The 10 Biggest Flops of 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has turned the film industry upside down (and may have killed off some movie theaters for good), resulting in stunted grosses for the unlucky flicks released just before the global shutdown. But some 2020 movies crashed and burned in spectacular fashion all on their own with no help from COVID-19 whatsoever. Here are the worst:






10. Wendy

Wendy only cost $6 million to make...but the movie only grossed $143,518 at the box office.









9. The Personal History of David Copperfield

Loss: $9 Million









8. Unhinged

Loss: $12 Million

Unhinged will go down in history as the first new feature-film to be released upon the great theater reopening of 2020. Unfortunately for Unhinged, moviegoers weren't ready to return to their local multiplexes, which the film's box office receipts made clear.









7. Trolls World Tour

Loss: $34 Million

Universal Pictures got into hot water with theater chain AMC when it decided to try a novel approach, releasing Trolls World Tour simultaneously on streaming platforms and the few theaters still open following the COVID-19 shutdown (most big movies pushed their release dates back). Well, the gamble didn't pay off since TWT's slim box office grosses combined with its streaming revenue still failed to cover the cost of producing and marketing the film. 







6. The Rhythm Section

Loss: $47 Million

People really didn't want to see this movie. Despite a cast full of household names and the spy movie expertise of the producers behind the James Bond franchise, The Rhythm Section's $2.8 million box office gave it the dubious distinction of having the lowest-grossing debut weekend for any movie playing in more than 3,000 venues in cinema history. And this happened before theaters shut their doors. 









5. Underwater

Loss: $60 Million

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Underwater features an ethnically-diverse ensemble cast but for some reason the Black guy is the first character with lines to die. Bricking at the box office was exactly what this bucket of dishwater deserved.

Underwater makes Kristen Stewart's second huge bomb (the first is Charlie's Angels) in a row -- and within a span of two months. Maybe she should go back to vampires. 









4. Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of Harley Quinn

Loss: $99 Million

Producing a movie set in Gotham City without including its most well-known citizen (Batman) probably wasn't the best idea. The Caped Crusader's absence could've been offset by the appearance of the Joker -- especially given that Harley Quinn was initially conceived as his love interest and sidekick (and the fact that every movie featuring him has been a hit). But he's not really in the movie either. Following the lowest opening weekend of any live-action DC adaptation since 2010's Jonah Hex, Birds of Prey seems destined to go down in history as another in an increasingly long line of high-profile flops.









3. The Call of the Wild

Loss: $100 Million









2. Dolittle

Loss: $100 Million

Robert Downey, Jr. went from the highest-grossing movie of 2019 to the biggest cinematic loser of 2020. It may be time for an Iron Man prequel.

1. Mulan

Loss: $155 Million

After quite a few release date shuffles and a fair amount of controversy (star Liu Yifei ruffled feathers after posting support for Hong Kong police following violent altercations with protestors in August of 2019), Mulan was made available to stream on Disney+ for a whopping $29.99 -- on top of the $6.99 Disney+ monthly subscription fee. But the production and marketing costs still outweighed the public's interest in this latest live-action adaptation of a popular animated film.

Originally Posted 4/24/20