10 Most Confusing Box Office Disappointments Of 2024

In a single year, countless movies become financial successes, while others prove themselves to be flops, yet there are a few notable films in 2024 that had the potential to be hits, yet lost out at the box office. When it comes to calculating a movie’s success, there are a few elements that need to be acknowledged. The most important are critical reviews and box office earnings. The former reveals whether audiences actually enjoyed the movie, while the latter shows how many people saw the film. Though both elements are important, sometimes one is more significant than the other.

The following movies are those that should have been successful, or even found success among critics in 2024, yet ended up being box office bombs. These movies may have done well on Rotten Tomatoes, but they failed to break even, meaning that their creators lost money and the movie was deemed a failure, at least financially. Some of these movies deserve much more hype than they got, while others failed to live up to the expectations set for them. Either way, these 2024 box office disappointments were not what anyone expected, making them even more frustrating.

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Here

Not An Audience Favorite

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One movie that presented itself as a hit, but failed to reach expectations was Here. Released in October, this movie is based on a graphic novel of the same name, and takes place in a single American home where various generations of families live and love. At first glance, this movie should have been a roaring success. Alongside its unique premise, the movie boasts a star-studded cast, and saw the reunion of Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, and Robert Zemeckis for the first time since Forrest Gump. Yet, this wasn’t enough.

On a budget of $45-50 million, the movie grossed a mere $13 million. On top of that, Here was panned by critics and audiences. With a 38% on Rotten Tomatoes, many felt that the movie was lacking the depth it yearned for, and worse, came across as cliche. Furthermore, viewers were unimpressed with the de-aging technology used on Hanks and Wright, who never truly looked like the youths they were supposed to be playing. Thus, Here stumbled under the pressure of its potential greatness.

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Argylle

Critics Were Not Fans

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Another film with great potential was February’s Argylle. Directed by Matthew Vaughn of Kingsmen fame, Argylle follows Elly Conway, a novelist who discovers that the dashing spy she writes about is real. As a result, Elly gets swept up in a dangerous conspiracy that puts her in danger, and forces her to finish her current writing project. Like other Vaughn projects, Argylle intrigued audiences with its zany ambiance and high-stakes action, but unfortunately, critics were not impressed.

The true budget of Argylle was never actually confirmed, though it was rumored to be around $200 million.

Despite earning a solid 71% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, Argylle was not as beloved by critics, who gave it a 33%. On top of that, the movie only earned $96 million on a budget that reportedly hit somewhere around $200 million. This was a huge letdown for Argylle, and made it one of the most notable flops of the year. Yet, due to its fun premise and strong cast, Argylle should have been a winner. Ultimately, it seems that the spy film tried to do too much, resulting in very little good material.

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Saturday Night

An Under The Radar Ensemble Film

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Of course, not every box office disappointment did poorly with critics. For example, Saturday Night received plenty of praise, yet this could not make up for its measly box office earnings. Released in September, Saturday Night is a fictionalized look at the behind-the-scenes drama that ensued right before the first episode of Saturday Night Live aired on NBC. This movie showcases a large ensemble cast of stars, from Gabriel LaBelle to Rachel Sennott, and delves into a period of comedy history that many are intrigued by, so many may be wondering: what went wrong?

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Saturday Night only grossed $9.8 million at the box office. This falls incredibly short of the movie’s $25 million budget, and isn’t representative of the movie’s Certified Fresh 78% Rotten Tomatoes score. It seems that Saturday Night simply didn’t reach audiences’ radars when it was released. Presumably, the movie was overshadowed by other huge releases that month, like Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and The Wild Robot. Hopefully, Saturday Night will get more love when it eventually comes to streaming services.

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The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare

A Marketing Mistake

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Typically, big-name directors can expect plenty of hype around their movies, so when Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare flopped at the box office, many were confused. The April movie is a historical action flick that follows a ragtag group of individuals who are tasked with taking down Hitler’s U-boats during World War II. The cast includes Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer, and Eiza González. In usual Ritchie fashion, the movie is explosive and on the edge of completely ridiculous.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare did fine with critics, earning a 68% on Rotten Tomatoes, but the true kicker is that audiences loved this movie, giving it 92%. So, it makes no sense that the movie only grossed $27 million on a budget of $60 million. The main argument for why the film flopped is that it was not marketed well enough. By putting the movie on streaming alongside its theatrical release, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare was doomed to have a smaller box office sum.

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The Fall Guy

Audiences Didn’t Get It

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One 2024 movie that definitely deserved more attention was The Fall Guy. Based on the 1970s TV show of the same name, Ryan Gosling stars as Colt Seavers, a stuntman who suffers a terrible accident and loses both his job and his girlfriend. However, when trouble starts brewing on his ex’s movie set, he returns to save the day and win her heart. Gosling appears alongside stars like Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Hannah Waddingham.

Compared to other movies on this list, this amount may seem like a lot, yet many feel that The Fall Guy could have (and should have) gone even further.

Despite a Certified Fresh 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, The Fall Guy only earned $181 million at the box office. Compared to other movies on this list, this amount may seem like a lot, yet many feel that The Fall Guy could have (and should have) gone even further. One reason why The Fall Guy did worse than some hoped is because audiences did not recognize the franchise. As a result, viewers preferred to see the more familiar franchise films of the summer over this one, regardless of its reviews.

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Horizon: An American Saga

A Passion Project Gone Wrong

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Another movie that had everything going for it but fell short was Horizon: An American Saga. With Kevin Costner starring and directing in this project, the movie follows a vast ensemble of characters in the American West in the years leading up to and during the Civil War. Costner has long been praised for his powerful performances and his directorial style, and Horizon stood out because it is a project he has been working on for decades. Unfortunately, this did not save Horizon from becoming a box office bomb.

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On a budget of $100 million, Horizon made only $38 million at the box office. The main reason for this is probably that the film earned a 51% on Rotten Tomatoes. Many critics pointed out that the film felt too complex, with too many characters to keep track of and a plot that didn’t feel like it went anywhere. What makes Horizon’s failure even worse is that Costner has three more movies planned, and these may not happen now. So, Horizon’s failure hurts four movies rather than just one.

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Transformers One

Catered To The Wrong Crowd

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When a franchise film does poorly, it does not go unnoticed, and Transformers One was a big example of this in 2024. Transformers is a long-running franchise that recently transformed from live-action films to an animated feature in Transformers One. The movie itself followed the origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, who were best friends before they were bitter enemies. The film stars Brian Tyree Henry, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, and Jon Hamm. It earned $129 million on a budget of $75-147 million.

The failure of Transformers One is a bit complex. Despite being an incredibly popular franchise, Transformers One suffered because of its form and its marketing. Many adult viewers were disappointed that the film series was converting to animation, and felt that the movie catered more to children. This view wasn’t helped by the fact that the Transformers One trailer displayed a more humorous movie than a dark and serious one. In this way, Transformers One accidentally alienated those who would have loved it the most.

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Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Already Overshadowed

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One of the most shocking box office disappointments of the year has to be Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. A prequel in the Mad Max franchise, Furiosa is the origin story of the titular character, who made waves back in 2015 in Mad Max: Fury Road. Audiences get to see where Furiosa came from, how she lost her arm, and how she became such a skilled driver and survivor in this dystopic world. With Anya Taylor-Joy in the leading role, alongside Chris Hemsworth, this movie was one of the most highly anticipated films of 2024.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is another movie that technically did well at the box office, but not as well as one might hope. The movie earned $173 million, meaning it surpassed its budget of $168 million, but did not break even. Aside from the movie’s star-studded cast and big IP, many expected Furiosa to do amazing because of how well Mad Max: Fury Road did nearly 10 years ago. Yet, this success may be what brought Furiosa down. Furiosa brought a story that was different from Fury Road, and this might have decreased audiences’ interest.

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Joker: Folie à Deux

A Critical Hiccup

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Yet another surprising flop was the long-awaited sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux. Released in early October, Joker 2 sees the return of Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, the mentally ill man who became known as the killer clown, the Joker. While in prison, Arthur forms a bond with a woman named Lee, and she pushes him to embrace himself and his violence. However, Arthur begins to wonder if the person he truly is aligns with the person the public (and Lee) want him to be.

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Joker 2 made $200 million at the box office, yet still managed to disappoint audiences. On one hand, this $200 million just barely surpassed the movie’s huge budget. But more than that, the movie’s story was far from what audiences wanted. With a whopping 31% on Rotten Tomatoes, Joker 2 was panned for trying to do too much and failing on many accounts, especially when it came to the musical numbers. Ultimately, Joker 2 was deemed one of the biggest letdowns of the year.

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Megalopolis

A Colossal Disappointment

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Finally, one of the most unexpected failures of the year was Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis. Deemed as yet another passion project, this movie centers on Cesar, a genius who wants to usher in a new utopian era, and his opponent, Mayor Franklyn Cicero. Considering the fact that Coppola was behind this movie, many pegged it as having the potential to be one of the greatest movies of the year. However, the movie went in the complete opposite direction, becoming one of the biggest bombs of 2024.

Megalopolis grossed a miniscule $13 million at the box office on a budget of $120 million. The film also received a 45% on Rotten Tomatoes. All in all, critics and audiences alike were disappointed with this film, which was criticized for being a chaotic mess that failed to bring its many ideas to fruition. Although Megalopolis certainly had potential, the movie collapsed under its own weight, and was quickly swept under Hollywood’s rug.

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