Most of the time, just the fact that a movie is made by Disney is a recipe for success. However, there are Disney movie flops, revealing highs and lows in cinematic history with box office disappointments and production failures.
Yet, if you go through Disney’s box office history, you’ll find out that several Disney movies didn’t compensate for their production budgets as people expected them to.
Seems unbelievable, doesn’t it? Well, to prove it to you, here are some of the biggest Disney movie flops that you may have not known about!
1. The Lone Ranger (2013)
The first Disney movie on our list is The Lone Ranger, which wasn’t a complete miss but remains a box office flop. Its reported budget was around $250 million, and it managed to gross $260.5 million, so it wasn’t successful by a long shot.
However, the reason why it’s on our list is that Disney reportedly spent a roaring $200 million to market this film!
2. Lightyear (2022)
One of the most recent biggest Disney movie flops was Lightyear, which follows the story of the all-time favorite Toy Story character as he tries to go back to his home planet.
Despite the box office success of the Toy Story franchise, Lightyear’s didn’t live up to the expectations of a Pixar movie.
The animated film only made $226.4 million with a production budget of $200 million. It was said that the movie even cost Disney $100 million in marketing.
3. A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
Another huge Disney box office failure is A Wrinkle in Time, which managed to get only $132.7 million, whereas the initial budget had been $130 million!
Sure, it featured a powerful cast, including Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, and Mindy Kaling. Yet, unfortunately, the movie adaptation of the beloved book didn’t resonate much with the audience.
4. John Carter (2012)
Without a doubt, John Carter was the biggest box office flop by Walt Disney Studios. Its estimated budget was $306.6 million, but it made only $284.1 million at the box office. It not only failed to turn a profit but also fell far short of compensating for its production costs.
Producers had high hopes for John Carter, intending it to launch a franchise based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ sci-fi series. Yet, after getting mixed reviews from critics and almost no attention from the audiences, the filmmakers canceled the project.
5. Treasure Planet (2002)
Last but not least, you can’t forget Treasure Planet’s box office bomb in 2002. Lastly, there’s Treasure Planet’s box office bomb in 2002, the most expensive 2D animation at $140 million production cost.
However, the animated adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic failed to cover its production costs, earning only $110 million.
In Conclusion
Surprising, that any Walt Disney Pictures or Pixar film could fail at the box office, but life has its twists.
Thankfully, Disney movie hits like Frozen, Tangled, The Lion King, and Pirates of the Caribbean outweigh these flops.
