Wikipedia

Box-office bomb

For the album, seeBox Office Bomb(album).

Abox-office bomb,box-office flop,box-office failure,orbox-office disasteris a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the production budget, marketing, and distribution costs combined exceed the revenue after release has technically "bombed", the term is more frequently used for major studio releases which were highly anticipated, extensively marketed, and expensive to produce, and ultimately failed commercially.[1][2]Originally a "bomb" had the opposite meaning and referred to a successful film i.e. a bomb "explodes" at the box office and is successful, and continued to be used in that way in the United Kingdom into the 1970s.[3]

Causes

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Negative word of mouth

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With the advent ofsocial mediaplatforms such asFacebookandTwitterin the 2000s,word of mouthregarding new films is easily spread and has had a marked effect on box office performance. A film's ability or failure to attract positive or negative commentary can strongly impact its performance at the box office, especially on the opening weekend.[4]

External circumstances

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Occasionally, films may underperform because of issues largely unrelated to the content of the film, such as the timing of the film's release. This was one of the reasons given for the commercial failure ofIntolerance,D. W. Griffith'sfollow-up toThe Birth of a Nation.Owing to production delays, the film was not released until late 1916, when thewidespread antiwar sentimentit reflected had started to shift in favor ofAmerican entry into World War I.[5]Another example is the 2015 docudrama aboutFIFAentitledUnited Passions.A glowing portrayal of FIFA, which had mostly funded the film,United Passionswas released in theaters in the United States at the same timeFIFA's leaders were under investigation for fraud and corruption.The film grossed only $918 at the US box office in its opening weekend.[6]

Sometimes, a film's performance may be adversely affected by national crisis or a disaster, such as theSeptember 11 attacksin 2001,Hurricane Harveyin 2017, and theCOVID-19 pandemicin 2020–2021.[7][8][9]

High production costs

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In evaluating box-office gross numbers, it is important to keep in mind that not all money is returned to the film studio. Some of the gross is kept by the film exhibitors and the film distributor. The scratch formula for making a rough estimate of a studio's portion of the gross is that the studio usually gets half.[10]

A large budget can cause a film to fail financially, even when it performs reasonably well at the box office; 1980'sHeaven's Gate,for example, exceeded its planned production schedule by three months,[11]causing its budget to inflate from $12 million to $44 million.[12]The film only earned $3.5 million at the box office.[13]

For the 2005 filmSahara,its budget ballooned to $281.2 million for production, distribution, and other expenses.[14]The film earned $119 million in theaters and $202.9 million overall with television and other subsidies included, resulting in a net loss of $78.3 million.[14][15]In 2012, Disney reported losses of $200 million onJohn Carter.The film had made a considerable $234 million worldwide, but this was short of its $250 million budget plus worldwide advertising.[16]

The 2007 filmThe Golden Compasshad a production budget of $200 million. To be able to fund the film,New Line Cinemahad to sell all of the film's international distribution rights to various film distributors around the world. The film underperformed domestically, but was an international success; however, New Line did not have a cut of the international box office. These events were major factors in New Line becoming a division ofWarner Bros. Pictures.[17]

Recovery

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Films initially thought of as "flops" may recover income elsewhere. Several films have underperformed in their countries of origin, but have been sufficiently successful internationally to recoup losses or even become financial successes.[18]Films may also recover money through international distribution, sales totelevision syndication,distribution outside of cinemas, and releases onhome media.[19]The 1995 post-apocalyptic action filmWaterworldwas the most expensive film ever made at the time after undergoing significant production difficulties. While it performed relatively well in the US box office, it did not initially turn a profit and became known as a box-office flop. However, international box-office takings and video sales led it to turn a profit.[20]In 2023,Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,which underperformed at the box office, was given aCOVID-19insurance payout, which amounted to £57 million ($71 million).[21][22]

Other films have succeeded long after cinema release by becomingcult filmsor being re-evaluated over time. High-profile films fitting this description includeVertigo,[23]Blade Runner,The Wizard of Oz,It's a Wonderful Life,Citizen Kane,[24]The Shawshank Redemption,[25]Showgirls,[26]Fight Club,[27]The Thing,[28]andScott Pilgrim vs. the World,[29]each of which initially lost money at the box office but has since become popular.

Studio failure

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It is common for a single film's lackluster performance to push its studio into the red, in the sense of recording a net loss on itsincome statement.However, in extreme cases, a bomb may push its studio intobankruptcyorclosure.Examples of this includeUnited Artists(Heaven's Gate)[30]andCarolco Pictures(Cutthroat Island).[31][32]The Golden Compasswas a success at the international box office and grossed $372 million worldwide; however, its underperformance at the box office in North America was seen as a significant factor in influencing the decision by Warner Bros. Pictures to take direct control of New Line Cinema.[33]

In 2001,Square Pictures,a division ofSquare,released its only film,Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.It received mixed reviews from critics and failed to recover its $145 million cost. Following the film's struggles, Square Pictures did not make any more films[34]and is now a consolidated subsidiary ofSquare EnixasVisual Works.[35]In 2011,Mars Needs Momswas the last film released byImageMovers DigitalbeforeDisney's stake got absorbed by ImageMovers to a loss of nearly $140 million – the largest box-office bomb of all time innominal dollarterms. Regardless of this loss, the decision to close the production company had been made a year prior to the film's release.[36]

Independent films

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The 2006 independent movieZyzzyx Roadmade just $30 at the US box office. With a budget of $1.2 million and starringTom SizemoreandKatherine Heigl,its tiny revenue is due to its limited box-office release – just six days in a single theater inDallasfor the purpose of meetingScreen Actors Guildrequirements – rather than its ability to attract viewers.[37][38]According to co-starLeo Grillo,it sold six tickets, two of which were to cast members.[39]

Previously, the 2000 British filmOffending Angelshad become notorious for taking in less than £100 (~$150[40]) at the box office.[41]It had a £70,000 (~$105,000[40]) budget but was panned by critics, including theBBC,who called it a "truly awful pile of garbage",[42]andTotal Film,who called it "irredeemable".[43]

In 2011, the filmThe Worst Movie Ever!opened to just $11 at the US box office. It played in only one theater.[44]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Greatest Box-Office Bombs, Disasters and Flops".Filmsite.org.RetrievedMarch 6,2013.
  2. ^"The 15 Biggest Box Office Bombs".CNBC.com. August 23, 2010.RetrievedMarch 6,2013.
  3. ^Pitman, Jack (April 29, 1970)."English as British Speak It".Variety.p. 172.RetrievedJune 15,2024– viaInternet Archive.
  4. ^"A Century in Exhibition-The 2010s: The Great Disruption".boxofficepro.com. August 27, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 17,2022.
  5. ^"Intolerance (1916)".www.filmsite.org.RetrievedNovember 7,2017.
  6. ^"FIFA film 'United Passions' one of worst in U.S. box office history".ESPN.June 18, 2015. Archived fromthe originalon June 18, 2015.RetrievedJune 18,2015.
  7. ^Kelley, Seth (August 27, 2017)."Box Office Disaster: Lackluster Releases, Mayweather-McGregor, Hurricane Harvey Create Slowest Weekend in Over 15 Years".Variety.RetrievedNovember 9,2017.
  8. ^"Weekend Box Office".Boxofficeguru.com. September 17, 2001.RetrievedDecember 8,2011.
  9. ^Erlichman, Jon (March 13, 2020)."Box office bomb: COVID-19's impact on the movie theatre business".BNN Bloomberg.RetrievedMarch 17,2020.
  10. ^Hornaday, Ann (April 5, 2018)."We're awash in box-office statistics. But what do the numbers really mean?".The Washington Post.
  11. ^Miller, Alexander (27 April 2015)."Unmaking of an Epic – The Production of Heaven's Gate".filminquiry.com.Retrieved7 November2017.
  12. ^Burr, Ty (November 24, 2012)."Ty Burr revisits 'Heaven's Gate'".The Boston Globe.Archived fromthe originalon December 8, 2018.RetrievedJanuary 13,2020.
  13. ^"Heaven's Gate (1980)".Box Office Mojo.RetrievedJanuary 13,2020.
  14. ^abBunting, Glenn F. (15 April 2007)."$78 million of red ink?".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on 7 May 2014.Retrieved13 January2020.
  15. ^Bunting, Glenn F. (5 March 2007)."Jurors hear tales of studio maneuvering".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on 27 March 2009.Retrieved4 August2021.
  16. ^"John Carter flop to cost Walt Disney $200m".bbc.co.uk.BBC News. 20 March 2012.
  17. ^"Failed Movies That Singlehandedly Put Their Studios Out of Business".University Fox.December 12, 2019. Archived fromthe originalon May 9, 2019.RetrievedFebruary 2,2022.
  18. ^Mendelson, Scott."'Pacific Rim' And More Domestic "Flops" That Became Global Hits ".Forbes.RetrievedAugust 19,2015.
  19. ^"11 Beloved Movies That Were Box Office Flops".Mental Floss.RetrievedAugust 19,2015.
  20. ^Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 7, 2013)."Isn't It Time To Take 'Waterworld' Off The All-Time Flop List?".Deadline Hollywood.RetrievedAugust 13,2013.
  21. ^Black, Christian (September 10, 2023)."Mission possible as Paramount Pictures wins £57m Covid payout".The Times.Archivedfrom the original on September 10, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 11,2023.
  22. ^McPherson, Chris (September 12, 2023)."'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning's Profits Boosted By $71 Million Insurance Payout bringing The Total box office to 637.1 Million ".Collider.Archivedfrom the original on September 14, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 14,2023.
  23. ^"Vertigo: From box-office flop to 'greatest film of all time'".The Irish Times.
  24. ^"11 Beloved Movies That Were Box Office Flops".Mental Floss.November 10, 2015.
  25. ^"Why Shawshank Redemption Was A Box Office Failure (Despite Its Popular Legacy)".ScreenRant.May 5, 2021.RetrievedNovember 29,2021.
  26. ^Thompson, Simon."'You Don't Nomi' Explores 'Showgirls,' The Cult Classic Box Office Bomb ".Forbes.RetrievedJune 27,2024.
  27. ^Lim, Dennis (November 6, 2009)."Forget Rule No. 1: Still Talking About 'Fight Club'".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on March 10, 2012.RetrievedJuly 24,2019.
  28. ^"The Real Reason John Carpenter's The Thing Flopped At The Box Office".Looper.October 1, 2020.RetrievedJune 20,2023.
  29. ^Laman, Lisa (April 5, 2023)."How 'Scott Pilgrim' Went From Box Office Bomb to Pop Culture Touchstone".Collider.RetrievedJanuary 11,2024.
  30. ^Welkos, Robert W."'Heaven's Gate': The film flop that reshaped Hollywood ".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedDecember 25,2018.
  31. ^Sterngold, James (March 31, 1996)."Debacle on the High Seas".The New York Times.RetrievedDecember 25,2018.
  32. ^"Largest box office loss".Guinness World Records.April 30, 2012.RetrievedJuly 17,2019.
  33. ^Davis, Erik (February 28, 2008)."Breaking: New Line Cinema Says Goodbye!".Cinematical.com. Archived fromthe originalon October 28, 2012.RetrievedDecember 8,2011.
  34. ^Briscoe, David (February 1, 2002)."'Final Fantasy' studio to fold ".The Independent.RetrievedJune 2,2019.
  35. ^"Square-Enix Co, LTD. Annual Report 2007"(PDF).pp. 29, 30, 53.Archived(PDF)from the original on March 25, 2009.RetrievedMarch 5,2009.
  36. ^Finke, Nikki (March 12, 2010)."Disney Closing Zemeckis' Digital Studio".Deadline Hollywood.RetrievedNovember 21,2010.
  37. ^Faraci, Devin (December 31, 2006)."What if they released a movie and nobody came?".CHUD.com.Archived fromthe originalon June 7, 2011.RetrievedJanuary 2,2007.
  38. ^Brunner, Rob (February 9, 2007)."The Strange and Twisted Tale of... The Movie That Grossed $30.00".Entertainment Weekly.Archived fromthe originalon February 25, 2007.RetrievedJanuary 24,2008.
  39. ^Mueller, Andrew (January 16, 2007)."This Film Is Absolute Dross – People Are Going to Love It!".The Guardian.London.RetrievedJanuary 15,2007.
  40. ^abOfficer, Lawrence H."Dollar-Pound Exchange Rate From 1791: 2000–2002".MeasuringWorth.RetrievedNovember 9,2017.
  41. ^logboy (February 3, 2006)."Offending Angels. £70k Budget, £89 Box Office. 8 DVD Sales to Double its Taking".Twitch.net.Archived fromthe originalon May 24, 2011.RetrievedJanuary 16,2007.
  42. ^Russell, Jamie (April 10, 2002)."Offending Angels (2002)".BBC.RetrievedJanuary 16,2007.
  43. ^Harley, Kevin (May 2002)."Offending Angels review".Total Film.RetrievedJune 15,2021.
  44. ^"The Worst Movie Ever! (2011)".Box Office Mojo.RetrievedAugust 25,2011.
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