Abox-office bomb[a] is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the combined production budget, marketing, and distribution costs exceed the revenue after release has technically "bombed", the term is more frequently used for major studio releases that were highly anticipated, extensively marketed, and expensive to produce, but nevertheless failed commercially.[1][2] Originally, a "bomb" had the opposite meaning, referring instead to a successful film that "exploded" at the box office. The term continued to be used this way in the United Kingdom into the 1970s.[3]
With the advent ofsocial media platforms such asFacebook andTwitter in the 2000s,word of mouth regarding 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]
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's follow-up toThe Birth of a Nation. Owing to production delays, the film was not released until late 1916, when thewidespread antiwar sentiment it reflected had started to shift in favor ofAmerican entry into World War I.[5] Another example is the 2015 docudrama aboutFIFA entitledUnited Passions. A glowing portrayal of FIFA, which had mostly funded the film,United Passions was 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 attacks in 2001,Hurricane Harvey in 2017, and theCOVID-19 pandemic in 2020–2021.[7][8][9]
Box-office gross numbers are not always reflective of profit as not all money is returned to the film studio. Some of the gross is kept by the film exhibitors and the film distributor. Arule of thumb for making an estimate of a studio's portion of the gross is that the studio usually gets half.[10]
Sometimes a film will fail financially, even when it performs reasonably well at the box office. For the 2005 filmSahara, its budget ballooned to US$281.2 million for production, distribution, and other expenses.[11] The film earned US$119 million in theaters and US$202.9 million overall with television and other subsidies included, resulting in a net loss of US$78.3 million.[11][12] In 2012, Disney reported losses of US$200 million onJohn Carter. The film had made a considerable US$234 million worldwide, but this was short of its $250 million budget plus worldwide advertising.[13]
The 2007 filmThe Golden Compass had a production budget of US$180 million. To be able to fund the film,New Line Cinema had 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; New Line Cinema did not have a cut of the international box office. These events were major factors in New Line Cinema becoming a division ofWarner Bros. Pictures.[14]
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.[15] Films may also recover money through international distribution, sales totelevision syndication, distribution outside of cinemas, and releases onhome media.[16] The 1995 post-apocalyptic action filmWaterworld was 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. International box-office takings and video sales led it to turn a profit.[17]
Other films have succeeded long after cinema release by becomingcult films or being re-evaluated over time. High-profile films fitting this description includeVertigo,[18]Blade Runner,The Wizard of Oz,It's a Wonderful Life,Citizen Kane,[19]The Shawshank Redemption,[20]Showgirls,[21]Fight Club,[22]The Thing,[23] andScott Pilgrim vs. the World,[24] all of which initially lost money at the box office but have since become popular.
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 its income statement. In extreme cases, a bomb may push its studio intobankruptcy orclosure. Examples of this includeUniversal (Sutter's Gold, a 1936 fiasco that prompted a wholesale reorganization of the company, and forced studio headCarl Laemmle out of the industry altogether);[25]United Artists (Heaven's Gate);[26] andCarolco Pictures (Cutthroat Island).[27][28]The Golden Compass was a success at the international box office and grossed $372 million worldwide; nonetheless, 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 ofNew Line Cinema.[29]
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[30] and is now a consolidated subsidiary ofSquare Enix asVisual Works.[31] In 2011,Mars Needs Moms was the last film released byImageMovers Digital beforeDisney's stake got absorbed by ImageMovers to a loss of nearly $140 million – the largest box-office bomb of all time innominal dollar terms. Regardless of this loss, the decision to close the production company had been made a year prior to the film's release.[32]
The 2006 independent movieZyzzyx Road made $30 at the US box office. With a budget of $1.2 million and starringTom Sizemore andKatherine Heigl, its box office revenue was limited to six days in a single theater inDallas for the purpose of meetingScreen Actors Guild requirements.[33][34] According to co-starLeo Grillo, it sold six tickets, two of which were to cast members.[35]
The 2000 British filmOffending Angels took in less than £100 (~$150[36]) at the box office.[37] It had a £70,000 (~$105,000[36]) budget and was panned by critics, including theBBC, who called it a "truly awful pile of garbage",[38] andTotal Film, who called it "irredeemable".[39]
In 2011, the filmThe Worst Movie Ever! opened to $11 at the US box office. It played in one theater.[40]
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