10 Sci-Fi Box Office Flops That Deserved Better

Box office results don’t always reflect the quality of a movie, and there are plenty of sci-fi classics that didn’t get what they deserved. Whether it takes weeks or years, great movies eventually gain recognition, even if they’ve been branded commercial flops. A movie’s marketing campaign and timing can also contribute to its commercial viability, so some movies are doomed before audiences even have a chance to judge them.

Along with horror and action, sci-fi is one genre that tends to do quite well at the box office. Audiences will always be interested in seeing otherworldly concepts play out on the big screen. However, there are more than a few exceptions to this rule, including some of the most influential sci-fi movies of all time. The Maligned Classics highlight the problems with putting too much stock in box office numbers.

10

Event Horizon (1997)

Box Office: $42 million

event horizon Follows a team of astronauts who respond to a distress signal to find an abandoned ship that previously disappeared during its maiden voyage. The sci-fi horror movie was dismissed by some as a ripoff of AlienAnd that may have been a contributing factor to its sub-par box office return. Although the premise does seem to borrow from Alien, Event Horizon Has many tricks up his sleeve.

event horizons particular brand of horror is more psychological and existential than alien, Which quickly puts an end to any direct comparisons. The strange atmosphere of the movie and some of its themes mean that it has also been compared to a sci-fi version of The Shining. event horizon Also has the benefit of a large castWhich includes Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill and Jason Isaacs. If it had cast an A-list lead, it might have achieved the financial success it deserved.

9

Dark City (1998)

Box Office: $27.2 million

Dark City was released a year earlier The matrixAnd many sci-fi fans have suggested the former may have influenced the latter in some way. New Line Cinema didn’t quite know what they had on their hands Dark City. Despite some hesitation from the studio, the movie still received a lot of positive reviews. Famed critic Roger Ebert even recorded a commentary track for the DVD release.

Dark City Uses a gloomy color palette to create a deep, oppressive atmosphere. His dystopian approach has been compared to the films of Terry Gilliam, as well as German Expressionist works of the 1920s and 1930s. Dark City Takes on a swirl of disparate influences to create something unique. It may have struggled to clear its $27 million budget, however It created a long legacy in the sci-fi genre.

8

Under the Skin (2013)

Box Office: $7.2 million

10 years before scoring two Academy Award nominations for the zone of interest, Jonathan Glazer is directing an underrated sci-fi movie starring Scarlett Johansson. like The zone of interest, Under the skin Uses unsettling music and stretches of silence to create an uneasy, alien atmosphere. Johansson plays an enigmatic alien who travels the Scottish countryside, abducting people and trapping them in an inky black void.

Under the skin had a budget of only $13.3 millionBut it still fell short of recouping that cost at the box office. Although it is a sci-fi movie, it does not offer much of the action or spectacle that fans of the genre are often looking for. It might be better understood as a philosophical horror movie about the male gaze with a sci-fi twist. Despite its poor business results, Under the skin has developed a cult following.

7

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

Box Office: $172.8 million

Furiosa is far from the only high-profile movie that failed to meet expectations at the box office in 2024. In a strange year in theaters, Furiosa Stands out as one movie that definitely deserved more. The follow-up to the groundbreaking Mad Max: Fury Road Has all the potential to become a huge hit. The audience may have been thrown off by the decision to overcast Charlize Theron for the prequel, and the absence of Max Rokatansky probably didn’t help either.

George Miller keeps up the good work of fury way in Furious, Delivering more high-octane thrills set in his nightmarish vision of a desert dystopia. Anya Taylor-Joy steps into Theron’s shoes admirably, however Chris Hemsworth is the real scene-stealerPlaying an eccentric villain with great joy and enthusiasm. Furiosa Has some unbelievable stunts and all the weird detail that fans have come to expect from these Mad Max franchise, but that’s not enough at the box office.

6

Annihilation (2018)

Box Office: $43.1 million

Destruction Has gradually come to be recognized as one of the best sci-fi movies of the last decade, but it started as a commercial failure. Destruction was seen as a risky investment, as its surreal horror and unorthodox storytelling can be off-putting to some people. The international distribution rights were sold to NetflixWho meant that Destruction was never given a fair shot to win big at the box office.

Despite its mediocre box office returns, Destruction was a big hit for Netflix, proving that Alex Garland’s unconventional sci-fi story still has an audience. Streaming may be the ideal home for DestructionSince the film presents several intriguing mysteries that urge audiences to go back and examine events more closely. It ends with one final puzzle, but there’s also the lingering idea that some mysteries have no simple answers.

5

The Iron Giant (1999)

Box Office: $31.3 million

The Iron Giant is an animated classicDirected by Brad Bird before he went on to make groundbreaking 3D computer-animated movies at Pixar, such as The Incredibles And Ratatouille. The Iron GiantIts gorgeous 2D style adds to its indefatigable charm. The story follows the strange friendship that develops between a young boy and a huge alien robot that the United States government is desperately trying to capture.

The Iron Giant Received positive reviews, however Its marketing campaign did not give it a fair shot at box office success. Warner Bros. was still reeling from some expensive animated flops at the time, so they decided against investing heavily in The Iron Giant. The movie’s glowing reviews and enduring popularity prove that this is one that Warner Bros. should have gambled on. The Iron Giant was a box office flop that became a classic.

4

The Thing (1982)

Box Office: $19.9 million

The thing Received mixed reviews when it was first releasedAnd these undoubtedly played a part in the film’s poor performance at the box office. One of the most common criticisms aimed at The thing was his perceived lack of emotion. With the benefit of hindsight, this seems like one of the movie’s greatest strengths, as it feeds into the sense of paranoia and dehumanization.

The thing Shows John Carpenter at the peak of his powersHow the director’s instinctive sense of horror creates a terrifying arctic mystery. The thingIts ambiguous ending is perfectly measured, because the true identity of the surviving characters remains a mystery, but the fact that they are suspicious of one another towards the end speaks volumes. This allows the movie to stay in the memory long after the credits roll, and it has contributed to its cult status.

3

Treasure Planet (2002)

Box Office: $109.6 million

Treasure Planet was not the only Disney animated movie to suffer at the box office in the 2000s. While Pixar and DreamWorks were changing the landscape of animation with 3D computer-generated movies, Disney took a while to get on board. Compared to movies like fear And monsters inc. Treasure Planet Looked old fashionedAnd this affected its box office return.

It’s a shame that Disney scrambled to adopt computer-generated animation, because the short period between the 90s Disney Renaissance and their early forays into 3D produced some beautiful movies. Treasure Planet Is well old, divorced from the cultural trends of the time that negatively impacted its release. The movie puts a sci-fi twist on a classic adventure taleAnd the character designs alone are wonderfully inventive.

2

Children of Men (2006)

Box Office: $70.5 million

Alfonso Cuarón’s dystopian thriller has been incredibly influential in the years since its release. The one-shot action sequences in particular have been replicated endlesslyBut very few apes have been able to match the energy of Children of men. The story uses a simple sci-fi premise to explore human society near breaking point. It’s as much an action thriller as a sci-fi movie.

With a budget of $76 million, Children of men Failed to break even at the box office. It did not have the biggest release, which is strange for a movie with such a high budget. The three Oscar nominations underscore the positive contemporary response to children of men, And it only grew in stature in the subsequent years. If extensive notice has been given, Children of men Could be a business success.

1

Blade Runner (1982)

Box Office: $41.8 million

Ridley Scott Blade Runner is a classic sci-fi movie, and it has influenced the genre in many ways. Initially, however Blade Runner was a commercial failure. Although it has the scale of a sci-fi epic, Blade Runner is really a neo-noir detective story in disguise. This means that Blade Runner did not immediately attract as much attention as later. Some fans probably would have preferred a steampunk shoot-em-up.

Blade Runner‘s commercial disappointment didn’t hold it back for long, and it’s now regarded as one of Ridley Scott’s best movies, alongside the likes of Alien And Gladiator. Blade Runner 2049 Repeated the pattern of the original. It’s also a critically-acclaimed sci-fi movie that struggled at the box office. For both movies, the slow pace and relative lack of action may be a major factor in their lukewarm commercial response.