Continuing the look back on this past decade’s film scene, this week is a spotlight of the films that companies dished out plenty of cash for but saw little in returns. Plenty of big name filmmakers, many of which followed up these financial failures with their most popular works to date, have gone big and been met with apathy. Now, we take a peak at the ten best gambles that were actually worth all the expenses and turned out to be something special, even if the producers might see it another way. Also, a quick note, all grosses are based solely on their domestic numbers.
10. The Fountain (2006): Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain is the type of movie that can easily be called pretentious gobbledygook, and it was by many. The story travels down three roads, each about a man (Hugh Jackman) searching to save the love of his life (Rachel Weisz). With elements of science fiction and fantasy, the picture is a strange hybrid springing forth from the present, where Jackman struggles as a scientist looking for a cure. As his wife slowly passes, he is obsessed with his research; unable to spend time with the woman he is fighting so hard for. The melodrama is thick and the plot is rather thin, but somehow Aronofsky’s film manages to click. Jackman is fine but it is Weisz that jumps off the screen, majestic and painfully human in every moment. Aronofsky’s collaboration with cinematographer Matthew Libatique concocts countless stunning images, in all three-time periods no less, and as usual, Clint Mansell’s music is minimalist and memorable. Cost - $35 million. Gross - $10.1 million.
9. Sunshine (2007): The year before Danny Boyle won every award in town for Slumdog Millionaire, he released Sunshine. The story follows a team of astronauts hurtling towards the sun, which has seen better days. Our planet is upon a new ice age and only this small gang of people can fix it. With a screenplay by regular Boyle collaborator Alex Garland, Sunshine is huge in vision, though it remains powerful because of its human frailties. Each member of this crew has a role and the movie plays the importance of each one to the hilt. The most vital member of all is Cillian Murphy’s nuclear scientist Capa, the only man on the shuttle who can set off a series of bombs that, if all hopes and prayers are met, will reignite the sun. Murphy’s anguish over his fellow traveler’s willingness to sacrifice themselves to save him is the movie’s backbone. The surrounding picture is gorgeous, shot with lush greens, menacing oranges and cold blacks. The score by John Murphy and Underworld pushes it all even further; haunting and delicately moving. Cost - $40 million. Gross - $3.7 million.
8. Serenity (2005): Premiering in 2002, Joss Whedon’s sci-fi/western “Firefly” was greeted with a rabid following, just not a particularly large one. Those fans were loyal enough to convince Universal Pictures to give Whedon another shot with his universe and while few showed up in theaters; Serenity pleased the Browncoats (the nickname for the show’s fans) and made believers of newcomers. As always, Whedon’s script zips along with wicked one-liners, quirky but deep characters and infectious storytelling. Nathan Fillion - still not the star he should be - shines brightest as Captain Malcolm Reynolds, who is equal parts Han Solo and The Man With No Name, a vigilante out for himself with space’s finest quips and endless gumption as his weapon. The fantastic Chiwetel Ejiofor even shows up as the film’s baddie, a delightfully calm killer called The Operative. Everyone has since gone on to new projects but one can always hope for one more adventure with these renegades. Cost - $39 million. Gross $25.5 million.
7. Funny People (2009): If it’s a comedy with Adam Sandler, crowds flock to it. When Seth Rogen stars, the box office winner usually features him prominently. Put them together and have Judd Apatow (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up) direct and surely one of the year’s major top grossers is ensured. By the end of Funny People’s first weekend, something was off. Too long and too miserable was the common response. It may be Apatow’s only flop but it is also his best work, warts and all. Funny People revealed a director with ambition beyond tidy male-centric romantic comedies with dick jokes, not that said jokes are entirely expunged. Sandler carries the movie, bending his boyish likability and the Hollywood standard narrative of a bad man turned good when confronting his own mortality. He is bitter, cold and won’t change over night. Apatow’s sloppiest movie but one with strengths that make you appreciate his effort all the more. Cost - $75 million. Gross $51.9 million
6. Marie Antoinette (2006): Forgotten almost immediately after its release, besides its much beloved soundtrack, Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette is a delicious array of unforgettable costumes, wry humor and devilish energy. A biopic like no other, Coppola’s take on the ill-fated French queen pops, skipping the stodginess in lace routine that is the usual for such a period piece in favor of something rambunctious. This is a party with royalty, who have their own problems, most of which are trivial, but once in a while can be grueling. Marie, played with the right amount of spunk and naïveté by Kirsten Dunst, needs a baby with her distant husband Louis XVI (Jason Schwartzman) and the romance between them sizzles with all the fire of a Rocket-Pop. The bizarre casting (Rip Torn and Asia Argento having a smashing time together as lovers) is a joy, Lance Acord’s cinematography evokes Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon and oh yeah, that soundtrack is a ripping one. Cost - $40 million. Gross $15.9 million.
5. Che (2008): Steven Soderbergh’s career has been littered with major hits (Erin Brokovich, Ocean’s Eleven/Twelve/Thirteen), though the duds are almost equal in number. In 2002 there was Solaris, an expensive and ignored sci-fi remake of Andrei Tarkovsky’s classic. Six years later, Soderbergh swung for the fences again with Che, a two-part, four-and-a-half hour long take on the infamous revolutionary. This was never going to gather the masses but thanks anyways to the heap of producers who fronted the money because Che is an intelligent, tough work that is well worth the running time. The first part is an original take on the war movie, where even the leaders feel like grunts and guerilla warfare is the heart of tactics. The second chapter is relentless despair, with Soderbergh stacking failure on top of failure onto Guevara’s dwindling plans to change Bolivia. Of course, there is also Benicio Del Toro, boisterous and determined as the titular icon, in one of the most unsung pieces of acting in this new century. Cost - $40 million. Gross $1.7 million.
4. The New World (2005): No one conceives a frame as vibrantly as Terrence Malick. In only four films, the legendary director has never made a movie where the settings aren’t dynamic and striking. His take on the love story between Captain John Smith (Colin Farrell) and Pocahontas (Q’orianka Kilcher) matches the high expectations he has set for himself. Working with Emmanuel Lubezki - the most underrated cinematographer working today - Malick creates woods that stand tall and enigmatic, and wetlands that are dangerously inviting. Malick’s style is a dry one, letting the viewer either get lost in the vastness of his canvas or grow bored with the casual pacing. One willing to wander his terrain is duly reward in The New World. Cost - $30 million. Gross - $12.7 million.
3. Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007): Few westerns crossover into hits anymore; too bad for all the people who missed out on this cinematic wonder. Roger Deakins’ cinematography is breathtaking in its scope and grandeur, Warren Ellis and Nick Cave’s score is intimate but quietly epic, Andrew Dominik’s direction is confidently measured and Casey Affleck’s Robert Ford wraps it all together. Sympathetic, desperate, disappointed and conniving, Affleck gives a remarkably layered performance, matched by fellow players Brad Pitt, Jeremy Renner, Sam Rockwell and Paul Schneider. Though many have caught up with Assassination at home, the canvas of the theater is where the film is at its full strength. Cost - $30 million. Gross $3.9 million.
2. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003): Even with 10 Oscar nominations and Russell Crowe at the height of his drawing power, Peter Weir’s Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World fell far short of its hefty budget. Nevertheles, every cent is evident on screen and Weir’s adaptation of two Patrick O’Brian novels excels on all levels. Crowe and Paul Bettany are outstanding as two men on the water for the queen’s navy and the massive battle scene in the final act is almost operatic. Yet, what really makes the picture so special is the way the ship’s hierarchy is presented, from the baby-faced newcomers (actual children) finding their sea-legs to the drunken but wise old men toasting their wives and girlfriends (“May they never meet”). As life and death shifts like the waves, these men ride on, the politics of life on a gargantuan ship as the most fascinating thing of all. Cost - $150 million. Gross $93.9 million.
1. Zodiac (2007): Made exactly the same way today, perhaps David Fincher’s in depth dive into the Zodiac killings would still fail to draw crowds. However, one would think with Finch fresh of an Oscar nomination (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and with Robert Downey Jr. - the coolest guy in Hollywood these days - in a strong supporting role, Zodiac might just fare better. Nonetheless, the film remains a masterpiece and possibly even Fincher’s finest work to date. His meticulousness for detail fits the story obsessive nature, with its array of reporters and cops searching for the truth, only to find themselves forced to start from the beginning time and again. That frustration is key to the picture, though it left many audiences annoyed. This is a film with no easy answers, if it has any at all, with a bevy of notable performances (Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, John Carroll Lynch), one of the most frightening scenes in ages (the picnic murder) and a script by James Vanderbilt (based on Robert Graysmith’s book) that is dense without sacrificing character. Cost - $65 million. Gross - $33 million
Comments
OK - you've convinced me. I missed "Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" in the theater but will make every effort to view it now on DVD.
Um, Che actually made 30 million, not 1.7 million.
Mike - All of the sources I have report the gross for Che at $1.7 million. Even if you count foreign, my sources have it at a loss. That said, all for seeing where you found this number, which would still nonetheless be well below it's 40 million budget.
Yes!
Che isn't the only one with false numbers. First three The fountain, Sunshine and Serenity got total world wide revenue of 16 million, 32 million and 38,3 million which are quite different from your 10 million, 3,7 million and 25,5 million. Then I got bored and just wanted to look what Zodiac made because I remember it got somewhat good response. 84 million dollars... Quality article.
Mikael, all numbers, as mentioned in the opening, are based on domestic grosses.
On your recommendation I saw Zodiac. It was every bit as pointless and dull as I feared it would be when I gave it a miss at the cinema. I should have given it a miss on DVD too.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a fine movie.
Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford was one of the greatest pieces of cinema in our time, profit be damned.
Sorry missed that last sentence. Now it just feels weird to say that movie has been a disappointment and a failure to producers when it has made money for them.
Probably says something that two of my favorite films are on there, "Master and Commander" and "Serenity".
Zodiac is a THINKING person's film and therefore doesn't appeal to huge crowds who want dumb and unchallenging big screen experiences. This is Fincher's best effort to date and it makes me sick that it wasn't a greater box office success. But money isn't everything. If you want a scary, smart film to watch, give this a viewing. The blu-ray dvd is a prime example of why buying a hi-def machine is worth the expense.
Maybe spelling "peek" correctly would be something you might consider for the future. Thank you.
wow...I've seen a remarkable number of films on this list, and consider myself a "fan" of many of them.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford deserved more respect, and more screen time (it played for a week in Vangroovy.) See it. And make DAMN sure you refer to it by its full title when you refer to it at all! (I personally think it's a little short, but that's just me.)
Sunshine and Serenity are top notch in my books, two of my favorite and two that I try to watch and share with many as many people as possible precisely because they never received the acknowledgment they deserved.
"even if you count foreign" - how can you NOT count "foreign"?
Gross is gross - you can't cutout bits you don't like.
Take Sunshine for instance - $28m worldwide, but $3m in the USA. $8m less than it cost, sure - but hardly a bomb. If I could be bothered checking the rest I'd imagine the same story.
This article should probably be renamed "The Top Ten Best Box Offices Movies that Made a (comparatively) Small Loss".
Serenity was great. However all credibility was lost when I saw The New World listed. The only good part of that movie was the end when Pocahontas died and everyone in the theater started laughing. Not because we're mean people, the movie was just that bad.
Hmm, I should see more of these. However, I don't think it's completely honest to say Serenity only made 25.5 Million, and therefor lost 13.5 Million. I mean, that's in the US. Worldwide, it made $38,869,464, so it basically broke even. Although the 39. Million budget doesn't include advertising and the like, I know for a fact that the Dvd sales for the one disc and two disc were fantastic, and the film broke even WITH the ads and even made some money. Was it a flop? Absolutly. Barely breaking even after dvd sales isn't very good. Is the list greatly exagerated? Definetly. If it included the $ Made from dvds, the worldwide gross, and the advertising costs worldwide I'd prefer it. I have a friend in the movie buisness who tells me Funny People's actually been pre-ordered alot on DVD and is expected to really sell.
Forgot to add; worldwide, Funny People made $1,000,000 More than it's budget :P
Serenity would have had made much more in the foreign market if they had actually made it possible to legally see the series BEFORE the movie. The series was finally aired on Pay TV here in Australia months AFTER the movie was no longer in the cinemas, and only availible on DVD some time after the movie was. Given that the movie is set after the series, many people who like to see things in the correct order waited until the DVD release, myself included.
Great list, I would say 4 of the movies Zodiac, The New World, Sunshine and The Fountain are amongst my all time favourites!
Zodiac and Serenity are two of my favorite films.
The Fountain is slowly getting recognized now, which was probably expected by the authors. I know many people who consider it as one of the best movies. And I am sure most of them would disagree with "Jackman was fine". Most people I talked to (a convention person, you know) think his performance was one of the best acting ever. I am not his fan but I agree, he was tremendous. So was Rachel. They were incredible and deserved at least Oscar nominations.
The Assasination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Good call!
Serenity is a laughable film which appeals to the geeks amongst the geeks. That film gives me diarrhea.
zodiac is a greatly, underappreciated-masterpiece.
What about Titan A.E.?
Yes! Go Marie Anotinette.
Zodiac sucked and was easily the most boring of the ones i've seen from this list, Master and Commander was interesting but slow only okay, Assassination was slow but okay, The New World was decent I want to watch it again, havent seen Che, Marie, or Funny People, Sunshine was pretty sweet with a possible mixture of event horizon, alien and a tiny bit 2001, and The Fountain is simply amazing.
I reallyy liked Zodiac! The entire movie depends on ONE line said in the movie, you have to hear that line in order to understand and be satisfied with the ending though.
The grosses indicated are completely misleading, because they only represent U.S. domestic gross. For example, the total gross for Master and Commander was not $93.9 million, but $212 million. There are some films that don't do well domestically, but make up for it overseas.
"I reallyy liked Zodiac! The entire movie depends on ONE line said in the movie, you have to hear that line in order to understand and be satisfied with the ending though."
I saw the movie.. what line?!
Master & Commander was an awesome and amazing epic! Thougholy enjoyed it and I'm surprised it lost money. Hopefully it made up the shortfall with dvd/rentals.
Zodiac was OK, but a tad tedious and I agree, annoying as there really wasn't a "ending".
The foreign gross has to be included in as well!!
Zodiac made 52.7 million in foreign markets. Hence making its worldwide gross to about 84.7 million.
I must say this list is pretty good. The New World and The Assassination of Jesse James make my top 10 of the decade, period. Nice work.
very nice list, but ive only seen half of em (New world however, meh...) I'll definately be sure to check the rest out.
i agree with james though, you should post a worldwide grossing.
To the people bringing up the Foreign box office, the people involved in making the film do not make nearly the profit that they do from domestic intake. There are so many licensing deals to bring a film overseas that the money is spread among a lot more people.
Assassination of Jesse James SOLD half a million DVD's. Factor in rental market, cable, and world wide box office it made it's money back. It's one of the best films of the decade.
you guys do realize that a film studio typically only gets around half the gross don't you? The theaters get a good chunk of those ticket sales.
So even if some of these barely made their budget back, the studios still lost their rear ends.
The Fountain .. probably one of the best movies ever
As mentionned before, Master and Commander made more than $200 million worldwide. Americans are simply not as interested when the "heroes" are not American.
Interestingly, the French ship (supposedly the bad guys in the movie) is an American ship in the book (war of 1812). Weir changed it to French (Napoleonic war) so to not upset American audiences - after all, everybody knows Americans can never be the bad guys. (sigh)
It was actually changed to give the war a more recognizable look and feel. Most people aren't familiar with the lengths to which the Americans and the British went to war and to paint such a fierce rivalry when most audiences aren't familiar with it would be too daunting. We all know the British and the French have historic struggles and we are all familiar with the Napoleonic Wars, which WERE the focus for majority of the Aubrey/Mautine novels, INCLUDING Master and Commander. Only The Far Side of the World featured an American ship. As the two books (with scraps of several others) were combined, they chose the more recognizable stage of the Napoleonic Wars rather than the War of 1812.
this article sux
lot of huge lies and errors
Out of all the films on this list I have seen, I agree that they are underrated masterpieces. Serenity is the Star Wars of a new generation (unfortunately, that generation is too hipster and jaded to care). The Fountain is one of the finest art films I've seen in a long while and provoked the most fascinating discussion amongst peers I've seen since watching La Haine (I am not comparing The Fountain to La Haine. I am only saying both are equally thought-provoking in their layered meanings.). Marie Antoinette was lovely from start to finish - such an ambitions period piece that is anything but, and filmed with such elegance and mastery while never losing sight of the beauty and light of the subject. Kirsten Dunst is one of the finest actresses of our generation, but Coppola is one of the few directors that really lets her shine. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a near-flawless film, with an elegant score, brilliant cinematography, and a superb cast. It is marvelous in every way - one of the greatest war films ever made, and the greatest showcasing the age of sail.
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