10 Famous Directors’ Films That Bombed Hard At The Box Office

"Surefire Hits" That Missed The Mark

The biggest names in Hollywood directing carry an aura fueled by their hit movies. Audiences come to expect masterpieces from them at every turn, and when their films fall short, fans can be unforgiving. Here are ten movies from famous directors that failed at the box office.

Hugo (2011) - Martin Scorsese

What happens when one of cinema's greatest artists, famous for gritty crime dramas, makes a 3D, family-friendly film about a French film pioneer? A beautiful, Oscar-winning movie that absolutely tanks. With a massive budget estimated at $160 million, Hugo grossed only $185 million worldwide, a far cry from what it needed to break even, proving that even Scorsese's name isn't enough to sell a 3D family film.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017) - Luc Besson

The visionary director of The Fifth Element and Léon: The Professional poured his heart, soul, and a staggering $180 million (making it one of the most expensive independent films ever) into this passion project. The result was a visually stunning but narratively baffling sci-fi flop that failed to connect with audiences, especially in the U.S., becoming a cautionary tale of directorial hubris.

Babylon (2022) - Damien Chazelle

After winning Oscars for Whiplash and La La Land, Chazelle was given a blank check to make his dream project: a 3-hour, R-rated, debaucherous epic about the end of Hollywood's silent film era. With an $80 million budget (plus massive marketing), the film was a chaotic, polarizing, and ultimately unmarketable epic that crashed and burned, grossing only $63 million worldwide.

Mars Needs Moms (2011) - Robert Zemeckis

While Zemeckis (the director of Forrest Gump and Back to the Future) was "only" the producer, this film was the final nail in the coffin for his motion-capture studio. It's one of the most catastrophic bombs of all time. With a budget of $150 million (plus marketing), the "uncanny valley" animation was so off-putting that the film grossed a pathetic $39 million worldwide, losing Disney an estimated $130 million.

The Lone Ranger (2013) - Gore Verbinski

After making billions for Disney with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Verbinski was given a massive $225-$250 million budget to reboot The Lone Ranger. The production was notoriously troubled, and the final film was a tonal mess that audiences rejected. It became one of Disney's biggest losses in history, with the company taking a write-down of over $150 million.

The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) - Brian de Palma

This was the perfect storm of failure. Take a famously cynical, bestselling novel, miscast it with Tom Hanks (as a loathsome character) and Bruce Willis, and give it to a stylish director like De Palma. The resulting film was a toned-down, critically-mauled disaster that cost $47 million and made only $15.6 million. It became the textbook example of a "bad buzz" movie that Hollywood couldn't save.

One from the Heart (1982) - Francis Ford Coppola

After conquering the world with The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, Coppola decided to cash in all his chips on a small, romantic musical. He built massive, intricate sets on his own lot, pushing the budget to $26 million. The film was an experimental, unmitigated disaster, grossing just $636,796. The failure was so total that it bankrupted Coppola's Zoetrope Studios and forced him to spend the next decade taking "director-for-hire" jobs to pay off his debts.

Ishtar (1987) - Elaine May

For decades, the name "Ishtar" was the ultimate synonym for "Hollywood flop." Elaine May, a brilliant comedy director, teamed up with superstars Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman for a "Hope/Crosby" style adventure. The budget ballooned to an insane $51 million (in 1987!) due to a chaotic shoot in Morocco. The film was so famously bad that it only made $14 million, becoming a legendary cautionary tale.

Heaven's Gate (1980) - Michael Cimino

This is the undisputed king of all box-office bombs. Fresh off his Oscar wins for The Deer Hunter, Michael Cimino was given total creative control. His perfectionism spiraled out of control, resulting in a 5-hour+ original cut and a budget that ballooned from $11 million to $44 million (an astronomical sum for 1980). The film was so hated by critics and audiences that it grossed only $3.5 million, bankrupted its studio (United Artists), and single-handedly ended the "New Hollywood" era of all-powerful directors.

Gigli (2003) - Martin Brest

Martin Brest was a massive director in the '80s and '90s, with hits like Beverly Hills Cop, Midnight Run, and Scent of a Woman (which won Al Pacino an Oscar). Then he directed Gigli. The film, which cost $75 million, was destroyed by toxic press from the "Bennifer" phenomenon and was universally panned as one of the worst films ever made. It grossed a humiliating $7.2 million worldwide and ended Brest's career. He has not directed another film since.