These movies failed to connect with audiences. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at movies that received significant theatrical releases in 2023, ultimately falling well below the threshold of profitability.
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00:00 "It's been a crazy few years for everyone."
00:03 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at movies that received significant theatrical
00:08 releases in 2023, ultimately falling well below the threshold of profitability.
00:15 "It's Helena. Helena Shaw."
00:18 Number 10. Blue Beetle.
00:24 "Excuse me, sir. How do I look?"
00:26 "Like your six figures in debt."
00:29 "Okay."
00:31 The upcoming DCU may be the shot in the arm that the floundering superhero genre needs.
00:37 However, Warner Bros. jumped the James Gunn when they announced this soft reboot,
00:42 making any remaining DCEU movies feel non-essential. Despite mostly positive
00:47 reviews and a likable, diverse cast, Blue Beetle became the lowest-grossing DCEU film.
00:54 "Sorry, I apologize. Just everything right now feels so out of reach and…
00:56 I feel like I failed you guys."
01:01 Considering that it was initially developed as an HBO Max exclusive,
01:05 it's not like Warner Bros. ever expected Blue Beetle to be a huge moneymaker.
01:10 Yet, the fact that the film's box office intake barely surpassed its $104 million budget
01:16 is a testament to growing superhero fatigue. Had it come out 10 years ago,
01:21 Blue Beetle's profitability might have been guaranteed.
01:24 In 2023, though, it couldn't reach an estimated break-even point of $208 million.
01:30 8. Air
01:37 If you make a witty drama for adult audiences, people will take notice.
01:51 Just maybe not right away. Exploring the fascinating story behind Air Jordan,
01:56 this sports biopic received universal critical acclaim and an A CinemaScore. On its opening
02:02 weekend, though, Air couldn't jump as high as the Super Mario Bros. movie, only falling from there.
02:07 While the film made back its $90 million budget, that doesn't account for its hefty advertising
02:18 campaign, which included a $7 million Super Bowl ad. Since Amazon originally intended to send the
02:23 film straight to streaming, Air's success shouldn't be measured based on box office alone. Although Air
02:29 has performed well on Prime Video, we may be past the days when a mid-budget drama could turn a
02:34 profit theatrically. 8. Haunted Mansion
02:46 Disney's 100th anniversary unfortunately coincided with one of its worst recent years
02:59 at the box office. Part of that might be because Disney+ has damaged the company's theatrical brand,
03:05 but quality is another factor. In the case of Haunted Mansion, the reviews were only slightly
03:10 better than the Eddie Murphy version released 20 years earlier. Too scary for little kids and not
03:16 mature enough for older audiences, this $150 million horror-comedy proved to be a ghost town
03:21 when it opened in July. That release date didn't help, as an October opening would have been ideal
03:33 given the subject matter. Disney made the same mistake with Hocus Pocus 30 years ago,
03:38 but where that film became a Halloween classic, Haunted Mansion seems DOA.
03:44 7. Renfield Just because Bram Stoker's novel is public
04:02 domain doesn't mean that Dracula movies are the soundest investment. Universal delivered two
04:08 Dracula-centric films in 2023 that failed to take a bite out of the box office. The last voyage of
04:14 the Demeter didn't even make back half of its $45 million production budget. Renfield drained even
04:20 more money from the studio, making a meager $26.7 million against a $65 million investment.
04:32 While Nicolas Cage's Dracula is chef's kiss casting, studios have repeatedly overestimated
04:38 his ability to pack cinemas. The people who constantly meme Cage on social media aren't
04:44 necessarily the same demographic buying tickets. The film may have cult potential, but much like
04:49 Renfield himself, Universal's relationship with Dracula is probably beyond salvaging.
05:02 6. Shazam! Fury of the Gods
05:05 Let's be honest, there would have been a lot more hype surrounding the Shazam! sequel
05:19 if it had marked Dwayne Johnson's introduction to the DCEU as Black Adam. Since Johnson insisted
05:26 that Black Adam get his own movie, Warner Bros. wound up producing two giant bombs.
05:31 Where the original Shazam! stood out with its quirky sense of humor,
05:35 the follow-up failed to bring anything fresh to the equation.
05:38 Lightning didn't strike twice on Rotten Tomatoes, and the same goes for the box office,
05:50 reportedly losing the studio around $150 million. Fury of the Gods was an early sign that 2023 would
05:57 be a rough year for DC, and superheroes in general. Sorry, Zivana, but it doesn't look
06:03 like Mr. Mind is coming back for you. 5. The Marvels
06:13 For nearly 15 years, the MCU printed money simply by existing. Between an overabundance of content
06:23 and a dip in quality, that's no longer the case. Whereas the original Captain Marvel had the
06:28 advantage of coming out between two Avengers pictures, people had a hard time getting
06:32 excited about the sequel. Casual fans who slept on WandaVision and Miss Marvel were likely confused
06:44 by the marketing. Loyal fans didn't expect it to drastically shake up the MCU beyond a post-credits
06:49 scene, which was spoiled in a trailer anyway. Suffering the MCU's worst opening weekend to date,
06:59 the Marvels still might have prevailed with a smaller budget. With reshoots bringing the
07:03 price tag to more than $270 million, Marvel no longer has the luxury of burning cash.
07:14 4. The Expendables 4 The Expendables is one of those franchises that
07:30 audiences kept giving a chance, but it never quite lived up to its action-packed potential.
07:36 Seeing how the last entry in the series underperformed almost a decade ago,
07:40 we can't imagine that anyone was clamoring for a fourth installment. Since Hollywood values brand
07:45 recognition above all else, however, Lionsgate brought Sil Stallone back for one last job.
07:50 We know that it's always "one last job", but if the box office returns are any indication,
08:02 Barney Ross can officially retire. Grossing just over $50 million,
08:06 The Expendables 4 struggled to recoup half of its budget, barely making a quarter of the
08:11 previous film's intake. This sequel proved every bit as expendable as the title suggests.
08:17 3. Ant-Man and the Wasp - Quantumania
08:28 Quantumania marked a rocky start for the MCU's fifth phase,
08:41 falling short of its break-even point by more than $100 million.
08:44 Fans of the previous two films were generally disappointed by this overblown third entry,
08:51 which traded screwball comedy for empty spectacle. Despite her name being in the title,
08:56 The Wasp was underutilized with more attention going toward Kang the Conqueror.
09:01 The film was meant to introduce theatrical viewers to the MCU's next big bad,
09:12 but given Jonathan Major's recent legal troubles, the investment in Kang has backfired in more ways
09:18 than one. Quantumania would have benefited from a smaller scale, centering on Scott and Hope's
09:23 relationship. Instead, Marvel went big with a $200 million Kang Dynasty preview, getting crushed
09:30 like an ant. 2. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
09:49 With Crystal Skull being a punchline, Indiana Jones' final adventure needed to be nothing
09:53 short of exceptional if Disney was going to win back old fans and whip up new ones.
09:58 Since Harrison Ford was almost 80 when filming commenced, Dial of Destiny already had some
10:03 limitations in the stunt department. But hey, it's nothing that expensive de-aging effects
10:08 can't compensate for, right? With delays from COVID only contributing to the budget,
10:18 Dial of Destiny cost as much as $300 million. Any hope that Indy's legacy sequel might be this
10:24 year's Top Gun maverick was shot down following a lackluster opening weekend, going on to lose
10:30 Disney around $100 million. If you want fortune and glory, spending big bucks to make big bucks
10:37 isn't always practical. 3. The Devil Wears Prada
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11:00 1. The Flash
11:04 Warner Bros. wishes it could travel back five years when multiverse movies were fresh.
11:15 Superheroes provided reliable revenue and Ezra Miller wasn't so problematic. While this long
11:21 awaited DC project had a ton of baggage, it was still a Flash movie featuring Supergirl
11:26 and Michael Keaton's caped crusader comeback. How disastrous could the results be? Well,
11:41 The Flash made about $30 million more than Batman and Robin did 26 years ago. When adjusted for
11:48 inflation, Batman and Robin actually sold more tickets. The Flash still outgrossed Blue
11:54 Beetle and Shazam 2, but also had a much higher budget. Although WB's higher-ups championed it
12:00 as one of the greatest superhero movies ever, the estimated $200 million loss has left the studio in
12:06 dire need of a new hero. Which film do you think can save the box office in 2024? Place your bets
12:19 in the comments. What's next? Where does the ride take you? Did you enjoy this video? Check out
12:25 these other clips from WatchMojo and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about
12:29 our latest videos.
12:36 [Music]