Your biggest box-office disappointments in 2001

[Fadi]

What are the top 5 films for which you had some great expectations during their box-office run, and did less-than-expected job? Films that may not be considered flops, but should’ve worked far better, and why! Here’s mine:
· Moulin Rouge:
Opening: $14 million- Total (so far): $57 million
I expexted a $23 million opening and a $110-120 million total
WHY? For me this is the best film of the year. It should’ve get a 3000+ theatres and should’ve pushed away from the sick summer releases that ruled the market.
· Evolution:
Opening: $13.4 million- Total: $38.3 million
I expected a $22 million opening and a $90-100 million total
WHY? It’s one of the best summer flicks in years. Funny, engaging with a strong cast and a cool story. All packed with some strong CGI effects. Still, can’t get why it didn’t work!
· Captain Corelli’s Mandolin:
Opening: $7.2 million- Total: $25.5 million
I expected a $9.5 opening and a $56 total (due to its not-so-wide release)
WHY? Not as good as Shakespeare.. but still a very solid film. I loved Penelope Cruz (don’t shoot me please!) and the sets were gorgeous. The battle scenes near the end are quite impressive also.
· Atlantis- The Lost Empire:
Opening: $21 million- Total: $84 million
I expected a huge $41 million opening to lead to a $185 total
WHY? I love Disney pics. To be honest I ahven’t seen this one but I read much about it and saw trailers and TV spots. $84 million ain’t too bad, but compared to Tarazan, Mulan or, er, Dinosaur, this one had a very disappointing box-office run.
· Enemy at the Gates:
Opening: $13.8 million- Total: $51.3 million
I expected a $17.5 opening leading to a better $75 million total.
WHY? One of the best films of the years. Great thrills. Excellent cast. Impressive battles. The ever great Ed Harris. Germans as bastards (Hollywood likes this one so much, dunno why). It all works like magic (usually) in USA.

p.s: sorry for my not-so good English. Hope I was clea enough.

[gyro_44]

The one that comes immediately to mind is "Joy Ride", which had a $7.4 million opening and only grossed about $22m in total. It was a great thriller that got surprisingly passed over while people went to dumber, more amateur effects movies. Sad.

[This message has been edited by gyro_44 (edited 12-16-2001).]

[Nate6]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Fadi:
Atlantis- The Lost Empire:
Opening: $21 million- Total: $84 million
I expected a huge $41 million opening to lead to a $185 total
WHY? I love Disney pics. To be honest I ahven’t seen this one but I read much about it and saw trailers and TV spots. $84 million ain’t too bad, but compared to Tarazan, Mulan or, er, Dinosaur, this one had a very disappointing box-office run.</font>

Yes, $84 million is disappointing. Disappointingly HIGH. This is a really bad movie. I regret spending the $8 to see it. But I can see why $84 million would seem low, it's the first Disney animated summer release not to make it to $100 million in a LONG time (Well, Hercules in 1997 made like $99.5 million, and that's really close).

Definitely Joy Ride, although I never expected it to make much, I wished it had.

[Mike]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">The one that comes immediately to mind is "Joy Ride", which had a $7.4 million opening and only grossed about $22m in total. It was a great thriller that got surprisingly passed over while people went to dumber, more amateur effects movies. Sad.</font>

That's the first one I thought of too. It was an excellent thriller that got great reviews and had excellent word of mouth but yet it hasn't even grossed 22 Million yet. Plus the movie had a budget of 23 Million so it didn't even make it's budget back. Hopefully it will do a lot better on video. I can't wait to buy the DVD. There's a lot of people out there that missed an excellent thriller. I think they should give this baby a re-release. It's the second best movie I've seen so far this year. It was an edge of your seat thriller that actually kept me on the edge of my seat. The Box Office total for JOY RIDE is definately a HUGE disappointment.

I'm also really disappointed with the Box Office total for "O", it had a lot of buzz and was listed as Entertainment Weekly's #1 Movie to see for their "10 Summer Movies Worth Seeing" special, it even made the cover. Of course it was playing on only 1,434 screens and had a strong per screen average of $4,823. It's just too bad it didn't open on more screens. "O" didn't even reach 16 Million at the U.S. Box Office. I can't wait to buy this DVD either.

Another disappointment was Crazy/Beautiful, a teen movie gets made that's actually good and it bombs. Well, it didn't really bomb since it ended up grossing over three times what it opened with. But it could have done a lot better. Hell, Summer Catch even made more than it. That just goes to prove that "smart" teen movies never make much money.

"Ghost's Of Mars" ended up being a really fun movie but bombed horribly at the Box Office. It wasn't even close to making it's budget back. Of course the really shitty trailers didn't help any.

And I have a feeling that I might be disappointed with NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE's total gross since I'm already disappointed with it's opening weekend.

[This message has been edited by Mike (edited 12-16-2001).]

[Fadi]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Mike:
That's the first one I thought of too. It was an excellent thriller that got great reviews and had excellent word of mouth but yet it hasn't even grossed 22 Million yet. Plus the movie had a budget of 23 Million so it didn't even make it's budget back. Hopefully it will do a lot better on video. I can't wait to buy the DVD. There's a lot of people out there that missed an excellent thriller. I think they should give this baby a re-release. It's the second best movie I've seen so far this year. It was an edge of your seat thriller that actually kept me on the edge of my seat. The Box Office total for JOY RIDE is definately a HUGE disappointment.

I'm also really disappointed with the Box Office total for "O", it had a lot of buzz and was listed as Entertainment Weekly's #1 Movie to see for their "10 Summer Movies Worth Seeing" special, it even made the cover. Of course it was playing on only 1,434 screens and had a strong per screen average of $4,823. It's just too bad it didn't open on more screens. "O" didn't even reach 16 Million at the U.S. Box Office. I can't wait to buy this DVD either.

Another disappointment was Crazy/Beautiful, a teen movie gets made that's actually good and it bombs. Well, it didn't really bomb since it ended up grossing over three times what it opened with. But it could have done a lot better. Hell, Summer Catch even made more than it. That just goes to prove that "smart" teen movies never make much money.

"Ghost's Of Mars" ended up being a really fun movie but bombed horribly at the Box Office. It wasn't even close to making it's budget back. Of course the really shitty trailers didn't help any.

And I have a feeling that I might be disappointed with NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE's total gross since I'm already disappointed with it's opening weekend.

[This message has been edited by Mike (edited 12-16-2001).]</font>

[Fadi]

oops! i forgot to paste my reply! sorry.

with all my respect to u Mike "O" is a terrible and unfaithful adaptation to one of my favorite books. It has the word DUMB written all around it. i'm glad it didn't work at the box-office coz it's really not worthy. 15.9 million is just enough.

as for Joy Ride i'm sure to see it when released here. i read splendid reviews about it.

Ghosts of Mars? c'mon! did you really like it?

[This message has been edited by Fadi (edited 12-16-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Fadi (edited 12-16-2001).]

[MovieFreak15]

I agree that Joy Ride's performance at the box-office was disappointing, but the biggest box-office disappointment for me was "From Hell." It hasn't even made $32 million yet. It was a great film and was totally overlooked by many people. It should have easily crossed the $100 million mark, and been the first hit of the fall.

[Mike]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">with all my respect to u Mike "O" is a terrible and unfaithful adaptation to one of my favorite books. It has the word DUMB written all around it. i'm glad it didn't work at the box-office coz it's really not worthy. 15.9 million is just enough.

as for Joy Ride i'm sure to see it when released here. i read splendid reviews about it.

Ghosts of Mars? c'mon! did you really like it?</font>

Actually, "O" stayed very true to Shakespeare's "Othello", the only main difference was that it was put in a High School setting, and they did a great job with it.

And yes, I did like Ghost's Of Mars, I thought it was a lot of fun. It's a movie to just kick back, relax, and enjoy. Basically, it's a popcorn movie.

[Fadi]

Well, Mike. To be completely faithful to a Shakespearean play you have to respect his language. The dialouge is awful in this film. and for me it seemed just a silly teen movie.
I can explain my point in one phrase:
I AM A HUGE FAN AND ADMIRER OF KENNETH BRANAGH. He's the man when it comes to Shakespeare. Or so i believe.

[idealdiscountdude]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Fadi:
Well, Mike. To be completely faithful to a Shakespearean play you have to respect his language. The dialouge is awful in this film. and for me it seemed just a silly teen movie.
I can explain my point in one phrase:
I AM A HUGE FAN AND ADMIRER OF KENNETH BRANAGH. He's the man when it comes to Shakespeare. Or so i believe.</font>

Firstly, "O" was not silly in the least. It was a very moving and depressing drama and the dialogue was very well written. I can understand you calling it stupid, but to call it a "silly teen" movie is absurd. It had more brains and smarts than any teen movie that I have seen in ages.

[Mike]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Well, Mike. To be completely faithful to a Shakespearean play you have to respect his language. The dialouge is awful in this film. and for me it seemed just a silly teen movie.
I can explain my point in one phrase:
I AM A HUGE FAN AND ADMIRER OF KENNETH BRANAGH. He's the man when it comes to Shakespeare. Or so i believe.</font>

Actually, I don't think the Shakespearean diologue would have been good in this movie. I know I wouldn't have liked it as much. "O" is supposed to be in a modern setting, with modern diologue. "O" takes the basic story of Othello and puts it in a modern setting and I thought it did a very good job. And it does stay true to Shakespeare's story, minus the diologue. I must admit I'm not a huge fan of the Shakespeare language, so I'm glad they didn't have it in this movie. With it I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much. And "O" is far from a silly teen movie. It was dark, depressing, intelligent, and highly enjoyable. A very good "adult" drama.

[Fadi]

Well.. I guess I'll have to check it out once more (It's available on Video). But still, it's too melodramatic and tragically unbelievable to say these incidents are happening in a high school.

i'll check it out for sure now. you seem to enjoy it so much.

[idealdiscountdude]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Fadi:
Well.. I guess I'll have to check it out once more (It's available on Video). But still, it's too melodramatic and tragically unbelievable to say these incidents are happening in a high school.

i'll check it out for sure now. you seem to enjoy it so much.</font>


Actually these incidents do happen in High Schools quite frequently, Columbine for instance. And it won't be available on video until February.

[Fadi]

Well, it's already available here where i live. Not in the USA for sure.

[FreakArtist]

I have to say «The Mexican».
Good opening week-end but I thought it would be closer to the 100M$.

[ColinM]

I agree with The Mexican (9/10) and Joy Ride (7/10), but one that hasn't been mentioned is Hearts in Atlantis (9/10). I think it's one of the better films this year, but it only made like $9 million in the opening weekend and I think $25 million overall. It deserved more recognition.

[ilovemovies]

the top 6 most disappointing boxoffice #'s
6. The Mexican
5. Captain Corelli's Mandolin
4. Joy Ride
3. The Pledge
2. A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
1. Final Fantasy

[ScottFocker]

I agree a lot of great movies didn't do well at the box office this year. My big let downs were:

1. Joy Ride
2. Josie and the Pussycats
3. Bubble boy
4. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
5. On the Line
6. Atlantis
7. Just Visiting
8. Corky Romano
9 Evolution
10. Zoolander

All great movies but no box office profit! =(

[Fadi]

well.. yes! A.I should've made $150-170 million. It's great film. I wish it'd be re-released on Oscars season. coz i believe it should be nominated.

[bskutle]

1. "A.I"- $78 mil was too little for the year's most challenging sci-fi film. Even "Schindler's List" made more in the US. Right now, my choice for movie of the year.

2. "Final Fantasy"- OK, it wasn't a classic by any means, but this landmark in animation still deserved more than $32 million. Fascinating sci-fi.

3. "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back"- When will Kevin Smith breakout with the general populice? $30 million isn't bad for a KS film (especially w/ a $20 mil budget), but come on, this deserved at least $50.

4. "From Hell"- $31mil take with a $35mil budget isn't too bad for such a disturbing film, but this was the best serial killer thriller since "Silence of the Lambs." What gives? I would have settled for $70mil.

5. "Moulin Rouge"- I'm sorry, but $54 million was too much money spent to see this visually innovative- but narratively empty- musical.

[Amirdarab]

1.Pearl Harbor
2.Lara Croft : Tomb Raider
3.A.I.

[Fadi]

Pearl Harbor (5/10) has performed quite well in box-office with $198 million domestically and over $450 million worldwide. More than enough, i guess.

[Benny]

ZOOLANDER! Come on, this hilarious movie (9/10) should have made more than $45 Million at the B.O. Sure it was released at a lousy time, but the film was great and should've made more dough.

[FlickJunkie]

I hate to say it, but Harry Potter (9/10) did below my expectations. I thought it would have no problem reaching $300 million but it looks to end up with about $275 million.

The reason it didn't do as well is because of several reasons: increased marketplace competition, limited repeat business, a more narrow demographic appeal, etc. But it was a great movie and should've passed $300 million in my humble little opinion.

[This message has been edited by FlickJunkie (edited 12-24-2001).]

[Ender]

For me, it's got to be Final Fantasy. Yeah, I know, you all hated it, but I thought it was a fantastic movie, and it's too bad it didn't have the kind of mass appeal it deserved. I guess most people where put off by the weird-ass plot, or maybe they just didn't want to plunk down eight bucks to see "a cartoon".

I am dissapointed with THE MAJESTIC so far. Yeah, I know, it just opened, but five million? That's not even enough to pay the catering bills! That's gotta be a kick in the crotch.

[Fadi]

As for Harry Potter it's already reached $265 million before Christmas so the film could gross around $285-290 million. Still, it has a chance to break the $293 million of the Sixth Sense and become one of the top 10 highest grossing movies ever.

Final Fantasy ain't bad at all (6/10) i agree. the script may be lame and cliched but it has superb visuals.

And now the Majestic!! too bad. It looks we're in a year of big boxoffice disappointments..

[Tuukka]

A.I has done 250 million worldwide, which is very good indeed.

[ColinM]

The Majestic (9/10) has just become my biggest box-office disappointment. I thoroughly enjoyed it (Frank Darabont rocks!), but it only made $5 million in it's opening weekend. That sucks.

[JOBSquad12@aol.com]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by ScottFocker:
I agree a lot of great movies didn't do well at the box office this year. My big let downs were:

2. Josie and the Pussycats
3. Bubble boy
5. On the Line
6. Atlantis
7. Just Visiting
8. Corky Romano

All great movies but no box office profit! =(</font>

Yep, some great movies on that list.


Sorry, couldn't resist.

[The Djinn]

I am sorry but in my mind, Lord of the Rings is the biggest disappointment for me this year. I went into the movie having read none of the books and not really knowing what to expect and I thouroughly disliked the movie. In my opinion, there is a lot more that could have been done with the film, with too much chuntering between characters about various other characters, leaving the average viewer a little confused in places.

[Weapon X]

By far, Final Fantasy, a beautiful but unfairly ditched film. Not only did it tank at the box office, but its failure closed to the road to more movies like it, since Square Pictures had to close down.

[Fadi]

I heared about FF2!!! would it be stopped then!?!?!? sooo sad..

[Dachande]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Weapon X:
By far, Final Fantasy, a beautiful but unfairly ditched film. Not only did it tank at the box office, but its failure closed to the road to more movies like it, since Square Pictures had to close down.</font>

Final Fantasy was a good movie, but the reason it did poorly at the box office is because it is rated PG-13 and was entirely CG. People didn’t take their kids to go see it because it was PG-13, and adults did not want to be seen going to a “cartoon” without a kid with them. I tried to get a lot of people to go see it and the all said, “I don’t want to see a cartoon.” No matter what I said about it I could not get anyone to go see it.

[HBO]

L.I.E. barely $1mil should of made close to $10mil

[B-ball Dude]

I only have two and there in my top 10 favorite movies.

1.Ghost's Of Mars- Made 3.3 Million I was expecting about 100 Million.

2.Scary Movie 2- 70.2 Million I was expecting
205 Million.

[Fadi]

$100 million for Ghosts..? way too much i guess. It's a not-so-big budget film that could've been a very profitable project with a total of $35-40M i think..

[Scarface989]

LOTR wasnt confusing to the average viewer since everything was explained if u actually watched the movie. but its not disappointing so far, with 75M in its opening 5 days. woulda liked it more if AI and From Hell did better

[HBO]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Fadi:
$100 million for Ghosts..? way too much i guess. It's a not-so-big budget film that could've been a very profitable project with a total of $35-40M i think..</font>

Yeah you know it cost $35mil to make.

[Fadi]

With barely $8 million in 3 days (including Christmas) i think Kate and Lepold is joining the list. sad indeed. if it wouldn't do better at the box-office then we'll kiss Meg's career goodbye, which is something too bad.

[This message has been edited by Fadi (edited 12-30-2001).]

[Gandalf the Grey]

I was very disappointed with what both Ghosts of Mars and Joyride did at the movies. I liked both of them a great deal and was hoping for much more. Ghosts of Mars costs $30 mil to make and I was at least hoping it would pull back its' budget, but no such luck. And Joyride was definitely overlooked. It pulled in right under its budget in the end.

[Common Sense Man]

That Harry Potter made money was my biggest disappointment, and yes I saw it so I know what I am talking about.

BORING!

Oh and I am not surprised that Ghosts of Mars tanked it was terrible, ask Mike he knows my feelings about this crap burger.

Out.....

[JoBlo]

Moving to GENERAL MOVIE TALK --&gt;