The year 2018 will go down as one of the best for superhero movies. We have had two major top grossers and it is note even July. Black Panther has racked up as much as $700 million and Avengers: Infinity Wars is closing in on $650 million. Then there is the Deadpool sequel that has over $300 million, and with Ant Man and the Wasp coming soon, surely this is a great time to be Marvel fan. On the other hand, the last year was not less a success. We had Thor Ragnarok, Spiderman Homecoming, Logan as well as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 that really hit it off at the box office. At the same time, we also had Wonder Woman from DC that did well. All these movies made money in the range of $300 million and $400 million, and that is a lot considering they weren’t as expensive to make as the Avengers. However, no matter the flashy side, there are superhero movies that have flopped and lost money recently. We remember very well the hated Catwoman, Judge Dredd and Green Lantern but there have been movies we haven’t really heard of. Here is a list of movies that have bombed the worst on box office. The data was taken by Box Office Mojo.
1. Barb Wire – $3.79 million:
This was supposed to be Pamela Anderson’s launch into the superhero genre but it turned out to be dismal affair. The movie was based on a little known character from the Dark Horse Comic. Anderson plays a nightclub owner and part mercenary, but the movie was never written well and it seemed that it never wanted Anderson to act. Anyway, the movie really flopped and the critics were very harsh on the movie and Anderson’s acting. The movie’s gross was a total of $3.7 million, meaning it was a total flop.
2. Batman: The Killing Joke –
$3.775 million: This one was NOT a failure, strangely. It is based on the worshipped graphic novel by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland that traces the origins of the supervillain and Batman nemesis The Joker. It was actually made only for home video and got a limited two day only release in theatres by Fathom Events which makes content alternative to theatres. At first, it was scheduled to be
released in theatres for a day only but the demand was so high that one more day was allowed. In two days, the movie mad an astounding $3.775 million.
3. Steel –
$1.71 million: This 1996 movie starred the basketball player Shaquille O’Neal. While he is undoubtedly a legend with the hoops, the sports star is also a very bad actor. The casting was brought about by the fact that the relatively unknown character Steel had to have a frame that was not common in the stars of the time. Steel was never a popular character to begin with, and with the terrible acting of O’Neal and the bad writing, the movie was bound to get skewered. The movie opened at an astonishing 16th place, and was nominated for the year’s Razzies. Drawing in just $1.71 million, it did not last long at the box office.
4. Orgazmo –
$602,302: This comes from Trey Parker, the man behind the hit Comedy Central series South Park. Trey wrote, directed and starred in it and the idea was to cash in on South Park’s already large following who wanted to see the maker’s other creations. Unfortunately, the film was stuck with an NC-17 rating because of the extremely foul language that was used in the movie. It was shown in just 94 theaters across the country and it is not wonder at all then that it didn’t even manage to cross the seven figure mark.
5. Super –
$327,716: James Gunn is known for directing the Guardians of the Galaxy movies but a long time ago, he made indie movies that were downright weird. Super was one such movie starring Rainn Wilson from The Office. Wilson plays a mentally sick man who puts on a suit and tries to “save” his wife from the drug dealer she left him for. There is intense violence in the movie as our hero prefers to use a wrench to bash people’s heads in. The movie has a dark and sick sense of humour and is not for everyone. There is no wonder that it made just $327,716.
6. The Specials –
$13,276 – This has the honor of being the superhero movie that made the least money. It was released in 2000 and shows a squad of superheroes obsessed with their own image. James Gunn wrote the script for the movie, and the cast features Jenna Fischer from The Office. There was intense friction between the director and Gunn and the distributors lost all confidence in the movie. However, it has found a DVD cult following now.
