Summary
- Most sci-fi movies that bombed at the box office in the last decade had large budgets and failed to appeal to a widespread audience.
-
Movie franchises like
Terminator
and
Blade Runner
have struggled to maintain audience interest after previous installments. - Poor casting, lack of chemistry between main actors, and competition with other blockbuster films contributed to some sci-fi movies flopping.
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You are watching: 10 Sci-Fi Movies From The Last Decade That Flopped At The Box Office
The sci-fi movies that flopped at the box office in the last decade are illustrative of how tricky the genre can be. Like its counterpart and often overlapping genre of fantasy, sci-fi typically connotes extensive world-building that can easily mean a movie bogged down in exposition. The best sci-fi movies of all time manage to strike a balance between showing and telling how the world works, or simply feature a setting where the rules can mostly be inferred by the audience based on genre tropes.
Sci-fi and fantasy movies also typically require a larger budget to cover the production design and special effects that characterize a visually appealing setting. This means that if the movie flops, the losses will be even greater. Massive movie franchises have proven that sci-fi has the potential to be the most profitable outlet in the industry, motivating studios to bet on would-be blockbusters that then failed spectacularly.
|
Movie |
Domestic gross |
Worldwide total |
Estimated loss |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Tomorrowland (2015) |
$93,436,322 |
$209,035,668 |
$120-150 million (via THR) |
|
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017) |
$41,189,488 |
$225,973,340 |
$83 million (via THR) |
|
Blade Runner 2049 (2017) |
$92,071,675 |
$276,605,984 |
$130 million (via SlashFilm) |
|
Annihilation (2018) |
$32,732,301 |
$43,070,915 |
$57 million |
|
Mortal Engines (2018) |
$15,951,040 |
$83,869,818 |
$175 million (Deadline) |
|
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) |
$213,767,512 |
$392,924,807 |
$77 million (via Deadline) |
|
Gemini Man (2019) |
$48,546,770 |
$173,469,516 |
$111 Million (Deadline) |
|
Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) |
$62,253,077 |
$261,119,292 |
$123 million (Deadline) |
|
The Matrix Resurrections (2021) |
$37,686,805 |
$157,386,805 |
$320 million |
|
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) – *as of June 2024* |
$52,548,452 |
$117,748,452 |
Likely $200-300 million |
Domestic and worldwide box office earnings are according to boxofficemojo.com. If a movie’s losses were not reported by news outlets, the estimate is based on the general rule that a movie needs to earn 2.5 times its budget to break even.
Related
10 Most Expensive Movies That Released In 2023
Between high-recognition actors, entire worlds generated by CGI, and COVID-related production delays, 2023 saw the release of some big-budget films.
10 Annihilation
Grossed $43 Million Against $40 Million Budget
Close
Annihilation, based on the novel of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer, is a highly surrealistic adventure intertwined with broad philosophical themes. The movie includes many stunning visuals and noteworthy actors giving compelling performances. However, audiences have to work to understand the plot, which is largely abstract and demands that they ponder the symbolisms of what is literally happening on screen.
|
Movie |
Rotten Tomatoes score |
Metacritic score |
Audience score |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Annihilation |
88% |
79% |
67% |
The movie Annhilation’s ending is different from the book, and both versions are somewhat open-ended and certainly confusing. While critics were mostly impressed by the movie’s metaphorical storytelling, this characteristic did not imbue it with the widespread appeal needed to gross above $100 million. Annihilation was saved from the most devastating fallout by not having spent as much money on production as some sci-fi blockbusters, but it still lost tens of millions of dollars.
Annihilation
R
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Alex Garland’s Annihilation is based on the novel of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer. It follows a group of explorers – comprised of biology professor Lena (Natalie Portman), psychologist Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh), physicist Josie Radek (Tessa Thompson), geomorphologist Cassie Sheppard (Tuva Nvotny), and paramedic Anya Thorensen (Gina Rodriguez) – as they enter “the Shimmer”, a quarantined zone of mutated plants and animals caused by an unknown extra-terrestrial phenomenon. Lena agrees to enter the Shimmer in search of her husband, Kane (Oscar Isaac), who was sent in as part of a special forces operation.
Director Alex Garland Release Date February 22, 2018 Cast Sonoya Mizuno , Kola Bokinni , Jennifer Jason Leigh , Gina Rodriguez , Cosmo Jarvis , Oscar Isaac , Tessa Thompson , Tuva Novotny , Natalie Portman , David Gyasi Runtime 2hours
9 Solo: A Star Wars Story
Grossed $393 Million Against $257 Million Budget
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Han Solo is at his best when there is a certain amount of mystery about his past.
Director Ron Howard suggests that Solo: A Star Wars Story failed because fans weren’t as interested in seeing this character’s origin story as studio executives might have hoped. Han Solo is at his best when there is a certain amount of mystery about his past. Alden Ehrenreich does a commendable job of living up to Harrison Ford, while Woody Harrelson and Donald Glover also give noteworthy performances. However, this wasn’t enough to draw in the kind of audience typical of a Star Wars movie when Solo was arguably the most lackluster installment yet.
|
Movie |
Rotten Tomatoes score |
Metacritic score |
Audience score |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Solo: A Star Wars Story |
69% |
62% |
63% |
Timing also likely played a part in Solo’s box office flop. It had the misfortune of sharing the beginning of the summer blockbuster season with Avengers: Infinity War, while the Star Wars brand was beginning to lose its “once in a lifetime” feel with so many spinoffs and TV shows in development. However, Solo could have done much worse by its iconic title character, and it’s not as if Disney could afford the monetary loss.
Solo: A Star Wars Story
pg-13
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Solo: A Star Wars Story is a spin-off of the Star Wars franchise that focuses on the early years of Han Solo, with Alden Ehrenreich replacing Harrison Ford as the iconic smuggler. The movie explores how Han met Chewbacca, acquired the Millennium Falcon, and became the roguish smuggler fans know and love. Donald Glover brings back Lando Calrissian, Woody Harrelson plays Tobias Beckett, Emilia Clarke portrays Qi’ra, and Paul Bettany embodies the crime lord Dryden Vos.
Director Ron Howard Release Date May 10, 2018 Cast Alden Ehrenreich , Emilia Clarke , Donald Glover , Woody Harrelson , Phoebe Waller-Bridge , Thandiwe Newton Runtime 135minutes
8 Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets
Grossed $226 Million $177.2 Million Budget
Close
Many people agree that Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets was poorly cast, led by two actors with little to no on-screen chemistry. The dynamic between the two main characters is vital to this story; the comic book upon which the movie is based is titled Valerian and Laureline. Jeremy Fuster also suggests (via TheWrap) that this comic book was not as well-known in the U.S., making its advertisement of being an adaptation moderately redundant.
|
Movie |
Rotten Tomatoes score |
Metacritic score |
Audience score |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets |
47% |
51% |
53% |
Meanwhile, the praised War for the Planet of the Apes was released in theaters a week before Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets and was still the better option a week later. The latter movie did not have the same mainstream marketability to draw in large audiences. The only way it would have worked is if it had turned out to be one of the best sci-fi movies ever — which, clearly, it didn’t.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
PG-13
Luc Besson’s big-budget space opera Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets stars Dane DeHaan as Valerian and Cara Delevingne as Laureline, two officers from the United Human Federation’s police force in the distant future. When Valerian receives a telepathic message from an unknown alien, the pair find themselves uncovering corruption and conspiracy from within the Federation itself.
Director Luc Besson Release Date July 21, 2017 Cast Dane DeHaan , Rihanna , Sam Spruell , Clive Owen , Cara Delevingne , Kris Wu , John Goodman , Ethan Hawke , Rutger Hauer Runtime 137 Minutes
7 Gemini Man
Grossed $173.5 Million Against $138 Million Budget
Close
Gemini Man’s ratings would indicate that critics hated it while general audiences loved it, making it a very divisive movie. The poor reviews are the simplest explanation for why the movie failed at the box office. Gemini Man was widely criticized for certain technical aspects, most notably the de-aging of Will Smith, so he could also portray the younger version of his character. The movie’s plot revolves around a younger clone hunting the older, original version of himself.
|
Movie |
Rotten Tomatoes score |
Metacritic score |
Audience score |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Gemini Man |
27% |
38% |
83% |
This was an unexpected outcome with established action actor Smith leading the movie and famous sci-fi director Ang Lee in charge. Despite Gemini Man flopping, it was recently in Netflix’s Top 10, holding its spot for several weeks. Generously speaking, Gemini Man can be summed up as a movie lacking in artistic merit but which is still enjoyable if viewers approach it with a non-critical attitude; it is just another fun action movie starring Will Smith (with Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Benedict Wong for bonus points).
Gemini Man
PG-13
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Will Smith pulls double duty in Ang Lee’s Gemini Man as retired sniper Henry Brogan, whose biggest enemy turns out to be a younger clone of himself. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Benedict Wong, and Clive Owen round out the main cast of this 2019 action thriller.
Director Ang Lee Release Date October 2, 2019 Cast Benedict Wong , Will Smith , Clive Owen , Mary Elizabeth Winstead Runtime 117 minutes
6 Terminator: Dark Fate
Grossed $261 Million Against $185 Million Budget
Close
The Terminator franchise had been suffering from a consistent decrease in quality in the years leading up to Terminator: Dark Fate. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was a disappointing follow-up to the iconic first two movies, while Terminator Salvation and Terminator Genysis are universally considered the worst Terminator movies due to sloppy writing, poor acting, and plots that destroyed the franchise’s continuity. Dark Fate was actually something of a surprise comeback, with better reception than Terminator had seen in decades.
|
Movie |
Rotten Tomatoes score |
Metacritic score |
Audience score |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Terminator: Dark Fate |
70% |
54% |
82% |
James Cameron and Linda Hamilton’s return to the franchise and the new characters of Grace and Dani served the story well. However, it was not enough to undo years of disappointment in the Terminator movies. The consensus is that Terminator’s heyday is ancient history, a feeling that was reflected at the box office; the franchise’s best hope for a true renaissance now is not a movie but the TV show Terminator Zero.
Terminator: Dark Fate
R
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Terminator: Dark Fate is a direct sequel to Terminator 2: Judgement Day, ignoring the rest of the future films to re-canonize the franchise. Set years after Sarah Connor successfully stopped the impending Judgement Day, a new Terminator is sent to destroy the resistance before it forms. Now forced to team up with a former T-800 terminator model, Sarah will seek vengeance and protect Dani Ramos, the new target of Skynet.
Director Tim Miller Release Date November 1, 2019 Cast Linda Hamilton , Gabriel Luna , Fraser James , Natalia Reyes , Arnold Schwarzenegger , Brett Azar , Steven Cree , Diego Boneta , Mackenzie Davis , Claudia Trujillo Runtime 128 minutes
5 Blade Runner 2049
Grossed $276.6 Million Against $150 Million Budget
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Blade Runner 2049 is considered by many to be one of the best legacy movie sequels of all time, making its box office flop puzzling. Its ratings reflect the strong performances and story, which expands upon the AI discourse introduced by the classic sci-fi adventure through the lens of new main characters, with appropriate legacy cameos. Both the original Blade Runner and the sequel bombed at the box office but became cult hits, suggesting that there is something fundamentally flawed about the franchise’s marketing.
|
Movie |
Rotten Tomatoes score |
Metacritic score |
Audience score |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Blade Runner 2049 |
88% |
81% |
88% |
In the case of Blade Runner 2049, a reexamination of the reviews demonstrates the divide that characterized the first installment, while further highlighting the franchise’s underdeveloped female characters. Additionally, Blade Runner 2049 is another movie with an interesting premise but execution that fails to appeal to a larger audience. Being a slower and longer movie, not as many moviegoers were going to take the time to go see it.
Blade Runner 2049
R
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Set thirty years after the original film, Blade Runner 2049 is a sci-fi neo-noir film by the director of Dune, Denis Villeneuve. The film follows LAPD replicant officer K, who discovers a devastating secret that could throw society into total chaos. To stop a potential war between replicants and humans, he’ll need to locate missing former blade runner Rick Deckard and uncover the truth.
Director Denis Villeneuve Release Date October 6, 2017 Cast Ryan Gosling , Harrison Ford , Jared Leto , Ana De Armas , Robin Wright , Lennie James , Dave Bautista , Carla Juri , Hiam Abbass , Barkhad Abdi , David Dastmalchian , Mackenzie Davis , Sylvia Hoeks Runtime 163 Minutes
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4 Tomorrowland
Grossed $209 Million Against $190 Million Budget
Close
The huge box office flop of Tomorrowland is an early example of Hollywood’s growing dependence on IP, with mediocre results that would not discourage Disney from producing more theme park-inspired movies and live-action remakes. Like many recent movies that fit the same criteria, Tomorrowland flashed the names of A-listers like George Clooney and Hugh Laurie, hoping that their presence and the association with the beloved Disneyland “land” would make it profitable. Director Brad Bird had proven that he was capable of leading a successful live-action movie as well as an animated one with Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.
|
Movie |
Rotten Tomatoes score |
Metacritic score |
Audience score |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Tomorrowland |
50% |
60% |
50% |
Disney then proceeded to spend too much money on Tomorrowland, sure that it would be a hit. However, Tomorrowland proved difficult to advertise without spoiling the movie, while it faced competition from the other, better-reviewed summer blockbusters Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and Ant-Man. These factors and overall mixed reviews led to Tomorrowland bombing at the box office.
Tomorrowland
PG
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George Clooney and Britt Robertson star in Brad Birds’ take on Tomorrowland – a sci-fi action-adventure movie based around the idea from Disney’s attractions. Clooney plays Frank, a rough-around-the-edges jaded man who is teaming up with the equally bright but optimistic teen Casey (Britt Robertson) to find Tomorrowland, a mysterious place full of wonder and futuristic technology with the power to change the world.
Director Brad Bird Release Date May 22, 2015 Cast Hugh Laurie , Kathryn Hahn , George Clooney , Tim McGraw , Britt Robertson , Judy Greer Runtime 130 Minutes
3 Mortal Engines
Grossed $84 Million Against $100 Million Budget
Close
There are no extensive debates — Mortal Engines flopped at the box office because it was a bad movie. Based on Philip Reeve’s novel of the same name, Mortal Engines likely hoped to become the next blockbuster franchise, with plenty of source material to draw upon and several famous names involved. However, the consensus was that the movie was empty: all spectacle, but no solid story. Mirroring the circumstances of Gemini Man, Mortal Engines was also recently popular on Netflix, giving it a strange afterlife following its box office failure.
|
Movie |
Rotten Tomatoes score |
Metacritic score |
Audience score |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Mortal Engines |
26% |
44% |
48% |
With the recent uptake in sci-fi and fantasy literature being adapted, a new studio may look into reviving or rebooting Mortal Engines. It is a classic sci-fi series with an extensive story that should have been the start of a successful franchise. However, it will be necessary for any hopeful new filmmakers to closely study the Mortal Engines to figure out where they went wrong.
Mortal Engines
PG-13
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Mortal Engines is a 2018 action/adventure film from director Christian Rivers and writer Peter Jackson. Based on the novel by Philip Reeve, Mortal Engines is set 1,000 years in a post-apocalyptic future where cities are turned into giant vehicles that try to destroy one another. The film stars Hera Hilmar, Robert Sheehan, Hugo Weaving, and Jihae Kim.
Director Christian Rivers Release Date December 14, 2018 Cast Frankie Adams , Robbie Sheehan , Colin Salmon , Hera Hilmar , Ronan Raftery , Stephen Lang , Jihae , Hugo Weaving Runtime 128 Minutes
2 The Matrix Resurrections
Grossed $157.4 Million Against $190 Million Budget
Close
The Matrix Resurrections proved to be the most divisive addition to the franchise yet. Most legacy sequels are met with skepticism, but The Matrix faced the additional challenge of following up to two sequels in the original trilogy that are generally derided. Factors including the recasting of Morpheus and Agent Smith, the constant meta humor about being a legacy sequel, and more were met with mixed reactions, at best.
|
Movie |
Rotten Tomatoes score |
Metacritic score |
Audience score |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The Matrix Resurrections |
63% |
63% |
63% |
However, Resurrections’ box office flop was cemented when the studio opted for a hybrid release. They tried to have the best of both worlds — the profits of a theatrical release while meeting the increased preference for watching movies at home — and didn’t get either. Most people wouldn’t waste money on tickets for a movie they didn’t have high hopes for when they could watch it in their living room if they watched it at all.
The Matrix Resurrections
R
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Set sixty years after The Matrix Revolutions, The Matrix Resurrections is a sci-fi action movie that sees the return of Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne moss nearly twenty years after the release of the previous film. Neo has become a game developer who struggles to grasp reality, and his concerns are validated when a new visage of Morpheus arrives to free him from his prison – a newly created Matrix. Learning that Trinity is alive and being held prisoner, Neo will join a new rebel force to save her and confront a new, dangerous foe known as the Analyst.
Director Lana Wachowski Release Date December 22, 2021 Cast Christina Ricci , Keanu Reeves , Carrie-Anne Moss , Jessica Henwick , Ellen Hollman , Jonathan Groff Runtime 2h 28m
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1 Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Grossed $75 Million (As Of June 2024) Against $168 Million Budget
Close
Even if Furiosa somehow manages to triple that $75 million, it is still looking at a loss close to $200 million.
While the final box office numbers are not yet set (at the time of writing), Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga has seen shockingly underwhelming box office revenues given its critical acclaim, suggesting that it is a worthy addition to the Mad Max franchise if not quite reaching the same heights as Mad Max: Fury Road. Fury Road grossed close to $380 million during its six-week theatrical release; Furiosa has grossed $75 million in about a third of the time. Even if Furiosa somehow manages to triple that $75 million, it is still looking at a loss close to $200 million.
|
Movie |
Rotten Tomatoes score |
Metacritic score |
Audience score |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga |
90% |
79% |
90% |
It has been argued that Furiosa’s poor box office performance may be due to audiences expecting that the movie will be available to watch at home soon enough, and competition with more family-friendly movies coming out in the same release window. Even so, the gap between Furiosa and its predecessor is startling. Of the sci-fi movies that have flopped at the box office in the last decade, Furiosa has the most troubling implications for the rest of Hollywood.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
R
A prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa is an action-adventure film that tells the origin story of the headstrong and fearless Furiosa. Set shortly after the beginning of the “end of the world,” Furiosa is kidnapped and brought before a powerful warlord, now forced to work for him. To find her way back home, Furiosa will adapt to the new harsh and arid world as she grows into the Furiosa she becomes known to be.
Director George Miller Release Date May 24, 2024 Cast Chris Hemsworth , Anya Taylor-Joy Runtime 148 minutes
Source: boxofficemojo.com, The Hollywood Reporter, SlashFilm, Deadline, TheWrap
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Category: Entertainment