Disappointing.
2023 had its fair share of box office success stories, and it also had a number of high-profile films that were expected to do well but came up short. This focuses on the latter.
We've compiled a list of movies released in 2023 that at least some people believed would perform reasonably well at the box office and then did not, for whatever reason. This list includes films like The Flash and The Marvels, two superhero films from rival companies DC and Marvel that did poorly at the box office. The Marvels, for instance, is the MCU's worst-performing movie of all time. The Flash, for its part, was riddled with controversy surrounding actor Ezra Miller and their significant legal issues.
The list also includes the Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Hoult vampire movie Renfield, Pixar's Elemental, and another DC movie, Shazam: Fury of the Gods. In fact, there's even a movie on this list that was one of the biggest earners of the year--it just wasn't enough to offset the costs of the film.
Now, just because a film did not perform well commercially, that doesn't necessarily say much of anything about its quality. No two people have the same taste, and measuring the success of a movie by box office alone is not fair. If you enjoyed any or all of the films on this list, that's great. Movies are made to be enjoyed, and you might have found something to appreciate in any of the movies that might have flopped for any number of reasons this year.
Also of note is that box office performance is only one metric. Movies also make money through merchandise, streaming rights, home video sales, the movies you watch on airplanes, and numerous other revenue streams. Judging a movie's "success" based on box office alone excludes a number of key factors and doesn't paint a full or fair picture. However, so long as movie studios remain very tight-lipped about revenue beyond the box office, this will continue to be the leading metric, for better or worse.
Here are the top 10 biggest box office disappointments of 2023, listed in no particular order.
The Marvels
Worldwide box office: $197.9 million
The MCU is synonymous with box office strength, but that was not the case with The Marvels, at least if you're comparing against other Marvel movies. A sequel to 2019's Captain Marvel, The Marvels has so far earned just $197 million globally. Disney CEO Bob Iger recently said the movie tanked because it was shot during COVID and there were not enough executives on hand during the production to make the right creative decisions. That's a convenient thing for Iger to say and might not tell the whole story. For whatever reason, the movie fell short.
The Flash
Worldwide box office: $270.6 million
Another high-profile superhero movie that basically flopped this year was The Flash. Starring Ezra Miller, the movie had the trappings to appeal to fans–the return of Michael Keaton and George Clooney as Batmen! As well as a cameo of Nicolas Cage as Superman! But the movie still came up short, no doubt due in part to negative press surrounding Miller and their many controversies. Still, to keep things in perspective, the movie pulled in more than $270 million.
Renfield
Worldwide box office: $26.4 million
Renfield is a dracula movie starring Nicolas Cage as Dracula and Nicholas Hoult as his servant Renfield. It was directed by The Lego Batman movie's Chris McKay and produced by Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead). For all the talent attached to it, though, Renfield came up short at the box office. It made just $26 million at the box office.
Wish
Worldwide box office: $83.5 million
Disney's animated movie Wish had a lot going for it on paper. It was written by Frozen and Frozen II co-director Jennifer Lee, co-directed by Frozen's Chris Buck, was based on a new idea, released over the Thanksgiving long weekend, and had the backing of Disney to promote and distribute it. But the movie, which debuted in November, has come up short thus far, banking only around $81 million globally. The movie's story isn't over yet, though, and many are wondering if it can get a second wind like Pixar's Elemental did and morph from a flop to a hit.
D&D: Honor Among Thieves
Worldwide box office: $208.2 million
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a fun, action-packed, and silly adventure movie with stars like Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez attached. However, the movie only made $208 million worldwide. To be sure, that's a huge number. But it's all about the context, and this was considered a disappointment by many industry-watchers. There is no telling why the movie underperformed. Whether that was because it debuted alongside The Super Mario Bros. Movie, we don't know. But fans waiting for a sequel might want to come to terms with that not happening. Or maybe it will, as Pine and the directors have said a sequel, albeit with a lower budget, might be possible.
Shazam: Fury of the Gods
Worldwide box office: $133.9 million
In addition to The Flash, DC's Shazam: Fury of the Gods was a disappointment this year at the box office, only bringing in $133 million. It's the lowest-grossing DCEU movie ever, and there are plenty of theories as to why the movie came up short. Star Zachary Levi made headlines for his anti-Pfizer comments and later lamented how he believes people's love for "garbage" movies didn't do Fury of the Gods any favors. It's also not a great look that DC got esteemed actor Helen Mirren to play a major role only for her to admit she had no idea what was going on.
Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One
Worldwide box office: $567.5 million
Tom Cruise is synonymous with box office success, but not always. Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One put up huge numbers at the box office, earning more than $550 million globally and landing within the top 10 highest-grossing movies of 2023. But numbers do not exist in a vacuum. The movie was considered by experts to be a commercial disappointment. Variety reminds us that Dead Reckoning had a reported budget of $300 million and a further $100 million in marketing costs, which means the movie may not be as successful as it may look. This explains how it can be both one of the top 10 highest-grossing movies of 2023 but also considered in some circles to be a disappointment based on its box office performance. Following Dead Reckoning's release, its sequel got delayed and changed titles, which might suggest a change in thinking for the studio.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Worldwide box office: $383.9 million
Disney's Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny did a lot to try to get fans excited. There was an impressively realistic-looking de-aged Harrison Ford for flashback scenes that wowed fans in the first teaser; the story was billed as Ford's final outing as Indy, and we got the fantastic actor Phoebe Waller-Bridge in a main role as Indy's goddaughter. Unfortunately for Disney, this all came at a significant cost, with a reported budget of $300 million and $100 million+ in marketing and advertising costs. In the end, the movie earned $383 million at the global box office and is considered to be a disappointment, at least in terms of box office revenue.
The Covenant
Worldwide box office: $21.6 million
Guy Ritchie has made some very successful movies, including Disney's live-action Aladdin movie, but his war film The Covenant was not one of them. The MGM movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a soldier on a mission in the war in Afghanistan earned just $21 million. It was never expected to put up massive numbers, but it was projected to do better than this.
65
Worldwide box office: $60.7 million
Adam Driver? Dinosaurs? A cool sci-fi story? The movie 65 had it all. Except the box office numbers. The movie, released in March, follows an astronaut played by Driver who crash-lands on a planet, only to discover it is Earth 65 million years ago. Together with a little girl, played by Ariana Greenblatt, they must fight dinosaurs to stay alive and get home. Now that's a great concept. However, the movie, released by Sony Pictures, did not generate a ton of buzz and made only $60 million worldwide. It enjoyed a second life on Netflix where it rose through the popularity charts, but its box office run came up short.
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