In the ever-changing landscape of Hollywood, success at the box office can make or break a film studio’s reputation. Paramount Pictures, a cinematic powerhouse with a rich history spanning over a century, is no stranger to both triumphs and tribulations.
While the studio has brought us iconic blockbusters and critically acclaimed masterpieces, including such timeless classics as “The Godfather” and its sequels and the Indiana Jones franchise, not every Paramount production has paid off. In common with its peers in the motion picture industry, the studio has also stumbled colossally. (Here’s a list of the biggest movie flops in Hollywood history.)
To determine Paramount’s biggest box office flops, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on box office performance and production budgets from The Numbers, a film industry data site owned by Nash Information Services. Movies distributed or produced by Paramount Pictures were ranked based on total loss at the global box office, computed by subtracting worldwide box office from production budget. Films whose releases were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic were not considered. Supplemental data on user rating and votes comes from IMDb, an online movie and TV database owned by Amazon, and is current as of June 2023.
From ambitious projects with sky-high budgets to ill-timed releases and misguided marketing campaigns, Paramount has seen its fair share of disappointments over the years, especially in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. Even the talents of blue-chip directors such as Martin Scorsese (who appears here twice!), Blake Edwards, John Milius, William Friedkin, Kathryn Bigelow, and Nora Epron are no guarantee of cinematic success. (These are the 25 great directors with the most box office bombs.)
40. The Core (2003)
> Total box office loss: $10.9 million
> Worldwide box office: $74.1 million
> Production budget: $85.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.5/10 (96,049 votes)
> Directed by: Jon Amiel
39. The Out-of-Towners (1999)
> Total box office loss: $11.5 million
> Worldwide box office: $28.5 million
> Production budget: $40.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.5/10 (13,640 votes)
> Directed by: Sam Weisman
38. Annihilation (2018)
> Total box office loss: $11.9 million
> Worldwide box office: $43.1 million
> Production budget: $55.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (340,805 votes)
> Directed by: Alex Garland
37. Angela’s Ashes (1999)
> Total box office loss: $12.0 million
> Worldwide box office: $13.0 million
> Production budget: $25.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (22,249 votes)
> Directed by: Alan Parker
36. Dragonslayer (1981)
> Total box office loss: $12.0 million
> Worldwide box office: $6.0 million
> Production budget: $18.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (17,298 votes)
> Directed by: Matthew Robbins
35. Abandon (2002)
> Total box office loss: $12.8 million
> Worldwide box office: $12.2 million
> Production budget: $25.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 4.9/10 (9,623 votes)
> Directed by: Stephen Gaghan
34. Strange Wilderness (2008)
> Total box office loss: $13.1 million
> Worldwide box office: $6.9 million
> Production budget: $20.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.3/10 (21,553 votes)
> Directed by: Fred Wolf
33. Downsizing (2017)
> Total box office loss: $13.5 million
> Worldwide box office: $54.5 million
> Production budget: $68.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.7/10 (103,619 votes)
> Directed by: Alexander Payne
32. Stop-Loss (2008)
> Total box office loss: $13.8 million
> Worldwide box office: $11.2 million
> Production budget: $25.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (20,148 votes)
> Directed by: Kimberly Peirce
31. The Honeymooners (2005)
> Total box office loss: $13.8 million
> Worldwide box office: $13.2 million
> Production budget: $27.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 3.3/10 (7,262 votes)
> Directed by: John Schultz
30. Action Point (2018)
> Total box office loss: $13.9 million
> Worldwide box office: $5.1 million
> Production budget: $19.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.1/10 (10,816 votes)
> Directed by: Tim Kirkby
29. Men, Women & Children (2014)
> Total box office loss: $14.3 million
> Worldwide box office: $1.7 million
> Production budget: $16.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (31,617 votes)
> Directed by: Jason Reitman
28. Bringing Out the Dead (1999)
> Total box office loss: $15.4 million
> Worldwide box office: $16.6 million
> Production budget: $32.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (66,537 votes)
> Directed by: Martin Scorsese
27. The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)
> Total box office loss: $16.4 million
> Worldwide box office: $38.6 million
> Production budget: $55.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (63,216 votes)
> Directed by: Stephen Hopkins
26. Darling Lili (1970)
> Total box office loss: $17.0 million
> Worldwide box office: $5.0 million
> Production budget: $22.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.1/10 (2,134 votes)
> Directed by: Blake Edwards
25. Suspect Zero (2004)
> Total box office loss: $18.3 million
> Worldwide box office: $8.7 million
> Production budget: $27.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.8/10 (19,441 votes)
> Directed by: E. Elias Merhige
24. Marci X (2003)
> Total box office loss: $18.4 million
> Worldwide box office: $1.6 million
> Production budget: $20.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 2.9/10 (5,309 votes)
> Directed by: Richard Benjamin
23. A Thousand Words (2012)
> Total box office loss: $19.2 million
> Worldwide box office: $20.8 million
> Production budget: $40.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.9/10 (41,689 votes)
> Directed by: Brian Robbins
22. Middle Men (2009)
> Total box office loss: $19.2 million
> Worldwide box office: $754,301
> Production budget: $20.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (37,875 votes)
> Directed by: George Gallo
21. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
> Total box office loss: $20.3 million
> Worldwide box office: $49.7 million
> Production budget: $70.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.0/10 (83,443 votes)
> Directed by: Kerry Conran
20. Flight of the Intruder (1991)
> Total box office loss: $20.5 million
> Worldwide box office: $14.5 million
> Production budget: $35.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.8/10 (6,788 votes)
> Directed by: John Milius
19. The Soloist (2009)
> Total box office loss: $21.5 million
> Worldwide box office: $38.5 million
> Production budget: $60.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (54,115 votes)
> Directed by: Joe Wright
18. The Love Guru (2008)
> Total box office loss: $21.8 million
> Worldwide box office: $40.2 million
> Production budget: $62.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 3.8/10 (51,728 votes)
> Directed by: Marco Schnabel
17. Silence (2016)
> Total box office loss: $22.8 million
> Worldwide box office: $23.7 million
> Production budget: $46.5 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (114,684 votes)
> Directed by: Martin Scorsese
16. Sahara (2005)
> Total box office loss: $23.4 million
> Worldwide box office: $121.6 million
> Production budget: $145.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.0/10 (95,371 votes)
> Directed by: Breck Eisner
15. K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)
> Total box office loss: $24.3 million
> Worldwide box office: $65.7 million
> Production budget: $90.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (64,418 votes)
> Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow
14. Escape from L.A. (1996)
> Total box office loss: $24.6 million
> Worldwide box office: $25.4 million
> Production budget: $50.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.7/10 (72,308 votes)
> Directed by: John Carpenter
13. The Relic (1997)
> Total box office loss: $26.0 million
> Worldwide box office: $34.0 million
> Production budget: $60.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.8/10 (26,383 votes)
> Directed by: Peter Hyams
12. The Phantom (1996)
> Total box office loss: $27.8 million
> Worldwide box office: $17.2 million
> Production budget: $45.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.0/10 (33,308 votes)
> Directed by: Simon Wincer
11. Switchback (1997)
> Total box office loss: $31.5 million
> Worldwide box office: $6.5 million
> Production budget: $38.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (13,453 votes)
> Directed by: Jeb Stuart
10. Imagine That (2009)
> Total box office loss: $32.6 million
> Worldwide box office: $22.4 million
> Production budget: $55.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.6/10 (14,441 votes)
> Directed by: Karey Kirkpatrick
9. Against the Ropes (2004)
> Total box office loss: $32.6 million
> Worldwide box office: $6.4 million
> Production budget: $39.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.3/10 (7,252 votes)
> Directed by: Charles S. Dutton
8. Event Horizon (1997)
> Total box office loss: $33.3 million
> Worldwide box office: $26.7 million
> Production budget: $60.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (168,270 votes)
> Directed by: Paul W.S. Anderson
7. Jade (1995)
> Total box office loss: $40.2 million
> Worldwide box office: $9.8 million
> Production budget: $50.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.3/10 (12,317 votes)
> Directed by: William Friedkin
6. The Rhythm Section (2020)
> Total box office loss: $44.0 million
> Worldwide box office: $6.0 million
> Production budget: $50.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.3/10 (15,667 votes)
> Directed by: Reed Morano
5. Beyond Borders (2003)
> Total box office loss: $48.6 million
> Worldwide box office: $11.4 million
> Production budget: $60.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (27,975 votes)
> Directed by: Martin Campbell
4. Hard Rain (1998)
> Total box office loss: $50.1 million
> Worldwide box office: $19.9 million
> Production budget: $70.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.9/10 (34,548 votes)
> Directed by: Mikael Salomon
3. Timeline (2003)
> Total box office loss: $53.3 million
> Worldwide box office: $26.7 million
> Production budget: $80.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.7/10 (61,852 votes)
> Directed by: Richard Donner
2. Lucky Numbers (2000)
> Total box office loss: $55.0 million
> Worldwide box office: $10.0 million
> Production budget: $65.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.1/10 (10,627 votes)
> Directed by: Nora Ephron
1. Monster Trucks (2016)
> Total box office loss: $63.4 million
> Worldwide box office: $61.6 million
> Production budget: $125.0 millionanna
> IMDb user rating: 5.7/10 (16,400 votes)
> Directed by: Chris Wedge