A box office flop is a film that fails to make a profit, often due to poor direction, script, or acting. Even well-known actors can’t guarantee success. Examples include Ishtar and Heaven’s Gate. Big-budget epics are often at risk of flopping, but a low budget doesn’t guarantee a bad film. The opposite of a flop is a sleeper hit, such as The Blair Witch Project.
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 released to the public for viewing. Some films that are considered flops end up earning enough DVD/Blu-ray rentals and sales to make a profit, however, many others are simply losses to the producers and companies that distribute the films. Sometimes, the expectations for a film and very high budgets far exceed the critical reviews and attendance and the film becomes an instant bomb.
Many factors can lead to a box office flop: it could be poorly directed or have a bad script or bad acting. The film may feature good actors, but star power alone doesn’t translate into projected box office returns; some classic flops have featured extremely well-known and popular actors. While it doesn’t necessarily bode well for future salary negotiations, a major failure doesn’t always taint an actor’s career.
There are two famous box office bombs that most movie lovers should recognize: Ishtar and Heaven’s Gate. Ishtar starred two highly 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 flop, panned by critics, and only recouped about 30% of the total costs to make the film. It therefore represented a 70% loss to investors in the film. Beatty and Hoffman have both starred in many much more popular films since then, and while they may have had to suffer the embarrassment of starring in a film considered by most to be horrific, they’ve still been offered plum roles in other films.
The 1980 film Heaven’s Gate had a budget of $44 million and boasted an impressive cast: Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, John Hurt, Jeff Bridges, Joseph Cotton and Willem Dafoe. Director Michael Cimino was expected to produce a hit after his gripping and powerful 1978 film, The Deer Hunter. Expectations for the film’s success were extremely high, but when it was released, the film only grossed $1.5 million. dollars, a 90% loss for investors.
In recent years, box office flops often fall into the category of a big-budget epic, like Waterworld or Alexander, that completely fails to capture the interest of critics or audiences. Summer “blockbuster” movies are known for their propensity to flop. Action movies and epics also mean big budgets, which means a higher likelihood that a movie will fail to turn a profit.
Sometimes, a box office bomb isn’t a bad movie. The now classic Marx Brothers duck soup didn’t do well when it came out. High budgets don’t guarantee a good film, and low budgets don’t guarantee a bad one. The opposite of the box office flop is a sleeper, a film made on a shoestring budget that earns huge box office returns. The Blair Witch project, built on a budget of $30,000, has grossed over $200 million worldwide. This represents a return of over 300,000% on your initial investment.
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