The Most Expensive And Surprising Flops In The Entertainment World

Big budget productions that bombed

Millions of dollars are spent creating stage productions, films, albums, TV series, and books in the hopes that they will become the next big hit. But sometimes things don't prove as successful as hoped, even with the backing of major stars.

From Broadway shows based on blockbuster movies to a Beyoncé album that bombed, read on to discover some of the entertainment world's biggest flops of all time.

All dollar amounts in US dollars. 

Pippa Middleton's book: loss unknown

She might be the sister of the Duchess of Cambridge, but Pippa Middleton isn't immune to failure. Her 2012 book, Celebrate: A Year of Festivities for Families and Friends, was mocked for its simplistic tips and suffered from surprisingly poor sales, despite Pippa's worldwide fame following her sister's marriage. 

Pippa Middleton's book: loss unknown

Banking on Pippa's royal links to ensure that the book would be a big hit, she received a £400,000 ($543.4k) advance for it. Embarrassingly, it sold just over 2,000 copies in its first week and its cover price was soon slashed.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's autobiography: loss unknown

Another publication that didn't fly off the shelves was Arnold Schwarzenegger's autobiography, Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story. First published in 2012, in the first week it sold just 21,000 copies, and by the second week this was down to a lowly 6,000 sales.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's autobiography: loss unknown

Schwarzenegger set out on an intense publicity tour for the book, even attending the 2012 Frankfurt Bookfair, but sales remained flat. They certainly were not enough to recoup the several-million dollar advance that Arnie was believed to have received.

Michael Jackson's Invincible album: loss unknown

Michael Jackson's Thriller, released in 1982, still holds the title of the best-selling album of all time, selling around 65 million copies. His other albums, Bad, released in 1987, and Dangerous, released in 1991, also sold 45 million and 32 million copies respectively. Understandably, the artist had high hopes for Invincible when it was released in 2001.

Michael Jackson's Invincible album: loss unknown

Invincible has reportedly sold between six million and eight million copies, which most artists would be happy with, but going by Jackson's previous sales history, it was a massive flop. While it's unknown exactly how much money the album lost, it certainly never made back its $30 million production cost. 

Beyoncé's The Lion King: The Gift album: loss unknown

Michael Jackson isn’t the only music legend who’s experienced a major album flop. In 2019, Beyoncé released The Lion King: The Gift as a soundtrack for Disney's The Lion King remake and the musical film Black is King. Though the album received critical praise, it failed to generate sales.

Beyoncé's The Lion King: The Gift album: loss unknown

Despite being one of the world’s biggest music stars, Beyoncé only shifted 50,000 copies of The Lion King: The Gift within the first week. And reportedly only 10,000 of these were physical copies. In comparison, the original The Lion King album is one of the best-selling movie soundtracks of all time, with over 10 million copies sold.

King Kong musical: loss unknown

Featuring a 20-foot high, 2,000-pound puppeteer-operated gorilla, the King Kong Broadway musical, which opened in 2018, pulled out all the stops to wow audiences. And while Kong himself was quite the spectacle, critics slammed the wider production.

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King Kong musical: loss unknown

With running costs coming in at a hefty $36.5 million and low ticket sales, King Kong closed in August 2019.

Viva Forever! musical: lost $8.3 million

It might have been called Viva Forever! but the musical about the global success of the all-girl British pop group the Spice Girls didn't last very long at all. It closed in 2013 after just six months on stage.

Viva Forever! musical: lost $8.3 million

Written by British comedian Jennifer Saunders (pictured left), the reviews were not complimentary, and ticket sales weren't as high as anticipated. When the show closed early, it was reported to have lost its backers £5 million ($6.8m), or £6.1 million ($8.3m) in today's money.

Taboo musical: lost $15.2 million

Taboo was a Broadway musical produced by actor and talk show host Rosie O'Donnell, featuring songs by Culture Club singer Boy George, both shown here at the opening. The show closed in February 2004, less than three months after it debuted.   

Taboo musical: lost $15.2 million

O'Donnell is reported to have invested $10 million of her personal fortune into the production, which is $15.2 million today. It's unlikely that she would have recouped much of this cash, however, as the show was losing money week after week. 

Carrie: The Musical: lost $17 million

It was a best-selling novel for author Stephen King and the movie adaptation was a huge hit, but the stage musical of the horror  story Carrie turned out to be nowhere near as popular. In fact, the most frightening thing about Carrie: The Musical was its poor ticket sales, and it has gone down in history as one of Broadway's most infamous flops.

Carrie: The Musical: lost $17 million

Carrie opened on Broadway in 1988, but closed for good after a mere five shows. The failed venture is said to have lost $7 million, or a truly terrifying $17 million in today's money. 

The Lord of the Rings musical: lost at least $34 million

The Lord of the Rings musical is billed as one of the most expensive flops in the history of London's theaterland. It ran for about a year at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London's West End in 2007. Costing a hefty £25 million ($34m) to create, the show was expected to run for a lot longer than 12 months to make a return on its huge investment. 

The Lord of the Rings musical: lost at least $34 million

It was hoping to ride on the coattails of the phenomenal success of the book's film franchise, but it was panned by critics and ticket sales couldn't sustain the stage production.

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark musical: lost $72.1 million

U2 frontman Bono wrote the music for the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, but even the backing of a bonafide rock star couldn't save the doomed production. Spiralling expenses led to it costing a reported $75 million to produce, but the show's backers were betting that it would be as successful as the film franchise. 

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark musical: lost $72.1 million

In 2014, the uber-expensive show closed after just three years on New York City's Broadway. Despite grossing around $203 million, running costs were a jaw-dropping $1 million per week, and the show never turned a profit. In total, it's thought to have lost a massive $60 million, which is $72.1 million today. 

Gigli film: lost $72.7 million

Despite the star power of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, 2003 rom-com movie Gigli was an epic fail. In fact, the film didn't even pull in enough at the box office to cover Affleck and Lopez's combined fees of $24.5 million.

Gigli film: lost $72.7 million

It's estimated that the movie cost $54 million to make, but it only grossed just over $7 million at the global box office. That's a loss of $47 million, or a stunning $72.7 million today. And while Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez did become a couple as a result of the movie, their relationship proved to be unsuccessful too, though the pair have recently rekindled their romance. 

Live By Night film: lost $89 million

Sadly for Ben Affleck, Gigli wasn't his last big flop. The actor wrote, produced, directed and starred in the gangster movie Live By Night in 2016. Warner Bros, the studio behind it, is said to have lost $75 million on the picture, or $89 million when factoring in inflation. 

Live By Night film: lost $89 million

Despite being a passion project for the Oscar-winning Affleck, the mobster movie was panned by critics for its goofs and continuity errors. And DVD sales didn't help make a dent in the deficit, with estimated sales at around $1.6 million according to box office tracking site The Numbers. 

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword film: lost $130.4 million

Now legendary for all the wrong reasons, the movie King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, starring Charlie Hunnam (pictured), was a spectacular fail. The 'flopbuster,' released in 2017, was slammed for its generic special effects and a clunky celebrity cameo from David Beckham. 

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword film: lost $130.4 million

Directed by Guy Ritchie (pictured), in total the film reportedly lost an eye-watering $112.6 million. That's $130.4 million in today's money, making it one of the biggest and most expensive movie flops of all time. 

Mars Needs Moms film: lost $183 million

Disney spent a fortune on the sci-fi movie Mars Needs Moms, yet it's possibly the biggest film flop to date. The motion capture animation turned audiences off before it even hit the big screen, with some calling it creepy-looking. That’s literally the last thing Disney wanted to hear about a film aimed at kids...

Mars Needs Moms film: lost $183 million

Despite a $150 million production budget, Mars Needs Moms pulled in just over $39 million globally. Factoring in marketing costs, it lost a painful $143.4 million at the box office, the equivalent of $183 million today.

Marco Polo series: lost $237.3 million

Netflix is known for its hit shows, but the streamer has suffered some pretty big misses too. It spared no expense on its historical epic Marco Polo, spending an eye-watering $9 million per episode. However, the show lasted just two seasons before being dramatically axed in 2016.

Marco Polo series: lost $237.3 million

Most likely the streaming giant's biggest bomb to date, the show reportedly lost Netflix a resounding $200 million. That's a staggering $237.3 million in today's money. 

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