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Top Movie "Turkeys" of 2011
Have you seen any of these? I only saw "The Dilemma," and that was at a dollar theater. I was so tired that I fell asleep halfway through.
http://movies.yahoo.com/news/movies-didnt-cut-biggest-turkeys-11-001410495.html
Turkey Day comes once a year, but in a year that's been short on big motion-picture success stories, it seems like a fresh bird has landed at the box office every weekend.
In honor of the biggest film-going holiday on the calendar, TheWrap has assembled a list of 2011's biggest duds so far:
THE RUM DIARY
With Johnny Depp movies
having amassed an astronomical $7.67 billion across the globe over the
course of his career, this film stands out like a bad batch of hooch.
Grossing just $19.1 million worldwide on a $45 million budget, it was
Depp's least successful film since 1999's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,"
another movie based on the actor's close friend, the late Hunter S.
Thompson. It was perhaps an even greater disappointment for director
Bruce Robinson, who battled with alcohol and writer's block while
penning the screenplay, and who hadn't directed a film since 1992
("Jennifer 8").
Also read: 'Rum Diary' One of Johnny Depp's Biggest Career Flops
MARS NEEDS MOMS
Disney's 3D animated comedy performed so badly at the box office, it not only convinced the studio to shutter producer Robert Zemeckis' ImageMovers Digital company, it also made the film industry second-guess the entire motion-capture filmmaking technique.
(Steven Spielberg's "Tintin" has since pulled everyone back from the edge on that.)
"Mars Need Moms" grossed a poultry ... er, paltry $39 million of its $190 million production budget in a huge blow to Disney's bottom line. Critics didn't like it, either. The film scored only 36 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and the Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips called it "one of the least visually appealing films ever to go out under the Disney banner."
Also read: Can Steven Spielberg's 'Tintin' Save Motion-Capture Animation?
LARRY CROWNE
With Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts in the leading roles, this
romantic comedy seemed like a sure-fire hit ... if it had been released
in, say, 1995.
The film, which was also directed by Hanks, wasn't a huge money-loser for producer Vendome Pictures, grossing $52.4 million worldwide on a production budget of $30 million. But the rom-com -- not so affectionately known as the "Scooter Movie" because its ubiquitous key art featuring its stars on a Vespa -- didn't exactly juice the careers of Hanks, 55, or Roberts, 44.
"Larry Crowne" drew an audience that was 81 percent above the age of 35 its opening weekend. There were "Murder She Wrote" episodes that didn't skew that old.
Also read: 'Larry Crowne': So Flaccid It Seems Written by a Q-Tip
The graphic novel from which it was adapted was a New York Times best-seller; director Jon Favreau had a proven sci-fi/action pedigree with "Iron Man" and campaigned his heart out for the movie; Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig provided plenty of star power; and it had the executive-producer stamp of approval from none other than Steven Spielberg.
Still, audiences couldn't get their collective heads around the genre mash-up, which featured an Old West town banding together to take down an alien invasion. The $163 million film grossed just $174.6 million globally, losing money once prints and advertising costs were factored in.
Also read: 'Cowboys & Aliens': Yeah, There Are Cowboys ... and Aliens -- But Not Much Else
In a summer filled with men in superhero tights, audiences just didn't buy Ryan Reynolds, traditionally a goofy comic actor, as a super-empowered crime-fighter.
The film was produced by Warner Bros. for more than $200 million with the aim of launching a vital franchise at a time when Christopher Nolan is winding down his mega-successful "Dark Knight" series. But it only grossed $219.9 million worldwide. Despite the fact that audiences didn't gobble up the first film as much as was anticipated, Warner and DC Comics are already collaborating on a sequel.
Read also: Too Many Men in Tights? 5 Reasons the Superhero Summer Has Been a Bust.
The $90 million 3D film grossed just $48.8 million worldwide, and it was listed as a key piece of dead weight by executives for studio Lionsgate when they reported a $19 million quarterly operating loss earlier this month. Critical disdain also ran high for the reboot, with Rotten Tomatoes scoring it at only 23 percent.
Also read: 'Conan the Barbarian': Ahnuld, Where Are You Now That the Remake Needs You?
YOUR HIGHNESS
Director David Gordon Green had succeeded with the pot-fueled comedy sub-genre before with "Pineapple Express,"
but this R-rated comedy was a real bummer, grossing only $25 million on
a $50 million budget. Universal released the film in April, just a few
months after co-star Natalie Portman won an Oscar, and moviegoers
scratched their heads when her name appeared in the marquee. They also
wondered what co-star James Franco was smoking when he showed up in
another pot comedy after rumors circulated that he was stoned while
hosting the Academy Awards.
Also read: James Franco Dazed at the Oscars? You Shoulda Seen Rehearsal
One of two poor-performing Kevin James vehicles this year (along with "Zookeeper"), this adult comedy was perhaps an even greater disappointment for director/producer Ron Howard, who hadn't made a comedy since 2000's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." It didn't lose a ton of money for Howard's Imagine Entertainment and studio Universal, grossing $69.7 million on a budget of around $70 million. But publicity-wise, it was more trouble than it was worth, thanks to a trailer that showed co-star Vince Vaughn's character calling such things as hybrid cars "gay."
Also read: Universal Pulls Gay Slur from 'Dilemma' Trailer; May Remain in Film
This PG comedy about bird watchers, which starred Jack Black, Owen Wilson and Steve Martin, ended up on the turkey list based on an anemic $7.1 million gross at the box office against a $41 million production budget. Director David Frankel had scored previously with "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Marley and Me," but none of those movies' charms seemed to be on display here, with critics aggregating Fox's "Big Year" at 39 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Also read: Review: Owen Wilson's Bird-Watching 'Big Year' Neither Soars Nor Lays an Egg
This European-produced prequel to John Carpenter's acclaimed 1982 sci-fi/horror film with the same title failed to connect with U.S. audiences, grossing just $16.9 million domestically and $19 million worldwide on a $38 million production spend. While Carpenter's "Thing" benefited from the grizzled heroics of actor Kurt Russell -- fresh off his action-movie breakout in the director's "Escape From New York" -- the new movie had little in the way of star power, with Joel Edgerton ("Warrior') among the few recognizable names in the marquee. Critics didn't flock to the film, either, scoring it at 33 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Re: Top Movie "Turkeys" of 2011
I think they're definitely spot on with the three I've seen from that list.
Your Highness might possibly have been the worst movie I've ever seen!!
DH and I just watched The Green Lantern two nights ago, I fell asleep on the couch.
The Dilemma was such a let down and I generally like Vince Vaughn... but this movie was a huge dud for sure!
With all of that said I will be sure to skip all the rest on that list... well expect for Larry Crowne just because I love JR and having Netflix gives me room to select movies that I'm not sure are worth it.
I've never even heard of most of those.
The plot of The Big Year sounded familiar to me. Then I remembered I have the book on my Goodreads list for some reason. Haha, didn't know there was a movie about it.
I only saw The Dilemma too and it was a stinker. I think I saw it on a plane so at least I didn't pay to see it in a theater or for a rental.
MH and I just saw Limitless on Netflix. It was bad.
Blog: Call Me Imelda
That's funny. My H and I rented Limitless on redbox last night and kind of liked it. I thought it looked so stupid beforehand but afterward I thought it was interesting.
I'm with you. It was turrible. Take drugs and you can be rich and get everything you want! As long as you're willing to drink the blood of Russian terrorists to get a hit.
I watched that movie on Friday. It was truly awful.