It's almost time to bid farewell to another year in the 2020s. This decade has given us some great films so far, but it's also dished out some critical and commercial disasters. A number of 2020 releases had astronomical budgets. Hollywood studios sank hundreds of millions of dollars into these films, trying to lure viewers into theaters. These massive budgets attracted bankable stars and afforded quality production.
But sometimes, the gamble doesn't pay off for producers. Box office numbers can fall below expectations — sometimes, way below — turning these films into bombs rather than hits. Their studios end up losing tons of money – sometimes, just as much as they originally put in. Maybe the film was a critical catastrophe that didn't resonate with audiences. Or maybe its commercial failure stemmed from poor timing and uncontrollable external events. Whatever the case, these are the biggest box office bombs of the 2020s…so far.
10 'The Matrix Resurrections' (2021)
Lost $146 million
The Matrix is regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. Its tremendous success turned this ground-breaking, sci-fi classic into a trilogy. That is, until 18 years later, when we got the sequel that no one needed or asked for. The Matrix Resurrections attempted to resurrect the original story, slapping new faces onto old characters. But it didn't work. The film seemingly gutted Neo (Keanu Reeves), practically replacing him with Trinity (Carrie-Amme Moss), and was sorely missing several actors who made the original films so iconic. For most fans, The Matrix Resurrections was a lifeless shell of the original Matrix.
The Matrix Resurrections might've scored a decent 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, but don't let that fool you. This movie flopped at the box office. It grossed a meager $159 million worldwide against a budget of $190 million. When adjusted for inflation, The Matrix Resurrections resulted in a loss of $146 million. Most fans had hoped that these numbers would kill any possibility for a future sequel, but alas, Hollywood doesn't learn. Another sequel, known only as Matrix 5, is reportedly in the works.
9 'Onward' (2020)
Lost $153 Million
Pixar has released many iconic, successful, and critically-acclaimed films over the years. Onward, however, isn't one of them. Set in a modern suburban fantasy world, it follows two elf brothers, who search for an artifact that will revive their deceased father for twenty-four hours. Like all great Pixar films, Onward has heart and creativity and features a stacked cast that includes Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Octavia Spencer. Critics, however, complained that Onward was too weird and felt uninspired compared to other Pixar classics. But that isn't why this movie underperformed at the box office.
Onward had a wide theatrical release in February 2020 — and we all know what happened that month. The entire world, including movie theaters, was forced to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Onward wound up grossing only $142 million worldwide against a $175–200 million budget. It lost Disney/Pixar about $153 million in 2024, making Onward another fatality of the pandemic.
8 'The Flash' (2023)
Lost $155 Million
There was so much hype around The Flash before its release. It was the Flash's first standalone film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). It starred Ezra Miller, a rising star at the time, as DC's famous speedster, who travels back in time and gets trapped in an alternate past.
The film even brought back Michael Keaton's iconic Batman in a supporting role. But unfortunately, The Flash couldn't outrun its avalanche of problems. Directorial changes and the COVID-19 pandemic kept delaying The Flash's release, which ballooned the film's budget. Additionally, Miller's legal troubles and James Gunn's imminent reboot of the DC Universe didn't help The Flash keep up at the box office. It grossed only $271 million worldwide against a budget of $200–220 million, losing about $155 million.
7 'Wonder Woman' 1984
Lost Between $118 and $161 Million
Wonder Woman 1984 was the highly anticipated follow-up to 2017's commercially and critically successful, Wonder Woman. Set in 1984, the film brings back Gal Gadot as the iconic Amazon warrior, who's confronted by two new villains after being reunited with her past love. Another victim of the pandemic, Wonder Woman 1984 kept delaying its release. It finally premiered in December 2020, though many theaters were still closed at the time. It was also released simultaneously on HBO Max.
Although it became the top streaming film of 2020, Wonder Woman 1984 flopped at the box office. It grossed $169 million worldwide against a budget that had ballooned to $200 million, losing somewhere between $118 million and $161 million today. Plans for a third Wonder Woman film were scrapped, along with the rest of the DCEU. It remains to be seen whether Wonder Woman will appear in Gunn's DCU reboot.
6 'Mulan' (2020)
Lost $166 Million
Mulan is Disney's live-action adaptation of its 1998 animated hit, bringing this popular Chinese legend to life on the big screen. Unlike the Disney original, this movie was a box office flop, though it wasn't all Mulan's fault. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed this film's original release from March 2020 to September 2020, which barely helped since the pandemic was still raging at that time. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Disney chose to release Mulan on Disney+ and give it a limited theatrical release, creating the perfect storm for a box office bomb.
Despite generally positive reviews and decent streaming numbers, Mulan lost Disney approximately $166 million when adjusted for inflation. But that didn't stop the House of Mouse from announcing plans to develop a Mulan sequel, though there haven't been any updates in years. Maybe Disney silently canceled this project?
5 'Jungle Cruise' (2021)
Lost $169 Million
Disney saw tremendous success when they turned one of their most iconic theme park rides into a movie: Pirates of the Caribbean. Ever since, the House of Mouse has been trying to replicate that success with other theme park rides, and most of them have been bombs. Jungle Cruise is no exception. Led by superstars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, Jungle Cruise blends adventure with the supernatural when a riverboat takes a group of travelers through a dangerous jungle.
Like many entries on our list, Jungle Cruise had to postpone its release because of the pandemic. It was finally released in theaters and on streaming via Disney+ Premier Access in 2021, which contributed to its financial shortcomings.
But regardless of the pandemic, this riverboat ride is anything but pleasant. Jungle Cruise tried so hard to be Indiana Jones or Jumanji. What we got instead was what the New York Times called "a soggy mess." Jungle Cruise had a bumpy ride at the box office, grossing $220 million worldwide against a budget of $200 million. That's a loss of about $169 million today. Despite this poor performance, a sequel is reportedly in development, though there are rumors that Disney might have quietly canceled the film. For our sake, let's hope that's true.
4 'Turning Red' (2022)
Lost $174 Million
Turning Red is one of those movies that critics and audiences can't seem to agree on. This animated Pixar film garnered critical acclaim and scored an impressive 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. But for audiences, it seemed to fall short of other Pixar classics and scored only 67%. Turning Red follows a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian student who, because of a hereditary curse, transforms into a giant red panda whenever she experiences strong emotions. It's the first Pixar feature film directed solely by a woman.
Turning Red attracted controversy when it first came out for addressing mature themes like puberty and periods. That's one of the reasons why Turning Red underperformed at the box office. The other reason — the pandemic. The film was released on Disney+ in 2022 and was released theatrically in countries without the streaming service. It scraped up a meager $20 million worldwide against a budget of $175 million. Pandemic or not, Turning Red was a huge box office bomb, costing Pixar and Disney $174 million in 2024.
3 'Joker: Folie à Deux' (2024)
Lost $200 Million
Joker: Folie à Deux is the sequel to 2019's critically acclaimed film, Joker. It pairs Joaquin Phoenix's Oscar-winning portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime with a brand-new version of Harley Quinn, played by Lady Gaga. But even with this talented cast, and even with Todd Phillips returning as director, Joker: Folie à Deux didn't come close to its predecessor — neither commercially nor critically. Joker worked because it felt like an indie arthouse film, more on par with Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver than a comic book blockbuster like Batman. Joker only had a budget of $70 million. And it totally outperformed that, raking in over $1 billion worldwide.
This success made Warner Bros. pull out all the stops for its sequel, and in doing so, they turned the film into a spectacle. They handed Phillips a whopping $200 million budget — and Joker: Folie à Deux grossed a meager $206 million. Many viewers were turned off by the film's musical numbers and extensive courtroom scenes. Not even Lady Gaga's "Little Monsters" could fill theater seats. In the end, this unneeded sequel cost Warner Bros. somewhere between $125 to $200 million. Joker: Folie à Deux isn't just the biggest bomb of 2024; it's one of the biggest bombs of the 2020s so far.
2 'Strange World' (2022)
Lost $197 Million
Strange World follows a legendary family of explorers, the Clades, who journey to a mysterious land to restore the energy that powers their society. It features some big names, such as Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Gabrielle Union, and Lucy Liu. The film received positive reviews from critics. But for many viewers, Disney went too woke with Strange World's story and characters. The film's budget was somewhere in the range of $135–180 million. But it only grossed $73.6 million and lost a staggering $197 million for Disney, making this one of the biggest flops of all time.
Are you seeing a trend here? Many of these bombs are from Disney. Animated movies, Pixar, live-action films, comic book adaptations — the iconic studio is dropping the ball in every category. It seems like the House of Mouse has lost sight of the creative vision that originally built it. They desperately need to change their strategy because enduring bomb after bomb — well, it just isn't very sustainable.
1 'The Marvels' (2023)
Lost $237 Million
This not-so-anticipated sequel brings back Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and unites her with two other characters with the Marvel alias, (another Captain Marvel and one Ms. Marvel), forcing them to work together to save the universe. The Marvels' box office performance pales in comparison to its predecessor, Captain Marvel. The original film is the 11th highest-grossing film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), grossing $1.1 billion worldwide.
By comparison, The Marvels grossed only $206 million worldwide — and against a budget of $374 million. That's a staggering loss of $237 million. This number makes The Marvels the lowest-grossing film in the MCU and one of the few MCU films to not break even during its theatrical run. And on top of all that, it's the biggest box office bomb of the 2020s so far. Yikes.
Are you seeing a trend here? Many of the biggest bombs of the 2020s are superhero films, the same movies that ruled the box office not too long ago. And it's not just DC movies that are bombing; Marvel is now producing flops, too. These results indicate that superhero fatigue is in full force. Audiences are tired of the endless superhero content and trying to keep up with all of it. Success is still possible, as Deadpool & Wolverine has shown us. But for the most part, it'll take fresh ideas and unique stories to get audiences interested in the superhero genre again.
