The Walt Disney Corporation is one of the biggest media conglomerates in the world. With various production labels including Touchstone Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Walt Disney Pictures, they have released hundreds of movies in both live-action, animation, and hybrids. Many of these films have cemented themselves in history for their quality and pushing the boundaries of what came before.
However, pushing boundaries doesn’t always result in success.Disney has released several films considered box office flops, and some of them are even among the biggest flops ever made. Whether they were films that were simply released at the wrong time, had steep competition, or were outright so poorly made that audiences didn’t want to see them, there are many reasons why these Disney films failed at the box office. While it’s easy to see Disney as a flawless magical kingdom where they make no mistakes, some films paint the exact opposite picture.
25’The Black Cauldron' (1985)
Budget:$44 Million, Worldwide Gross: $21.3 Million
The Black Cauldronfor a long time was the black sheep of the Disney name, with its massive failure being the overwhelming and only discussion surrounding the film. The film follows the story of Taran, a young boy who takes care of a pig who can see the future, but dreams of being a knight. He loses the pig to the minions of the evil Horned King, who is searching for the black cauldron, so he can summon an army of undead. Along with a furry creature obsessed with apples, a runaway princess, and an old harper, Taran races to find the cauldron first.
Disney was hoping this film would get them out of their dark age, so the company was willing to put more money and technique into it compared to their older films.However,The Black Cauldronhad behind-the-scenes dramadue to how dark it was, resulting in twelve minutes being cut from the final product. This did little to endear audiences, and the film’s run was so bad that theCare Bears Movieoutperformed it at the box office.
The Black Cauldron
24’The 13th Warrior' (1999)
Budget:$160 Million, Worldwide Box Office: $61.7 Million
While many high-budget action blockbusters have found great success under the Disney banner,The 13th Warrioris one such case where there was very little enthusiasm from audiences to back up its staggeringly high budget. The film follows the story of an Arab diplomat (played byAntonio Banderas) who meets up with a band of Norsemen. He is selected to be part of thirteen warriors sent north to aid a struggling kingdom against an unknown threat. Though the Norse mock him at first, he is able to learn their language and gradually earn their respect.
The 13th Warriorsuffers from a myriadof behind-the-scenes issues caused by conflicts between directorJohn McTiernanandMichael Crichton, who wrote the original novel.Numerous scenes fromThe 13th Warriorwere re-shot and edited, resulting in a disjointed narrative and poor character development. It also didn’t help the film that it was competing against the critically acclaimed masterpieceThe Sixth Sense, still bringing in waves of audiences and dominating the screens. In recent years, the film has been re-assessed as a fun, if imperfect action film.
The 13th Warrior
23’Treasure Planet' (2002)
Budget:$140 Million, Worldwide Box Office: $109.6 Million
One of the most infamous bombs to come from Walt Disney Animation Studios, thestill-underratedTreasure Planethad massive hopesof being a sprawling and technologically advanced sci-fi animation epic. Jim Hawkin’s life is thrown on its head when a dying alien arrives at his family inn, pursued by pirates who destroy the place. Jim and his mother escape, and he discovers that the map leads to Treasure Planet, said to contain the loot of a thousand worlds. With a ship and crew behind him, Jim sets off to find the treasure and hopefully prove that he can do something right for once.
At a budget of 140 million dollars, this is the most expensive traditionally animated film ever made. This is due to experimental technology that blended CGI and hand-drawn elements, such as turning the ship’s cook, Long John Silver, into a cyborg. Unfortunately, releasing alongsideHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secretsresulted in the movie’s financial failure, though it has since developed a strong cult following.
Treasure Planet
22’Around the World in 80 Days' (2004)
Budget:$110 Million, Worldwide Box Office: $72.2 Million
Adapted from one of the most iconic and beloved adventure novels of all time,Around the World in 80 Daysfollows the story of Phileas Fogg, an eccentric scientist who picks up a Chinese thief calling himself Passepartout as his assistant. When the Minister of Science belittles Fogg, he makes a bet for the position if he can circumnavigate the globe in eighty days. Unfortunately, the Minister is willing to cheat to make sure Fogg fails, and villains from Passepartout’s past are also on their trail.
This film bears little resemblance toJules Verne’s novel. Passepartout’s plot about stealing a Jade Buddha and fighting off rivals seems like it was created because they gotJackie Chan, and the film tries to shove as many cameos in as it can as historical figures or ethnic stereotypes.Around the World in 80 Daysis overall a disservice not only to the original novel, but the classic 1959 version of the film that was so beloved that it won the Academy Award for Best Picture. All this resulted in a gross of 72 million dollars against a budget of 110 million.
Around the World in 80 Days
21’The Alamo' (2004)
Budget:$107 Million, Worldwide Box Office: $25.8 Million
A remake of an all-time classicJohn WayneWestern film,The Alamois a sad and sorry reinterpretationthat fails to do the original anything close to justice. The film takes place during Texas' war for independence against Mexico and sees troops sent to man the Alamo, a mission repurposed into a fort. They soon come under siege by the Mexican army, led bySanta Anne, who wants to crush the rebellion. With no way out, the defenders brace themselves for the inevitable battle.
While the film does an admirable job showing the emotional state of all involved, its runtime and reliance on slow character moments make it a chore to watch. Much of the film is waiting for something to happen, which does reflect the turmoil of the defenders, but doesn’t make for an entertaining film. The battle scenes are well shot, andBilly Bob Thorntongives a lot of pathos to David Crocket who struggles to live up to his larger-than-life persona.
20’Meet the Robinsons' (2007)
Budget:$150 Million, Worldwide Box Office: $169.3 Million
AuthorWilliam Joyceshopped around with directors likeSteven SpielbergandSir Peter Jacksonto make a live-action adaptation of his bookA Day with Wilbur Robinson. Ultimately, Disney agreed to do the project as an animated film, and during production, they acquired Pixar and madeJohn Lasseterchief creative officer of both companies. Lasseter requested major rewrites and alterations to the film, resulting in over 60% of the animation being redone. By the timeMeet the Robinsonswas released, its budget had ballooned to $150 million.
As with manyfilms from Disney’s post-Renaissance era,Meet the Robinsonshas amassed a dedicated fanbase over the years thanks to its charm, emotional story concerning family, and hilarious villain. Sadly,its high-concept plot involving time-travel and the ugly shadow of Disney’s previous film,Chicken Little, did little to endeared it to audiences. Not to mention companies like Pixar, DreamWorks, and Blue Sky Studios offered films with more inventive stories and creative animation, such as Blue Sky’sRobots, which Joyce helped produce.
Meet the Robinsons
19’A Christmas Carol' (2009)
Budget:$200 Million, Worldwide Box Office: $325 Million
One of many adaptations of the Dickens classic,A Christmas CarolseesJim Carreyas an animated Ebeneezer Scrooge, the miserly moneylender who hates Christmas. On Christmas Eve, he is visited by the ghosts of his partner, Jacob Marley, who warns him that if he doesn’t change his ways, he will share in Marley’s fate as a wandering spirit. Scrooge is then visited by three other spirits who take him to the past, present, and future to show him the virtue of being kind to his fellow man.
Despite a strong cast, includingGary Oldman,Collin Firth, andBob Hoskins, the film cost Disney 50 to 100 million dollars in marketing and production.Critically, 2009’sA Christmas Carolreceived flack for its tone, which shifted between cartoony and excessively dark.Then there is the motion capture, which resulted in some of theworst moments of uncanny valleyamongRobert Zemeckis' motion capture films.
A Christmas Carol
18’Mars Needs Moms' (2011)
Budget:$150 Million, Worldwide Box Office: $39.2 Million
As ifA Christmas Carolwasn’t enough of a massive blow to motion capture animation,Mars Needs Momswas the final nail in the coffin for this style of animated film. One night, Milo wakes up to discover his mother being kidnapped by aliens. Jumping aboard, Milo arrives at Mars and discovers a race of aliens ruled by females. Now Milo must find and rescue his mother before the aliens kill her to extract her mom-ness to put into nanny-robots to raise their own kids.
This film combines a weak story, some ofDisney’s most annoying characters, and atrocious CGI in the perfect disaster. While the film is filled with a myriad of issues,the biggest immediate flaw that drew audiences away was just how ugly and unappealingMars Needs Moms’visuals and character designs look. It’s also tonally inconsistent, switching between lighthearted and silly comedy to images of totalitarianism and children watching their mothers die because of good behavior. While Robert Zemeckis was able to bounce back, his run of motion capture films would end.
Mars Needs Moms
17’John Carter' (2012)
Budget:$250 Million, Worldwide Box Office: $284.1 Million
Despite being adapted from an epic sci-fi novel whose inspiration and originality can still be seen in sci-fi properties to this day,John Carteris about as soulless and basic as a sci-fi blockbuster can get. The film’s plot takes place after the sudden death of John Carter and sees his nephew,Edgar Rice Burroughs, read through his journal. It details how Carter was teleported to the planet Mars, where he gained superhuman abilities thanks to the planet’s gravity. This gets him caught up in the politics of the numerous warring species that inhabit the planet.
Due to the failure ofMars Needs MomsandCowboys & Aliens, Disney dropped any reference to Mars from the film’s title, which left audiences confused since the main character’s name tells them nothing. They also toned down Burroughs' original story to make it more family-friendly, which robbed the story of its originality. The result is a by-the-numbers sci-fi epic that opened second place toThe Lorax.
John Carter
16’The Lone Ranger' (2013)
Budget:$215 Million, Worldwide Box Office: $260.5 Million
Based on the classic fictional American icon,The Lone Rangerattempted to revitalize the beauty of Western filmmaking to a modern audience, yet botched its execution. The film takes place in the late 1800s and sees lawyer John Reid join his brother Dan in tracking down an escaped convict named Cavendish. However, they are betrayed and gunned down, with Cavendish eating Dan’s heart. As the men are buried by a Native American named Tonto, John rises from the dead as a spirit walker, and Tonto agrees to help him track down Cavendish and bring him to justice.
After the success of thePirates of the Caribbeanfranchise, Disney hoped that the same creative team could strike gold with Westerns. Unfortunately, the film was hated for being toosimilar to thePiratesfilms, down to gettingJohnny Deppto play Tonto almost identically to Jack Sparrow. This resulted in a loss of over 200 million dollars, and Disney would stick to simply making morePiratesmovies, abandoningThe Lone Rangerproperty altogether.
