15. GIGLI

Net losses, inflation adjusted: $77,961,644
Total cost: $74,000,000
Worldwide theater gross: $7,266,209
Net losses (actual): $66,733,791

Gigli was a 2003 mobster comedy starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, collectively known as “Bennifer.” The duo dominated tabloid headlines and entertainment gossip shows, so putting them in a movie was a no-brainer.

Unfortunately, every critic on earth hated the movie, and people refused to see it. It earned $4 million in its opening weekend, then experienced a second-weekend drop of over 80%. Gigli was withdrawn from theaters after only three weeks, one of the shortest theatrical runs on record for a major Hollywood movie.

14. SOLDIER

Net losses, inflation adjusted: $78,912,404
Total cost: $75,000,000
Worldwide theater gross: $15,000,000
Net losses (actual): $60,000,000

Soldier was a futuristic action movie starring Kurt Russell. The script was written by Blade Runner co-writer David Peoples and was based on an episode of “The Outer Limits” written by author Harlan Ellison, so its credibility as a science fiction vehicle was airtight.

However, that wasn’t enough to get people to the theaters, and the $75 million film tanked at the box office, taking in only $15 million worldwide.

13. RED PLANET

Net losses, inflation adjusted: $82,406,208
Total cost: $100,000,000
Worldwide theater gross: $33,463,969
Net losses (actual): $66,536,031

Red Planet was a science fiction film released in November 2000 starring Carrie-Anne Moss and Val Kilmer. The movie took place on Mars in the late 21st century and much was made of the fact that it was filmed in the Technicolor format, the first film to do so in years.

None of it clicked with critics or audiences though, and the movie opened in a disastrous fifth place, beaten out by Charlie’s Angels and even the Adam Sandler vehicle Little Nicky.

12. THE POSTMAN

Net losses, inflation adjusted: $83,346,947
Total cost: $80,000,000
Worldwide theater gross: $17,626,234
Net losses (actual): $62,373,766

In the early 1990s, Kevin Costner was as A-list an entertainer as it gets. After winning Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director with Dances With Wolves, he went on to star in such hits as Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, JFK and The Bodyguard. Then came 1995’s Waterworld, a commercial and critical disaster that almost destroyed his career.

To get back on track, he decided to repeat the Dances With Wolves formula and directed The Postman, another three-hour epic starring himself as the titular letter carrier. The post-apocalyptic movie (which inexplicably had a cameo by Tom Petty as himself) was eaten alive by critics and took in less than $18 million, barely even a quarter of its $80 million budget.

11. TREASURE PLANET

Net losses, inflation adjusted: $83,833,389
Total cost: $180,000,000
Worldwide theater gross: $109,578,115
Net losses (actual): $70,421,885

2002’s Treasure Planet was an ambitious film. Released by Walt Disney Pictures, it was a science fiction version of Treasure Island, and was the first movie to be released simultaneously in both IMAX and regular formats. Treasure Planet was also the first film to combine two-dimensional hand-rendered animation with 3D digital animation.

Despite the impressive visuals and generally good reviews, the movie-going public responded with a collective “Who cares?” and the $180 million movie earned only $38 million at the US box office.

10. INCHON

Net losses, inflation adjusted: $89,870,942
Total cost: $46,000,000
Worldwide theater gross: $5,200,986
Net losses (actual): $40,799,014

Inchon was 1982 Korean War epic that was secretly financed by Sun Myung Moon, leader of the controversial Unification Church and starred Sir Laurence Olivier as General Douglas MacArthur. Once this source of funding was revealed, the problems piled up quickly.

The US Department of Defense, who had allowed 1500 real soldiers to be used as extras in the film, demanded that they be removed from the credits. Protesters picketed the world premiere, which caused congressman Dan Glickman to leave the screening for fear of being associated with Moon’s church.

The movie was horribly reviewed, with some publications calling it one of the worst films of all time. This all added up to a $2 million box office take against the film’s $46 million budget.
 

9. FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN

Net losses, inflation adjusted: $99,798,592
Total cost: $167,000,000
Worldwide theater gross: $85,131,830
Net losses (actual): $81,868,170

Remember the 2001 animated science fiction movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within ? No one really does. The film depicted the desperate struggle of a band of humans in a post-apocalyptic world ruled by a tyrannical an alien race.

The film used highly sophisticated animation, and upon its release it was praised for its stunning visuals. However, it had gone so far over budget in the four years that it took to make it that its $85 million box office take was good for only about half of the film’s $167 million budget. Square Pictures, the studio that had made the movie, went out of business the following year.

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