While 2019 saw an epic box office in the form of Avengers: Endgame passing the billion dollar mark, many expected hits failed to reach new heights at the cinema. This last year saw Doctor Sleep do poorly when Stephen King movies have seen a sharp increase in ticket sales. Other properties like Charlie's Angels did exactly as expected. It languished due to a poor marketing campaign and really no interest on the part of the general movie going public. However, the end of 2019 sees the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker once again catapulting grosses to another success for Disney. What are the ten worst genre flops of the year. Find out here.
10. Gemini Man
Budget: $138 Million
Global Take: $173 Million
The latest Ang Lee genre entry made back its production budget but failed to do major damage in ticket sales. It seems no one was really interested in another one of his high frame rate experimental features as Will Smith once again proved to not be the box office guarantee he once was. This one might do way better in the home video market.
9. Dark Phoenix
Budget: $200 Million
Global Take: $252 Million
The final X-Men movie in the latest series of films struggled right out of the gate. From production problems, to numerous rewrites to an absolutely disastrous take on the Phoenix Saga, this was the worst of the batch and was definitely time to see this series put to bed before the characters move to Disney.
8: Terminator: Dark Fate
Budget: $185 Million
Global Take: $258 Million
Apparently people weren't that interested in a retcon of the famed Terminator franchise. From the start, this thing was critically doomed. Although some (myself) really enjoyed how this spun off the classic T2, most weren't ready for a total rewrite of the already screwed up timeline in this series. Even bringing James Cameron back as a producer proved to be even more trouble for the franchise. It seems his control freak outs doomed this project from the start.
7. Hellboy
Budget: $50 Million
Global Take: $41 Million
When you go from a respected series by Guillermo Del Toro to this utter Hellboy trash, it's hard to sell tickets. Out of the gate this thing got critically panned and audiences were not very accepting of a new Hellboy. Instead of rebooting, they should have waited to get a proper Hellboy 3 from Del Toro and Perlman. When you make less in ticket sales than your full budget, there are real problems.
6. The Kid Who Would Be King
Budget: $60 Million
Global Take: $32 Million
This new spin on the King Arthur and Excalibur tale was a total blast of old school fun. Critics and audiences both loved this feature film. It's a reminder o how movies used to be during the '80s. Sadly enough, folks weren't that interested and it flopped. Majorly. If you ever get a chance, check this one out.
5.Tolkien
Budget: $20 Million
Global Take: $8 Million
Having never seen this one, it seems like it would have been an interesting title that we just so happened to miss. With interest always high about Tolkien, the marketing was not that strong and most never even heard that this was a movie. A proper biopic about the famed author seems a great idea during a period where people are really interested in culture and the stories behind it. Too bad.
4: Captive State
Budget: $25 Million
Global Take: $8.5 Million
This strange flick failed to garner any attention. The slow paced, high concept film about aliens taking over the planet and influencing our every day lives didn't really hit a good stride in its presentation or financial successes. Even on home video, interest was low and it hasn't seen much support. There are some cool ideas here but overall the movie was a slog to get through.
3. Playmobil The Movie
Budget: $40 Million
Global Take: $14 Million
Trying to capture the same audience as The Lego Movie, this idea was dead on arrival. No one cared about seeing this. In fact, this came and went with barely any marketing from its studio. This was actually the lowest amount any movie that opened on 2000 screens has ever grossed. Talk about bad. We're sure someone got fired after this mess.
2. Replicas
Budget: $30 Million
Global Take: $4 Million
Keanu Reeves can be a strange animal. Sometimes he succeeds. And sometimes he fails. Replicas had a weird release schedule that saw it hit some areas in late 2018 and others in early 2019. Although it pitches some cool sci-fi based themes and tropes, it's a corny nod about recreating life that just didn't hit hard. Although it's available on streaming services now, it was a complete flop.
1. Cats
Budget: $95 Million
Global Take (so far): $38 Million
Not all musicals need a cinematic version. And this is the case with Cats. The film is an uncomfortable abomination that requires zero viewings. Having seen it a few days before its theatrical run, it's easy to see why this was such a disaster. With unfinished visuals, terrible versions of the classic songs, and wasted talent, this is really the worst of the year. And it's paying for it. Who ever green lit this thing needs their litter box cleaned.