Some box office flops of 2009

Time to discuss one of my favorite movie-related subjects: box office tankers. What is it about these movies that make them flop? Is it a generic/overdone plot line? The timing of the release? Terrible word of mouth? A limited marketing campaign? In my opinion it's a combination of all these reasons. Let's take a look for example at the recent box office bomb The Box. There was practically no advertising for the movie. Some people I talked to had no idea it was actually in theaters! Not to mention it has one of the laziest titles ever. I mean really, they couldn't think of anything better than The Box? It really makes me wonder how certain movies can even be green lit by the major studios.

Case in point, Imagine That starring Eddie Murphy. Did they actually think this was going to be a success? Again this is an example of a very limited marketing campaign and a standard/unoriginal plot (a girl who's imagination comes to life) leading to financial failure (about $16 million worldwide on a $55 million budget). This is another addition to his great track record. Who can forget Adventures of Pluto Nash, widely considered to be one of the biggest box office disasters ever. It was made for a budget of $100 million and earned only about $10 million. More recently, Meet Dave, which only grossed about $11 million and had a budget of $55 million. I mean the plot for Meet Dave did seem pretty weak, a spaceship in the shape of a human. This is really a shame because I think Eddie Murphy is a very talented actor, but he has made some bad decisions. Let's not forget that he probably cost himself an oscar by having Norbit and Dreamgirls released so close to each other!

The final box office bomb of 2009 that I am discussing was the Land of the Lost starring Will Ferrell. The movie had a combination of terrible reviews, commercials that showed virtually no laughs, and bad timing (opened the same weekend as The Hangover). It grossed only aboout $65 million worldwide on a budget of $100 million. The movie was destroyed by critics. For example, the New York Daily News said it was a "high concept disaster." In addition to the bad critical reception, the commercials were completely unfunny. They were relying too much on Will Ferrell's star power and nothing else. This proves that actor popularity does not guarantee financial success.