10 Box Office Bombs That Nearly Sank Their Studios

In 1963, 20th Century Fox spent an unprecedented 44 million dollars on this historical epic, which nearly bankrupted the studio. Production delays and runaway costs forced Fox to sell off real estate assets just to stay afloat. Although it was the highest grossing film of that year, the staggering budget meant it took years to turn a profit.

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Released in 1980 by United Artists, director Michael Cimino let production costs spiral to 44 million dollars. The Western earned a disastrous 3.5 million dollars at the box office. This devastating blow crippled United Artists and directly triggered its sale to MGM, ending its reign as an independent studio.

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Carolco Pictures bet the high seas farm in 1995 on this swashbuckling adventure starring Geena Davis. The movie cost roughly 98 million dollars to make but recouped barely 10 million dollars globally. The staggering 147 million dollar loss sank Carolco Pictures straight into Chapter 11 bankruptcy later that year.

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Universal Pictures watched its budget drown in 1995 when aquatic filming issues pushed production costs to a record breaking 175 million dollars. Early theatrical returns couldn't cover the massive overhead, creating short term financial panic for the studio. The film did eventually recoup its costs through international markets and home video, but the initial shock wave rocked Universal to its core.

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Touchstone Pictures backed this 1999 Viking action epic, which saw its budget inflate to 160 million dollars after extensive re-shoots. Worldwide theatrical returns sputtered out at just 61.7 million dollars. The resulting net loss of up to 129 million dollars made it one of the costliest cinema misfires of its era.

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Square Pictures poured 137 million dollars into this pioneering 2001 photorealistic computer animated movie. Audiences stayed away, leaving global box office receipts at a modest 85 million dollars. The resulting loss of over 94 million dollars crushed Square's movie division and forced the permanent shutdown of Square Pictures.

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New Line Cinema endured a three year production nightmare that ballooned the budget of this 2001 romantic comedy to 90 million dollars. The film pulled in less than 10 million dollars at the box office worldwide. Losing over 85 million dollars on a non action comedy delivered a bruising financial hit to New Line.

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Castle Rock Entertainment spent 100 million dollars launching Eddie Murphy into lunar comedy territory in 2002. The film brought back a minuscule 7.1 million dollars globally. That created a catastrophic loss of roughly 96 million dollars, wiping out studio balance sheets across the board.

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Walt Disney Pictures poured 150 million dollars into performance capture animation for this 2011 sci-fi family flick. The movie scraped together only 39 million dollars at the global box office. Facing an estimated loss between 100 and 140 million dollars, Disney swiftly shut down production partner ImageMovers Digital.

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Walt Disney Pictures bet big on Martian pulp sci-fi in 2012, spending 250 million dollars on production alongside a massive global marketing push. Global theatrical earnings of 284 million dollars fell far short of breaking even. Disney absorbed a legendary 200 million dollar write-down, which prompted executive shakeups at the studio leadership level.

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