While movies are made for our entertainment, they are still a business, and like all businesses, it's all about making money. Unfortunately for studios and investors, movies are a very tricky business. For one thing, the movie actually has to be good and well-made if it has any chance of making money, requiring incredible talent.
But there are also a lot of "unseens" and factors that go into a successful movie. What works for one may not work for another - for whatever reason. And what may be popular one year may not be the next. These are five of the most profitable movies ever made, and five of the biggest bombs.
MONEY-MAKER: Beauty & The Beast (1991)
By 1991, Disney was on top of the world. Their reputation was aided tremendously by Beauty and the Beast, arguably their finest movie and the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
The original Beauty and the Beast was made on a budget of just $25 million and has since made roughly $440 million through various releases, including video and theatrical. That's an enormous return on investment worth upwards of hundreds of millions of dollars.
BOMB: The 13th Warrior (1999)
The 13th Warrior is based on Michael Crichton's novel Eaters of the Dead, which itself is a unique combination of the myth of Beowulf and the historic Volga Vikings. Production, expensive re-shoots, and promotional expenses inflated the movie's budget to upwards of $160 million.
However, it grossed a measly $61 million in 1999 thanks in large part to the horrible reviews. The movie ended up losing Touchstone upwards of $130 million.
MONEY-MAKER: Peter Pan (1953)
Peter Pan is another monumental money maker for Disney. Released back in 1953, Peter Pan was made on a modest budget of just $4 million - about $40 million today. A lot of money, yes, but not for a blockbuster animation.
But through subsequent re-releases throughout the years, Peter Pan has made a gross of roughly $405 million when adjusted for inflation. It's yet another unbelievable return on investment for Disney.
BOMB: The Adventures Of Pluto Nash (2002)
The early 2000's proved a roller coaster for Eddie Murphy. In 2001, he provided the voice of Donkey in Shrek, which grossed nearly $500 million at the worldwide box office and revitalized his career. Just one year later, though, he starred in the critically maligned The Adventures of Pluto Nash.
Made on an exaggerated budget of $100 million, the movie ended up grossing a laughable $7 million at the box office. It could very well be the biggest bomb in movie history, although exact numbers are unknown.
MONEY-MAKER: Grease (1978)
It goes without saying that Grease is one of the most popular musicals of all time debuting on Broadway in 1972 and running for well over 3,000 performances since then. It was adapted into the now-iconic film for just $6 million, and it was released to enormous popularity in the summer of 1978.
Grease became the highest-grossing musical of all time, beating The Sound of Music with a proud $341 million (about $1.3 billion today). That gross has inflated to $396 million thanks to various re-releases.
BOMB: King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword (2017)
By 2017, audiences were getting really sick of the constant King Arthur adaptations. It certainly didn't help that Guy Ritchie's King Arthur: Legend of the Sword received terrible reviews.
The movie was made for an unbelievable $175 million, making Warner Bros. the laughing stock of Hollywood. The picture ended up grossing an appalling $148 million, resulting in a loss of $153 million. Even crazier, Legend of the Sword was meant to kick-start a six-film King Arthur franchise. Obviously, this went nowhere.
MONEY-MAKER: Star Wars (1977)
Star Wars is the kind of movie that every studio head dreams of. The original Star Wars (or Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope to younger audiences) was made for $11 million - about $46 million today. After it was released in May of 1977, the world was never the same again.
Just six months into its release, it replaced Jaws as the largest-grossing film in North America, grossing $220 million in its original run (about $935 million in 2020 - and that's just domestic!). It has since earned $775 million at the box office through various re-releases and spawned one of the largest movie franchises known to man.
BOMB: John Carter (2012)
Disney isn't all massive hits and massive piles of gold coins. The company has also faced its fair share of bombs, including 2012's John Carter. Based on the pulpy Barsoom novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs, John Carter was made on a budget of roughly $260 million, although exorbitant marketing costs bumped it up to $350 million.
Estimates claimed that the movie needed to gross $600 million just to break even, but it ended up grossing just $284 million. The movie is estimated to have lost Disney upwards of $200 million.
MONEY-MAKER: Jaws (1975)
Before Star Wars, Jaws reigned supreme for two solid years. Jaws was made on a budget of $9 million, or about $40 million today. It became an enormous hit throughout the summer of 1975, recouping its production costs in just ten days.
It grossed $123 million in its original theatrical run - nearly $600 million today. It has since grossed $470 million worldwide. When adjusted for inflation, Jaws has grossed well over $2 billion.
BOMB: The Lone Ranger (2013)
Just one year after John Carter failed to inspire interest in Martian monarchies, Disney struck coal yet again with 2013's The Lone Ranger. No one was particularly asking for a Lone Ranger movie to begin with, and the movie's casting controversy and terrible reviews only made the situation worse.
But perhaps the dumbest decision of all was spending upwards of $250 million on the movie. The movie needed to make roughly $650 million to break even, but it made just $260 million. It ended up losing Disney upwards of $150 million.