- January was a dumping ground for box-office flops, from “Underwater” to “Dolittle.”
- The latest misfire is 20th Century’s “The Call of the Wild,” which could lose $50 million, according to Variety.
- Business Insider is keeping a running list of the biggest box-office bombs of 2020.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
2020 has delivered some surprise box-office hits, like Sony’s “Bad Boys for Life” and Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog,” but there have also been some grisly flops.
The studio formerly known as Fox, now 20th Century Studios, released the most recent box-office misfire with “The Call of the Wild.” It performed better than expected in its opening weekend, but with a $135 million budget before marketing costs, the movie is expected to lose around $50 million, according to Variety.
It’s the latest movie Disney inherited in its Fox acquisition last year that has disappointed at the box office. Former Disney CEO Bob Iger said last year that it would take “maybe two years” for Disney to have an impact on the 20th Century movies in production.
Other major flops this year include the Blake Lively-starring “The Rhythm Section,” which cost $50 million to make and has only made $6 million, and Robert Downey Jr’s “Dolittle.” January is usually a dumping ground for movies that studios don’t expect to perform well, and with the exception of “Bad Boys for Life,” that was especially true this year.
Business Insider will keep a running list throughout 2020 of the year's biggest box-office bombs (based on data from IMDb Pro):
"Underwater" — January 10
Production budget: $80 million
Domestic gross: $17.2 million
Worldwide gross: $40.5 million
Rotten Tomatoes critics core: 46%
What critics said: "The Abyss meets Aliens with a bit of The Poseidon Adventure, a lot of Pacific Rim and a dash of The Meg in this subaquatic sci-fi that offers nothing more than the sum of its references." - Times
"Dolittle" — January 17
Production budget: $175 million
Domestic gross: $76 million
Worldwide gross: $217 million
Rotten Tomatoes critics core: 14%
What critics said: "It really is horribly inert, and every time Downey opens his mouth to say something unintelligible, the film dies a bit more." - Guardian
"The Turning" — January 24
Production budget: $14 million
Domestic gross: $15.5 million
Worldwide gross: $18.2 million
Rotten Tomatoes critics core: 12%
What critics said: "The Turning doesn't make you feel like you've watched a failed adaptation of a horror-lit landmark. It just leaves you feeling totally screwed." - Rolling Stone
"The Rhythm Section" — January 31
Production budget: $50 million
Domestic gross: $5.4 million
Worldwide gross: $5.9 million
Rotten Tomatoes critics core: 28%
What critics said: "Mix in some exotic locations and a potentially interesting narrative about international terrorism and British Intelligence, and you just might think to yourself, 'Finally, a female Bond!' Nope, afraid not." - L.A. Weekly
"The Call of the Wild" — February 21
Production budget: $135 million
Domestic gross: $46 million
Worldwide gross: $79 million
Rotten Tomatoes critics core: 62%
What critics said: "Harrison Ford does quietly powerful work as author Jack London's hero, but his computer-generated co-star looks weird." - Chicago Sun-Times