| TOP 10 BUSTS

March 18, 2017July 7, 2024

#2 Box Office Bust: The Adventures of Pluto Nash

On a percentage basis, The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002) ranks as Hollywood's all-time biggest flop. Specifically, the movie lost 96% of its production budget based on a measly $7 million in ticket sales. Its inflation-adjusted loss of $143 million only trails the $184 million loss realized by #3 Bust: Cutthroat Island. Despite having a smaller financial loss on an absolute basis, Pluto Nash ranks as a higher bust in my countdown. First, it had the potential draw of one-time superstar Eddie Murphy. Second, critics absolutely hated it. With a Metacritic score of 12 and Rotten Tomatoes score of 5%, the former SNL star's movie had the worst critical reviews of any Top 10 Bust.

November 13, 2015April 2, 2017

#8 Box Office Bust: The Alamo (2004)

Like many other failures, The Alamo (2009) had numerous problems throughout production. The replacement of Oscar-winning director Ron Howard and Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe didn't help. Missing its anticipated release date didn't help. Replacement director John Lee Hancock's inexperience making a big-budget movie didn't help. Regardless, the movie's biggest problem related to its actual content. While lauded for its historical accuracy, the movie failed to be entertaining. After a weak opening, the film absolutely cratered due to negative word of mouth. With a budget of almost $110 million and worldwide ticket sales of only $25 million, The Alamo has been named the #8 Box Office Bust.