In Hollywood, the success of any film is dependent on certain factors. First, there is the genre. For instance, a film noir may attract a limited audience when compared to a romantic comedy. Aside from this, there is also the period when you plan to release the film. And then, there is the cast.
When it comes to choosing films to watch, moviegoers often check the cast they can expect to see in the film. After all, it is fun to see established actors in a new movie. This is especially true if we’re talking about A-listers, veteran actors who have proven that they can lead a film to box office glory and critical acclaim.
That said, there are times when even an all-star cast isn’t enough to prevent a film from becoming a flop. Check out this list to see what we mean:
15 Not Even George Clooney Could Save Batman & Robin
“Batman & Robin” came out way back in 1997. The film cast Clooney as Batman and Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze. They were also joined by Alicia Silverstone, Uma Thurman, and Chris O’Donnell. According to Filmsite, the film was done with a budget of $125 million and only did a worldwide gross of $238.2 million.
14 No Amount Of Star Power Was Enough To Keep Cats From Losing Money
When the film “Cats” came out in 2019, expectations were high. For starters, it featured the likes of Judi Dench, Rebel Wilson, Idris Elba, Ian McKellen, Jennifer Hudson, James Corden, and Taylor Swift. However, this all-star cast couldn’t keep the film from losing in the box office. Estimates indicate that the film made $73.7 million against a $95 million budget.
13 Collateral Beauty Features Every Director’s Dream Ensemble, Yet It Failed Miserably In Theaters
“Collateral Beauty” came out in 2016 and its cast members included Will Smith, Helen Mirren, Keira Knightley, Kate Winslet, Edward Norton, and Michael Peña. Despite this, it bombed in glorious fashion. The film opened with $2.4 million on a Friday and Forbes declared it as “the single worst Friday for a wide release Will Smith vehicle ever.”
12 Expectations Were High For Be Cool Because Of Dwayne Johnson And John Travolta, But It Made Less Than $100 Million In The End
The 2005 film is supposed to be a sequel to the successful “Get Shorty” film. However, the film received harsh criticism and suffered a box office miss. It cost around $53 million to make and only earned an estimated $95 million. Aside from Johnson and Travolta, the cast also included Uma Thurman, Vince Vaughn, and Christina Milian.
11 What To Expect When You’re Expecting Has A Cast Including Cameron Diaz And Jennifer Lopez, But It Was Still A Major Flop
“What to Expect When You’re Expecting” is based on a best-selling self-help book of the same title. The film may have done a good job of putting Diaz and Lopez together. It also featured Anna Kendrick and Chace Crawford. However, when your production budget is $40 million, you should make more than just around $84.4 million in the box office.
10 Hugh Jackman And Elizabeth Banks Starred In Movie 43, A Film We Barely Heard About
This 2013 Indie film is as ambitious as any film can ever get. It featured several interconnected short films by several directors. Aside from Jackman and Banks, the cast also included Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts, Kristen Bell, Gerard Butler, and Halle Berry. So, it is pretty disappointing that the film only made an estimated $32.4 million in the box office.
9 Valentine’s Day Rivals Love Actually In Star Power, But It Isn’t As Good
Released in 2010, the film features an ensemble that includes Bradley Cooper, Anne Hathaway, Patrick Dempsey, Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner, Julia Roberts, Emma Roberts, Jamie Foxx, Jessica Alba, Shirley MacLaine, Kathy Bates, and Taylor Swift. It received poor reviews from critics. And in the box office, it could have done better than its estimated $216.5 million total haul.
8 Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou Was A Miss, Despite The Cast Behind It
With Anderson at the helm, it was expected he could replicate his success with “The Royal Tenenbaums.” But sadly, this film only made an estimated $34.8 million, against its $25 million budget. With a cast that included Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe, and Anjelica Huston, a lot more was expected.
7 Pairing Emma Stone With Ryan Gosling Is Not Always A Good Idea. Case In Point, Gangster Squad
Sure, Stone and Gosling starred together in the Oscar-winning film “La La Land.” However, they also teamed up for “Gangster Squad” and critics pointed out that it was lackluster. In the film, Stone and Gosling were also joined by Josh Brolin, Sean Penn, Giovanni Ribisi. The film made an estimated $105.2 million, against a budget of $60 to $75 million.
6 New Year’s Eve Put Together An Ensemble Featuring TV And Movie Stars, But It Was Still Unimpressive
In “New Year’s Eve,” we seen an impressive ensemble that includes Hilary Swank, Robert De Niro, Halle Berry, Sarah Jessica Parker, Josh Duhamel, Ashton Kutcher, Zac Efron, Michelle Pfeiffer, Lea Michele, Katherine Heigl, Jessica Biel, Sofia Vergara, and even Jon Bon Jovi. However, the film only made an estimated $142 million against a production budget of $56 million.
5 All The Star Power In Aloha Was Not Enough To Pull Off A Box Office Win
“Aloha” was directed by Cameron Crowe, a man also known for the critical hit “Jerry Maguire.” Yet, even after the film cast McAdams alongside Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, John Krasinski, and Bill Murray, it seems nothing could be done to keep it from failing miserably. The film made an estimated $26.3 million, against a budget of $37 to $52 million.
4 Pearl Harbor Was Criticized For Being Too Long And Failing To Utilize Its A-List Talent Set
Director Michael Bay was certainly ambitious in taking on the 2001 historic drama “Pearl Harbor.” But according to critics consensus on Rotten Tomatoes, it “tries to be the Titanic of war movies, but it's just a tedious romance filled with laughably bad dialogue.” It’s just too bad because the cast included Kate Beckinsale, Alec Baldwin, Ben Affleck, and Josh Hartnett.
3 One Could Argue That Tom Cruise Was Wrongly Cast In Rock Of Ages
The film was inspired by a Broadway musical of the same name. Sadly, however, it’s hard to convince anyone that Tom Cruise is a rock star. Nonetheless, it should also be noted that Cruise’s co-stars included Catherine Zeta-Jones, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Bryan Cranston, Paul Giamatti, Julianne Hough, and Mary J. Blige.
2 The Big Wedding Is Proof That Academy Award Nominees Don’t Always Guarantee Success
The film featured Susan Sarandon, Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro, and the late Robin Williams. They were also joined by Amanda Seyfried and Katherine Heigl. In the box office, there was nothing big about “The Big Wedding.” Estimates put its box office earnings at $46.5 million, against a reported production budget of $35 million.
1 The Box Office Performance Of This Is Where I Leave You Is Too Modest Considering Its Star Power
“This is Where I Leave You” was supposed to show off the talents of Jane Fonda, Rose Byrne, Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, Dax Shepard, Adam Driver, Connie Britton, and Corey Stoll. Instead, the critics consensus states that it delivered “pedestrian results” and so, it “can’t help but feel like a letdown.” It only made $41.3 million in the box office.