box-office

Six of the Biggest Box Office Bombs in Movie History

Gawker Staff · 09/04/15 11:09AM

Zac Efron’s EDM drama We Are Your Friends became instantly legendary when it opened with some of the worst numbers ever for a wide release last weekend (it did just $1.8 million in 2,333 theaters). It joins an elite group of movies best known for their ability to repel audiences. Six more box-office disasters are explored in the video above.

Lacey Donohue · 11/24/13 07:48PM

Topping the box office this weekend, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire opened with $161.1 million, making it the biggest November debut ever. According to the trend watchers at the New York Times, the Hunger Games movie franchise is now a "full-fledged cultural phenomenon."

Max Rivlin-Nadler · 11/17/13 02:47PM

"Thor 2" topped the weekend box office for the second straight weekend but the big surprise was a different sequel: "The Best Man Holiday" banked $30.5 million, most of which came from Gawker's Caity Weaver.

Lacey Donohue · 11/10/13 06:51PM

Thor: The Dark World earned $86.1 million this weekend but still fell short of high industry expectations for the superhero sequel. A film that caters to low expectations, Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa, finished in second place with $11.3 million.

Lacey Donohue · 11/03/13 06:40PM

A boycott of Ender’s Game couldn't keep families away from the movies this weekend and the filmed topped the box office with more than $28 million. Last Vegas, the movie you’ll begrudgingly see with your parents over Thanksgiving, came in third place with $16.5 million.

Lacey Donohue · 10/27/13 05:32PM

Americans spent over $32 million this weekend to see Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa. And we can’t blame its success on young men either: 63% of its viewers were over the age of 25. Were you one of these people? Admit it.

Lacey Donohue · 10/20/13 05:47PM

Gravity topped the box office for the third straight weekend as it gained traction with three separate audiences: "adults," "women," and "fanboys." Not as many people saw Carrie because it’s way lame compared to a movie filmed in space.

Lacey Donohue · 10/13/13 05:45PM

Scientific inaccuracies didn’t stop Gravity from topping the box office for the second week in a row, raising its overall gross to $123.4 million. Captain Phillips, the Tom Hanks drama based on the hijacking of a cargo ship by Somali pirates, came in second with $26 million.

Taylor Berman · 08/18/13 04:51PM

Lee Daniels' The Butler, the important if awkwardly-titled new movie starring Oprah, topped the weekend box office with just over $25 million. Kick Ass 2, the weekend's other major debut, was fourth with a disappointing $13.5 million.

Taylor Berman · 08/04/13 06:26PM

2 Guns was the top movie this weekend, with a somewhat disappointing $27.4 million. The Smurfs 2, the other major debut last week, also underperformed, grossing just $18.5 million.

Max Rivlin-Nadler · 07/28/13 06:28PM

The Wolverine led the box office this weekend with $55 million (which is actually considered a disappointment), while indie Fruitvale Station cracked the top ten with $4.7 million.

Max Rivlin-Nadler · 07/21/13 06:29PM

Horror film The Conjuring made $41.5 million this weekend at the box office, while R.I.P.D. became yet another big-budget flop this summer, proving once again that people really don't like watching Ryan Reynolds act.

Taylor Berman · 07/14/13 07:31PM

Proving once again that moviegoers will ignore terrible reviews, Grown Ups 2 made $42.5 million at the box office this weekend. That wasn't enough, though, to top Despicable Me 2, which stayed at number one with $44.7 million. Pacific Rim was third, with $38.3 million.

Taylor Berman · 07/07/13 06:47PM

After White House Down and After Earth, The Lone Ranger became the third big-budget blockbuster to bomb this summer, bringing in just $48.9 million over the five-day July 4th weekend. Despicable Me 2 debuted at number one, nearly tripling The Lone Ranger's numbers with an estimated five-day gross of $142 million.

Taylor Berman · 06/30/13 06:50PM

Monsters University ($46.1 million) was the top movie again this weekend, followed by The Heat ($40 million). White House Down bombed, making just $25.7 million and finishing in fourth place.