The 2010s were a remarkable decade for cinema, delivering some of the highest-grossing films of all time, including Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Jurassic World, The Lion King, Black Panther, and the Frozen franchise. The Avengers series alone placed four films from the 2010s in the all-time top 20: the 2012 original, Age of Ultron (2015), Infinity War (2018), and Endgame (2019), the second biggest movie ever behind Avatar. However, every decade brings its share of disasters. For every profitable film, many others promised much but delivered little, costing studios fortunes. Some were outright failures, while others grossed decent amounts but lost money due to enormous production and marketing costs. Here are seven of the most notorious flops of the 2010s.
John Carter (2012)
No list of the decade's biggest losers is complete without John Carter, one of the most infamous flops in history. Based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom series, the film had been in development for decades under the title A Princess of Mars. Despite the source material's potential, reviews were lukewarm (52% on Rotten Tomatoes), and the film cost a massive $263 million to produce, excluding marketing. It grossed $284 million worldwide, resulting in an enormous loss of $255 million—the highest deficit of any film ever. Disney chairman Rich Ross, who greenlit the project, resigned a month after release, stating the role was 'no longer the right professional fit for me.'
47 Ronin (2013)
47 Ronin seemed like a surefire success, with Keanu Reeves leading a cast in a story inspired by 18th-century samurai avenging their lord. The project was announced in 2008, and the screenplay made the Black List of best unproduced scripts, with Variety comparing it to The Lord of the Rings and Gladiator. However, reshoots in London during the 2012 Olympics and Reeves' other commitments delayed release from November 2012 to Christmas Day 2013, where it faced competition from The Wolf of Wall Street, Frozen, and others. Reviews were scathing (16% on Rotten Tomatoes), and the film lost an estimated $173 million on a $225 million budget.
The Lone Ranger (2013)
On paper, The Lone Ranger was a dream project: Johnny Depp reuniting with Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski, with Armie Hammer as the Ranger and Depp as Tonto. But production went over budget, nearly being cancelled, and the plot grew bizarre, including massacres and cannibalism. Released in summer 2013, five years after announcement, it lost an eye-watering $240 million. It earned five Golden Raspberry nominations, including Worst Film.
Pan (2015)
Another Peter Pan adaptation, Pan was a prequel directed by Joe Wright, starring Hugh Jackman as Blackbeard. Released in October 2015, it suffered poor reviews (27% on Rotten Tomatoes). The Mail on Sunday called it 'an un-magical affair, weighed down by flashy visual effects and a cumbersome, over-complicated story.' The film lost around $185 million.
Mars Needs Moms (2011)
This 3D CGI performance-capture film about a boy whose mother is abducted by Martians cost $150 million but grossed only $39.2 million worldwide. The animation's realism may have turned off audiences. The flop led Disney to shut down ImageMovers Digital, the animation company behind it, cancelling planned projects including a Who Framed Roger Rabbit? sequel and a Beatles' Yellow Submarine remake.
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
The second Star Wars anthology film, Solo was an origin story for Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich). Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller exited due to 'creative differences' with LucasFilm, and Ron Howard took over. Despite a solid 69% Rotten Tomatoes score, it became the first Disney-era Star Wars film to lose money. With an estimated $275 million budget and $392.9 million worldwide gross, marketing costs pushed losses to $150-$200 million. LucasFilm subsequently shelved plans for further standalone spin-offs.
Cats (2019)
Cats, the film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, featured a stellar cast including James Corden, Judi Dench, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Taylor Swift, and Rebel Wilson. However, its mix of motion-capture CGI with live actors was widely panned, earning a 19% Rotten Tomatoes score. The Los Angeles Times said it was 'as uneasy on the eyes as a Hollywood spectacle can be.' With a $95 million budget and $90-100 million in marketing, it grossed $73.7 million worldwide, losing $110-$125 million. It swept the 2020 Razzies, winning Worst Picture, Worst Director for Tom Hooper, Worst Screenplay, and Worst Supporting Actor for Corden and Wilson.
