Top 10 Biggest Comedy Movie Flops of All Time
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Top 10 Comedy Movies that Bombed at the Box Office
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These films were certainly laughed at, but not for the right reasons. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 comedy movies that bombed at the box office. For this list, we’ll be looking at comedies that failed to tickle any funny bones, and lost a fortune as a result.
#10: “Osmosis Jones” (2001)
You may have watched “Osmosis Jones” in school if your teacher was feeling particularly lazy that day, but few sat down and watched this movie of their own volition. Despite a killer cast that includes Chris Rock as Osmosis Jones and Bill Murray as his human host, the film was criticized for its boring live-action segments and over-reliance on crude humor. The movie opened in seventh place with $5 million and ended up grossing just $14 million against a $70 million budget. This was the second financial failure in a row for Warner Bros. Animation following “The Iron Giant,” resulting in massive personnel losses.
#9: “Around the World in 80 Days” (2004)
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This adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic novel was just an all-around mess. It not only significantly deviated from the source material, but it added various ridiculous comedic elements, like changing characters to make them kookier and adding various anachronisms And while the original 1956 film won Best Picture, this was nominated for two Razzies, including Worst Remake or Sequel. The movie opened in ninth place, earning just $7 million. It eventually grossed $72 million (with only $24 million of that being domestic) on a massive $110 million budget, making this one of those rare Disney flops that no one really remembers.
#8: “Fathers’ Day” (1997)
“Fathers’ Day” is one of those movies you just look at and think, “What the heck happened?” It starred the always delightful Robin Williams and Billy Crystal and was directed by Ivan Reitman, the man behind classic 80s movies like “Stripes” and “Ghostbusters.” The movie was totally destroyed by critics, currently standing at just 25% on Rotten Tomatoes. And it seems as if audiences didn’t care for it, either. It holds a 5/10 rating on IMDb and grossed just $35 million against an $85 million budget. These actors don’t come cheap, you know, and unfortunately, fantastic actors do not a great movie make.
#7: “Mystery Men” (1999)
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“Mystery Men” is one of the most quintessential 90s movies. It starred a who’s who of the biggest names in Hollywood at the time, including Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, Janeane Garofalo, and William H. Macy, and it helped make Smash Mouth’s All Star a massive hit. It told a charming story about a group of underwhelming superheroes who are forced to save the day, and despite mostly positive reviews, the movie massively underperformed. It opened in sixth place and grossed $33 million on a $68 million budget. Despite its performance at the box office, the movie enjoyed success on video and is now considered a cult favorite.
#6: “The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle” (2000)
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Sometimes, making live-action movies out of classic cartoons works. Other times they flat on their faces and lose a whole lot of money. To understand the latter, you need look no further than “Rocky and Bullwinkle” - or for that matter, the Brendan Fraser-led “Dudley Do-Right”. Both are of course adaptations of the classic “The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends”. Despite a rather solid cast, which included Robert De Niro and “Seinfeld’s” Jason Alexander, “Rocky and Bullwinkle” received a middling response from critics and flopped at the box office, earning $35 million on a $76 million budget..
#5: “Hudson Hawk” (1991)
“Hudson Hawk’s” failure comes down to two things – marketing . . . and quality. Critically panned, the movie is both obnoxious and relentless. The cast overacts, every single line and expression tries to get a laugh, and the movie relies far too heavily on corny slapstick. As if to guarantee its failure, the movie was advertised as an action film following the success of “Die Hard 2.” So you can imagine everyone’s disappointment when they found out it was actually a live-action cartoon. It ended up making just $17 million on a $65 million budget, losing the studio roughly $50 million. How’d that false marketing work out?
#4: “How Do You Know” (2010)
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“How Do You Know” has all the right ingredients – a fantastic A-list cast including Jack Nicholson, Paul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon, and Owen Wilson, and notable writer/director James L. Brooks behind the camera. Unfortunately, the movie squandered its potential and was harshly criticized for being bland, overstuffed, and far too long. Audiences got wind of the sad truth, and stayed away from theatres; the film grossed just $48 million on a massive $100 million net budget. It’s amazing how much A-list actors can inflate a movie’s cost.
#3: “Monkeybone” (2001)
Brendan Fraser seems like a good dude, but he sure wound up in some bad movies. “Monkeybone” is a truly bizarre dark comedy that mixes live-action and stop motion animation. That concept is extremely tricky even in the hands of the right people, so it’s no surprise that “Monkeybone” fell flat, despite its ambitious $75 million price tag. The movie was slammed by critics and audiences alike for being too weird, earning just 19% on Rotten Tomatoes and a paltry $7 million at the box office. It was a total disaster and one of Fraser’s final movies before he disappeared from the spotlight as a leading man.
#2: “Gigli” (2003)
“Gigli” is one of the biggest misfires in the history of Hollywood. It was totally destroyed by critics and is now regarded as one of the worst movies of all time. And it didn’t fare much better at the box office. Against a $75 million budget and despite the collective powers of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, the movie earned just $7 million, making it one of the most expensive box office flops in film history. And while Affleck and Lopez were lucky enough to survive, the director, Martin Brest, has dropped off the face of the Earth. Forget “Beverly Hills Cop.” He will now always be known as the man behind the legendary “Gigli.” Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” (2016) “Land of the Lost” (2009) “Jack Frost” (1998) “The House” (2017) “Town & Country” (2001)
#1: “The Adventures of Pluto Nash” (2002)
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The late ‘90s and early 2000s were a good time for Eddie Murphy. “The Nutty Professor” is one of his most famous movies, he killed it as both Mushu and Donkey in “Mulan” and “Shrek” respectively, and he starred in two “Dr. Doolittle” movies. Then... “Pluto Nash” happened. This is easily one of the most infamous films in history, known for being utterly horrendous and for losing its studio a ridiculous amount of money. It earned just $7 million on a massive $100 million budget. We’re not saying this movie killed Murphy’s career, but you didn’t see him in much nearly as much after this, did you?
