Treasure Planet (2002)
“Treasure Planet” is a Disney adaptation of “Treasure Island” by Robert Louis Stevenson. The only question left is: how do they ruin it? How about by dragging the venerable 18th-century children’s literary classic into the land of sci-fi and CGI? Not exactly.
“Treasure Planet” ranks near the top of Disney animation’s all-time worst performers. Estimated loss, adjusted for inflation was $116 million dollars, however, some suggest that doesn’t accurately reflect costs once Disney’s colossal ad campaign is calculated in. Still. The box office turned its back on it, squeezing out $13 million when it opened during the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Having said that, it was up against “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.”
Estimated loss: $85 million
Mars Needs Moms (2011)
"Mars Needs Moms," the adorable animated children's flick about Martian leaders finding a use for moms on their planet was produced by Disney with animation studio partner, ImageMovers Digital (Polar Express). The book, authored by Berkeley Breathed, may very well be better than the movie. Milo (Seth Green) is an Earthling who gets grounded because he will not complete his chores. The movie revolves around the 9-year-old boy and his personal journey that, by quest’s end, finds him realizing the value of a loving family.
The film had a raging budget of $150 million. Mars Needs Moms would have to tear it up at the box office to break even. That didn’t happen. The movie brought in $39 million at the box office.
Estimated loss: $100-$144 million
Megaforce (1982)
"Megaforce" was a 1982 passion project film made by American stuntman Hal Needham. Needham decided to try his luck as a director in the late '70s and directed a total of twelve films in his decade of directorial career. He pitched the idea of the film to audiences, claiming it was "like no other movie ever made before". The director also made sure to include himself as one of the film's actors but was unfortunately hurt during production when he fell off a motorbike and broke several ribs.
The film was released at around the same time as "Mad Max 2," the sequel to the ultra-popular dystopian Mel Gibson movie. "Megaforce" had poor box-office performance and lost almost three-quarters of its budget due to low ticket sales. Interestingly, the director later admitted that he was completely wrong about what he believed audiences wanted at the time.
Estimated loss: $14.3 million
Pan (2015)
This could be one of those movies that really deserved to crash and burn. It had a ginormous budget, a weak script, and a story that’s been told again and again and again... Yet again, some liked it. And not just a few found it delightfully entertaining. In this film’s case, however, the critics won out. The story of Pan works as an alternative tale of Peter from the originator’s "Peter and Wendy," a prequel to that tale. Film reviewers were not impressed.
Plainly, it flopped. Every which way. The budget, screaming to $150 million, is only matched by its marketing campaign that clocked in at around $125 million. And then there’s the extensive financial loss: $89 - $155 million, almost eclipsing the gross, $128.4 million.
Estimated loss: $86 - $150 million
Gods of Egypt (2016)
Spoiler alert: it flopped. Splat. The flood of bad reviews may have in fact sunk hopes for a strong box office release, triggering director Alex Proyas to liken the critics to “diseased vultures”. It must be frustrating standing by while ravenous scavengers tear your project apart on the eve of its release.
"Gods of Egypt," tells the story of Bek (Brenton Thwaites), a human on a mission to take down the evil god Set. Of course, he also saves the beloved princess from the underworld. The movie also stars Gerard Butler, Chadwick Boseman, and Courtney Eaton. In the end, the fantasy-fiction film flopped. The production budget was $140 million. The box office brought in $150.7 million. All told, the loss for Lionsgate’s investment totaled $81-$92 million, adjusted for inflation.