10 Critically Acclaimed Action Movies That Were Box Office Bombs

Audiences love going to the theater and watching a loud, exciting action movie on the big screen, but not all action movies that come with great reviews are good. Because of how enjoyable it is to see this kind of film in theaters, action movies tend to be big hits at the box office. however, A film that is packed with action does not guarantee that it will be a financial success. Sometimes, for a variety of reasons, even great action films, whether in the 80s, or dirty action movies of the 90s, do not make much money.

Just because a movie fails to make a ton of money, however, doesn’t prove it’s a bad film by any means. Many well-respected action films have failed to make back the money that was put into making them. Some of these movies have even won major awards and received consistent praise from critics. When looking for an action movie franchise to watch, it’s important to look for the box office numbers, and Remember that even the bombed can still be excellent films.

10

Miller’s Crossing (1990)

The third film of the Coen brothers was not a hit

Although far from your typical action movie, Miller’s Crossing In the course of this creative spin on the gangster film genre, exciting action scenes are often avoided. In the 1920s, The film highlights the violent rivalry between two organized crime syndicatesand the man got caught between them. The film received high praise from critics, earning consistently positive reviews for its overall style, as well as for the dialogue and performances.

Unlike many of the Coen Brothers’ later films, Miller’s Crossing Was not a commercial success by any means. The film only earned around five million dollars at the box office, despite being made on a budget of more than double that amount. This is largely the result of the film only having a limited release. Although it may not make much money for the popular filmmaking duo, It still remains a valuable part of the Coen brothers’ filmography Because of its unique twist on the idea of ​​the gangster film.

9

True romance (1993)

Tarantino’s name is still not big enough for audiences

In 1993, Quentin Tarantino’s writing and Tony Scott’s direction were brought together to form True romance, An action-packed crime drama about a newlywed couple on the run. The film was loved by critics, earning an impressive 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The performances of the ensemble cast (including Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Christopher Walken, and many more) and Tarantino’s pre-Reservoir Dogs Writing received more acclaim.

Unfortunately for the up-and-coming Tarantino, True romance Ended up flopping at the box office. The film barely managed to break even on its budget of just over twelve million dollars, only earning four million during its opening weekend. Regardless, True romance Soon found himself developing a strong, dedicated fan base, and keeping the love of the film alive for years to come.

8

Clarity (2005)

This Firefly Follow-up barely broke even

Joss Whedon’s science fiction series, to the chagrin of his viewers, Fireflywas canceled before its story could be completed. Because of this, it came as a relief to many when Whedon released the feature-length film, Claritylike A follow-up to the show in 2005. The film provided fans of the series with the satisfying, action-packed conclusion they wanted.

Unfortunately, while the fanbase of Firefly was dedicated, it proved to not be quite as great as Whedon expected. Clarity barely managed to make a slim profit on its 39-million-dollar budget. However, those who saw the film really enjoyed it, as it was very well received by critics.

Clarity Even went on to win a lot of coveted awards from various science-fiction organizations. Proving that it doesn’t matter how much money the film made, Clarity Offered Firefly A satisfying conclusionAs well as an exciting action/science fiction experience for all audiences.

7

Children of men (2006)

Three Oscar nominations, zero profits

Children of men Shocked audiences around the world, proving that you don’t need futuristic weapons or gadgets to tell an exciting, action-packed science-fiction story. The 2006 Film by director Alfonso Cuarón Explore a chaotic near-future version of Earth in which all humans have become infertile, creating a world in which no children are born for eighteen years.

Sadly, thanks to A series of poor marketing decisions by Universal PicturesThe film did not collect nearly as much money as expected. Even with its A-list cast (Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, and more), Children of men Only managed to get back 70.5 million dollars of its 76-million-dollar budget.

Despite this, the film was a massive critical success, receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews, and earning a spot on many lists of the year’s best films. Children of men Also received nominations for three different Academy Awards: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Editing. Needless to say, the box office numbers do not provide an accurate representation of the film’s quality.

6

The nice guys (2016)

Hardly a benefit for the Crowe/Gosling team

Lethal weapon Writer Shane Schwartz moved to the director’s chair for The nice guysA 2016 action comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe. In the 1970s, the film follows The odd duo as they attempt to solve a mysterious case in Los Angeles. The film was a critical success, garnering a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes and receiving consistent praise, particularly for the comedic partnership of Gosling and Crowe.

Their natural chemistry is not enough to bring audiences to the theaters, though, like The nice guys Only managed to make a slim profit on its 50-million-dollar budget. The underwhelming performance was attributed to heavy competition, with other major comedy films releasing at the same exact time. Fortunately, the underappreciated action/comedy combo found a new home on Netflix for a while, where many more people were able to give it a well-deserved watch.

5

Mulan (2020)

The action-packed Disney remake fell victim to the pandemic

Disney certainly isn’t known for action films, but the studio elected to venture into new territory with its 2020 remake Mulan. Abandoning the musical elements and cartoonish characters featured in the original film, Mulan (2020) proved to be an impressively dramatic, action-packed film. Although the differences from the original version received some negative comments, critics who managed to see Mulan (2020) as his own movie are consistently impressed.

The film even received multiple Oscar nominations, and massive praise for its visual effects and production design. Mulan (2020) was very unlucky, however, with its initial premiere scheduled for March 9, 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic forced Disney to adapt its planAs theaters across the country were shut down.

The studio ultimately decided to release the film directly to Disney+, a decision that would massively detract from its potential revenue. Mulan (2020) only earned back just $69.9 million of its $200 million budget. One can only wonder how well the film would have done in another year.

4

The Suicide Squad (2021)

Not even superheroes could save this one

In 2021, DC Films released The Suicide Squad, James Gunn’s attempt to revitalize the franchise Following its widely-disliked predecessor from 2016. Similar to the first film, The Suicide Squad Follows a ragtag team of little-known DC Comics villains who are forced by the U.S.

The R-rated action flick received far more positive reviews than the original Suicide SquadEven managing to earn an admirable score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite his praise, The Suicide Squad It didn’t take more than fifteen million dollars to pull back its $185 million budget. The most prominent explanation for this failure is the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to the film being released immediately on Max on the same day it hits theaters.

There was also the issue of audiences not being sure what exactly the film was about; The advertisement makes it unclear whether the film was a sequel, a remake of the previous one Suicide Squador something in between. Along with other reasons, these reasons are piled up and caused The Suicide Squad to an underwhelming box office run.

3

The Nortman (2022)

The epic story is not enough to get people to theaters

Robert Eggers co-wrote and directed the 2022 film, The NortmanA bloody revenge film inspired by Viking history and Norse mythology. The film has a star-studded castincluding Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe, and Anya Taylor-Joy. Unfortunately for Eggers, even the big names weren’t enough to get the film to turn a profit.

The film grossed less than $70 million, just under its estimated budget of roughly $70-90 million. Setting aside the underwhelming box office numbers, The Nortman was at least a success with critics. The film achieved a score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, and was nominated for various awards for many aspects of its production.

An important reason for The NortmanIts lack of financial success is simply that the film (being an R-rated, dramatic, artistic piece) is not the type of action movie bound to attract a large audience. This, combined with the high budget of the film, made it extremely unlikely that The Nortman Would benefit, regardless of the positive reviews.

2

Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant (2023)

The war drama lost the battle to make a profit

Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant Taking a much different tone than the director’s previous films, abandoning Ritchie’s trademark style of blending comedy and crime, and instead presenting a much more dramatic action piece. Although it was a sharp departure from his typical style, Critics were quite impressed with the film.

In particular, the leading performance of Jake Gyllenhaal as a US it. Sergeant served in Afghanistan received much acclaim. The intense film was far from a commercial success, however, not even making half of its $55 million budget at the box office. This is primarily the result of the way the film was released.

Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant is only shown in theaters in the United States. For the rest of the world, the film is immediately available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video. With an underwhelming marketing campaign and a minimized source of international revenue, it’s really no surprise that the film was a bomb, regardless of the reviews.

1

The creator (2023)

Another Oscar-nominated flop

Coming in an era where the movie industry is dominated by sequels and remakes, one might have expected a film like The creator To be a refreshing trend for modern audiences. The completely original film follows a US Army Sgt. it. Army on his quest to restore order in a world transformed by AI

The creator Received many honors, incl Two Academy Award nominations (for Best Sound and Best Visual Effects), and various other awards for its visuals. at the box office, The creator Earned 104 million dollars. That’s pretty impressive for a film based on an original concept, but, unfortunately, it cost over $80 million to make.

While it’s admirable that the filmmakers are willing to approach a topic as significant as AI, the timing could not have been ideal. The creator was released in the midst of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikeDuring which AI was an incredibly sensitive topic. The idea of ​​AI being a central element of the film was enough to turn off many potential audience members.