1988’s “Mac and Me” was just such a film, as it attempted to copy the success of 1982’s masterpiece, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” by director Steven Spielberg. The film was littered with product placements for McDonald’s and Coca-Cola, which made it even worse than it already was.
“Mac and Me” was a box-office flop, and reportedly lost a few million dollars after being released. It’s considered one of the worst films to ever have been made. The film actually won a few awards, including Worst Director and Worst New Star. It was actually so bad that it built a cult following over the years, which just goes to show that people will watch anything if it’s bad enough.
Estimated loss: $6.6 million
Gotti (2018)
Some of the best films out there have been crime drama films that center around a mob family. "The Godfather," "Goodfellas," and "The Sopranos" are just the tip of the iceberg. John Travolta also tried his luck in playing the notorious Italian-American criminal, John Gotti. Unfortunately for him, Travolta's portrayal of the man is so bad it tortured us, the audience, more than anyone else in the movie.
Gotti was a commercial failure and ended up losing several million dollars. It's one of the only films to ever get a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. There was a strong disparity initially between critic reviews and user reviews, with regular viewers giving the film an 80% rating. It's widely speculated that this was the doing of thousands of Scientologists, who are fans and fellow members in the Church of Scientology with John Travolta.
Estimated loss: $3.9 million
Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star (2011)
One of the truly most awful comedy films ever made is, without a doubt, "Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star." The film was directed by Tom Brady, who is responsible for various films starring popular comedy actor, Rob Schneider. The film was released just two days before the annual 9/11 memorial day. It was viscerally hated by most critics and moviegoers.
It's described by many critics as one of the most boring, awkward, and humorless comedy films ever made. The film was co-produced by Adam Sandler, which is a huge stain on his resume. Its main "star" (if you could call him that) is Nick Swardson. The actor defended "Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star," claiming that he thinks journalists and film critics are just "negative morons" and attributed that as the reason the film received such low ratings and lost millions of dollars.
Estimated loss: $7.5 million
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
This one may be the most surprising movie featured on this list, as it's now arguably one of the greatest films in cinema history. But when "The Wizard of Oz" made its debut, it was far from the box office hit you'd expect it to be. Naturally, this was quite disappointing to MGM, as it was their most expensive production at the time.
It wasn't until the movie's re-release in 1949, 10 years after its initial release, that this musical fantasy film was widely received, and earned MGM an additional $1.5 million (which is around $16 million today). Later, in 1956, it aired on television and won over new viewers, becoming an instant sensation and an overall classic. This just goes to show you that the box office doesn't always get it right, and sometimes, it's all about having the right timing.
Estimated loss: $1.1 million
Evan Almighty (2007)
Big on comedy legends, “short on laughs,” according to Rotten Tomatoes. Stunning special effects helped it register 23%. Those special effects, CGI in order to animate an ark-load of Noah’s species-protected beasts during the flood made it the most expensive movie at the time it was produced.
Evan (Steve Carell) who is a newly elected congressman of fictional town Prestige Crest, chills with God (Morgan Freeman) hoping the Almighty will answer the congressman’s prayers. He just won an election on a campaign promise to save the world and now the difficulties are piling up. The official production budget was $175 million. However, according to rumor, it likely looked more like $210 million. The box office grossed at $173.4.