Summary
- Not all great movies succeed at the box office; quality doesn’t always equal profit.
- Timing and marketing play a big role in a movie’s success, not just its content.
- Flops can become classics, with films like Scott Pilgrim & Blade Runner 2049 still being praised years later.
Movies shouldn’t be defined by their financial performance, as some great movies from the 2010s were seen as commercial failures at the time. A movie’s box office receipts don’t always reflect its quality. Timing and marketing are two huge factors that can influence how much money a movie makes, and they are both completely out of the hands of the people who actually worked on the movie.
There have been plenty of great movies which bombed at the box office over the years, and the 2010s were no different. Huge directors like Martin Scorsese, Paul Thomas Anderson and Denis Villeneuve all had box office flops in the 2010s, but their movies have still been hailed as masterpieces. Sometimes, a movie flops because it’s too experimental or weird to connect with general audiences the first time round, but this is exactly what makes it so interesting.
Related 10 Box Office Flops From The 2000s That Everyone Loves
Some great movies from the 2000s completely flopped at the box office due to changing tastes, competition, or poor marketing of abstract concepts.
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10 Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)
Box Office: $51.7 million
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Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Where to Watch
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Director Edgar Wright Release Date August 12, 2010 Cast Michael Cera , Alison Pill , Mark Webber , Johnny Simmons , Ellen Wong , Kieran Culkin
Edgar Wright’s adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s series of graphic novels earned a respectable $51.7 million at the box office, but it was weighed down by its $85 million budget. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World‘s esoteric style was seen as a turn-off to many people, but Wright’s admirers praised the way the movie incorporates elements of video games and comic books into its visual language.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
quickly developed a cult following, thanks to its great ensemble cast and its unusual brand of humor.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World quickly developed a cult following, thanks to its great ensemble cast and its unusual brand of humor. The cast reunited for an anime adaptation, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, which has been just as popular among fans. Edgar Wright did eventually conquer the American box office years later with Baby Driver, but Scott Pilgrim vs. the World deserved better.
9 Hugo (2011)
Box Office: $185.8 million
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Hugo Where to Watch
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Director Martin Scorsese Release Date November 23, 2011 Cast Sacha Baron Cohen , Jude Law , Ben Kingsley , Ray Winstone , Emily Mortimer , Christopher Lee , Asa Butterfield , Chloe Grace Moretz
Martin Scorsese surprised a lot of people by making Hugo, a heartwarming family movie that has very little in common with his classic crime movies. Although Hugo represented uncharted territory for the director, it proved to be an overwhelming critical success, earning positive reviews and 11 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. Its box office performance was the only downside, considering its huge budget.
Although
Hugo
represented uncharted territory for the director, it proved to be an overwhelming critical success, earning positive reviews and 11 Academy Award nominations.
Based on Brian Selznick’s book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Hugo follows a young boy living in a Parisian train station who becomes involved in a mystery involving a broken-down automaton. Hugo captures Scorsese’s passion for cinema, using a healthy dose of period charm to call back to the earliest days of the art form. It may be his only movie for younger audiences, but Hugo is just as dynamic and emotional as any of his greatest hits.
8 Missing Link (2019)
Box Office: $26.6 million
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Missing Link Where to Watch
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Director Chris Butler Release Date April 12, 2019 Cast Hugh Jackman , Zoe Saldana , Zach Galifianakis , Stephen Fry , Timothy Olyphant
With a budget of $100 million, Missing Link was a disaster for Laika, the studio which made a name for itself with spookier stop-motion stories like Coraline and ParaNorman. Missing Link is the most expensive stop-motion feature ever made, so it was fighting an uphill battle to begin with. 2025’s Wildwood will be Laika’s first movie in six years. Before Missing Link, the studio released a new movie every two or three years.
Missing Link
may have been a financial failure, but it proved that Laika can make great movies without horror.
Although it never made an impression at the box office, Missing Link is a beautiful and uplifting movie. The plot follows a sasquatch who sets off on a voyage across the globe with two adventurers to guide him. The story’s Victorian setting perfectly suits its adventurous spirit, as does its quirky visual style. Missing Link may have been a financial failure, but it proved that Laika can make great movies without horror.
7 Under The Skin (2013)
Box Office: $7.2 million
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Under the Skin
Director Jonathan Glazer Release Date April 4, 2014 Cast Dougie McConnell , Lynsey Taylor Mackay , Jeremy McWilliams , Scarlett Johansson , Kevin McAlinden
The Zone of Interest director Jonathan Glazer created one of the most interesting and unique sci-fi movies of recent years with Under the Skin. Scarlett Johansson stars as a humanoid alien stalking the Scottish countryside in search of men. When she finds a victim, she beckons them into a strange, ink-black void from which there is no escape. Although it received positive reviews, Under the Skin failed to break even at the box office.
The story asks audiences to come up with some of their own answers, and it has been perceived as a feminist allegory, a comment on immigration and a treatise on empathy.
Under the Skin is probably too abstract and experimental to have much general appeal. The story asks audiences to come up with some of their own answers, and it has been perceived as a feminist allegory, a comment on immigration and a treatise on empathy. However audiences interpret Scarlett Johansson’s alien character and her motives, Under the Skin has been hailed as a revolutionary sci-fi movie.
6 The Master (2012)
Box Office: $28.3 million
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The Master
Director Paul Thomas Anderson Release Date September 14, 2012 Cast Joaquin Phoenix , Amy Adams , Philip Seymour Hoffman , Laura Dern , Ambyr Childers , Rami Malek , Jesse Plemons , Kevin J. O’Connor
Paul Thomas Anderson has claimed that The Master is his personal favorite of all his movies, and it deserves more attention. The psychological drama stars Joaquin Phoenix as a World War II veteran who falls under the spell of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s enigmatic cult leader. Both actors, as well as Amy Adams, earned Academy Award nominations for their performances in The Master.
Anderson’s decision to shoot the movie on 65mm film inflated its budget, but this choice suits
The Master
‘s tone and setting.
Boosted by the outstanding performances of its three stars, The Master received a string of rapturous reviews. Unfortunately, The Master failed to recoup its budget at the box office, just like with Anderson’s next movie, Inherent Vice. Anderson’s decision to shoot the movie on 65mm film inflated its budget, but this choice suits The Master‘s tone and setting, and it looks wonderful.
5 The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
Box Office: $110 million
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The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Where to Watch
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Director Guy Ritchie Release Date August 14, 2015 Cast Hugh Grant , Jared Harris , Armie Hammer , Henry Cavill , Alicia Vikander
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. had all the makings of a franchise-starter, but its underwhelming box office haul put an end to that possibility. Based on the 1960s TV show of the same name, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. stars Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer as an American spy and a KGB agent, respectively, who are forced to team up to stop a group of Nazi sympathizers from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
has a great soundtrack, beautiful costumes and some stunning locations, all of which give the impression of the swinging ’60s.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. has a great soundtrack, beautiful costumes and some stunning locations, all of which give the impression of the swinging ’60s. Guy Ritchie’s movie is a joy to watch, but it offers substance as well as style, with some pulsating action sequences and a twisty espionage plot. Unfortunately, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. went up against Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation at the box office, another spy thriller with a much more recognizable name.
4 Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)
Box Office: $9.7 million
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Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
Director Jorma Taccone , Akiva Schaffer Release Date June 3, 2016 Cast Sarah Silverman , Bill Hader , Andy Samberg , Imogen Poots , Jorma Taccone , Will Forte , Martin Sheen , Joan Cusack
The Lonely Island’s pop music mockumentary Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping didn’t receive much of a marketing push before its release, nor did it receive an international release. This means that the comedy movie fell well short of its $20 million budget. Despite this, Popstar has found a devoted audience over the years, with fans praising its music industry satire.
The Lonely Island’s pop music mockumentary
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
didn’t receive much of a marketing push before its release, nor did it receive an international release.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping parodies real-life musicians such as Justin Bieber, Kanye West and Katy Perry. It even gently makes fun of certain pop stars right to their faces, as the movie is littered with a seemingly never-ending stream of celebrity cameos. The Lonely Island’s sketch comedy style provides plenty of laughs, and their songs are just as funny as ever.
3 Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Box Office: $276.6 million
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Blade Runner 2049 Where to Watch
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Director Denis Villeneuve Release Date October 6, 2017 Cast Ryan Gosling , Harrison Ford , Jared Leto , Ana De Armas , Robin Wright , Lennie James , Dave Bautista , Carla Juri , Hiam Abbass , Barkhad Abdi , David Dastmalchian , Mackenzie Davis , Sylvia Hoeks
Denis Villeneuve took over from Ridley Scott for a sequel fans had been waiting decades for, but Blade Runner 2049 was a box office flop, given its huge budget. In some ways, this isn’t much of a surprise. Although the original Blade Runner has now become a sci-fi staple, it also struggled at the box office, and its sequel had to contend with many of the same problems.
Blade Runner 2049
is a slow-paced, R-rated, high-concept sci-fi movie. These three elements tend to drag down any big-budget movie.
Blade Runner 2049 is a slow-paced, R-rated, high-concept sci-fi movie. These three elements tend to drag down any big-budget movie, and the fact that it works much better when audiences have already seen the first movie certainly didn’t help. It may have been a financial failure, but Blade Runner 2049 earned rave reviews. It’s a meticulous neo-noir that builds on the first movie while still providing plenty of original ideas. Michelle Yeoh is set to star in Blade Runner 2099, a sequel TV series set 50 years after 2049.
2 Annihilation (2018)
Box Office: $43.1 million
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Annihilation Where to Watch
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Director Alex Garland Release Date February 22, 2018 Cast Sonoya Mizuno , Kola Bokinni , Jennifer Jason Leigh , Gina Rodriguez , Cosmo Jarvis , Oscar Isaac , Tessa Thompson , Tuva Novotny , Natalie Portman , David Gyasi
Paramount Pictures recognized that a cerebral, surreal sci-fi horror movie might not be a huge money-maker, so they sold Annihilation‘s international distribution rights to Netflix. It performed decently in theaters in America, and it was extremely popular on Netflix. It’s impossible to say whether Annihilation might have fared well with international ticket sales if it wasn’t sold to Netflix, but its streaming figures suggest it should have been given a chance.
Such perplexing movies are rarely box office hits, but
Annihilation
has a great cast and some viscerally effective horror scenes.
Annihilation is a puzzling sci-fi movie, filled with strange mysteries and ambiguity. As the researchers venture deeper into the Shimmer, they learn more about the scientific anomaly, but they get just as many new questions as answers. Such perplexing movies are rarely box office hits, but Annihilation has a great cast and some viscerally effective horror scenes, proving that it could have been an exception to this rule.
1 The Nice Guys (2016)
Box Office: $62 million
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The Nice Guys Where to Watch
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Director Shane Black Release Date May 20, 2016 Cast Ryan Gosling , Ty Simpkins , Rachele Brooke Smith , Russell Crowe , Yaya DaCosta , Margaret Qualley , Kim Basinger , Keith David , Matt Bomer , Yvonne Zima
Shane Black helped create the buddy cop genre with his work on the Lethal Weapon franchise, as well as Kiss Kiss Bang Bang in 2005. The Nice Guys is even funnier and just as compelling as these movies, but it struggled to clear its $50 million budget at the box office. Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe make an unlikely duo, but their surprising comedic chemistry is great to watch.
Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe make an unlikely duo, but their surprising comedic chemistry is great to watch.
Despite its poor financial performance, fans have been eager for a sequel to The Nice Guys for years. The story follows two mismatched investigators unraveling a conspiracy in 1970s Los Angeles involving adult films, the automobile industry, and murder. The ending seems to tee up a sequel perfectly, with the two men setting aside their differences and printing business cards for their new private detective agency. Sadly, Gosling and Crowe haven’t had the chance to rekindle their dynamic.