It's important to know that for every high grossing film like Avatar there is a financial failure like Cutthroat Island. Everyone knows that 2010 was a successful year for Toy Story 3 and Inception, but what about the movies that didn't fare so well? To help answer this question, we've assembled a list of the 10 films that lost the most money in 2010.
10. Stone
Despite assembling a cast of acting heavyweights, including Ed Norton, Robert De Niro and Frances Conroy, this meditative, fatalistic parable about punishment and morality only recovered $8.3 million of its reported $22 million budget.
9. Burlesque
Even though this awkward assemblage of Cher, Christina Aguilera and a bounty of unrelenting musical numbers made just under $40 million at the global box office, it cost the heftier sum of $55 million to make. Clearly, none of that money was put into script rewrites.
8. Enter the Void
While Enter the Void technically comes out in Canada this weekend, it has already been released south of the border and in many other territories. And while there are surely an abundance of eager young film poseurs ready to see Gaspar Noé's latest neo-Nazi exercise in style and pretense over substance, it has yet to scratch the $1 million notch of its $16 million price tag.
7. Extraordinary Measures
It seems that the market is no longer receptive to saccharine underdog stories of struggling families held together by heart and a healthy portion of cheddar. No amount of precocious sick kids or sassy one-liners from Harrison Ford could save this dud from falling $18 million short of its cost.
6. The Warrior's Way
What do you get when you stick Kate Bosworth, Geoffrey Rush and Dong-gun Jang in a movie about a warrior assassin in the American Badlands? You get a steaming pile of box office drudgery with crappy action and an incoherent storyline that only makes $8 million of its $42 million cost at the box office.
5. Micmacs
We guess Jean-Pierre Jeunet's trademark minutia montage and close-up zoom quirkiness didn't pay off with this tale of an injured man that takes refuge with an idiosyncratic family of junkyard oddballs. Micmacs only made back just under $12 million of its $42 million budget, globally.
4. Agora
Alejandro Amenabar's sword and sandal epic about Christians and Pagans battling it out for terrifyingly asinine reasons in 4th century CE Egypt was actually quite impressive and brave as far as films tackling the subject of blind allegiance go. But unfortunately, no one cared and the film only made back $39 million of its $70 million budget. More significantly, only $618,000 of that $39 million was earned domestically.
3. Jonah Hex
You'd think that with a protagonist talking incoherently out of the side of his mouth, a desultory execution and the inclusion of Megan Fox as an intermittent whore, Jonah Hex would be a riveting success. But no, the film was terrible, and what's worse: potential viewers could tell it was terrible from the trailer. This one managed to lose $37 million at the worldwide box office.
2. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
Poor Scott Pilgrim: He battled seven evil ex's and found love with an Amazon.ca delivery girl. Despite getting the love from us over here at Exclaim! Mr. Pilgrim only made back $47 million of its $85 million budget.
1. The Nutcracker in 3D
Thus far, The Nutcracker in 3D has made roughly $234,000 at the box office worldwide. It's not a surprise, since the awkward political allegory and atrocious 3-D make it one of the most unpleasant Dadaist cinematic experiences of the year. Here's the thing, though: it cost $90 million to make. Ha!
10. Stone
Despite assembling a cast of acting heavyweights, including Ed Norton, Robert De Niro and Frances Conroy, this meditative, fatalistic parable about punishment and morality only recovered $8.3 million of its reported $22 million budget.
9. Burlesque
Even though this awkward assemblage of Cher, Christina Aguilera and a bounty of unrelenting musical numbers made just under $40 million at the global box office, it cost the heftier sum of $55 million to make. Clearly, none of that money was put into script rewrites.
8. Enter the Void
While Enter the Void technically comes out in Canada this weekend, it has already been released south of the border and in many other territories. And while there are surely an abundance of eager young film poseurs ready to see Gaspar Noé's latest neo-Nazi exercise in style and pretense over substance, it has yet to scratch the $1 million notch of its $16 million price tag.
7. Extraordinary Measures
It seems that the market is no longer receptive to saccharine underdog stories of struggling families held together by heart and a healthy portion of cheddar. No amount of precocious sick kids or sassy one-liners from Harrison Ford could save this dud from falling $18 million short of its cost.
6. The Warrior's Way
What do you get when you stick Kate Bosworth, Geoffrey Rush and Dong-gun Jang in a movie about a warrior assassin in the American Badlands? You get a steaming pile of box office drudgery with crappy action and an incoherent storyline that only makes $8 million of its $42 million cost at the box office.
5. Micmacs
We guess Jean-Pierre Jeunet's trademark minutia montage and close-up zoom quirkiness didn't pay off with this tale of an injured man that takes refuge with an idiosyncratic family of junkyard oddballs. Micmacs only made back just under $12 million of its $42 million budget, globally.
4. Agora
Alejandro Amenabar's sword and sandal epic about Christians and Pagans battling it out for terrifyingly asinine reasons in 4th century CE Egypt was actually quite impressive and brave as far as films tackling the subject of blind allegiance go. But unfortunately, no one cared and the film only made back $39 million of its $70 million budget. More significantly, only $618,000 of that $39 million was earned domestically.
3. Jonah Hex
You'd think that with a protagonist talking incoherently out of the side of his mouth, a desultory execution and the inclusion of Megan Fox as an intermittent whore, Jonah Hex would be a riveting success. But no, the film was terrible, and what's worse: potential viewers could tell it was terrible from the trailer. This one managed to lose $37 million at the worldwide box office.
2. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
Poor Scott Pilgrim: He battled seven evil ex's and found love with an Amazon.ca delivery girl. Despite getting the love from us over here at Exclaim! Mr. Pilgrim only made back $47 million of its $85 million budget.
1. The Nutcracker in 3D
Thus far, The Nutcracker in 3D has made roughly $234,000 at the box office worldwide. It's not a surprise, since the awkward political allegory and atrocious 3-D make it one of the most unpleasant Dadaist cinematic experiences of the year. Here's the thing, though: it cost $90 million to make. Ha!
