Given the critical respect/financial disrespect of the wonderful, geek-friendly romantic comedy Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, here’s a list of my top 10 financial disasters that should have been anything but:
10. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (dir. Terry Gilliam)
Released on March 10, 1989. Here we follow the tale of the Baron, off to round up his crew of heroes so that he can return to save a small town that’s under attack by the Turkish Sultan — or something like that. The film is a fantastical children’s tale with all of these ridiculous elements put together. The studio didn’t like the Gilliam-ness, and Gilliam didn’t like the studio-ness (a common tale in the auteur’s long career). The film’s budget was $47M. Its domestic gross was $8M.
9. EDtv (dir. Ron Howard)
Released on March 26, 1999. Who knew that a romantic comedy starring Matthew McConaughey could flop? This is one of those movies that I enjoyed immensely when it first came out. It is funny and cute when it needs to be. Even though people like to call it the poor man’s Truman Show — which it technically is — I still love it. The film’s budget was $80M and its domestic gross was $22M.
8. Swept Away (dir. Guy Ritchie)
Released on October 11, 2002. I know this is a film that was pretty much panned by critics, and it definitely isn’t any Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels or Snatch, but I liked it. I personally found Cast Away to be an overall boring movie, but once you insert this love story with having the two people left on this island alone I was loving it. I loved how the stuck up rich blonde girl and the working seaman got along over all the time together on the island and they go from a relationship of needing each other to actually wanting each other. Then eventually when a shift in the importance of one to the other happens, we see the true nature of people. The film’s budget was $10M and the film’s domestic gross was $600,000.
7. Hudson Hawk (dir. Michael Lehman)
Released on May 24, 1991. Bruce Willis plays this charismatic thief who loves swing music. I know that this movie is overall a bad movie, but it’s one of those bad movies that I love to watch and if you love movies you will be with me laughing ear to ear at the ridiculousness of the film. Every time I see it on TV I have to stop and watch it and see things like Willis and his partner, played by Danny Aiello, rob an art house while singing Swing on a Star. It’s fantastic stupidness. The film’s budget was $65M and the domestic gross was $17M.
6. A Good Year (dir. Ridley Scott)
Released on November 10, 2006. Russel Crowe and Marion Cotillard fall in love in France. It’s two opposites who keep bumping into each other end up falling in love. Romantic comedies, when done well, are one of my favorite kinds of movies to watch. Crowe is so likable that even through the first half of the movie when he’s being an annoying prick to everyone you like him. The film’s budget was $35M and its domestic gross was $7M.
