<b>Every</b> year, Hollywood has a commercial blockbuster that loses money, and the film industry is high risk, and no film company can guarantee that every movie will make money.
James Cameron's "Avatar 2" and "Avatar 3" are back-to-back sequels, and although he has completed the scripts for "Avatar 4" and "Avatar 5", investors are still cautious and see how the two sequels perform before deciding.
IPs like Avatar are risky, not to mention otherwise. If you pay a little attention, you will find that the main force of Hollywood movies every year is sequels, remakes, and reboots, and original type of movie stories are becoming more and more rare.
In the entire summer program this year, only the six major Hollywood companies have only launched one "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" is an original genre work, not a sequel, a non-remake, and no action scenes. This is already a "rare" level of work in today's Hollywood.
"The Godfather" director Coppola once said in passing when evaluating Marvel movies this year: Making movies without taking risks is equivalent to having children without sex. Risk is one of the reasons why movies are so interesting.
The losses of each money-losing movie have similarities and differences, "X-Men: Dark Phoenix" can be called the 2019 film money loss champion, but other well-known IP "Terminator 6" and "Men in Black: Global Pursuit" have also collapsed into the sand, how much money have these movies lost?
This article is based on the investment and box office data given by the boxofficemojo website as a reference to illustrate the Hollywood movies that have lost the most this year. The losses referred to in this article are only for the cinema box office and investment, and do not calculate derivatives, online on-demand and other revenues.
Entering the post-film era, some movies that lose money in theaters can also achieve profitability through peripheral products, but that is a digression and will not be repeated.
Now, let me start with Fox, who loses the most money —
<b>FOX: Gone are hollywood big six</b>
<b>Loss-making title: X-Men: Dark Phoenix</b>
Cost: $200 million
Worldwide box office: $252 million
Loss: More than $100 million
Loss interpretation: Twentieth Century Fox Film Company completed the merger with Disney in 2019, officially becoming a member of the Disney umbrella, no longer one of the six major Hollywood. After being acquired by Disney, Fox's already completed film projects are a bit embarrassing, after all, Disney did not participate in these projects from the beginning, and it is difficult for Disney to promote "X-Men: Dark Phoenix" according to the specifications of Marvel Cinematic Universe works.
A similar situation is "Alita: Battle Angel", the film cost $170 million, the global box office of $440 million, the profitability is hopeless, after Disney's annexation of Fox, "Alita" movie although not finished the story, but the sequel is difficult to count.
Fall apart trailer
The fate of "X-Men: Dark Phoenix" is extremely tortuous, the film has been completed in 2017, the test screening response is not good, it carried out a round of reshoots, the original schedule of November 2, 2018 was also postponed to 2019. Later, "Captain Marvel" was released on March 8, 2019, and the end of the film is Captain Marvel's single-handed alien legion in space. Coincidentally, the same is true of the original ending of Dark Phoenix, Fox can only remake the ending, and now the ending is the big battle on the train.
After a remake and postponement, the cost of "Dark Phoenix" soared to $200 million, although it was a star-studded work, but it could not save the film's decline, the film in the United States Rotten Tomatoes website praise rate of only 23%, the global box office eventually fell at $252 million, all of which are new lows in the "X-Men" canon sequence. An American film critic unceremoniously wrote: "'Dark Phoenix' is as sloppy as a mystic makeup!" ”
Is the story of Dark Phoenix somewhat similar to 2006's X-Men: Battle of the Bulge? It's all about the awakening of Dark Phoenix, why do you have to reshoot it? The story lacks novelty, the characters are facialized, and Dark Phoenix gives the entire X-Men series an unbeautiful finish.
<b>Loss-making work: "Interstellar Exploration"</b>
Cost: $100 million
Worldwide box office: $127 million (on release)
Loss: $50 million or more
Loss interpretation: The film was shortlisted for the main competition unit of the Venice Film Festival, widely praised by the media and audiences, after the film was released in North America on September 20, the freshness of Rotten Tomatoes was 83%, and even the average score of the always extremely harsh MetaCritic was as high as 80, which performed well. Overseas mainstream media commented on the film's grand format, shocking scenes, "a philosophical and spiritual journey", and gave high praise to the action scenes in the film: "'Interstellar Exploration' launched an adrenaline-pumping car chase on the moon"!
The media evaluation of the film is excellent, with a Rotten Tomatoes praise rate of 83% (an average score of 7.7/10), but the audience praise rate is only 45%, and the reputation is extremely polarized. Originally budgeted at $80 million, "Star Quest" swelled to about $100 million in total cost after the remake, and judging by its opening score of less than $20 million in the first weekend of North America, the film has undoubtedly become another Fox movie that has lost its money after films such as "X-Men: Dark Phoenix".
<b>Paramount: The family is big, and I am not afraid of losing a few</b>
<b>Loss-making work: "Twin Killers"</b>
Cost: $138 million
Worldwide box office: $170 million (on release)
Loss: around $100 million
Loss Interpretation: "Twin Killers" is a script from 20 years ago, and producer Jerry Brookheimer approached Ang Lee to direct, and he initially supported Ang Lee's 120-frame technique to shoot. Although the film does not have as many special effects scenes, in order to produce a realistic "young" Will Smith, the filmmakers still invested heavily in motion capture and CG technology.
Theatrical version of the trailer
120 frames, 4K, 3D technology was the first Ang Lee to use in feature films, the first work was "Billy Lynn's Halftime War", but it was unsuccessful at the box office. Immediately after Ang Lee filmed "Twin Killers", Ang Lee believes that 120 frames open up a new horizon for the film, and the exquisite presentation of the picture has reached a new height.
"Twin Killers" is indeed amazing in terms of technology, but the film itself, the story is lackluster, is a very traditional and old-fashioned Hollywood commercial film model, the story of cloning itself is written because of the birth of cloned sheep at the end of the 20th century, after 20 years, the concept of clones has been filmed in films such as "The Sixth Day" and "Escape from Clone Island", which is more outdated concepts. "Twin Killers" can only be regarded as a technologically advanced movie, and it is difficult to be satisfactory at the story level.
<b>Loss-making work: Terminator: Dark Fate</b>
Cost: $185 million
Worldwide box office: $233 million (on release)
Loss Interpretation: Terminator: Dark Fate (hereinafter referred to as "Terminator 6") is a joint investment of Twentieth Century Fox and Paramount, and China's Tencent Pictures also has an investment. The film began to be released worldwide at the end of October, and has grossed $233 million so far, which is now the final stage of the film's first round of screenings, and the box office has been lackluster.
The story of "Terminator 6" is a reboot of the timeline, abandoning the story line of "Terminator 3", "Terminator 2018", "Terminator: Genesis", "Terminator 6" directly inherits "Terminator 2" on the timeline, and James Cameron returns to executive production and participates in the creation, known as the orthodox sequel.
But in fact, the story of the film still cannot break through the past, and it is still the number of ways for the two Terminators to return to the past to fight each other, although this time the number of Terminators has increased, but the routine remains unchanged.
The lack of surprise is the fatal wound of the classic IP of "Terminator", in "Terminator: Genesis" tried to make John Connor a Terminator, this idea is actually favored by the audience, "Terminator: Genesis" the global box office is also as high as 440 million US dollars, but unfortunately, "Terminator 6" is back to the routine of good and evil Terminators fighting each other, can not attract a new generation of audiences.
<b>Disney: There are few missed hands, small losses</b>
<b>Loss-making work: Dumbo</b>
Cost: $170 million
Worldwide box office: $353 million
Loss: Small loss, the specific number is unknown
Loss interpretation: Disney in 2019 had a smooth ride, and after the annexation of Fox Pictures, it was already a giant film company in Hollywood. Previously, Disney also had films with losses of hundreds of millions of dollars such as "Alien Battlefield" and "Lone Ranger", but this year's Disney commercial blockbuster with signs of loss is this "Dumbo".
Chinese the theatrical version of the trailer
Dumbo was originally an animated film produced by Walt Disney himself, but the animated film was only 64 minutes long at the time. The 2019 live-action version of Dumbo is 112 minutes long, with more characters and stories added. But for the classic changes are to take a great risk, the animation "Dumbo" is a good memory of generations in the United States, so big changes, fans will not buy it. The film had only a 47 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and one critic unceremoniously wrote, "This story is so stupid." ”
Word of mouth is not good, and the box office is not very good. At the $353 million box office worldwide, losses are inevitable, excluding cinema revenue and publicity costs. Even if it can't be returned, Disney still has movie peripherals to fill this small hole.
<b>Warner: Original work has been repeatedly frustrated</b>
<b>Loss-making work: "The Goldfinch"</b>
Cost: $45 million
Worldwide box office: $9.73 million
Loss: $45 million
Loss Interpretation: Adapted from Pulitzer's award-winning novel of the same name, The Goldfinch tells the story of a terrorist attack that changes the fate of a boy whose life is linked to a famous painting, "The Goldfinch."
Brent Simon, an American reporter at time network, commented: "'Goldfinch' is 149 minutes long, it may not be the longest movie of 2019, but after watching it, it is easy for the audience to have this illusion, because the plot is too protracted and boring." ”
The film invited stars such as Nicole Kidman and Ansel Elgert to star, and spent a lot on the salary. However, procrastination and boredom are obviously the fatal wounds of a movie, and the stars cannot save the story rhythm of the film. The current global box office of $9.73 million is really chilling, and the box office is full of money.
"Goldfinch" is also a non-sequel original work, such a movie does not sell well, and can only prompt Warner to invest as much as possible in classic IP and sequel movies such as "Wonder Woman", "Joker", "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", and the situation of other Hollywood studios is much the same.
<b>Loss-making work: Hell's Kitchen</b>
Cost: $38 million
Worldwide box office: $15.88 million
Loss: $30 million or more
Loss Interpretation: "Hell's Kitchen" tells the story of a New York gangster arrested and investigated by the FBI in the late 1970s, while their wives take over the illegal business and run it with even more brutal means. Moss will be the third member of the women's group. The film stars Elizabeth Moss, Melissa McCarthy, and Tiffany Hadesh.
The ultimate trailer
The problem with the film is still at the story level, and the ordinary audience feels that the story is flat and nothing new. Film critics are not polite, and the North American Rotten Tomatoes website has only a 22% positive rating, and it is not too much to say that it is a bad film. One American film critic wrote: "The story is chaotic and the plot is meaningless. ”
"Hell's Kitchen" is a film produced by Warner's new line company, although the cost is controlled, but it still can't resist the box office deficit, conservatively estimated, the loss is more than $30 million.
<b>Sony: There are also misses on well-known IP</b>
<b>Loss-making works: Men in Black: Global Pursuit</b>
Cost: $110 million
Worldwide box office: $253 million
Loss: Small loss
Loss interpretation: "Men in Black" is Sony's big IP, the first three are global hits, "Men in Black 3" global box office is 624 million US dollars, compared to this sequel "Men in Black: Global Pursuit" is quite large.
The word-of-mouth trend of the entire series of "Men in Black" is very peculiar, and on the Rotten Tomatoes website, the first "Men in Black" received a 92% praise rate, which is one of the most critically acclaimed movies in Hollywood. The praise rate of "Men in Black 2" is 39%, and the praise rate of "Men in Black 3" is 68%, which basically reflects the quality trend of the film.
"Men in Black: Global Pursuit" has a Rotten Tomatoes praise rate of 23%, and film critics are extremely disappointed. The audience recognizes not only the brand "Men in Black", but also Will Smith, the Man in Black, and the cast has been completely replaced, and the appeal will be reduced. At the same time, the story of the film still maintains the routine of the first three films, this series that has been published for more than 20 years, if it still maintains the same story routine, it will not be able to make the audience pay, the problem is the same as the previous "Terminator: Dark Fate", lack of novelty. One critic wrote: "After watching the movie, please erase my memory!" It can be seen that the audience is more disappointed in the film.
<b>Loss-making work: Angry Birds 2</b>
Cost: $65 million
Worldwide box office: $145 million
Loss interpretation: The first part of "Angry Birds" grossed $352 million worldwide, and by the second part, it was greatly discounted, with revenue of only $145 million, a big step back, and it is difficult to say whether there is a third part.
"Angry Birds 2" is a very routine sequel, every step of the story can be guessed, the technical level is not amazing, in the face of today's demanding global audience, "Angry Birds 2" can get a global box office of $145 million has not been easy.
Fortunately, the film cost $65 million, and although there are losses, it should be within the control range.
<b>Universal: Steady and steady, just a small loss</b>
<b>Loss-making work: "The Yeti"</b>
Cost: $75 million
Worldwide box office: $172 million
Loss interpretation: Universal Pictures released commercially successful film works such as "Fast and Furious: Special Ops", "Pet Secret 2" and "Us" in 2019, and is a very stable member of hollywood companies this year, second only to Disney.
"Snowman" is another new expansion of Universal Pictures in the field of animated films, and China Film Group in China has also participated in the investment. The film's reputation is actually good, the time network score of 7.6 points, the United States Rotten Tomatoes praise rate of 81%! It is already a good work, so it is not necessarily a bad film that loses money.
There are many reasons why the movie does not sell well, as the first work of the original animation, "Snowman" lacks a certain appeal, belongs to the slow-heat type of movie, and may have some achievements on the streaming media platform in the future.
<b>Lionsgate: Not a big six, but it can't be ignored</b>
<b>Loss-making work: "Battle of Midway"</b>
Worldwide box office: $53 million (on release)
Loss: Not yet known
Loss interpretation: "Decisive Midway" is a very large investment film, since the beginning of November began to be released worldwide, the current global box office is only 53 million US dollars, although this number will increase, but eventually may fall within 100 million US dollars, in that case, "Decisive Midway" loss may be more than 50 million US dollars.
Ultimate Trailer
We can benchmark the same World War II film "Hacksaw Ridge", the film investment of 40 million US dollars, the global box office of 175 million US dollars, not a bright box office, but at least the capital preservation and profit. Hacksaw Ridge is already a rare masterpiece, but war films are hard to sell in the current global market.
"Battle of Midway" has a large number of special effects shots, as well as water shooting, which all cost a huge amount of money, and the cost of 100 million US dollars is not exaggerated, but it is also a huge pressure to recover costs. The film received 42 percent of the film's rating on Rotten Tomatoes in North America, and American film critics didn't like the work very much, with one critic writing: "It's like the perspective of a children's show, lacking depth." ”
"Decisive Battle of Midway" time network score of 7.6 points, most of the Chinese audience is still relatively satisfied with the film, the film's current mainland box office is 210 million yuan, is the first place in the overseas box office.
<b>Loss-making title: Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen</b>
Cost: $50 million
Worldwide box office: $44.66 million
Loss interpretation: "Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen" is a disaster, an American film critic wrote on the Rotten Tomatoes website: "I don't want to say anything, I hope to give other viewers a notebook, let them write it!" ”
Other critics wrote, "Oh my God, this film is really horrible. "The film has a 17% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but it is also completely rotten.
The story of the film is illogical, excessively bloody and violent, completely devoid of the dark fun of the first two films, without Guillermo del Toro can not be played, the facts say it all. After this failure, Hellboy should not have investors for a long time.