The Biggest Box Office Bombs Of 2024 (So Far)

Filmmaking is a costly business, and as technology improves and becomes more complex, films end up costing more and more. It used to be almost unthinkable for a movie to break the $100 million mark, but these days, the line has moved to breaking the $1 billion mark. Films that once cost $3 million now cost upwards of $50 million. Some movies break these barriers and make a profit, but not always.

For a film to become profitable, it needs to earn twice its production budget and cover the costs of distribution and marketing, after the theater owners take their cut. It's more complicated than that, and movie math isn't quite that simple, but doubling the budget is a reasonable method of finding out the break-even point a movie must surpass to make a profit.

2024 got off to a slow start but has shaped up to be an impressive year at the box office, with mega hits like "Inside Out 2" and "Deadpool and Wolverine" earning well beyond $1 billion. This isn't something every film achieves, and some films released in 2024 haven't made anywhere near as much money. The studios and investors responsible for making the films in this list lost their money, which is unfortunate, but 2024 has also been a big year for box office bombs.

"Arthur the King," starring Mark Wahlberg and Simu Liu, is based on Mikael Lindnord's 2016 memoir "Arthur: The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home." In the film, adventure racer Michael Light (Wahlberg) embarks on a 435-mile journey with a street dog named Arthur.

The film did well with critics, earning a 70% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviews praising the narrative and Wahlberg's acting. Unfortunately, films that do well with critics don't always earn a ton of money, and "Arthur the King" can certainly be counted among them. The film cost around $19 million to make, but only brought in either $32.2 million or $40.8 million, depending on the source.

The latter would place it a hair above its break-even point, but even if those numbers are correct, movie math suggests it likely lost money. Regardless, "Arthur the King" is absolutely worth watching, but be prepared to shed a tear or two as the film masterfully tugs at the heartstrings.

The "Omen" franchise kicked off in 1976 with "The Omen," which was followed by three sequels. The franchise pretty much ended with "Omen IV: The Awakening" in 1991, though it was followed by a television series and a 2006 remake. "The First Omen" is the latest addition to the franchise, but this time, it's a prequel.

"The First Omen" fills in the backstory and gaps left by "The Omen," from the impetus of the Satanic conspiracy to the birth of Damien, the Antichrist. Both fans and critics agreed it was an excellent addition to the series, with "The First Omen" scoring an 81% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But audiences stayed away from theaters, possibly since the franchise had been all but dead by 2024.

Whatever the reason, "The First Omen" earned only $53.8 million off a production budget of $30 million. This puts its earnings at 89.74% of its break-even point, ensuring that it bombed. It's surprising that such a well-made movie failed at the box office, but thanks to streaming services, it's found a new life. According to ScreenRant, "The First Omen" landed in the top 10 titles across numerous streaming platforms upon its debut.

Based on true events that occurred during a cold wave that hit North America in 1994, "Ordinary Angels" starred Hilary Swank as Sharon, a hairdresser who brings an entire community together to help a widowed father (Alan Ritchson) save his daughter's life. It's definitely a feel-good movie, and was a huge success with critics and moviegoers, earning an 84% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as a remarkably high audience score of 99%. Still, despite the love for the movie, it didn't translate into success: The film reportedly cost $13 million to produce, but only made $20.5 million at the box office.

That put "Ordinary Angels" at just 79.10% of its break-even point. One of the main reasons the film likely flopped was that it was perceived and marketed as a faith-based movie. Historically, faith-based films have often underperformed as they struggled to break through to a mainstream audience. They can sometimes make this up in the rental or streaming markets, but few achieve the success of "Sound of Freedom" or "The Passion of the Christ."

The vampire movie has been around for almost as long as the medium itself, and in most cases, there's very little originality left in the genre. That's not true of "Abigail," which does something unique with the concept. The film breaks standard vampire rules by centering its narrative on a little girl, Abigail (Alisha Weir), who's actually a bloodsucker — but inexplicably has a pulse.

The film revolves around a group of kidnappers who take Abigail hostage in her home, though they have no idea what they've gotten themselves into. One by one, Abigail picks them off, playing with her food as it were, and it's a fun ride ... for the audience, not for the would-be kidnappers. The film did well with critics, nabbing an 83% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

When it came time to count the box office receipts, "Abigail" underperformed. The film cost $28 million to produce, but only took in $42.4 million at the global box office, putting it at 75.73% of its break-even point. It's unclear why the film failed, but it could have been due to a poor marketing campaign or a general disinterest in the genre via oversaturation.

Ryan Gosling had an excellent 2023, thanks to playing Ken in "Barbie," and it looked like he was up for another big hit in 2024 with "The Fall Guy." The film follows Gosling's stunt performer, Colt Seavers, who comes out of semi-retirement to work on his ex-girlfriend Jody Moreno's (Emily Blunt) directorial debut, while he's simultaneously drawn into a deadly conspiracy.

"The Fall Guy" had it all: action, adventure, romance, and plenty of laughs, so it seemed like a surefire hit. Rotten Tomatoes had it sitting at an 82% "fresh" rating, so it definitely had what it took to impress critics. But despite everything the movie had going for it, "The Fall Guy" bombed at the box office. The film cost $140 million to produce, and it ended its theatrical run with only $178 million.

This put earnings for "The Fall Guy" at just 63.62% of its break-even point. "The Fall Guy" was based on a 1980s TV series on ABC, which was popular during its 113-episode run. But there's not a lot of enduring nostalgia for that IP, so the built-in fan base wasn't there to drive viewers to theaters, which may explain why it flopped.

Sony's live-action "Spider-Man"-adjacent film franchise has been a bit spotty of late, with "Morbius" and "Venom" doing particularly poorly with critics. Despite these missteps, Sony carried on and released "Madame Web" in 2024, resulting in the biggest box office bomb in the entire "Spider-Man" extended franchise — even "Morbius" performed better at the global box office.

"Madame Web" features an all-star cast, including Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor, and Isabela Merced. Johnson plays Cassandra Webb, aka Madame Web. The story focuses on her newfound ability to predict the future as it relates to the core cast of characters and their fight against Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim), who seeks to kill them before they can do the same to him.

The film was a bust, costing $80 million to produce with only $100 million returned at the box office, earning just 54.95% of what it needed to break even. The film bombed for various reasons, including a terrible script, wooden acting, horrendous word-of-mouth, and the fact that it bore almost no resemblance to the comics that supposedly inspired it. "Madame Web" was also a critical failure, garnering only an 11% "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer.

"The Watchers" is the directorial debut of Ishana Night Shyamalan, the daughter of M. Night Shyamalan, who also produced the film. The movie stars Dakota Fanning, Georgia Campbell, and others in a story about Mina (Fanning), who finds herself trapped in a deep, untouched forest in Ireland. She finds shelter but becomes trapped with some strangers inside as dangerous creatures congregate outside every night.

While some financial failures do well with critics, "The Watchers" wasn't one of them. The film managed to score only a 32% "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Bad reviews often keep people away from theaters, and it appears that may have happened with this film, which some critics panned for its dull story and overuse of exposition.

Others compared Shyamalan's directing style to her father's, even going so far as to call out the family for nepotism. "The Watchers" wasn't exceptionally expensive, costing $30 million to produce. Unfortunately, the movie's box office take barely moved beyond that amount, earning only $32.9 million and putting "The Watchers'" 54.95% shy of what it needed to earn to edge into the black.

The "Mad Max" franchise was seemingly dead until director George Miller revived it with 2015's "Mad Max: Fury Road." That film wasn't a blockbuster, but earned just enough — along with critical raves and six Oscar wins — to get Miller the green light for 2024's "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga." The prequel details the early life and exploits of its titular hero, who was introduced in "Fury Road," as played by Charlize Theron.

"Furiosa" featured Anya Taylor-Joy in the starring role, and the film brought all the action, explosions, chase scenes, and mayhem fans have come to expect from the franchise. The film wasn't cheap, costing around $168 million to shoot. That put its break-even point rather high, and after taking in $172.7 million, "Furiosa" took in just 51.42% of its needed gross.

The film did exceptionally well with critics, garnering a 90% "fresh" rating from Rotten Tomatoes, so its failure is somewhat inexplicable. "Furiosa" flat-out bombed at the box office, possibly due to the recasting of the lead, the often poor performance of prequels, or the near decade that passed between the release of "Fury Road" and "Furiosa." It's unfortunate, as "Furiosa" is an excellent film, which would have done far better if its cost was reduced.

Horror comedies often do well because they don't cost much to make, so merging the genres often leads to success. Of course, that's not always the case, and "Lisa Frankenstein" is an unfortunate example of a failed horror comedy. The film is about a teenage girl, Lisa (Kathryn Newton), who crushes hard on a corpse.

She brings him back to life, and they embark on a journey of love and murder in an ongoing quest to replace his decaying body parts. "Lisa Frankenstein" is one of those films that is split between critics and audiences. Critics gave it a 52% "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences loved it, giving it an 81% audience score.

That's not too uncommon for movies that lean heavily into humor over realism, but despite audience favorability, the film didn't do well at the box office. "Lisa Frankenstein" wasn't expensive, costing only $13 million to produce. Unfortunately, it bombed hard, earning just under $10 million at the global box office. This put the film's earnings at 38.18% of its break-even point. It likely failed due to poor marketing, a release during Super Bowl weekend, and its short theatrical run.

"Argylle" is a spy comedy starring Bryce Dallas Howard as Elly Conway, a reclusive novelist about to complete her fifth book about superspy Aubrey Argylle (Henry Cavill). Before she can finish, she falls into an espionage conspiracy where her writing appears to be based on real life, pushing her beyond her limits to learn the truth of her place in the world.

"Argylle" has an excellent cast that includes Sam Rockwell, Samuel L. Jackson, and others. The film wasn't cheap, costing $200 million to produce, but it only made $96 million at the global box office, putting its earnings at 24.06% of its break-even point. "Argylle" also did poorly with critics, earning a 33% "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while its audience score sits at 72%.

There are several reasons why "Argylle" bombed at the box office beyond its incredibly high price tag. The film had a confusing marketing campaign that made it seem as if Cavill was in it more than he was. Also, the film's narrative goes off the rails in the third act, making it one of the cheesiest action comedies produced in the 21st century.

Henry Cavill's 2024 hasn't shaped up to be his best year as an actor, as two of his biggest releases flopped at the box office. Shortly after "Argylle" bombed, "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" failed to achieve its financial goals. That's despite the film being a masterclass in spy action comedies that hit every mark despite its box office earnings.

The film is a fictionalized telling of a real-life story about a band of off-the-books covert operatives who take out a Nazi submarine depot during WWII. Critics gave the film a 69% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences enjoyed it even more, giving "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" a 93% audience score.

The film cost an estimated $60 million to produce, which wasn't much considering the sets, cast, and visual effects used in the movie. Of course, none of that matters if the tickets aren't sold, and the film ended its theatrical run with only $27.5 million. That put the earnings for "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" at a mere 22.88% of its break-even point, with the film likely failing due to a limited release and stiff competition.

Director Ethan Coen co-wrote and helmed "Drive-Away Dolls," which is the first film he's done without his brother, Joel Coen. That directing duo produced numerous mid-sized hits for decades, and Ethan's first solo effort continued their streak with critics, if not with audiences. 

"Drive-Away Dolls" is a road trip crime comedy about two lesbian besties, Jamie (Margaret Qualley) and Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan). The two become involved in a criminal conspiracy on their jaunt to Tallahassee, Florida. "Drive-Away Dolls" did well with critics, landing a 63% "fresh" Rating from Rotten Tomatoes. Unfortunately, audiences disagreed, giving the film a 35% audience score. The film's budget has been estimated to be around $20 million, which is a lot for a road trip comedy. That amount meant "Drive-Away Dolls" needed to blow up the competition at the box office.

The film took in $7.9 million at the box office, putting its earnings at 19.82% of its break-even point. There are many reasons why the movie was a box office disappointment, but the primary one for "Drive-Away Dolls" was its marketing campaign. The 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike delayed its release, messing up its rollout and resulting in too few people even knowing about it.

A period rom-com starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, "Fly Me to the Moon" is set during the Space Race and revolves around the relationship between the NASA director in charge of the Apollo 11 launch (Tatum) and a marketing specialist (Johansson) brought in to stage a fake Moon landing should the real mission fail.

Typically, rom-coms aren't incredibly expensive, but that's not true of "Fly Me to the Moon." The film required a lot of cash to create its period setting, amounting to a production budget of $100 million. This meant the movie needed to pull in at least $200 million to make a profit, which is a big ask for a rom-com.

In the end, "Fly Me to the Moon" made $39.6 million, putting its earnings at just 19.73% of its break-even point. The film did moderately well with critics, earning a 64% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The cast was right, the script was well-written, and the direction was on point. Unfortunately, "Fly Me to the Moon" simply cost too much, resulting in one of the year's biggest box office bombs.

Kevin Costner has always been a fan of epic movies, earning great acclaim for "Dances With Wolves" and others. For "Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1," Costner went really big, presenting it as the first of a four-movie saga that he would direct and star in, as well as co-write and co-produce. While this type of big swing has worked in the past for Costner, it didn't work this time around, and the financial losses were staggering.

"Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1" was filmed back-to-back with "Chapter 2," costing $100 million in total. If you split that in half, the first film in the trilogy had to earn at least $100 million to break even. Unfortunately, it only made $32.7 million, or just 16.34% of its break-even point. Critics also didn't hold back on Costner's vision, giving it a 49% "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The film bombed so badly that the sequel was pulled from its August 2024 release. "Chapter 2" was already in the can and ready to go, but lost its theatrical launch due to the failure of the first film, ultimately settling for a premiere at the Venice Film Festival instead of a wider rollout. It's hard to say at this point whether the next two chapters will even see the light of day.