Forbes referred to this film as “the summer’s most predictable miss/catastrophe”. Apparently, there weren’t high hopes for this movie from the get-go, so its performance wasn’t exactly surprising. The 2016 remake of Ben-Hur received generally negative reviews from all major movie critics. In fact, the only “accolades” it received included a Yoga Award, and an EDA Special Mention Award for “Sequel or Remake That Shouldn’t Have Been Made” and “Worst Remake”, respectively.
The film failed to attract the religious audience, the young audience, or any audience for that matter. It was listed by many publications as one of the biggest box office bombs of summer 2016, and one of the biggest flops of that year. The 1959’s Ben-Hur was an Oscar-winning smash, and remains beloved ’til this day, especially because the modern redo was so poorly executed.
Estimated loss: $75-121.7 million
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Based on the 1960s TV series with the same name, the rights to "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." were procured by producer John Davis way back in 1994. The Warner Bros. release with director Guy Ritchie premiered in August 2015, more than two decades later.
With Ritchie (Sherlock) at the helm as director and co-writer, hopeful optimism for a cool new retro-spy flick soared and then flopped. While the film delivers visually (as one would expect from a Ritchie endeavor), the Cold-War era spy thriller that saves the world from a secret international crime syndicate did not nestle itself into a niche clever enough for critics. And, up against "Austin Powers" (yet another 60s spy action-thriller comedy), there was tough competition. The movie lost $83 million dollars. With a budget of $75 million and a box office gross of $109.8 million, "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." is considered a flop.
(2005) Estimated loss: $80 million
The Room (2003)
Some of you might not need an introduction to "The Room". It’s widely considered to be the worst film ever made, full of convoluted plotlines, incredibly bad editing, horrible music, and some of the worst acting displays you’ve ever seen. While many believed that "The Room" was a parody, it was actually a completely serious film made by and starring the mysterious Tommy Wiseau.
The film is so bad it sort of circles back to being good. The initial box office opening raked in less than $ 2,000 against a $6 million budget. Later, however, the film has gained a cult following since its abysmal release and is now one of the most popular bad films of all time. Many theaters in the United States have an annual theatrical showing of the film, and it’s always sold out with roaring and laughing fans.
Estimated loss: $5.9 million
A Thousand Words (2012)
Eddie Murphy's comedy film, "A Thousand Words," had quite a unique premise. It featured an incredibly selfish literary agent who uses his ability to manipulate people to get what he wants, in both his terrible career and dysfunctional relationship. The idea behind the film is that the protagonist gets cursed and is left with only 1,000 words to speak before he dies. The film was caught in various delays and near-cancellations due to troubles with the movie's production company.
Critics hated "A Thousand Words" for taking away Eddie Murphy's voice, which is arguably his greatest comedic asset. The film also lost about half its budget, making only slightly more than $20 million against a budget of $40 million. "A Thousand Words" was also nominated for three Golden Raspberries, but failed to win any one of them.
Estimated loss: $18 million
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)
This film is loosely based, very loosely based, on the enduring British legend. Guy Ritchie’s signature cinematics and stylistic personality remake the "Legend of the Sword" beautifully and imaginatively. But it bombed. Critics were mixed to negative. Ritchie’s projects are highly scrutinized due to his phenomenal success. At Rotten Tomatoes they complain that the remake “wipes out much of what made it a classic story in the first place.”
The film was supposed to be a mega-hit for the Warner Bros. empire. Tie-ins to the studio’s lucrative hero merchandising division were already being planned. Sadly, it floundered at the box office up against "Guardians of the Galaxy 2," pulling in a weak $39 million. The film was too costly to make. With a $175 million budget and a box office that was far less at $148.7 million, Warner Bros. and pals lost $115-$153 million on the promising project.