The “Power Rangers” were immensely popular as a TV show and a phenomenon in the 90s. In this film version, it’s a gang of misfit teenagers who save the world. Meeting each other in high school detention, the group of unlikely superheroes includes an autistic and an LGBTQ superhero, the first superhero movie to be so inclusive. The critics liked the cast starring Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, R.J. Cyler, and Becky G. As for the directing and editing, …not so much.
Opening up against “Guardians of the Galaxy,” turnout for “Power Rangers” at the box office was thwarted and doomed. In fact, it brought in only $1.2 million on its first day. “Power Rangers,” the 2017 movie, lost 76 million dollars. Another complaint was its crude humor and incessant product placements. With a production budget of $100 million dollars and gross sales at $142.3, it’s an official flop.
Estimated loss: $76 million
Windtalkers (2002)
Now here’s a movie that bombed so badly that MGM fired its president of worldwide marketing and distribution. It also pushed MGM's stock to nearly its four-year low point. It wasn’t all Nicolas Cage’s fault. The movie was the fourth consecutive bomb for MGM, and the president who got canned was only on the job for one year.
"Windtalkers" just wasn’t that good. Roger Ebert only gave it two measly stars lamenting, “The Navajo code talkers have waited a long time to have their story told. Too bad it appears here merely as a gimmick in an action picture.” For a movie about war, American soldiers, and the Navajo, it seemed to turn off every audience. Adjusted for inflation it lost up to $110 million, while it grossed merely $77.6 million. The production budget practically mirrored its loss tally at $115-$120 million.
Estimated loss: $76 - $81 million
xXx: State of the Union (2005)
"xXx: State of the Union" plummeted to 17% favorability on Rotten Tomatoes. They hoped for a theatrical debut topping $20 million, but bad reviews found it at one of the worst openings for a film of its size. The original film, "xXx" (2002) succeeded in turning a profit, "xXx: State of the Union" didn’t.
"xXx: The State of the Union" is a movie about secret agents racing against the clock to save the U.S. government from being toppled by a secret military coup. Sounds pretty good, ya? Nope. Critics say it was poorly executed. Once again, big names and expensive actors were of no use. All in all, the film lost $98 million, adjusted for inflation. It had a budget of $113.1 million and a worldwide net gross of only $71 million. Nevertheless, the xXx franchise remains alive and funded.
Estimated loss: $78 million
Death Wish (2018)
This reboot of the original 1974 "Death Wish" joins the list of failed remakes. What worked during the Nixon/law-and-order era, doesn't appeal to the general audience today, and thankfully so! Not that the first film was a masterpiece either. If most people would revisit it today, they'd most likely be appalled by the outright racism and the laughable machismo promoted in the film.
The movie grossed $34 million on a $30 million budget, so while that's not as big of a loss compared to other box office bombs featured on this list, anyone familiar with the movie industry knows that a $4 million dollar gain is basically a fail, and thus "Death Wish" was granted the title of one of the biggest flops of 2018 by all major publications.
Estimated gross: $4 million
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
This space Western film is based on one of "Star Wars" favorite characters, Han Solo. As it's associated with one of the most successful movie franchises in cinema history, expectations were high; however, the production didn't exactly deliver, thus it gets an "honorable mention" in our list.
Reviews about this Star Wars spin-off were tepid. Analysts of publications such as The Atlantic and Entertainment Weekly credited the movie's deficient box office performance to inadequate marketing and to what was coined as "Star Wars fatigue". "Solo" came out just five months after "The Last Jedi," becoming the fourth film of the series released in less than 30 months. Perhaps viewers just needed a break from the Star Wars saga.