Roald Dahl is a beloved author, and while tons of films have attempted to adapt his works, almost all of them have been commercial failures.
Summary
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Despite being critically acclaimed, many film adaptations of Roald Dahl’s beloved books have been box office failures, with only a few exceptions.
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The BFG, directed by Steven Spielberg, and The Witches (1990) are among the Dahl adaptations that underperformed at the box office.
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Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory and Fantastic Mr. Fox also faced box office failures, but both have since gained cult status and cultural impact.
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Roald Dahl is one of the most famous authors of all time, and while many films have adapted Dahl’s classic works, many of them have been huge box office failures. While some Roald Dahl films have been successful, many more have failed and many of his films have lost money despite being critical successes. The reasons for these failures vary, and while many of them were successful on home video, they simply didn’t do well in theaters. So, here are all the film adaptations of one of Roald Dahl’s beloved books that became a box office bomb.
Roald Dahl is the author of some of the most classic works of children’s literature and has written titles such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, matilda, the bfgand tons of others. Many of these titles have become household names, but despite this, Roald Dahl film adaptations seem to have a box office curse. With the exception of Tim Burton Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which grossed $475 million on a $100 million budget, almost all of Dahl’s adaptations have failed. There are a lot of movies to cover, including what their budget was and what they made at the box office.
Related: Every Roald Dahl Movie Adaptation Ranked From Worst to Best
7 The BFG
The live-action adaptation of Roald Dahl’s film the bfg is one of the most recent films to bear the beloved author’s name, but sadly it was a box office disappointment. the bfg was directed by Steven Spielberg and released by Disney, and these big names led many to expect the film to be a huge hit upon its release in 2016. However, the film underperformed, with the bfg it only made $195.2 million on a budget of $140 million. It had tough competition with other Disney movies like Finding Dory and Captain America: Civil Warwhich means that Disney may have harmed itself, with the bfg It is estimated that it will lose around 100 million dollars.
6 The Witches (1990)
1990 The witches is the beloved adaptation of Roald Dahl’s book of the same name, and the film became a Halloween staple for many fans. Despite its popularity, the film was not actually a success upon its initial release and failed to double its budget (a general rule of thumb for profitability in Hollywood). With a budget of 11 million dollars, The witches It grossed only $15.3 million at the box office, meaning it’s doubtful the film covered its marketing and distribution costs. This wasn’t the only problem with the movie, as the original author of the story wasn’t actually a fan of The witches due to its history changes.
Curiously, the 1990s The witches It is not the only adaptation of Roald Dahl’s story that has not done well at the box office. After gaining a cult following, The witches received a remake of the same name in 2020. The film was poorly received compared to its predecessor, and although the budget for 2020 The witches It has not been confirmed, it only grossed $26.9 million at the box office. However, the remake was released in October 2020, meaning profits from its theatrical run were hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic and its release on HBO Max. Thus, The witches He fought twice to cast a spell on the spectators.
5 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is possibly the most popular adaptation of one of Roald Dahl’s books, with the film being one of the best known of all time. Starring Gene Wilder as the candy factory owner, the film has had a massive cultural impact, elevating Roald Dahl’s name to new heights. Curiously, however, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory It was actually a box office failure, grossing only $4 million on a $3 million budget. Fortunately, the Wonka candy brand helped supplement this poor box office performance, turning the franchise into a cultural icon.
Related: 10 Roald Dahl Movie Scenes That Are Pure Nightmare Fuel
4 Fantastic Mr. Fox
Fantastic Mr. Fox is one of director Wes Anderson’s most critically acclaimed films, with the 2009 film being the director’s first stop-motion animated film. Despite the popularity of Fantastic Mr. Fox Among film fans, it was also a box office failure upon its initial release. The film grossed $46.5 million on a $40 million budget, meaning that while it was an awards season favorite, it probably didn’t make its money back. Animated movies are quite expensive, but the star cast of Fantastic Mr. Fox It probably helped contribute to this high budget. Unfortunately, Fantastic Mr. FoxThe quality and star power were not enough to fill the theater seats.
3 Four Rooms
Very few people remember the 1995 comedy film. Four roomsand the film is not as popular as other adaptations of Roald Dahl’s works. Four rooms is based on Dahl’s writings which were aimed at an adult audience and, while they were well received, the 1995 film adaptation was not. Four rooms It earned only $4.2 million on a $4 million budget, only slightly exceeding its production budget. This is quite a shock, since the anthology film consisted of four different segments directed by four beloved directors, Robert Rodríguez, Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell and even pulp fiction director Quentin Tarantino.
2 James and the Giant Peach
Before Charlie and the Chocolate FactoryTim Burton attempted to adapt Roald Dahl’s books when producing the 1996s. James and the Giant Peachwhich was directed by the legendary The nightmare before Christmas director Henry Selick. Although James and the Giant Peach Now considered a cult classic, the stop-motion animation and live-action hybrid was actually a flop when it was first released. James and the Giant Peach It earned only $37.7 million on a $38 million budget, and the film didn’t even exceed its production budget. Like many of the other Roald Dahl adaptations, the film was a critical but not a commercial success.
Related: Witches: 5 Great Roald Dahl Adaptations (& 5 Books That Have Never Appeared on Screen)
1 Matilda
Of all the films that adapted Roald Dahl’s beloved books, the 1996 matilda may have been the biggest business failure when comparing profitability to budget. Released just a few months later. James and the Giant Peach, matilda It earned only $33.5 million on a $36 million budget. However, in the years since this box office failure, matilda has become a huge property, and has even received a musical remake titled Matilda: The Musical. While matilda is just one of the many box office bombs based on Roald Dahl’s books, many of these films have gained a following and now receive the respect they deserve.