before his suicide two years later.
Until the End of the World (1991) — Budget, $23 million. Box office, $829,675. This was hit with Invisible Advertising by Warner Bros. and was buried in an extremely limited release. Contemporary reviewers like Roger Ebert criticized the film for its length and slow-narrative, though time has been kinder to it. A nearly five-hour director's cut was released in 2015.
Untraceable (2008) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $28,687,835 (domestic), $52,659,594 (worldwide). This pulled the plug on Gregory Hoblit's directorial career.
Used Cars (1980) — Budget, $8 million. Box office, $11.7 million. This early Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale comedy scored highly with critics and audiences ^note but it still didn't break even. That it was released a week after the similarly zany Airplane! didn't help its case. It still became a Cult Classic.
Used People (1992) — Budget, $16 million. Box office, $17,957,265 (domestic). Co-executive producer Lloyd Levin did not get a producer credit on another theatrical film for 5 years.
USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage (2016) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $1.2 million. This World War II drama was released digitally in October and in a limited theatrical release on Veterans Day. It was heavily panned by critics and quickly faded away at the box office. The budget was likely ballooned by production accidentally sinking a real WWII-era seaplane while filming.
U Turn (1997) — Budget, $19 million. Box office, $6,633,400. This was the first released film written by John Ridley, which was based on his novel, Stray Dogs. His actual debut as a screenwriter and director, Cold Around the Heart, was actually shot first, but was released a month later. Its financial failure continued an unlucky streak for director and co-writer Oliver Stone.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017) — Budget, $180-$220 million. Box office, $40,479,370 (domestic), $224,648,882 (worldwide). Costing €197,470,000, this film holds the record for the most expensive French film ever produced. It unfortunately couldn't make its budget back and was already being called a bomb during its first week of release. Reasons include its lack of star power, stiff competition, middling reviews, and being compared negatively to earlier sci-fi films (even though the source material influenced many of them). Part of a bad string for star Dane DeHaan, another low-rated film for Cara Delevingne's burgeoning film career, and a bad year for distributor STX Entertainment; none of them would remain prominent much longer. This was a massive blow to director Luc Besson, as the debts from the film caused him to lose his control of EuropaCorp, while Edouard de Vesinne lost his job as its CEO.
Valiant (2005) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $19,478,106 (domestic), $61,746,888 (worldwide). This World War II pigeon movie was the first film by Vanguard Animation. It was also the briefly the lowest-grossing CGI-film of all time until Doogal beat it the following year.
Valmont (1989) — Budget, $33 million. Box office, $1,132,112. The second film version of Dangerous Liaisons released within a year. It got decent reviews but bombed hard enough to not exit out of limited run. Milos Forman would not work again until 1996.
Vampire Academy (2014) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $15,391,979. A young adult Paranormal Romance came out when the genre was dying. A TV series is currently in production for Peacock.
Vampires (1998) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $20,308,772. Second to last in a string of directing career-ending bombs for John Carpenter.
The Vanishing (1993) — Budget, $23 million. Box office, $14,543,394. This English remake of the Dutch film, both directed by George Sluizer, was heavily criticized for its Adaptational Alternate Ending.
Vanishing on 7th Street (2010) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $1,068,682. This film was a setback to Brad Anderson's directing career and put the overall careers of the brothers Christensen, Hayden and older brother Tove, on life support for a few years.
Vanity Fair (2004) — Budget, $23 million. Box office, $19,463,155. This adaptation of the William Makepeace Thackeray novel got a mixed reception from critics and debuted on Labor Day weekend on 1,051 theaters. It only topped out at three more theaters before it ended its run a few months later.
Vatel (2000) — Budget, $37 million. Box office, $51,080. Roland Joffe wouldn't work in cinema again until Captivity seven years later.
The Vatican Tapes (2015) — Budget, $13 million. Box office, $1,784,763 (domestic), $11,680,747 (worldwide). Mark Neveldine's (of Neveldine/Taylor) first solo film as director lasted four weeks in theaters before it was exorcised.
Vegas Vacation (1997) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $36,400,360 (domestic), $37,327,592. The fourth film in the Vacation series knocked Chevy Chase off the A-List and prevented the production of further films in said franchise for 18 years.
Velvet Goldmine (1998) — Budget, $9 million. Box office, $4.3 million. This ode to the 1970s glam rock scene got mixed reviews and was buried in a limited release. Nonetheless, it managed to pick up a strong cult following in the years since its release.
Veronica Guerin (2003) — Budget, $17 million. Box office, $9,439,660. This biopic of the Irish journalist received mixed reviews and struggled in its limited release. It still got Cate Blanchett a Golden Globe nomination.
V.I. Warshawski (1991) — Budget, $24 million. Box office, $11.1 million. Arguably a Star-Derailing Role for star Kathleen Turner. Any attempt to make a franchise out of Sarah Paretsky's crime novels were shot down when this film failed at the box office.
Vibes (1988) — Budget, $18 million. Box office, $1,883,811. One of the biggest critical and commercial duds of 1988, Gene Siskel accused it of ripping off Romancing the Stone. It put a B-list handicap on director Ken Kwapis's career right away and prompted Cyndi Lauper to not take a leading role in another major movie.
Vice (2018) — Budget, $60 million. Box office, $47,836,282 (domestic), $76,073,488 (worldwide). Adam McKay's biopic of former Vice President Dick Cheney received a polarized response from critics, who deemed it either an Anvilicious or brilliant satire while praising Christian Bale's performance as Cheney and the film's Oscar-winning makeup. It also contributed to a bad year for Annapurna Pictures.
Victor Frankenstein (2015) — Budget, $40 million. Box office, $34,227,298. Managed to set the new record for lowest opening gross in 2,500+ theaters, taking that title from Won't Back Down (surpassed a few years later by the small budget horror film Friend Request). The film's critical and commercial failings may very well have electrocuted the careers of its makers: director Paul McGuigan would make just one more film before going into television, while writer Max Landis (coming off another flop in American Ultra) would remain in the spotlight for only a few more years before his career was totally derailed by abuse allegations.
Videodrome (1983) — Budget, $5,952,000. Box office, $2,120,439. This film got great reviews, but was also noted for its bizarre horror content (a trend with David Cronenberg films).
View from the Top (2003) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $19,526,014. This was supposed to have been released in December 2001 but it was booked into The Shelf of Movie Languishment because of 9/11. It was finally released the week the Invasion of Iraq began. The terrible reviews ensured it an unhappy flight at the box office.
Vikingdom (2013) — Budget, 15.6 million RM (approx $3.9 million). Box Office, 550,796 RM (approx $138,000). Yes, the movie barely scraped back a fraction of its budget, despite being billed as Malaysia's biggest blockbuster ever made with an International audience in mind. KRU studios will focus its subsequent projects as music videos instead of films.
Village of the Damned (1995) — Budget, $22 million. Box office, $9.4 million. Part of a string of directing career-ending bombs for John Carpenter, and it's one of the final theatrical roles taken by Christopher Reeve (the film was also released a month before Reeve's severe horseriding accident).
Violets are Blue (1986) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $4,743,287. Jack Fisk's second film as director was the last one which starred his wife, Sissy Spacek.
Virgin Territory (2007) — Budget, $38 million. Box office, $5,410,749. This film version of The Decameron was the last film directed by David Leland, the last film for legendary producer Dino De Laurentiis, and one of the last nails in the coffin for post-Star Wars Hayden Christensen. It crashed and burned so badly in the international box-office that it was released Direct to Video in the US.
Virtuosity (1995) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $24 million. Critics and audiences didn't care for it upon release but it later became a Cult Classic primarily for Russell Crowe's scenery-chewing performance as the Big Bad in one of his first American films.
Virus (1999) — Budget, $75 million. Box office, $30.6 million. This adaptation of the obscure graphic novel was universally panned by critics for being derivative of other sci-fi works. This was the only feature film directed by visual effects supervisor John Bruno and it ended Dennis Feldman's writing career. Jamie Lee Curtis has nothing nice to say about it.
Volcano (1997) — Budget, $90 million. Box office, $49,323,468 (domestic), $122,823,468 (worldwide). This movie was mocked and scorned by critics and geologists for attempting to have a volcano appear in L.A's La Brea Tar Pits, and it came out only two months after another volcano disaster film, Dante's Peak (which got a slightly better reception overall). Volcano liquidated the cinematic directing career of Mick Jackson, resulted in writer Billy Ray not getting another theatrical writing credit for 5 years, and was one of a handful of late '90s films that, along with studios blackballing her for coming out of the closet, derailed the top tier career of Anne Heche.
Voyagers (2021) — Budget, $29 million. Box office, $4,269,415. This was one of a handful of films to get a wide theatrical release in April 2021 when movie theaters were just starting to recover from the still-ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic (only Mortal Kombat and the US release of Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugan Train saw any real success that month). Whatever minor chance it had at making its budget back was shot when Lionsgate dumped this with Invisible Advertising just a week after Godzilla vs. Kong began dominating the otherwise-weak box office, resulting in the film flopping hard enough to get pulled after only five weeks in favor of Spiral. The poor reviews didn't help either.

Waking the Dead (2000) — Budget, $8.5 million. Box office, $327,418. One of the movies that led to Gramercy Pictures winding up in the morgue until 2015. Director Keith Gordon didn't direct for 3 years and has never produced another film.
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $18,317,151. It failed to surpass its budget despite a major marketing push and being one of the more highly praised parody films. The crowded holiday competition that year didn't help either.
Walker (1987) — Budget, $6 million. Box office, $257,043 (domestic). This film and Straight to Hell's very poor performances immediately sentenced Repo Man director Alex Cox to the C-list of Hollywood moviemakers; he has only been able to scrape enough money to make Direct to Video films since.
Warriors of Virtue (1997) — Budget, $36 million. Box office, $6,633,341. This was the only film financed by toy and plastics magnate Joe Law, whose sons (Dennis, Ron, Christopher, and Jeremy), were the producers. Although a Direct to Video sequel was made, any attempts to make a franchise out of this movie about karate kangaroos went up in smoke, and the Law brothers never produced another film after the sequel came out. This film knocked out the career of lead Mario Yedidia, who never appeared in another full-length theatrical film, and director Ronny Yu's next producing credit came in 2006.
The Warrior's Way (2010) — Budget, $42 million. Box office, $11,087,569. This martial arts fantasy spent two years on The Shelf of Movie Languishment due to financial difficulties before it was dumped on the post-Thanksgiving weekend. It ended up being one of the year's biggest bombs. This is the only film for writer/director Sngmoo Lee and the only Hollywood film for star Jang Dong-gun.
The Watcher in the Woods (1980/1981) — Budget, $9 million. Box office, $5 million (approximate). Disney initially rushed this film into release to coincide with star Bette Davis' 50th anniversary in show business, leading to a key special effects sequence unfinished before its New York premiere in 1980. After the premiere screenings received negative reviews, Disney pulled the film from release and rereleased it the following year with a new ending. The studio wrote off $6.7 million as a result of the film's commercial failure, but it became a Cult Classic, inspiring a made-for-TV remake in 2017.
Waterland (1992) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $1,100,218.
Waterloo (1970) — Budget, $25-40 million. Box office, $1.4 million (domestic). The exact budget has never had an single concrete confirmation (Roger Ebert says he was told $25 million, other sources say it went at high as $38-40 million) but nevertheless, it was reported to be gigantic. Producer Dino De Laurentiis blamed it on the studios not letting him use the actors he wanted and sticking him with cast that had "no star power". It was rumored that this film's failure was what caused MGM to scrap their plans for funding Stanley Kubrick's Napoleon movie; MGM denied this, however.
Waterworld (1995) - Budget, $175 million (roughly $225 million in total costs). Box office, $88.2 million (domestic), $264.2 million (worldwide). The most expensive film ever at the time of its release, thanks to a Troubled Production that drove it over $60 million overbudget. Waterworld was lambasted by the press, ripped apart by critics, and is considered to have been a massive bomb in North America. The perception of the scope of its failure mainly came from US reporters in the 1990s not having access to data from international market where the film did absolute gangbusters, though it was only enough to make it a mild bomb instead of a legendary one when accounting for taxes and ancillary costs. It was a massive setback for Kevin Costner. Later became a Cult Classic thanks to strong home video sales and an incredibly successful stunt show keeping it in the public consciousness.
The Way Back (2020) — Budget, $21-25 million. Box office, $14,690,514. This Ben Affleck sports drama received very good reviews but crashed and burned due to coming out right as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the US.
The Way of the Gun (2000) — Budget, $21 million. Box office, $13,069,740. Christopher McQuarrie's first directorial outing after his Oscar win for writing The Usual Suspects, he would take over a decade to direct another film with Jack Reacher. Part of a 2000/2001 slate that put production company Artisan Entertainment on life support; they would rebound the next year before being absorbed by Lionsgate. Later gained a cult following for its Black Comedy take on Neo-Noir tropes and realistic firearms handling.
W.E. (2011) — Budget, £11 million ($15 million U.S.). Box office, £560,645 ($868,439 U.S.). Writer Alek Keshishian's career got put on hold pending several David Fincher projects, and Madonna has yet to make another feature-length film, though she won a Golden Globe for her song "Masterpiece".
We Are Your Friends (2015) — Budget, $6 million. Box office, $3.6 million (domestic), $11.1 million (worldwide). On its opening weekend, it only averaged $758 per theater.
The Weight of Water (2000) — Budget, $16 million. Box office, $321,279. The movie sat on the shelf for two years in the United States before being dumped out to theaters in 2002. Released during a packed season and competing with films such as Jackass: The Movie and The Santa Clause 2 gave it no chance.
Welcome Home (1989) — Budget, $11 million. Box office, $1,048,322. This was released two months after the death of director Franklin J. Schaffner and eight months after the death of co-star Trey Wilson.
Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael (1990) — Budget, $13 million. Box office, $3,989,287. Karen Leigh Hopkins didn't get another screenwriting credit until 1998. Director Jim Abrahams, however, recovered the following year with Hot Shots!.
Welcome to Marwen (2018) — Budget, $39 million. Box office, $12,463,520. This combination of live-action humans and CGI dolls got generally negative reviews, tied with fellow bomb Action Point for the worst opening weekend of the year, and lasted just four weeks in cinemas. Steve Carell's career survived, but it marked the second straight bomb from legendary director Robert Zemeckis (after Allied), whose subsequent films have all gone direct-to-streaming.
Welcome to Mooseport (2004) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $14,615,099. The film's failure prompted Gene Hackman to retire from acting altogether.
Welcome to Sarajevo (1997) — Budget, $9 million. Box office, $334,319. It received strong reviews and several awards but it never left a limited release. This didn't slow down director Michael Winterbottom's career in the slightest.
Welcome to the Rileys (2010) — Budget, $10 million. Box office, $317,382. Possibly the lowest performing film to involve Ridley and Tony Scott. Writer Ken Hixon's career was thrown out the window after this movie, and Ridley's son Jake Scott has yet to make another feature film, plus co-producer Scott Bloom's career took up residence in Development Hell.
The Wendell Baker Story (2005) — Budget, $8 million. Box office, $153,169. Originally premiering at Austin's South By Southwest, it did not get a theatrical release until 2007. It's one of the lowest (perhaps THE lowest) grossing films that Luke and Owen Wilson, Eva Mendes, and Will Ferrell have ever been in.
We're No Angels (1989) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $10,555,348. This remake of the 1955 film of the same name, itself based on the play My Three Angels, was Neil Jordan's first American film. It got a mixed reception from critics, many of whom felt the humor fell flat and that the talent (including stars Sean Penn and Robert De Niro and screenwriter David Mamet) were wasted.
West Side Story (2021) - Budget, $100 million. Box office, $38,530,322 (domestic), $76,016,171 (worldwide). Steven Spielberg’s take on the classic musical received near-unanimous praise from critics, with many considering it to be just as great if not better than the 1961 version. However, its box office receipts were seriously hampered by poor timing, between cases of the Omicron variant of COVID making older audiences wary to go out and younger audiences being more interested in the juggernaut that was Spider-Man: No Way Home. Not helping matters was star Ansel Elgort being accused of sexual assault between the movie's filming and COVID-delayed release.
What Planet Are You From? (2000) — Budget, $50 million. Box office, $14,145,677. This Sci-Fi Sex Comedy was the first and only film with Garry Shandling in the lead role. Critics found no signs of intelligent humor in the film and it was cast out of theaters after four weeks.
When Time Ran Out... (1980) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $3,763,988. This film was released one year after another Irwin Allen bust, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure, and after THIS bombed, Allen's career sank for good. It also liquidated the careers of writers Stirling Silliphant and Carl Foreman along with director James Goldstone and the man behind the movie's infamous special effects, L.B. Abbott (Silliphant would remain a B-level writer for 7 years before another flop shot him down altogether).
Where the Heart Is (1990) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $1,106,475. This critically panned comedy dealt a huge blow to John Boorman. He directed two short films before his next feature film, 1995's Beyond Rangoon.
Where The Money Is (2000) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $7,243,669. One of the last-credited movies for Gramercy Pictures until 2015; Universal had already sold the company to the USA Network around this time. This failed to attract its intended senior citizen demographic despite the presence of Paul Newman; this ended up being the legendary actor's last starring role in a film. Director Marek Kanievska didn't direct again for 4 years, and writer E. Max Frye's writing career was put in its own cemetery until 2014. Also one of the films that helped signal the end of Linda Fiorentino's career.
Where'd You Go, Bernadette? (2019) — Budget, $18 million. Box office, $9.6 million. More like "Where'd the Box Office Go, Bernadette?"
Whispers In The Dark (1992) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $11,124,511. This was the last film Christopher Crowe directed, though he had better luck that year as co-writer of The Last of the Mohicans.
The White Countess (2005) — Budget, $16 million. Box office, $4,092,682 (worldwide). This is the last film for producer Ismail Merchant, who died in May of that year.
White Dog (1982) — Budget, $7 million (estimated). Box office, $46,509 (no, you didn't read it wrong). Noted for its especially Troubled Production, suffering from having its American release pulled courtesy of distributor Paramount because of accusations of being racist (the film centered around a white dog terrorizing and maiming African Americans). Said treatment of this film prompted director Samuel Fuller to retreat to France (where his films were much better received) and never made another Hollywood film again. However, it was generally acclaimed by critics, and after it was finally released on DVD in 2008, the general public has repeatedly criticized Paramount for withholding its release, given that it teaches an important lesson of America's damning record of racism.
White Man's Burden (1995) — Budget, $7 million. Box office, $3,560,725. Ended up being the only theatrical film Desmond Nakano directed. This was also the final theatrical film released by Savoy Pictures, which ended its interest in film production a few months prior and closed a few years later.
White Sands (1992) — Budget, $22 million. Box office, $9,011,574. Screenwriter Daniel Pyne waited six years to write his next non-television screenplay.
White Squall (1996) — Budget, $38 million. Box office, $10,292,300. It was the second film by Ridley Scott (after 1492: Conquest of Paradise) to bomb at the box office, putting him one step away from complete Creator Killer.
White Water Summer (1987) — Budget, Unknown. Box office, $300,859. Its poor box-office is due to Columbia Pictures only releasing it in the Pacific Northwest.
Whiteout (2009) — Budget, $35 million. Box office, $17,840,867. The movie was shelved for two years before getting sent out to die during a bad month.
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody (2022) - Budget, $45 million. Box office, $59.7 million. This attempt to cash in on the craze of musician Biopics stumbled out the gate (including changing its title to add Whitney Houston's name a week before release) and was met with mixed reviews.
Who's That Girl (1987) — Budget, $17-20 million. Box office, $7,305,209. This and Shanghai Surprise resulted in Madonna minimizing her movie career.
The Wicked Lady (1983) — Budget, $8 million (estimated). Box office, $724,912. This remake of the 1945 Gainsborough melodrama was shredded by critics and audiences. Its failure killed off plans for a franchise.
Wicked Stepmother (1989) — Budget, $2.5 million (estimated). Box office, $43,749. The film's Troubled Production saw Bette Davis, in her final film, walk off the set after a week due to Creative Differences with director/writer Larry Cohen, though he attributed her departure to her failing health ^note. Cohen salvaged the film by introducing an Nth Doctor situation in which Davis' character swaps bodies with her on-screen daughter, Barbara Carerra, while the other inhabits the body of a cat. While the film was buried on release, it became a Cult Classic down the line.
Wide Awake (1998) — Budget, $6 million. Box office, $282,175. If you're wondering why it was that low, it only got shown in less than 30 screens across the country. The movie sat on a shelf for three years before the studio dumped it out with minimal marketing. The film's director bounced back very hard the following year...
Wild Bill (1995) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $2,193,982. Director Walter Hill blamed bad marketing for the film’s failure, specifically the trailers that the studio put together.
Wild Card (2015) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $6.7 million. William Goldman's second attempt at adapting his novel Heat, which was filmed by that title in 1986. This was hit with Invisible Advertising (a trailer appeared a month before its release) and had a simultaneous VOD and limited theatrical release. This was Goldman's final film before his death in 2018.
The Wild Party 1975 - Budget, $900,000. Box office, unknown. James Ivory's film version of the James Moncure March poem, itself loosely based on the Fatty Arbuckle scandal, played in Boston and Denver before its rancid critical and audience reception killed its plans for a wider release. Ivory blamed its failure on Executive Meddling which re-edited the film into a mess of Mood Whiplash.
Wild Target (2010) — Budget, 5 million pounds sterling. Box office, 2.15 million pounds sterling. Director Jonathan Lynn hasn't had his name attached to any movies since this one.
Wild Wild West (1999) - Budget, $170-241 million. Box office, $113,804,681 (domestic), $222,104,681 (worldwide). Director Barry Sonnenfeld endured much Executive Meddling from producer Jon Peters during production, which involved costly reshoots with Peters insisting on the crude humor that critics would rip into the film for. Star Will Smith famously joked that "That's how big I am. I bomb over a hundred million.", but Sonnenfeld, Smith and most of the cast were quick to voice their displeasure with the final product, along with the cast of the original television show including Robert Conrad, who personally accepted the multiple Razzies the film won. This effectively ended Sonnenfeld's film career outside of Men in Black, while Jon Peters has only produced on four films since. Its failure is also credited for killing interest in fantastical Westerns for over a decade and also signaled the end of the Renaissance that Western films enjoyed throughout the 1990s.
Willard (2003) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $8,546,666. This remake of the 1971 horror film fell flat at the box office despite generally good reviews. Glen Morgan directed only one other film, another horror remake, Black Christmas (2006); the trouble he had working on that lead to him sticking to TV.
Wind (1992) — Budget, $29 million. Box office, $5,519,569. This yacht-racing drama was the last movie Jennifer Grey made before her infamous rhinoplasty and part of a long streak of bombs for Matthew Modine.
Windtalkers (2002) — Budget, $115 million. Box office, $77,628,265. This alleged biopic about the WWII Navajo code talkers was roundly criticized for barely touching on this subject and spending more time on Nicolas Cage's character. This turned out to be an expensive flop for the frequently-troubled MGM, and the commercial results of this film and Paycheck the next year ended John Woo's Hollywood career.
Wing Commander (1999) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $11,578,059. A case of Video Game Movies Suck despite having the programmer behind the games, Chris Roberts, directing the movie. It also didn't help that 20th Century Fox rushed the film into theaters to capitalize on Freddie Prinze Jr.'s newfound fame. Wing Commander's failure not only killed Roberts' career for several years, it was also responsible for destroying the actual game franchise (this is one of at least two instances on this list where the main man behind the video game franchise failed to direct a successful movie adaptation of it and saw their careers shelled; the other is Hironobu Sakaguchi and Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within). This movie was also the beginning of a rut that Prinze would be stuck in during the early 2000s that would quickly end his brief time as a leading man.
Winter Kills (1979) — Budget, $6 million. Box office, $1,083,799. This adaptation of the Richard Condon novel was financed by two mob-connected marijuana dealers, Robert Sterling and Leonard Goldberg. The production proved nightmarish as it shut down multiple times due to financial issues, Goldberg was murdered and Sterling was sentenced to prison. The director and cast made The American Success Company in the interim, which was successful enough to finance the rest of the film. Ultimately, Invisible Advertising and Executive Meddling from Avco Embassy Pictures iced the film. A director's cut re-release in 1983 helped turn the film into a Cult Classic.
Winter's Tale (2014) — Budget, $60 million. Box office, $31,125,231. Akiva Goldsman's directorial debut was this film version of the Mark Helprin novel. It was a critical and financial fiasco which ultimately left theaters after seven weeks. After a number of bombs, Colin Farrell more or less had his leading man card revoked for big budget features, though he remained prolific as a supporting actor and in smaller films.
Wired (1989) — Budget, $13 million. Box office, $1,089,000 (domestic). Producer Edward Feldman accused backer and talent mogul Michael Ovitz of sabotaging the biography on John Belushi in a 2005 book, and his co-star from The Blues Brothers, Dan Aykroyd, along with preview audiences, was hostile towards the final version of his portrayal, which bombed heavily. The infamously botched portrayal of Belushi zapped the careers of the majority of the crew (journalist Bob Woodward, who is one of the two reporters credited with unveiling the Watergate scandal, was credited, and never dealt with anything not political again), with Feldman and star Michael Chiklis being the only major names to recover.
Wish (2023) — Budget, $175-200 million. Box office, $63.9 million (domestic), $253.2 million (worldwide). The 62nd film in the Disney Animated Canon was the most hyped-up (and merchandised!) since Frozen II, as it was intended to cap off the 100th anniversary celebration for the company; instead, it ended up becoming one of many films released by Disney in 2023 to seriously underperform financially (with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 being the only film under Disney’s umbrella to not underperform expectations or outright lose money). The mixed-to-negative reviews, which took the film to task for its derivative story, mediocre songs, and distracting Company Cross References, and stiff competition from Trolls Band Together, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, and (of all movies) Napoleon (2023) during its opening week (with Migration and Wonka coming a few weeks later to further divert family audiences) didn’t help matters. It did noticeably better overseas than in the states, though not enough to push the film to profitability, and to its credit, it was still much less of a financial bomb than the previous DAC film, Strange World.
Without Limits (1998) — Budget, $25 million. Box office, $777,423. One of two competing biopics about track runner Steve Prefontaine, preceded a year earlier by Prefontaine, starring Jared Leto. This film blew down Robert Towne's career; he wrote Mission: Impossible II, but didn't direct again until 2006 with Ask the Dust. It did get great reviews.
The Wiz (1978) — Budget, $24 million. Box office, $13,600,000. This film adaptation of the African-American musical rendition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was the most expensive musical at the time. It departed significantly from the source material to accommodate Diana Ross's casting as Dorothy, a role she actively campaigned for. Her casting bore the brunt of the film's tepid reviews and the film proved a Star-Derailing Role for her acting career. This also proved to be Michael Jackson's only major film role, though his and Ross's music careers survived. Its failure discouraged major studios from producing films with All-Black casts for a good while; it would be a solid four decades before an All-Black tentpole was attempted again (and actually succeeded big time). It also put a dent in Motown Productions' prospects and they only produced one more film after this. Its soundtrack, particularly the single "Ease on Down the Road", became a smash hit, which helped the film become a Cult Classic later down the road.
A Wrinkle in Time (2018) - Budget, $100-130 million. Box office, $137.7 million. This adaptation of a children's classic was met with mixed-to-negative reviews for the performances and some of the creative choices from director Ava DuVernay in her first big budget children's film (she had previously made serious dramas and documentaries); she spent the next five years exclusively directing TV.
The Wolfman (2010) - Budget, $150 million. Box office, $142.6 million. Another attempt from Universal to remake its monster canon with a blockbuster-level budget that fell flat. Also another bomb from director Joe Johnston; even the success of Captain America: The First Avenger the following year wasn't enough to rescue him from a stint in movie jail he's yet to truly emerge from.
Wonder Park (2019) - Budget, $80-100 million. Box office, $119.6 million. An extremely Troubled Production that saw both the director and a major member of the voice cast removed due to inappropriate behavior doomed this children's movie well before release. Paramount and Nickelodeon were forced to either under-market the movie or risk even worse press coverage, and they chose the former. The film was intended to serve as the pilot to an already-produced TV series like previous Nick-sponsored movies like Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and Barnyard, but it performed so poorly and had such a negative stink attached to it that nothing from the series has ever been released.
Won't Back Down (2012) — Budget, $19 million. Box office, $5,714,913. This Save Our Students film is notable for having the third worst opening gross for a movie in 2,500+ theaters; it was panned critically and garnered controversy for its negative depiction of teachers' unions. Director Daniel Barnz would helm just one more film, Cake (2014), which similarly underperformed.
The Work and the Glory (2004) — Budget, $7,500,000. Box office, $3,347,647. Possibly the most expensive LDS film ever made, the film failed to break even because it didn't play in enough theaters to do so. That didn't stop the producers from making two sequels, possibly amplified by DVD sales.
- The Work and the Glory II: American Zion (2005) — Budget, $6.5 million. Box office, $2,025,032. The sequel failed to even outgross its predecessor and this would be the only release from Vineyard Distribution. Again, the producers relied on DVD sales to justify one more sequel.
- The Work and the Glory III: A House Divided (2006) — Budget, $6.5 million. Box office, $1,325,092. The lowest grossing film in the series and the final film venture for Utah Jazz owner Larry H. Miller, who would pass away in 2009.
Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (1993) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $278,720.
Wrongfully Accused (1998) — Budget, $30 million. Box office, $9,600,000. Hurt director Pat Proft's theatrical career for a while, though he did rebound five years later with Scary Movie 3.
Wyatt Earp (1994) — Budget, $63 million. Box office, $25,052,000. This movie's existence came about when Kevin Costner disagreed with the director of Tombstone over character writing, and he made this with Warner Bros. (another chapter in the Disney vs Warner rivalry; Disney distributed Tombstone through Hollywood Pictures). Costner tried to pressure other studios to not distribute Tombstone before Disney picked that film up, and it ultimately didn't help much when Tombstone beat Wyatt Earp to theaters and did well critically and financially, whereas the latter got mixed reviews and couldn't make up the budget. This was one of three major films that sunk Costner's A-list status in the mid '90s.

Xanadu (1980) — Budget, $20 million. Box office, $22.8 million. Michael Beck quoted this movie as, "closing the doors that The Warriors opened" ^note. It was also a Star-Derailing Role for Gene Kelly, who did not play another fictional character for the rest of his life. The failure of this film, along with Two of a Kind three years later, also killed Olivia Newton-John's promising career as a leading lady in feature films. Along with Can't Stop The Music, Xanadu inspired the creation of the Razzies.
xXx: State of the Union (2005) — Budget, $87-113 million. Box office, $71,022,683. Vin Diesel being replaced by Ice Cube due to script issues killed audience interest in this sequel. Not only did it receive significantly worse reviews compared to the first film, its total domestic gross ($26 million) was just over half of what the first film made in its opening weekend alone. This dealt a big blow to director Lee Tamahori's career (who had previously directed Die Another Day) and its failure played a big role in killing the trend of action films centered on extreme sports. The xXx film series stalled out for 11 years, with the next film making a point to bring back Diesel in a starring role.

The Yards (2000) — Budget, $24 million. Box office, $889,352. Was shelved for two years until Miramax quietly shoved it out to limited theaters. Director James Gray wouldn’t release another film until We Own the Night seven years later.
Year of the Comet (1992) — Budget, $18 million. Box office, $2,791,515. It's one of three 1992 bombs that set William Goldman's cinematic career back by 5 years. The film prompted actor Louis Jourdan to retire, and Peter Yates only directed one more mainstream film.
Year of the Gun (1991) — Budget, $15 million. Box office, $1,182,273. This John Frankenheimer thriller helped knock Andrew McCarthy off of the A-List.
Yes Giorgio (1982) — Budget, $19 million. Box office, $2,279,543. Luciano Pavarotti's first and last movie, and a critical hit to Franklin J. Schaffner's career; the director wouldn't direct again until 1987, and he only made two more movies before dying in 1989.
You and I (2011) — Budget, $12 million. Box office, $908,578. This premiered in the Cannes Film Festival in 2008 and saw its release date pushed back again and again before it finally debuted in Russia in 2011. It went Direct to Video in the US in 2012. It proved another career-low for director Roland Joffe.
Your Highness (2011) — Budget, $50 million. Box office, $24,856,478. This fantasy spoof became one of the year's most critically reviled films due to its reliance on Vulgar Humor. James Franco isn't really proud of it.

Zabriskie Point (1970) — Budget, $7 million. Box office, $1 million. Michelangelo Antonioni's counterculture drama was shredded by critics and audiences for its droning plot and disaffected characters. It's since been Vindicated by History thanks to its stunning cinematography and soundtrack from the likes of Pink Floyd and The Grateful Dead.
Zero Effect (1998) — Budget, $5 million. Box office, $2,087,741. Jake Kasdan's directorial debut was this Setting Update of the Sherlock Holmes story A Scandal in Bohemia. It got generally good reviews but a paltry limited release of 129 theaters. That didn't stop Kasdan from attempting to pitch a TV series based on the movie to NBC, thought it never made it past the pilot. It later became a Cult Classic.
The Zero Theorem (2014) — Budget, $8-13 million. Box office, $1.2 million. This Terry Gilliam sci-fi film premiered the previous year at the Venice Film Festival and its US theatrical release spanned all of five weeks at 63 theaters. Critics gave it mixed reviews, while audiences not familiar with Gilliam's style generally stayed away.
Zoom: Academy for Superheroes (2006) — Budget, $75.6 million. Box office, $12,506,188. This was delayed when Fox and Marvel sued the creators for the film being too similar to X-Men: The Last Stand, but it did no good. This was the final nail in the A-level cinematic coffin of director Peter Hewitt and may have also played a part in sending Tim Allen and Courteney Cox back to television.
Zorro, the Gay Blade (1981) — Budget, $12.6 million. Box office, $5.1 million (domestic). Director Peter Medak didn't work on another theatrical film until The Men's Club five years later. George Hamilton, who played both Zorros, also stuck to TV until The Godfather Part III in 1990.
Zyzzyx Road (2006) — Budget, $1.2 million. Box office, $30. Yes, thirty bucks, or six tickets (two sold to a makeup artist who worked on the film; the director returned their money, so the film had a net box office profit of $20). The film received only a one-week domestic release (playing one screen in Dallas) to comply with Screen Actors Guild rules. The producer had no intention otherwise of opening it in the U.S. until after it had foreign distribution. However, it only made around $368,000 internationally by the end of 2006. While the tiny investment made in it doesn't technically make it a "bomb", there is no better title to end this alphabetized list.

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