The movie industry is a ruthless business. Quality film making is not enough to guarantee success, as evidenced by the plethora of revered works with minuscule box office returns. Most of the time, the public dismisses films which failed to make a splash in theaters. The following ten films from the first decade made less money at the box office than they deserved. Fortunately, several of these found a second life on home video. Hopefully this list successfully spreads the word about these films that need more attention.
Punisher: War Zone
Marvel's brutal vigilante has never been lucky in the feature film space. Thomas Jane's 2003 portrayal saw little success, but even that looks like Avatar compared to 2008's Punisher: War Zone. The ultra violent action flick, directed by Lexi Alexander and starring Ray Stevenson, only made eight million dollars off a thirty-five million dollar budget. The R-rating and nigh non-existent marketing were partly to blame for the embarrassingly low number. Lexi Alexander still directs television shows, but if War Zone had been more successful, she probably would have done more large-scale, gory action films.
Fantasia 2000
Fantasia 2000 represents one of the longest gaps between sequels in cinema history. The original came out in 1940 and the sequel materialized sixty years later, as the name implies. Fantasia had trouble recouping its costs due to the situation in Europe at the time, but eventually achieved a sizable legacy.
The sequel did not meet the same fortune. Despite an extended release in IMAX theaters, it barely made back its budget. The idea for the sequel was the nephew of Walt Disney, Roy Disney. While it wasn't a titan at the box office, it received critical acclaim and the world is a better place for its existence.
The Rundown
Believe it or not, Dwayne Johnson wasn't always guaranteed box office gold. In the early 2000s, people heavily associated the actor with his wrestling career and weren't ready to view him as a serious actor.
As a result, some of his early efforts stagnated in theaters. The Rundown came up just short of its budget, despite reviews noting it as an entirely capable action-comedy. Peter Berg has since gone on to make more successful films like Lone Survivor and and Mile 22. He has also done even less successful works like Battleship.
Willard
Willard is a remake of a classic 1970's horror film. Crispin Glover is about as creepy as one expects him to be in one of his rare starring roles. The titular antisocial protagonist befriends and raises a horde of rats who he sometimes uses for nefarious purposes. The movie has a higher critical rating than the original, but made significantly less money in theaters, even without adjusting for inflation. 1971's Willard garnered a sequel, Ben, while the 2003 film never had any prospects for a continuation. Crispin Glover is probably okay with this though, since it gives him more time to direct his experimental dramas.
Alexander
Oliver Stone's historical drama was lambasted upon release both as a film and for its historical inaccuracies. The director defended himself, claiming the necessities of large scale film productions led to compromises regarding fidelity to the time period and events. The movie has since seen several re-edits by the filmmaker which clear up the plot and expand on the character's relationships. Free up some time in the day for it, though; the longest cut of the movie available on blu-ray is three and a half hours long. No one ever said telling complete stories was curt.
The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
For all the love Wes Anderson gets from critics and cinephiles, some of his films just don't make the cut at the box office. A small group of intense fans can only give so much money to one movie through ticket sales. Critics initially weren't as kind to this, either.
In the years since, it has garnered more appreciation. With a stellar cast including Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, and Anjelica Huston, one can trust in it being at least a halfway decent film. Fortunately, neither the director nor any of the actors had a career slump due to the film's commercial failure.
Serenity
Like many Joss Whedon television shows, Firefly got the ax shortly into its run, only developing a cult following afterwards. The fan community grew large and vocal enough to warrant a feature film continuation wrapping up the plot. Serenity got the cast back together for one last ride and, similar to the television show, almost no one saw it.
Anticipation was high, and the movie pleased fans, but it should not come as too much of a shock when a series cancelled due to low ratings has a film adaptation that also flops. As depressing as this is, at least the story received a satisfying conclusion, which is more than many shows can say.
Related: 10 Storylines In Firefly That Were Never Resolved
Grindhouse
Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's homage to '70s exploitation films was a delight for fans of either director. The double feature went so far as to include fake trailers for other films, some of which were turned into full length movies, like Machete. Both Planet Terror and Death Proof are fine additions to each filmmaker's catalog, but the combined release tanked in theaters. It probably had something to do with the niche concept, three hour run time, and excessive violence. On home video, the movies are available in the double feature format or as separate releases.
Speed Racer
Speed Racer stands side by side with The Matrix in the Wachowski's filmography, but one wouldn't think so if they judged it solely by critical reception and box office intake. It is easy to dismiss it as a kids film, but the unique visual style and surprising drama make it compelling for both children and adult audiences. In the years since, some have warmed up to the adaptation of the classic '60s anime, and lead actor Emile Hirsch even scored a role in Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood.