Hollywood is usually considered as an business of ardour. It is the place artists and dreamers come collectively to deliver their inventive visions to life. So many films had been ardour tasks of their respective filmmakers, whether or not it’s the writers, producers, administrators, or actors. These tasks typically begin out as an concept, a spark that ignites a flame. The thought then spreads like wildfire inside the artist, turning right into a burning must deliver that story to the display. This ardour might be all-consuming; the filmmaker will traverse nice obstacles and lengths to see their undertaking to completion, sacrificing time, generally a long time, and hundreds of thousands of {dollars} alongside the way in which.
A few of cinema’s biggest movies had been ardour tasks, resembling Apocalypse Now, Avatar, and The Lord of the Rings. Ardour is usually contagious — however not all ardour tasks grow to be profitable. Perhaps the movie was poorly executed. Or possibly, regardless of the filmmaker’s obsession, the concept simply wasn’t excellent to start with. Regardless of the case, no quantity of expertise and fiery ardour had been capable of save these ten ardour tasks from flopping on the field workplace.
10
‘The Fountain’ (2006)
- Launch Date
-
November 22, 2006
- Runtime
-
97
Darren Aronofsky’s films are recognized for his or her darkish tones, dramatic tales, and surreal imagery, and The Fountain is not any exception. An epic that blends fantasy, science fiction, drama, and romance, The Fountain consists of three storylines however focuses totally on one man combating mortality, looking out desperately for the factor that may save his dying spouse. Aronofsky conceived the story in 2000, shortly after finishing Requiem for a Dream. He initially deliberate to direct The Fountain on a $70 million price range with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett within the lead roles. However Pitt’s withdrawal and an escalating price range prompted the movie to be shut down.
Decided to deliver his story to the massive display, Aronofsky rewrote the script. He was capable of get manufacturing resumed with a $35 million price range, casting Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz to interchange Pitt and Blanchett respectively. Aronofsky may need saved the manufacturing, however he could not save his child from combined opinions and a poor field workplace efficiency of $16.5 million. The Fountain has, nevertheless, gained a cult following within the years since its launch.
9
‘Beneath the Cherry Moon’ (1986)
Pop sensation Prince struck gold along with his 1984 debut Purple Rain, a movie that is as iconic as its soundtrack. The movie’s success, coupled with Prince’s rising stardom, prompted Warner Bros. to rapidly greenlight his subsequent movie, Beneath the Cherry Moon. Right here, two brothers are planning to con a soon-to-be rich heiress, till one in every of them falls in love along with her. Disagreements over the movie’s route resulted in Prince directing the film himself, granting him full management over his ardour undertaking. However as his directorial debut has proven us, even Prince has his limitations.
Beneath the Cherry Moon was critically panned and tanked on the field workplace, grossing a meager $10 million in opposition to a $12 million price range. It has loved a cult following, although, within the time since Prince’s dying. Beneath the Cherry Moon’s soundtrack fared higher than the film itself. It bought over 1,000,000 copies, changing into one other platinum document on Prince’s wall of trophies.
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8
‘Past the Sea’ (2004)
As soon as upon a time, lengthy earlier than he destroyed his profession and received himself canceled, Kevin Spacey was one of the vital outstanding and profitable actors in Hollywood. He was additionally a giant fan of singer Bobby Darin. Spacey labored with Bobby’s son, Dodd Darin, to create Past the Sea, a biopic that weaves Bobby Darin’s actual life with fantasy sequences and fictionalized accounts.
Spacey signed on as co-writer, producer, and director of the movie. He additionally solid himself as Bobby Darin, regardless of quite a few folks telling him that he was too previous for the position. Spacey was 44 years previous on the time, an age the actual Darin by no means reached. He additionally used his personal singing voice within the movie. Past the Sea obtained combined opinions, although some critics praised Spacey’s efficiency. He even earned a Golden Globe nomination for Greatest Actor. Past the Sea, nevertheless, sank on the field workplace, raking in $8.4 million in opposition to a price range of $25 million.
7
‘Swept Away’ (2002)
Man Ritchie flicks are inclined to share some commonalities. An English setting, snarky humor, fast-paced motion, quirky characters. However when you have a look at his filmography, there appears to be one film that does not belong. We’re speaking about his 2002 movie, Swept Away. A remake of the 1974 Italian movie of the identical identify, Swept Away captures the romance between a spoiled socialite and a communist sailor, who’re stranded collectively on a Mediterranean island.
Ritchie solid his spouse on the time, celebrity Madonna, within the lead position. It turned a form of ardour undertaking between the 2. And it was a complete failure, each critically and commercially. Swept Away grossed a pitiful a million {dollars} in opposition to a $10 million price range. Ritchie and Madonna’s marriage turned out to be a greater collaboration than the movie, although the pair did ultimately divorce in 2008.
6
‘Horizon: An American Saga’ (2024)
Horizon: An American Saga is the primary installment in what’s meant to be a sequence of Western epics by actor and filmmaker Kevin Costner. Set in the course of the American Civil Conflict, this movie and its forthcoming sequels comply with a number of characters navigating life within the Midwest. Costner conceived the concept for this sequence again in 1988, and it has been caught in developmental hell ever since. Horizon: An American Saga lastly noticed the sunshine of day in 2024. However the movie underperformed on the field workplace, grossing $38 million worldwide in opposition to a price range of $50 million.
Three sequels are at the moment in manufacturing. Chapter 2 premiered on the 81st Venice Worldwide Movie Pageant in August 2024. Nevertheless, as a result of underwhelming efficiency of Chapter 1, its launch date has been indefinitely postponed. Manufacturing has additionally halted on the ultimate two movies within the sequence. Costner stays decided to see his ardour undertaking to completion, although even he appears uncertain about pulling it off.
5
‘Glitter’ (2001)
- Launch Date
-
September 21, 2001
- Runtime
-
104
- Solid
-
Mariah Carey
, Max Beesley
, Da Brat
, Tia Texada
, Valarie Pettiford
, Ann Magnuson
Celebrity Mariah Carey is well known as an unbelievable singer and probably the greatest voices in music. However sadly for her, that expertise doesn’t lengthen into filmmaking. Within the late ’90s, after catapulting to the highest of the pop charts, Carey started engaged on a movie known as All That Glitters, a ardour undertaking that might ultimately turn out to be Glitter. A semi-autobiographical story, Glitter follows a membership dancer who aspires to turn out to be a singer and falls in love with a DJ in the course of the Eighties. Carey additionally produced the soundtrack that accompanied the movie.
Glitter was hit with dangerous press earlier than it even premiered. Information was swirling about Carey’s erratic conduct throughout manufacturing, and she or he was ultimately hospitalized for “excessive exhaustion” and a “bodily and emotional breakdown.” The soundtrack additionally got here out on 9/11. The movie itself launched 10 days later to overwhelmingly unfavorable opinions, significantly when it got here to Carey’s efficiency.
Glitter bombed on the field workplace, grossing a meager $5.3 million in opposition to a price range of $22 million. Sadly for Mariah, not all that glitters is gold. However the movie’s soundtrack did expertise a resurgence in 2018, taking pictures to the highest of the iTuens charts due to the social media marketing campaign, #JusticeForGlitter.
4
‘The Alamo’ (1960)
John Wayne is legendary for his performances in Western movies. He is a Hollywood icon, America’s personal cinematic cowboy. Between 1926 and 1977, Wayne appeared in over 170 movies, however till 1960, he had by no means directed a movie himself. He determined to alter that along with his directorial debut, The Alamo, a ardour undertaking that Wayne had been inquisitive about making since 1945. As its title suggests, the movie relies on the Battle of the Alamo in the course of the Texas Revolution.
To deliver his imaginative and prescient to life, Wayne fashioned his personal manufacturing firm, Batjac Productions, and signed with United Artists to safe funding and distribution. In return, he agreed to star in The Alamo (he wasn’t planning to initially) as American people hero Davy Crockett. Wayne additionally secured further financing from rich Texans and invested about $1.5 million of his personal cash into the movie. “A very good funding,” he believed on the time. Oh, how flawed he was.
The Alamo was well-received and earned an Oscar nomination for Greatest Image. It did pretty effectively in theaters, grossing $20 million on the time. However due to the movie’s monumental price, The Alamo is considered a flop that not even John Wayne or Davy Crockett might save. Wayne misplaced his private funding and was pressured to promote his rights to United Artists, so the corporate might make again its cash.
3
‘After Earth’ (2013)
- Launch Date
-
Could 30, 2013
- Runtime
-
100minutes
Will Smith has endured some painful lows as an actor throughout his profession, from 1999’s Wild Wild West, to slapping Chris Rock on the Oscars, to his 2013 field workplace bomb, After Earth. Whereas watching the tv sequence I Should not Be Alive, Smith got here up with the concept for After Earth, the place a father and son crash their automotive in some distant area. Over time, this concept morphed right into a sci-fi story, set on Earth 1000 years after it had been deserted by humanity, and would function the primary installment in a trilogy.
For some purpose, Smith tapped M. Night time Shyamalan, who had simply bombed the field workplace with The Final Airbender, to direct his movie. He additionally solid himself and his son, Jaden, within the lead roles. However After Earth wasn’t the father-son accomplishment that Smith had dreamed of. The movie was critically panned and was a field workplace disappointment, grossing $243.8 million in opposition to a price range of $130 million. Any plans to develop this film right into a franchise shortly crashed and burned.
After Earth‘s failure prompted Smith to take a year-and-a-half break from performing. Jaden, in the meantime, hasn’t appeared in any films since. Perhaps he is taking a extremely, actually lengthy break from performing? In 2015, Will Smith known as After Earth “probably the most painful failure in his profession” and expressed remorse over main his son into the movie — though that may have modified after the notorious Slap on the Oscars.
2
‘Megalopolis’ (2024)
Legendary director Francis Ford Coppola has been engaged on his ardour undertaking and sci-fi epic Megalopolis for a very long time. A really, very very long time. Coppola first conceived the concept for Megalopolis in 1977 whereas filming one other longtime ardour undertaking of his, Apocalypse Now. Set in a re-imagined trendy America, Megalopolis follows an architect with the flexibility to regulate time, who faces opposition as he tries to rebuild Manhattan right into a utopia after a devastating catastrophe destroys the town. The story primarily locations the traditional Roman Empire in a futuristic New York, merging the 2 to create the story’s world.
For many years, Megalopolis was caught in developmental hell for numerous causes. One of many issues was that Coppola did not suppose he might discover a manufacturing studio that might dish out the mandatory funds to deliver his imaginative and prescient to life. So, after a few years of contemplation, Coppola determined to unload a portion of his wine empire and use that cash to supply Megalopolis himself – roughly $120 million.
After practically 50 years of setbacks, Coppola accomplished Megalopolis, which was lastly launched in 2024. And sadly for the famed director, the movie obtained combined opinions for its convoluted and overstuffed story and flopped on the field workplace. It grossed $13.9 million in opposition to a price range between $120–136 million. Poor Francis. Think about ready 50 years to create one thing, and also you’re met with that.
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1
‘Battlefield Earth’ (2000)
Battlefield Earth
- Launch Date
-
Could 12, 2000
Notorious on the planet of cinema, Battlefield Earth follows a riot in opposition to aliens who’ve dominated Earth for 1,000 years. The movie relies on the sci-fi novel of the identical identify by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, so that you know issues are going to get bizarre. When the ebook was first revealed in 1982, Hubbard despatched an autographed copy of Battlefield Earth to none aside from John Travolta, hoping that his fellow Scientologist would at some point flip his ebook right into a film. And as soon as Travolta latched onto this concept, he by no means let go.
After his profession comeback within the mid-Nineties, Travolta used his rebounding affect to show Hubbard’s dream right into a actuality. Battlefield Earth was produced by Travolta, who additionally made himself the movie’s star, and was lastly launched in 2000. And to the shock of nobody (aside from possibly Travolta) Battlefield Earth was a important and business catastrophe. It grossed $29.7 million in opposition to a price range of $73–$103 million, dropping the equal of $130 million in 2024. Battlefield Earth did not simply bomb on the field workplace; it bankrupted Franchise Photos, one of many studios that produced the film.