Hollywood films usually look to the US market for profit and fame, but not all manage to impress local audiences. Some movies underperform in America yet earn massive revenue worldwide. These cases show how international audiences can redefine a film’s success. Despite failing to connect with Americans, their overseas appeal turned them into hits. Here are 10 movies that bombed in the US but flourished abroad.
1. Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) – $1.1B
- Streaming On: Apple TV, Prime Video, JioHotstar, Zee5
- RT Score: 18%
- Director: Michael Bay
Plot: Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) is the fourth film in the series, directed by Michael Bay. The saga continues after the Chicago battle, and the government now considers all Transformers dangerous. A secret CIA group led by Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammer) hunts them down with the help of Lockdown, a Cybertronian assassin working for mysterious Creators. Optimus Prime, wounded and hiding, is discovered by Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), an inventor struggling to raise his daughter Tessa (Nicola Peltz). Cade repairs Optimus, drawing the attention of the CIA and Lockdown.
Meanwhile, K.S.I. Industries creates their own Transformers using a metal called Transformium and Megatron’s remains, producing Galvatron and Stinger. But Galvatron reveals himself as Megatron reborn and forms a new Decepticon army. With help from Cade, Tessa, her boyfriend Shane, and the Autobots, Optimus frees the Dinobots and prepares for a final battle in Hong Kong. Together, they defeat Lockdown and the Decepticons. Optimus departs for space with the Seed, warning the Creators that he will come for them.
Transformers: Age of Extinction was a billion-dollar hit, with more than $245 million coming from the US alone. However, due to the franchise’s worldwide popularity, almost 78% of the total haul came from international markets.
- Domestic – $245.4 million
- International – $859.8 million
- Worldwide – $1.1 billion
2. Troy (2004) – $497.4M
- Streaming On: Prime Video
- RT Score: 53%
- Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Plot: Troy retells the Trojan War from Homer’s Iliad. The war begins when Paris (Orlando Bloom, Prince of Troy) falls in love with Helen (Diane Kruger), the wife of Menelaus, King of Sparta, and abducts her. Menelaus asks his brother Agamemnon to attack Troy. Achilles (Brad Pitt), the strongest warrior, joins the war for glory. Hector, Paris’ brother, leads Troy’s defense.
After Hector kills Patroclus, Achilles’ cousin, Achilles kills Hector in revenge. The Greeks later trick the Trojans with a giant wooden horse. At night, soldiers hidden inside destroy the city. King Priam and many Trojans die. Paris shoots Achilles, who dies as Troy falls.
The movie grossed almost $500 million worldwide, with over $364 million coming from global audiences and a little over $130 million from home.
- Domestic – $133.3 million
- International – $364 million
- Worldwide – $497.4 million
3. Terminator: Genisys (2015) – $440.6M
- Streaming On: Apple TV, Zee5
- RT Score: 26%
- Director: Alan Taylor
Plot: Terminator: Genisys, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, was the fifth instalment in the Terminator franchise. In the movie, the war against Skynet takes a twist when Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) travels back to 1984, but discovers that the timeline has shifted. Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) is no longer helpless, having been raised by a protective Terminator, known as “Pops.”
With Kyle’s arrival, they unite to stop Skynet’s plan, which now takes the form of a global system called “Genisys” in 2017. Their greatest challenge emerges when John Connor (Jason Clarke), once humanity’s leader, is revealed as a Terminator designed to secure Skynet’s future. After an intense showdown, Pops sacrifices himself but returns upgraded, while Sarah and Kyle live on.
The movie, while earning only $89 million in the US, managed to cross the $350 million mark globally.
- Domestic – $89.7 million
- International- $350.8 million
- Worldwide – $440.6 million
4. Warcraft (2016) – $439M
- Streaming On: Apple TV, Prime Video, Zee5
- RT Score: 29%
- Director: Duncan Jones
Plot: Warcraft, also known as Warcraft: The Beginning, was directed by Duncan Jones and was based on the video game series of the same name. The story centers on Anduin Lothar of Stormwind and Durotan of the Frostwolf clan, who find themselves on opposing sides as Gul’dan leads the Horde to invade Azeroth through a dark portal.
The movie, after its release, grossed a total amount of $439 million, of which only a mere $47.3 million was in the US. However, the strong international response helped the video-game-inspired movie reach close to the $450 million mark.
- Domestic – $47.3 million
- International – $391.6 million
- Worldwide – $439 million
5. Pacific Rim (2013) – $411M
- Streaming On: Apple TV
- RT Score: 72%
- Director: Guillermo del Toro
Plot: Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim tells of humanity’s desperate stand against Kaiju, massive beasts from a Pacific portal. To stop them, giant Jaegers are built, each requiring two pilots to share the mental burden. Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) loses his brother in combat but later returns, guided by Marshal Pentecost (Idris Elba), and finds a bond with Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi).
As Kaiju attacks escalate, scientists uncover their alien origin. The final mission sends Gipsy Danger (Ellen McLain) and Striker Eureka into the Breach. Pentecost makes the ultimate sacrifice, and Raleigh destroys the portal with Gipsy’s reactor. The Kaiju threat ends, giving Earth a chance to rebuild. Pacific
Rim, upon its release in the US, managed to cross $100 million domestically, but more than 75% of the movie’s earnings came from global markets, demonstrating the strong response from international audiences.
- Domestic – $101.8 million
- International – $309.2 million
- Worldwide – $411 million
6. The Mummy (2017) – $409.2M
- Streaming On: Prime Video, Zee5
- RT Score: 63%
- Director: Stephen Sommers
Plot: The Mummy is a fantasy action film starring Tom Cruise as Nick Morton, a soldier who uncovers the tomb of Princess Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella). In ancient Egypt, Ahmanet was set to rule until her father had a son. After being angry, she made a pact with the god Set, killed her family, and was punished by being mummified alive. Her tomb was buried far away so she could never return.
In modern times, Nick and his partner discover her resting place in Iraq. When her sarcophagus is flown to Britain, she awakens, crashes their plane, and curses Nick. Ahmanet feeds on humans to regain her power and seeks to use Nick as a vessel for Set. With the help of archaeologist Jenny Halsey and Dr. Jekyll’s (Russell Crowe) secret society, Nick battles her. In the end, he sacrifices himself by stabbing the dagger into his body, gaining Set’s powers but choosing to stop Ahmanet and save Jenny.
The Mummy had a total box office collection of around $409.2 million, of which a whopping $329 million came from global audiences but only $80 million from the domestic market.
- Domestic – $80.2 million
- International – $329 million
- Worldwide – $409.2 million
7. xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017) – $346.1M
- Streaming On: Apple TV, JioHotstar, Zee5
- RT Score: 46%
- Director: D.J Caruso
Plot: XXX: Return of Xander Cage follows Xander Cage, a former secret agent living in exile. CIA agent Jane Marke (Toni Collette) convinces him to return to stop Pandora’s Box, a device that can control satellites as weapons. Xander assembles a skilled team and pursues the device across the world, battling rival agents, mercenaries, and traitors.
He teams up with rival xXx agent Xiang (Donnie Yen) to confront corrupt officials and prevent deadly satellite attacks. In the final battle, Xander destroys the device, survives multiple dangers, and saves his team. Gibbons, faking his own death, secretly rebuilds the xXx program with new recruits, including Neymar.
At the time of release, xXx: Return of Xander Cage earned 87% of its total box office haul from overseas territories.
- Domestic – $44.8 million
- International – $301.2 million
- Worldwide – $346.1 million
8. The Great Wall (2016) – $334.9M
- Streaming On: Zee5, JioHotstar
- RT Score: 35%
- Director: Yimous Zhang
Plot: The Great Wall is a 2016 monster film directed by Zhang Yimou. It tells the story of European warriors William Garin (Matt Damon) and Pero Tovar (Pedro Pascal), who travel to China for gunpowder but are caught at the Wall. There, they find the Nameless Order, a secret army trained to fight alien monsters called Tao Tei.
At first, Garin and Tovar plan to run away with gunpowder, but Garin stays when he realizes the danger. With Commander Lin’s help, they trap and kill the queen of the Tao Tei. The victory saves China, and Garin chooses loyalty over greed, sparing Tovar’s life.
The movie, despite boasting big Hollywood names, failed to make a significant mark at the box office; however, it still managed to gross close to $350 million overall, primarily due to its overwhelming global response.
- Domestic – $45.5 million
- International – $289.3 million
- Worldwide – $334.9 million
9. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016) – $312.2M
- Streaming On: Apple TV, SonyLIV, Amazon MX Player
- RT Score: 38%
- Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Plot: In the final Resident Evil movie, Alice (Milla Jovovich) is warned by the Red Queen that Umbrella plans to wipe out the last humans. A cure exists in the Hive beneath Raccoon City and Alice teams up with survivors and Claire Redfield to reach it.
However, after being betrayed by an ally, hunted by Isaacs, and confronted by Wesker, she learns the truth that she is a clone of Alicia Marcus. Alice kills Isaacs, releases the cure, and survives. With memories given to her by Alicia, she carries on her mission against Umbrella’s legacy.
Resident Evil was a huge box office hit, thanks to the astounding 91.4% of contribution that came from the international audiences.
- Domestic – $26.8 million
- International – $285.4 million
- Worldwide – $312.2 million
10. Geostorm (2017) – $221.9M
- Streaming On: Apple TV, JioHotstar
- RT Score: 18%
- Director: Dean Davlin
Plot: Geostorm is a science fiction disaster film directed by Dean Devlin. It stars Gerard Butler as Jake Lawson, a satellite designer who once built a system called “Dutch Boy” to control the weather. When the satellites are hacked, deadly storms strike around the world.
Jake goes to the space station to find the cause, while his brother Max uncovers a political conspiracy on Earth. The movie failed to recover its budget, but it did create a buzz globally, earning more than 84% of its box-office haul from the international markets.
- Domestic – $33.7 million
- International – $188.2 million
- Total – $221.9 million
Note: Box office numbers are based on estimates and various sources. Numbers have not been independently verified by Koimoi.
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