The Biggest Box Office Bombs Of 2025 (So Far)

2025 has seen some great films already, but there’s a lot of anticipation for the remainder of the year, given that the first quarter has been disappointing at the box office. Some weekends in 2025 have actually underperformed compared to comparable weeks in 2022, when many studios were cautious about releasing movies due to potential COVID-19 outbreaks.

A portion of this decline can be attributed to the absence of blockbuster films such as “Zootopia” or “Captain Marvel” that boosted the initial quarters of previous years. Moreover, the struggles at the box office in 2025 have been exacerbated by a multitude of financial blunders from both large and small studios. Some of these 2025’s financial disasters are predicted to become infamous as some of the costliest movie flops ever, despite their extensive promotional efforts and today’s high admission prices.

2025’s movies that failed at the box office didn’t have a single cause for their downfall. Some were hampered by poor release strategies that no film could surmount. Others were flat-out dismissed by audiences, while others were too much like other movies already in the market. Each movie that bombed at the box office has its own unique story behind its financial struggles. This year’s cinema scene has gotten off to a rocky start with these 2025’s biggest box office flops (thus far).

Wolf Man

In the past, it would have been unthinkable for a Blumhouse production to exceed $5 million. This was because Blumhouse had gained its reputation by creating low-budget horror films like “Paranormal Activity,” “The Purge,” and “Insidious.” Now, however, Blumhouse has transitioned into the realm of established properties and high budgets. A case in point is “Wolf Man,” scheduled for release in 2025, which marks Blumhouse’s second attempt at a modern Universal Monsters movie after “The Invisible Man.” This film had a production budget of $25 million, showcasing the rising costs associated with such projects.

Despite the fact that “Wolf Man” was directed by Leigh Whannell, who previously succeeded with “Invisible Man,” this Blumhouse production failed to capture the interest of moviegoers. During its global run, “Wolf Man” managed to earn a modest $34.9 million, with $20 million coming from domestic ticket sales.

The disappointing outcomes experienced by “Wolf Man” were due to a combination of unfavorable factors coming together. Firstly, the genre of werewolf films doesn’t typically perform exceptionally well at the box office. Secondly, the marketing for this film wasn’t as striking or unique as that for “The Invisible Man.” Additionally, its high production budget of $25 million made it challenging to achieve profitability even under ideal conditions due to its R-rated horror classification. To make matters worse, both audiences and critics gave negative reviews, effectively sealing its fate as yet another Blumhouse film from the 2020s that fell short financially. It may be worth considering for the production company behind “Get Out” to revisit their past strategy of working with more modest budgets and original ideas.

The Alto Knights

It’s unlikely that any future major studio film in 2025 will be as unusual as “The Alto Knights.” Directed by Barry Levinson, this gangster movie features Robert De Niro portraying two infamous 1950s mafia chieftains, Frank Costello and Vito Genovese. The film also stars Debra Messing and Cosmo Jarvis, and it was budgeted at $45 million, with limited aspects to entice younger cinema-goers.

Initially, films within the gangster genre haven’t typically been blockbuster hits, even during periods of great success. Lately, it’s become challenging for any non-spectacle gangster movie to rake in significant profits. In the 2010s, productions like “The Kitchen,” “Gotti,” and “White Boy Rick” (along with numerous others) struggled to make a mark. So, what chance did “The Alto Knights” have of achieving box office success?

Despite high expectations, it’s safe to say that “The Alto Knights” underperformed significantly during its debut domestic weekend. The film managed to gather less than $3 million in North America, which was a disappointing and almost shameful figure for a Warner Bros. production shown in over 2,600 cinemas. The fact that WarnerDiscovery CEO David Zaslav is said to have pushed for the movie’s production has only fueled criticism about the financial losses associated with “The Alto Knights.” This outdated-feeling film from the past seems destined to be remembered as one of the biggest financial flops in 2025.

In the Lost Lands

For quite some time, director Paul W.S. Anderson primarily worked on the “Resident Evil” film series. This commitment resulted in him regularly earning significant global box office revenues, with “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” grossing an impressive $314.1 million worldwide. However, in 2025, his new movie with Milla Jovovich, titled “In the Lost Lands,” failed to replicate even a small portion of that box office success.

Wow, it’s surprising that “Lost Lands” has barely earned 10% of what “Monster Hunter,” the 2020 flop starring Anderson and Jovovich, brought in globally on a budget of $55 million. To date, “Lost Lands” has only managed to rake in $3.22 million worldwide, with just $1.8 million coming from domestic box offices. Although there are still some international territories where it hasn’t been released yet, it would need to break records dramatically to recover from its current poor box office results.

A significant reason for the lower earnings of “In the Lost Lands” compared to other Paul W.S. Anderson films was primarily due to its domestic distributor. Unlike the “Resident Evil” series, distributed by Sony/Screen Gems, “Lost Lands” was released in 1,370 North American theaters through Vertical Entertainment. The absence of Sony’s marketing power put “In the Lost Lands” at a disadvantage. Moreover, the mystery surrounding its source material, despite being written by George R.R. Martin, who is known for “Game of Thrones,” further hindered its visibility in the marketplace. It may have been beneficial for Anderson and Jovovich to stick with their successful “Resident Evil” franchise in terms of box office performance.

Love Hurts

The well-known melody carries truth: love can truly cause pain. Yet, there are times when enduring a film that squanders its potential (alongside the skills of actors like Ke Huy Quan) feels just as agonizing, such as “Love Hurts.” This mediocre imitation of “John Wick,” intertwined with Valentine’s Day, was an abysmal movie and had a disastrous run at the box office.

Despite having a relatively small production budget of $17 million, the action film “Love Hurts” flopped spectacularly at the box office. In North America, it managed to rake in just $17.5 million, which is barely more than what the original “John Wick” earned during its first three days of domestic release. The film’s performance was equally dismal internationally, with only a paltry $1.9 million being collected from foreign territories. Regardless of where you were in the world, it seemed that audiences had little to no interest in watching “Love Hurts.

The reason “Love Hurts” didn’t do well, in addition to its quality, was its release timing. The movie premiered in early February 2025, alongside two other R-rated films, “Companion” and “Heart Eyes,” which had romantic themes and aimed to capitalize on the Valentine’s Day spirit. However, having multiple violent and gory “romantic” movies in the market at the same time decreased the box office potential for “Love Hurts.” Moreover, the numerous action films released in January 2025, such as “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera” and “Flight Risk,” further reduced the film’s potential. These factors contributed to why “Love Hurts” struggled at the box office.

Novocaine

2025 hasn’t been particularly favorable for R-rated action films, as demonstrated by “Novocaine,” a $18 million production starring Jack Quaid as a pain-insensitive individual attempting to save his crush. Paramount Pictures aggressively marketed “Novocaine,” investing heavily in a Super Bowl commercial and having Quaid attend various sports events while wearing bandages and a neck brace, all in the hope of tapping into the lucrative markets of films like “John Wick” and “Deadpool.” Regrettably, these aspirations did not materialize.

Despite earning $8.8 million in its first North American weekend, the film “Novocaine” has struggled to maintain audience interest, generating just $22.4 million worldwide. Given this performance, it seems unlikely that “Novocaine” will recoup its costs during its theatrical release, even with a modest budget. Unfortunately, “Novocaine” is one of several R-rated action movies from early 2025 that have underperformed expectations, as films like “Love Hurts,” “Flight Risk,” and others have also experienced similar disappointments. Despite positive reviews, “Novocaine” seemed to possess the potential to avoid a dismal box office outcome; however, its actual performance suggests otherwise.

As a devotee, I can’t help but reflect on one potential hurdle for the success of this movie: the leading man, Jack Quaid. Despite his roles in “The Boys” and “Oppenheimer,” he’s not yet a guaranteed blockbuster star. Placing so much of “Novocaine’s” box office hopes on this actor might have been risky. The fierce competition from other R-rated films in 2025, along with the oversaturation of “Deadpool” imitators in recent times, unfortunately contributed to the film’s disappointing performance at the box office.

Mickey 17

Since Robert Pattinson chose to focus on independent films following his time as Edward Cullen, he hasn’t had many significant box office successes after 2012, despite critically acclaimed performances in movies like “The Lighthouse” and “Good Time”. This career shift, however, seemed to impact his box office presence. Apart from “Tenet” and “The Batman”, his films were rarely screened in more than 2,000 theaters until the release of “Mickey 17” in March 2025.

As a gamer, I was hyped when I heard about this Bong Joon-ho film promising two Robert Pattinsons for the price of one ticket. However, it seems that while Rob’s talent is undeniably deep within the independent film scene, his box office appeal might not be as massive as expected.

In a disappointing financial turnout, the production cost of “Mickey 17,” amounting to $118 million, fell short of its earnings. Globally, it managed to garner just $111.2 million, with domestic sales reaching only $41.4 million. This underperformance meant that “Mickey 17” failed to surpass the lifetime North American revenue amassed by Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite.” Early predictions suggested a potential loss of up to $75 million for Warner Bros., indicating a poor outcome. Factors contributing to this underperformance included Robert Pattinson not being a top-tier movie star and the general audience tendency to overlook non-Marvel, James Cameron, or “Star Wars” sci-fi movies. Despite boasting Bong Joon-ho’s artistic pedigree and multiple versions of Pattinson, “Mickey 17” could not escape the box office misfortune that has also affected other notable sci-fi flops such as “John Carter” and “Battleship.

The Unbreakable Boy

Initially slated to premiere in theaters in March 2022 following its November 2020 start, the film “The Unbreakable Boy” didn’t make it to cinemas until February 2025. The prolonged delays generated significant buzz for this heartwarming drama based on the real-life experiences of father Scott LaRette (played by Zachary Levi) and his autistic son Austin (Jacob Laval). Directed by Jon Gunn, renowned for movies like “Ordinary Angels” and “The Case for Christ,” this film was another faith-based production designed to tug at the heartstrings.

The film production company, Kingdom Story Company, has enjoyed several successful projects in the past. However, their film titled “Unbreakable Boy” was not among them, as it generated a relatively modest $6.4 million at the domestic box office. This figure pales in comparison to the 2020 Kingdom Story movie “I Still Believe,” which managed to play for seven days in domestic theaters before COVID-19 forced a halt to its theatrical run.

In terms of faith-based family films in North America, “The Unbreakable Boy” faced numerous challenges, even with its modest budget, such as competition from movies like “Paddington in Peru” and “Dog Man.” Additionally, the source material was less well-known compared to films based on more popular texts like “Heaven is For Real.” To make matters worse, Levi, who starred in the film, continued his streak of unsuccessful box office performances following “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and “Harold and the Purple Crayon.” While it’s important to note that vaccines do not cause autism, it seems that Zachary Levi may be contributing to the failure of live-action family films at the box office.

The Actor

Initially, the film titled “The Actor,” which had great promise as a new venture for Ryan Gosling, faced some changes when the lead role was handed over to Andre Holland after Gosling left the project. Following several years of no updates, distributor Neon unexpectedly revealed in February 2025 that the movie would be released in theaters on March 14. Unlike other film adaptations, “The Actor” didn’t have a grand premiere at Sundance or South by Southwest. Instead, it debuted in just 23 domestic theaters and hasn’t expanded beyond that number since. To this day, its North American earnings have only totaled $39,214, with no foreign box office figures disclosed.

Despite not having an official budget disclosed, it seems unlikely that “The Actor”, with its elaborate set design and high-profile cast including Gemma Chan, Toby Jones, and Joe Cole, would have recovered its costs. The film’s unconventional vibe might explain the numbers, but the primary reason for the box office flop of “The Actor” was Neon’s unusual distribution strategy. They released the movie in very few cinemas without any promotional campaign. It’s hard to imagine a film succeeding financially with such limited support and minimal theatrical presence. To add to this peculiar release plan, reviews for the film were generally favorable. Given positive reception, “The Actor” could have had a better performance at the box office, even without Ryan Gosling in the lead role.

Rule Breakers

In the year 2023, Angel Studios achieved a significant victory with one of the largest independent films ever made, “Sound of Freedom,” which grossed an impressive $184 million in North America by itself. However, since then, the company has found it challenging to replicate the success of that film. Despite releasing numerous follow-up movies in over 2,000 theaters, Angel Studios hasn’t produced another movie that has surpassed the $21 million mark domestically. What’s more concerning is that their recent releases have been underperforming at the box office, with none managing to earn more than $5 million domestically.

In March of 2025, the issue stood out clearly with the movie “Rule Breakers.” While Angel’s October 2023 documentary titled “After Death” managed to earn an impressive $11.47 million, “Rule Breakers” only brought in $2.93 million during its domestic release. This was surprising because it premiered in 2,044 theaters and had a substantial marketing effort.

In contrast to Angel Studios’ usual fare of PG-13 faith-based films, “Rule Breakers” stood out as a rarity. However, the studio faced challenges in marketing it to families, which seemed more like a replica of a 2000s inspirational Disney movie and lacked the action-packed appeal that had driven success for previous Angel Studios productions such as “Sound of Freedom” and “Homestead.”

Additionally, “Rule Breakers” entered a market already saturated with faith-based films, including titles like “The Last Supper.” To make matters worse, the film’s production cost was significantly higher than previous Angel Studios projects, estimated at around $8 million compared to the $2 million budget of “God’s Not Dead.”

Given these factors, it was always likely that “Rule Breakers” would struggle financially. Yet, few could have anticipated just how poorly it would perform.

Opus

Generally speaking, many of A24’s most successful films have been relatively low-budget productions that unexpectedly garnered massive popularity worldwide. Films such as “Lady Bird,” “Hereditary,” “Talk to Me,” and others weren’t high-priced endeavors but still earned substantial profits at the box office. Recently, though, A24 has been expanding its horizons and tackling more high-profile projects like “Civil War” and “Marty Supreme.” The upcoming March 2025 film “Opus,” a satirical horror movie featuring Ayo Edebiri, showcases this shift in focus for the label, as it reportedly cost $10 million to produce.

A studio of Disney’s caliber might not bat an eye at that price tag, but it’s a significant step up from the $4 million budget of “The Witch,” suggesting that A24 aimed to produce larger, potentially more profitable genre films like “Opus.” Regrettably, “Opus” fell far short of the box office successes that A24’s previous horror movies have enjoyed. Despite premiering in 1,764 theaters and having a grand pre-release promotion including a Sundance Film Festival premiere, “Opus” managed to earn only $1.03 million during its domestic opening weekend. Ultimately, it was highly frontloaded, bringing in just $1.8 million in North America and slightly over $2 million globally.

As a gamer, I’d put it like this: From the get-go, “Opus” faced an uphill battle due to its mixed reception. Compared to the critical acclaim that previous A24 genre movie winners received, this film didn’t quite hit the mark. To make matters worse, a run-of-the-mill marketing strategy failed to set “Opus” apart from other 2020s thrillers like “The Menu”. If “Civil War” in 2024 proved that costlier A24 productions could thrive, “Opus” served as a reminder of the risks involved in this studio’s progression.

Snow White

As a gamer, I’ve learned that sometimes you take risks and they don’t pay off, like Disney did with their “Snow White” remake. The issue wasn’t just about the quality of the movie, but the hefty $269 million budget they saddled it with. That’s a lot of pixels! To recoup even a fraction of that investment, “Snow White” needed to outshine “Maleficent” at the box office – no small feat.

In retrospect, spending more on “Snow White” than they did on their 2019 “Lion King” remake was a risky move. It was like betting big on a level with tougher bosses and fewer power-ups. The deck was stacked against director Marc Webb from the start, and it’s no surprise that his film didn’t make it to the top of the box office charts.

It wasn’t beneficial that audiences mainly attended movies based on Disney’s remakes of 1990s animated musicals, with “The Lion King,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Aladdin” earning the most money in this genre. On the other hand, “Dumbo” failed in March 2019, suggesting that older Disney films might not be popular among today’s audience. Given its age, a remake of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ first title from almost 90 years ago, “Snow White,” was likely to face difficulties appealing to modern audiences.

The fundamental problems with “Snow White” were exacerbated by Disney’s ineffective marketing strategy, and the inclusion of unsettling visuals such as the CGI portrayal of the Seven Dwarfs. Instead of appealing to potential audiences, trailers and commercials showcasing characters like Doc and Grumpy only served to push them away. It’s no wonder then that “Snow White” is projected to be a significant financial loss for Disney.

2025-04-01 20:02