The Ten Biggest Animated Flops of All Time
A Seriously Random List /
Dustin Rowles
Seriously Random Lists | October 26, 2009 | Comments (50)
Animated films are a huge risk proposition — the production budgets on most animated films run in the $50 to $100 million range, and the good ones take several years to produce. It very often pays off — of the top grossing 100 films of all time, 17 of those are animated (and many of those old-school Disney animated films would break the top 100, if adjusted for inflation). But because of those budgets, animated films — more than most blockbusters — need really strong marketing pushes. These aren’t movies that a studio can risk dumping into theaters on slow weekends. They need big openings and a lot of legs. Fortunately, most animated films are situated in the release schedule to give themselves two or three weeks with little or no family-film competition, which gives them a small advantage over other releases, with less defined audiences. But then again, animated films have to make back their budgets based largely on children’s admission prices, which is why — to do really well at the box-office — most animated films need, on some level, to appeal to adults, as well.
Look no further than Astro Boy, this weekend’s animated disaster, a movie with a budget of $65 million that only managed a $7 million opening weekend. When all is said and done, Sony is staring at a $40 million loss, or so, which would only put it in the bottom of the ten worst animated flops of all time. Even last year’s Delgo, considered to be the biggest animated flop ever (it made less than $1 million at the box office, on a $40 million budget), wouldn’t break the top ten in terms of financial losses.
Here are the Ten Biggest Animated Flops of All Time. Be mindful, however, that this includes only domestic grosses, and does not take into consideration DVD sales. But then again, the production budgets don’t take marketing into account, either, which often adds $10 to $30 million to the budget.
10. The Road to El Dorado
Production Budget: $95 million
Box Office Gross: $50 million
Financial Loss: $45 million
9. The Wild
Production Budget: $80 million
Box Office Gross: $37 million
Financial Loss: $47 million
8. The Iron Giant
Production Budget: $70 million
Box Office Gross: $23 million
Financial Loss: $47 million
7. Titan A.E.
Production Budget: $75 million
Box Office Gross: $22 million
Financial Loss: $53 million
6. Home on the Range
Production Budget: $110 million
Box Office Gross: $50 million
Financial Loss: $60 million
5. Looney Tunes: Back in Action
Production Budget: $80 million
Box Office Gross: $20 million
Financial Loss: $60 million
4. Osmosis Jones
Production Budget: $75 million
Box Office Gross: $13 million
Financial Loss: $62 million
3. Arthur and the Invisibles
Production Budget: $86 million
Box Office Gross: $15 million
Financial Loss: $71 million
2. Flushed Away
Production Budget: $149 million
Box Office Gross: $64 million
Financial Loss: $85 million
1. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Production Budget: $137 million
Box Office Gross: $32 million
Financial Loss: $105 million
Comments
Posted by: dammitjanet at October 26, 2009 3:20 PM
Aww, damn! But I LOVE Flushed Away! Osmosis Jones was gross, but funny and who the fuck doesn't love the Iron Giant? Bitch, please? Vin Diesel's greatest performance ever, a sadly named kid, and Harry Connick,Jr? Seriously, love.