A movie’s performance at the box office gets plenty of attention. Some people were very impressed when “Avatar” became the most profitable movie in Hollywood history (and still is). Others gasped when the “Cats” big screen adaptation bombed in domestic theaters despite a star-studded cast featuring Taylor Swift and Jennifer Hudson.
But what’s the biggest box-office bomb of all time? Here we’ve tried to answer this question. Using data on worldwide box office and production costs from film industry data site The Numbers, 24/7 Tempo compiled a list of 40 movies that lost the most money when comparing their box office gross to their production budgets.
It seems there is never a guarantee a movie is going to do great at the box office. Some directors count on recognizable names in Hollywood to attract moviegoers. But the list of the biggest film flops includes A-listers Christian Bale, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Rock, and Angelina Jolie.
Similarly, no genre appears to be a safer bet for turning a profit. The list of the movies that lost the most money is very diverse. It includes everything from science fiction thrillers about time travel to romantic comedies and historical dramas based on true events.
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40. Virus (1999)
> Loss: $44,373,310 > Production budget: $75,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $30,626,690 > Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Sutherland, William Baldwin > Directed by: John Bruno
“Virus” is a sci-fi horror film about a crew of an American tugboat fighting a dangerous alien life form aboard an abandoned Russian research vessel. Though critics were impressed with the movie’s special effects, they did not like that the film was predictable and rushed. “Your average winter cold follows a less predictable course,” wrote Lisa Schwarzbaum for Entertainment Weekly.
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39. Supernova (2000)
> Loss: $45,183,506 > Production budget: $60,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $14,816,494 > Starring: James Spader, Peter Facinelli, Robin Tunney > Directed by: Walter Hill
“Supernova” follows a space hospital crew which rescues a man from another galaxy and soon finds itself in danger because of the alien artifact he smuggled aboard — all of that while trying to avoid the biggest expansion in the universe. “This is an insult to the Sci-fi genre with no excitement and bad FX,” according to Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus. Only 10% of critics and 17% of the audience had anything positive to say about the sci-fi thriller.
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38. Flyboys (2006)
> Loss: $45,183,621 > Production budget: $60,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $14,816,379 > Starring: James Franco, Jean Reno, Jennifer Decker > Directed by: Tony Bill
“Flyboys” is a fictionalized take on World War I fighter pilot squadron Lafayette Escadrille. “Why make such a corny and incredibly predictable film?” asked critic Richard Roeper on Ebert and Roeper. Though critics were overall unimpressed, with just 33% of them giving the movie a positive review, 67% of audience reviewers liked “Flyboys.”
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37. All the King’s Men (2006)
> Loss: $45,478,542 > Production budget: $55,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $9,521,458 > Starring: Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet > Directed by: Steven Zaillian
“All the King’s Men” is loosely based on the time populist politician Huey Long spent as governor of Louisiana. The movie follows the rise and fall of the corrupt politician. “All the King’s Men” is a remake of the 1949 movie, which won three Oscars, including Best Picture. According to Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus, the 2006 version of the film lacks “narrative cohesiveness.”
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36. Red Planet (2000)
> Loss: $46,536,031 > Production budget: $80,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $33,463,969 > Starring: Val Kilmer, Carrie-Anne Moss, Tom Sizemore > Directed by: Antony Hoffman
“Red Planet” is a sci-fi movie about trying to save the human race. A group of astronauts travels to Mars to colonize the red planet because Earth is dying. Though some critics were impressed with the special effects in the movie, most agreed it lacks energy, imagination, and interesting dialogue.
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35. In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2007)
> Loss: $46,766,780 > Production budget: $60,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $13,233,220 > Starring: Jason Statham, Ron Perlman, Ray Liotta > Directed by: Uwe Boll
“In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale” is inspired by the Dungeon Siege video game series. The movie features significant starpower, but critics were not impressed with only 4% liking the film. The Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes says the movie features “mostly wooden performances, laughable dialogue, and shoddy production values.”
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34. Gigli (2003)
> Loss: $46,873,998 > Production budget: $54,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $7,126,002 > Starring: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bartha > Directed by: Martin Brest
“Gigli” stars Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez — at the time one of Hollywood’s power couples — as two mobsters tasked with kidnapping and watching the brother of a district attorney. Despite their offscreen romance, the two were criticized for lacking chemistry on screen. The movie has a 6% Freshness score among Rotten Tomatoes critics. Tim Robey of The Daily Telegraph said “Gigli” is “every bit as atrocious as you may have heard. Nay, worse.”
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33. Hudson Hawk (1991)
> Loss: $47,781,084 > Production budget: $65,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $17,218,916 > Starring: Bruce Willis, Danny Aiello, Andie MacDowell > Directed by: Michael Lehmann
“Hudson Hawk” follows a burglar recently-released from jail who starts working for a wealthy couple. He is tasked with stealing art by Leonardo Da Vinci as part of a world domination plot. “Hudson Hawk’s kitchen-sink approach to its blend of action and slapstick results in a surreal, baffling misfire,” according to Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus. Fans were a little more impressed, with 56% of audiences liking the comedy compared to a 33% Tomatometer score.
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32. Holy Man (1998)
> Loss: $47,930,281 > Production budget: $60,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $12,069,719 > Starring: Eddie Murphy, Jeff Goldblum, Kelly Preston > Directed by: Stephen Herek
“Holy Man” is a comedy about a TV evangelist who starts working for a home shopping network, immediately boosting sales by making shopping a religious experience. Critics were not impressed, describing the film as unfunny, uneven, shallow, and mundane. Only 12% of critics and 24% of audiences gave the movie a positive review.
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31. Lucky You (2007)
> Loss: $48,478,171 > Production budget: $55,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $6,521,829 > Starring: Eric Bana, Drew Barrymore, Robert Duvall > Directed by: Curtis Hanson
“Lucky You” follows a poker player who has a real chance of becoming world champion but struggles with personal relationships, especially the one with his father. Critics describe the film as full of cliches, predictable, and slow. Only 29% of critics gave the rom com a positive review, a slightly higher share than audience reviewers who liked the movie.
“Beyond Borders” tells the story of a wealthy woman who joins a doctor in his efforts to help people in war-torn countries and the two fall in love. The biggest problem critics have with the movie is it seems to exploit real-life tragedy to tell a love story. “Important issues buried in soap opera silliness,” wrote Nell Minow of Common Sense Media. Fans had a more favorable opinion overall with 72% of audiences liking the film.
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29. Outlander (2008)
> Loss: $48,749,383 > Production budget: $50,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $1,250,617 > Starring: Jim Caviezel, Sophia Myles, Ron Perlman > Directed by: Howard McCain
“Outlander” follows an alien soldier and an alien predator who crash on Earth during the Iron Age. The soldier uses Vikings weaponry in his attempt to kill the predator before it destroys the planet. “Schizophrenic in subject and lackluster in execution, Outlander might have trouble finding the cult audience for which it was built,” according to Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus.
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28. Last Man Standing (1996)
> Loss: $48,884,073 > Production budget: $67,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $18,115,927 > Starring: Bruce Willis, Bruce Dern, William Sanderson > Directed by: Walter Hill
“Last Man Standing” is a crime drama set during the Prohibition era. The movie follows a hitman on a job in a small Texas town who finds himself in the middle of a war between the local Italian and Irish mafias. “Last Man Standing’ is such a desperately cheerless film, so dry and laconic and wrung out, that you wonder if the filmmakers ever thought that in any way it could be… fun,” wrote Roger Ebert for the Chicago Sun-Times.
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27. Fathers’ Day (1997)
> Loss: $49,318,920 > Production budget: $85,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $35,681,080 > Starring: Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Julia Louis-Dreyfus > Directed by: Ivan Reitman
“Fathers’ Day” is a romantic comedy that follows two men, who are helping an ex-girlfriend find her missing son because either one of them can be the father. Most people probably can’t imagine either Robin Williams or Billy Crystal being unfunny, but the movie manages to do just that, according to Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus. Only 25% of critics and 26% of audiences gave “Father’s Day” a positive review.
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26. The Great Raid (2005)
> Loss: $49,402,930 > Production budget: $60,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $10,597,070 > Starring: Benjamin Bratt, Joseph Fiennes, James Franco > Directed by: John Dahl
“The Great Raid” is set in 1945, shortly before the end of World War II. A group of soldiers is sent to the Philippines on a mission to save more than 500 Americans who have been prisoners of war for about three years. Only 38% of critics gave the movie a positive review. Fans were more impressed. The war movie has a 70% positive score from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
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25. Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return (2013)
> Loss: $49,892,067 > Production budget: $70,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $20,107,933 > Starring: Lea Michele, Kelsey Grammer, Dan Aykroyd > Directed by: Will Finn, Daniel St. Pierre
“Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return” is an animated musical fantasy based on a novel by Roger S. Baum, the great-grandson of L. Frank Baum, who wrote the Wizard of Oz books. “Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return” follows Dorothy as she returns to Oz after a tornado destroys her home. Critics did not like the movie, but most fans did, with 68% of audiences giving the film a positive rating.
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24. Hard Rain (1998)
> Loss: $50,129,433 > Production budget: $70,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $19,870,567 > Starring: Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater, Randy Quaid > Directed by: Mikael Salomon
“Hard Rain” is a heist movie that follows an armored truck driver who tries to prevent a local gang from stealing the $3 million in his truck during a storm. “Virtually nothing that takes place here is believable for a moment,” wrote Todd McCarhy of Variety. Overall, just 34% of audience reviewers and 30% of film critics liked “Hard Rain.”
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23. Battlefield Earth (2000)
> Loss: $50,274,337 > Production budget: $80,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $29,725,663 > Starring: John Travolta, Forest Whitaker, Barry Pepper > Directed by: Roger Christian
“Battlefield Earth,” a sci-fi action-adventure film in which Earth is a wasteland, centers on one human. The human tries to save all of humanity from the alien race of Psychols who have taken over. Only 3% of critics gave the film a positive review. According to Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus, “Battlefield Earth” is “a stunningly misguided, aggressively bad sci-fi folly” that is also “ugly, campy, and poorly acted.”
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22. Blackhat (2015)
> Loss: $50,334,996 > Production budget: $70,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $19,665,004 > Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Viola Davis, Tang Wei > Directed by: Michael Mann
“Blackhat” follows a convicted hacker who is released from prison on the condition that he helps American and Chinese authorities find a high-level cybercrime network with members all over the world. Most critics agree that the thriller has a few moments of well-developed action scenes, but they also agree it is dull and slow. Fans were even less impressed as just 24% liked “Blackhat,” compared to 32% of critics.
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21. R.I.P.D. (2013)
> Loss: $50,923,322 > Production budget: $130,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $79,076,678 > Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, Mary-Louise Parker > Directed by: Robert Schwentke
“R.I.P.D” is a supernatural action-adventure movie about a recently murdered cop who joins the Rest In Peace Department. It consists of undead police officers charged with protecting the living from destructive souls hiding among them. The only positive reviews about the movie were about Jeff Bridges’ performance.
“Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within,” which is about a scientist on a mission to save Earth from mysterious aliens, is one of the first movies to use human characters who are actually computer generated. Still, critics and fans were not very impressed with 44% of critics and 48% of the audience giving the fantasy film a positive review.
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19. Eye See You (2002)
> Loss: $53,192,010 > Production budget: $55,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $1,807,990 > Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Charles S. Dutton, Polly Walker > Directed by: Jim Gillespie
“Eye See You” follows an FBI agent who is in a rehab clinic that treats law enforcement officers with PTSD. Soon after he arrives, a serial killer begins to kill patients in the facility one by one. Only 18% of movie critics had anything positive to say about the thriller, and just 28% of the audience liked it. “A guilty pleasure at best, and not worth seeing unless you want to laugh at it,” wrote Kevin N. Laforest for Apollo Guide.
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18. Timeline (2003)
> Loss: $53,296,816 > Production budget: $80,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $26,703,184 > Starring: Paul Walker, Gerard Butler, Billy Connolly > Directed by: Richard Donner
An archeologist travels to the past by accident and gets stuck in 14th century France. His son and colleague then travel back to save him but get mixed up in the war between France and England at the time. “This incoherently plotted addition to the time-travel genre looks and sounds cheesy,” according to Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus.
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17. Lolita (1997)
> Loss: $53,852,216 > Production budget: $55,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $1,147,784 > Starring: Jeremy Irons, Dominique Swain, Melanie Griffith > Directed by: Adrian Lyne
“Lolita” is one of several movies on this list with relatively favorable reviews. Based on the famous Vladimir Nabokov novel of the same name, “Lolita” follows an English professor who falls in love with a minor and marries her mother to be close to her daughter. About 68% of movie critics and 75% of audiences liked the movie. In spite of these relatively good reviews, the taboo subject matter likely kept audiences away.
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16. Lucky Numbers (2000)
> Loss: $54,985,766 > Production budget: $65,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $10,014,234 > Starring: John Travolta, Lisa Kudrow, Tim Roth > Directed by: Nora Ephron
“Lucky Numbers” is a dark comedy about a popular TV weatherman and a TV lotto ball announcer who scam the state lottery. “The characters are generally too repulsive even for our toleration, much less our affection,” according to Cody Clark of Mr. Showbiz. The film impressed critics more than the audience, with 22% of critics giving it a positive review, compared to 19% of fans.
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A former FBI agent is charged with tracking down a former DIA agent. The two are after an injectable device that can kill anyone with a push of a button. Not a single critic gave the mystery/action movie a positive review. The film’s Tomatometer score is 0%, compared to a 19% audience score. “Plot holes galore, clichés, senseless violence, and an incoherent script to top it all off,” Felix Vasques Jr. wrote for Cinema Crazed.
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14. Osmosis Jones (2001)
> Loss: $56,403,089 > Production budget: $70,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $13,596,911 > Starring: Laurence Fishburne, Chris Rock, David Hyde Pierce > Directed by: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly
“Osmosis Jones” is a combination of a live action and animated comedy. The film is about a white blood cell (Chris Rock) in a cop’s body (Bill Murray). The white blood cell is trying to kill off a virus (Laurence Fishburne) before the virus kills the cop. The film is one of a few on this list that received a higher rating from audiences than from critics, with 41% of viewers giving the flick a positive rating, compared to 55% of critics.
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13. The Postman (1997)
> Loss: $59,158,877 > Production budget: $80,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $20,841,123 > Starring: Kevin Costner, Will Patton, Larenz Tate > Directed by: Kevin Costner
Set in post-Apocalyptic America, a drifter wearing a postman’s clothes delivers old mail, giving hope to survivors that the U.S. government has been restored. “The Postman’ would make for a goofy good time if it weren’t so fatally self-serious,” according to Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus. Only 8% of movie critics and 50% of audiences on Rotten Tomatoes liked the drama.
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12. Soldier (1998)
> Loss: $60,376,918 > Production budget: $75,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $14,623,082 > Starring: Kurt Russell, Jason Scott Lee, Jason Isaacs > Directed by: Paul W.S. Anderson
The movie centers on a highly skilled soldier who is dumped on a waste planet after being deemed obsolete. There he joins a group of colonists who try to stop the launch of a group of genetically engineered killers. Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus describes the action movie as a “waste of a good set.”
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Three Navy fighter pilots are involved in a top secret mission to prepare an unmanned aircraft to hit foreign targets. One of the pilots doesn’t trust the artificial intelligence technology and tries to stop it before it leads to a world war. Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus describes the movie as “loud, preposterous, and predictable.”
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10. The 13th Warrior (1999)
> Loss: $63,301,101 > Production budget: $125,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $61,698,899 > Starring: Antonio Banderas, Diane Venora, Dennis Storhøi > Directed by: John McTiernan, Michael Crichton
“The 13th Warrior” follows a Muslim ambassador who is banned from his homeland. He joins the Vikings in their fight against an evil threat to their land. Though critics were mostly impressed with the movie’s visual effects, they were overwhelmingly disappointed in the plot. Audiences appeared to be more forgiving, with 66% of them liking it.
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9. The Alamo (2004)
> Loss: $68,088,638 > Production budget: $92,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $23,911,362 > Starring: Dennis Quaid, Billy Bob Thornton, Emilio Echevarría > Directed by: John Lee Hancock
“The Alamo” is a historical war drama about the last stand of Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, and other historical figures against the Mexican army, led by General Santa Ana. About 29% of movie critics and 45% of audiences gave the film a positive review. According to the Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus, “The Alamo” was “too conventional and uninvolving to be memorable.”
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8. Monkeybone (2001)
> Loss: $69,590,483 > Production budget: $75,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $5,409,517 > Starring: Brendan Fraser, Bridget Fonda, John Turturro > Directed by: Henry Selick
“Monkeybone” follows cartoonist Stu Miley who falls into a coma and gets trapped in the world he actually made up. To find his way back to reality, he needs to fight his own creation — Monkeybone. According to Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus, the film is “too shapeless a movie, with unengaging characters and random situations that fail to build up laughs.”
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7. How Do You Know (2010)
> Loss: $70,371,823 > Production budget: $120,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $49,628,177 > Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson > Directed by: James L. Brooks
“How Do You Know” centers on a softball player who, at 31 years old, is deemed too old and is cut from her team. In a process of evaluating her life, she finds herself in a love triangle with a professional baseball player and businessman from New York. “How Do You Know” is Jack Nicholson’s last movie before he retired from the industry.
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6. Cutthroat Island (1995)
> Loss: $73,482,678 > Production budget: $92,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $18,517,322 > Starring: Geena Davis, Matthew Modine, Frank Langella > Directed by: Renny Harlin
“Cutthroat Island” tells the story of a feisty female pirate on a journey to find a buried treasure. Critics and audiences alike disliked the movies. Only 38% and 40%, respectively, gave the adventure flick a positive review. “It takes a two-hour act of will to keep facing the screen during this moribund movie,” according to Desson Thomson of the Washington Post.
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5. A Sound of Thunder (2005)
> Loss: $73,699,549 > Production budget: $80,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $6,300,451 > Starring: Edward Burns, Ben Kingsley, Catherine McCormack > Directed by: Peter Hyams
“A Sound of Thunder ” is an action adventure movie about time travel. Millionaires from the future can travel back to prehistoric times to hunt dinosaurs, but one of them makes a serious mistake that results in devastating and unforeseen consequences. Critics really did not like the movie, and few among audience reviewers did as well. “Choppy logic and uneven performances are overshadowed by not-so-special effects that makes the suspension of disbelief a nearly impossible task,” according to Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus.
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4. The Promise (2016)
> Loss: $79,448,583 > Production budget: $90,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $10,551,417 > Starring: Oscar Isaac, Charlotte Le Bon, Christian Bale > Directed by: Terry George
Set in the early 20th century during the last years of the Ottoman Empire, “The Promise” is a romantic drama about a love triangle involving a medical student, a dance instructor, and an American photojournalist. Though the movie was not a box office hit by any means, 92% of audiences on Rotten Tomatoes liked the film.
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3. The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)
> Loss: $92,905,005 > Production budget: $100,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $7,094,995 > Starring: Eddie Murphy, Jay Mohr, Randy Quaid > Directed by: Ron Underwood
“The Adventures of Pluto Nash” is a sci-fi action comedy about a man living on the Moon in 2087. He struggles to keep his nightclub out of the hands of the mafia, who have their sights set on conquering the Moon. Only 4% of critics gave the action comedy a positive review, compared to 15% of audience reviewers.
“Town & Country” is a romantic comedy about two couples, their marriages, and their relationships with each other. The film “feels confusingly choppy,” according to Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus. The rom com is one of few on this list that were disliked by fans as much as critics. The movie’s Tomatometer score is only 13% and only 14% of audiences liked it. Following the release of “Town & Country,” Warren Beatty did not star in another motion picture for 15 years.
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1. Mars Needs Moms (2011)
> Loss: $110,450,242 > Production budget: $150,000,000 > Worldwide box office: $39,549,758 > Starring: Seth Green, Joan Cusack, Dan Fogler > Directed by: Simon Wells
A 9-year-old boy is trying to save his mother from Martians who kidnap her and gains a new appreciation for her during his rescue journey. Some critics have described the movie as a mess and an interplanetary clunker.
