10 Box Office Flops From The 2000s That Everyone Loves

Summary

• Several highly rated cult classics from the 2000s failed at the box office due to changing audience expectations and poor marketing.
• The rise of major franchises in the 2000s contributed to the box office struggles of many praiseworthy films.
• Some huge flops, like
  Ali
  and
  Treasure Planet
  , were victims of bad timing, coinciding with other releases.

A handful of movies that have come to be considered among the best cult classics of the 2000s flopped at the box office in their time. While the oversaturation of certain genres and the advent of streaming services has given rise to many major box office failures in the 2010s and 2020s, a few of the biggest box office bombs of all time are from the 2000s. The 2000s proved to be a tricky decade for some praiseworthy movies, with competition from major franchises and new advancements in filmmaking leaving old-school movies in their dust.

Some of Disney’s biggest animated box office flops happened in the 2000s because of changing audience expectations when it came to animation, with Pixar and DreamWorks delivering their 3D animated movies. Some completely amazing dramas were perhaps too realistic to compete with the spectacle of a major fantasy action franchise becoming a cultural phenomenon. Finally, some 2000s movies failed because studios failed to properly advertise their concepts; good movies that suffer from bad marketing have resulted in major flops throughout Hollywood’s history.

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Movie	Rotten Tomatoes score	Metacritic score	Audience score
The Emperor’s New Groove	86%	70%	84%
Ali	68%	65%	65%
Donnie Darko	87%	71%	80%
Mulholland Drive	84%	87%	87%
Treasure Planet	69%	60%	72%
Peter Pan	77%	64%	74%
Children of Men	92%	84%	85%
Grindhouse: Planet Terror & Death Proof	84%	77%	87%
Sunshine	77%	71%	73%
The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford	77%	68%	75%

Related This $372 Million Box Office Bomb Was The 2000s’ Biggest Fantasy Movie Disappointment

The 2000s saw a fantasy movie boom, but not all of them were equal in quality — and one $372 million box office flop was the most disappointing.

10 Ali (2001)

Domestic Gross: $58.2 Million | Worldwide Total: $87.8 Million

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Ali is the dramatic biopic of an athletic icon featuring several A-list stars which received strong reviews. There was no reason for it to fail — other than coming out in the same breath as The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The movie’s producers also may have overestimated how many young viewers were familiar with Muhammad Ali’s boxing and activist career, not realizing that it was best suited for an older demographic (Carrie Rickey). Despite an expensive production and bad timing resulting in Ali being a box office bomb, Will Smith earned his first Oscar nomination for his performance.

Since this movie (arguably) came out at the wrong time, appreciation for it has grown as more people had the chance to actually watch it. It’s a solid sports and political movie, tracking Ali’s career and his opinions on the major world events happening at the time. Unfortunately, it wasn’t able to compete with another cultural moment happening and perhaps seemed like too much of a standard biopic to some moviegoers.

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Ali is a biographical drama film directed by Michael Mann, chronicling ten years in the life of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, portrayed by Will Smith. Released in 2001, the film explores key moments in Ali’s career, including his historic fight against Sonny Liston, his conversion to Islam, and his stand against the Vietnam War. The cast also includes Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, and Mario Van Peebles.

Director Michael Mann Release Date December 10, 2001 Writers Gregory Allen Howard , Stephen J. Rivele , Christopher Wilkinson , Eric Roth , Michael Mann Cast Will Smith , Jamie Foxx , Jon Voight , Mario Van Peebles , Ron Silver , Jeffrey Wright Runtime 157 minutes

All box office information contained in this list is according to

boxofficemojo.com

.

9 Treasure Planet (2002)

Domestic Gross: $38.2 Million | Worldwide Total: $110 Million

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Treasure Planet became one of Disney’s most expensive failures ever in 2002, but became a cherished classic afterward. The concept itself is a bold one: Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island is recast as a sci-fi space adventure, with vessels that look like regular pirate ships floating through the cosmos. Adaptations of Treasure Island were popular at the time, and Treasure Planet had the misfortune of being released at the same time as Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. However, its expensive production ultimately spelled massive losses.

Disney eventually fully committed to 3D and Treasure Planet’s sequel was immediately canceled.

Disney racked up costs when they set out to make Treasure Planet a traditional 2D animated movie with some 3D elements. The style of the movie is gorgeous, but illustrative of Disney’s problems in the 2000s. After the end of the Disney Renaissance, the animation department found itself in an awkward place as they tried to figure out what their future would be in the face of new 3D animation. Disney eventually fully committed to 3D and Treasure Planet‘s sequel was immediately canceled.

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Treasure Planet is a 2002 animated adventure and Fantasy film from Walt Disney studios. Directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, the story follows a young boy named Jim Hawkins as he attempts to find a fabled treasure and mend ways with his father who abandoned him.

Director John Musker Release Date November 27, 2002 Writers John Musker Cast Joseph Gordon-Levitt , Martin Short , Emma Thompson Runtime 95minutes

8 Children Of Men (2006)

Domestic Gross: $35.5 Million | Worldwide Total: $70.6 Million

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“Children of Men proved even masterpieces can bomb at the box office,” says Debopriyaa Dutta (via SlashFilm). Dutta notes that Children of Men had a limited theatrical release and wasn’t advertised effectively, as PR was working with a post-apocalyptic setting lacking all the most marketable elements of the genre. Children of Men doesn’t have the flashy technology of other futuristic movies or a young, conventionally heroic lead. A few years ahead of The Hunger Games, it couldn’t be hoped that any post-apocalypse movie would sell.

The trajectory of Alfonso Cuarón’s career was also really strange in the 2000s. The director of poignant Spanish-language dramas was surprisingly hired to helm the third Harry Potter movie, the most stylized installment of the franchise. He then changed gears again with the bleak setting of Children of Men. Yet if audiences are willing to accept these abrupt changes and have some faith in Cuarón, they will discover some amazingly stylistic and symbolic takes on established genres.

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Directed by Alfonso Cuaron, Children of Men is a dystopian drama set in the year 2027, where infertility has left humanity facing the possibility of extinction. Clive Owen stars as former activist Theo Faron, with Julianne Moore, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Caine, Charlie Hunnam, and Pam Ferris in supporting roles.

Director Alfonso Cuarón Release Date January 5, 2007 Writers David Arata , Hawk Ostby , Timothy J. Sexton , Alfonso Cuarón , Mark Fergus Cast Julianne Moore , Clare-Hope Ashitey , Clive Owen , Chiwetel Ejiofor , Michael Caine Runtime 109 minutes

7 Donnie Darko (2001)

Domestic Gross: $1.5 Million | Worldwide Total: $7.4 Million

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Donnie Darko was just a little too strange to be a true box office hit. Following the confusing narrative of a young man having visions of a twisted rabbit figure telling him the world is about to end, Donnie Darko was unsurprisingly difficult to advertise. Patrick Phillips agrees (via looper.com) that the movie was “too confusing” and “too cerebral” to reach most audiences. Additionally, a younger Jake Gyllenhaal wasn’t nearly famous enough yet to attract audiences despite confusing trailers.

Donnie Darko also involves a plane engine crash scenario, which was included in the movie’s advertising, before it came out a month after 9/11. These obstacles proved to be too much for Donnie Darko to overcome; it could have had a much worse box office reception than it did. However, like many other weird movies that didn’t land with audiences while in theaters, Donnie Darko has evolved into a cult classic where its weirdness is the best part.

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After troubled teen Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes on a local golf course after a night of sleepwalking, he has a vision of a man in a rabbit suit telling him that the world will end in 28 days. Returning home, Donnie sees that a jet engine has fallen on his bedroom in the night, and begins to feel increasingly detached from reality. Scrambling to make sense of the bizarre and unexplainable events that have altered his life, Donnie finds himself unravelling a tangled web of disaster and fate.

Director Richard Kelly Release Date October 26, 2001 Writers Richard Kelly Cast Jake Gyllenhaal , Holmes Osborne , Maggie Gyllenhaal , Daveigh Chase , Mary McDonnell , James Duval Runtime 113 minutes

6 Peter Pan (2003)

Domestic Gross: $48.5 Million | Worldwide Total: $122 Million

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The 2003 version is the closest movie fans have to a platonic ideal of Peter Pan; at least one that tells the original story, unlike Hook, a movie with a similar style. Peter Pan is one of the strongest examples of a classic Disney movie that hasn’t aged well, and 2015’s Pan completely flopped at the box office, partially because of another controversy surrounding Tiger Lily’s character. In the lead-up to Pan‘s release, Hoai-Tran Bui called the 2003 iteration “the only [Peter Pan movie] we’ll ever need” (via USA TODAY).

This Peter Pan has the whimsical vibes that people want from Neverland with some edge to it, without overdoing the violence. Peter and Wendy are imaginative children with believable levels of competence; their characters, along with the likes of Mr. and Mrs. Banks, are organically expanded from the source material. However, Jason Isaacs’ performance as Captain Hook is doubtlessly one of the things that has made this movie a retrospective hit, despite its box office struggles.

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Peter Pan (2003) is an adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s classic tale directed by P.J. Hogan. Jeremy Sumpter stars as Peter Pan, who whisks Wendy Darling, played by Rachel Hurd-Wood, and her brothers to the enchanted world of Neverland. Jason Isaacs portrays the dual roles of Mr. Darling and the malevolent Captain Hook. This film showcases the adventures and conflicts in a land where children never grow up.

Director P.J. Hogan Release Date December 25, 2003 Writers J.M. Barrie , P.J. Hogan , Michael Goldenberg Cast Jeremy Sumpter , Jason Isaacs , Olivia Williams , Lynn Redgrave , Rachel Hurd-Wood , Richard Briers , Geoffrey Palmer , Harry Newell Runtime 113 Minutes

Related 12 Great Fantasy Movies That Bombed At The Box Office

Even great fantasy movies sometimes lose millions at the box office, as evidenced by these under-appreciated classics that flopped upon release.

5 Grindhouse: Planet Terror & Death Proof (2007)

Domestic Gross: $25 Million | Worldwide Total: $25.4 Million

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Grindhouse is a unique addition to pop culture from the 2000s, comprising two movies presented as a single experience. Quentin Tarantino directed Death Proof and Robert Rodriguez directed Planet Terror, in a double feature intended to parody 1970s “exploitation” movies. However, people who did not know what exploitation movies are or didn’t quite get the two-part format might not have been ready to go see Grindhouse despite Tarantino being on the rise in the 2000s.

Even with two movies to sell, Grindhouse saw little financial return. Like some other movies in a similar marketing situation, more people saw Grindhouse over time and came to love it as another crazy adventure from these two directors. It is a must-see for anyone who wants to compare it to Tarantino’s best movies, featuring an impressive cast recruited from the directors’ past projects.

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Grindhouse is a double-feature film directed by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. Released in 2007, the movie showcases two back-to-back exploitation-style narratives: Rodriguez’s Planet Terror and Tarantino’s Death Proof. Bridging the two films are faux trailers directed by various filmmakers, adding to the retro cinema homage. Starring Kurt Russell, Rose McGowan, and Rosario Dawson, Grindhouse combines elements of horror, action, and thriller genres in a unique cinematic experience.

Director Robert Rodriguez , Quentin Tarantino , Rob Zombie , Edgar Wright , Eli Roth , Jason Eisener Release Date April 6, 2007 Writers Quentin Tarantino , Robert Rodriguez , Rob Zombie , Eli Roth , Jeff Rendell , Jason Eisener , Rob Cotterill , John Davies Cast Kurt Russell , Zoe Bell , Rosario Dawson , Vanessa Ferlito , Sydney Tamiia Poitier Runtime 191 Minutes

4 Sunshine (2007)

Domestic Gross: $3.8 Million | Worldwide Total: $34.8 Million

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The collective talents of Chris Evans, Michelle Yeoh, Rose Byrne, and Cillian Murphy should have been able to turn a serviceable sci-fi adventure into a smash hit. Evans argued that Sunshine deserved better, failing largely because of how it was compared to other movies. Sunshine was originally slated for a September release but was moved up to July and therefore thrown into the competitive summer blockbuster season. Sunshine also demonstrates an unconventional narrative trajectory, which left some critics confused in the third act.

Danny Boyle and Alex Garland presented an interesting idea about a crew of astronauts trying to revive the sun, mixed in with some broader philosophical ideas that confused audiences. Still, people expected this blockbuster would do well enough, and its failure came as a surprise. More people came to appreciate Sunshine later on with additional time to mull over its themes and offer favorable comparisons to how it differs from other sci-fi movies.

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Sunshine, directed by Danny Boyle, follows a team of astronauts on a mission to reignite a dying sun with a massive nuclear bomb. Set in 2057, the film stars Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, and Michelle Yeoh, encapsulating their struggle against both physical and psychological challenges. As the crew ventures deeper into space, they confront unexpected dangers that threaten the mission and their survival.

Director Danny Boyle Release Date July 27, 2007 Writers Alex Garland Cast Cillian Murphy , Rose Byrne , Michelle Yeoh , Chris Evans , Cliff Curtis Runtime 107 minutes

3 The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007)

Domestic Gross: $3.9 Million | Worldwide Total: $15 Million

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The mouthful of a title doesn’t make for the easiest, snappiest advertising. The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford was a well-reviewed biographical drama featuring some amazing, then recently famous stars: namely Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck, with Sam Rockwell and Jeremy Renner taking on supporting roles. However, the movie is nearly three hours long and moves at a slow pace, scaring off people who don’t want to sit in a theater for that long.

The Assassination Of Jesse James’ good reviews caught up with it when it was released on DVD and gained some attention through two Oscar nominations. The cinematography is widely praised, as well as the Shakespearean tragedy of a story. The life and times of Jesse James makes for a very long movie which might be more comfortable to watch from home, meaning it took some time for it to become a well-liked Western.

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The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a period drama directed by Andrew Dominik. The film explores the life and death of the infamous outlaw Jesse James, played by Brad Pitt, and delves into the complex relationship between James and Robert Ford, portrayed by Casey Affleck. Set in the late 19th century, the movie offers a contemplative look at themes of heroism, betrayal, and the nature of celebrity.

Director Andrew Dominik Release Date October 19, 2007 Writers Andrew Dominik , Ron Hansen Cast Brad Pitt , Mary-Louise Parker , Brooklynn Proulx , Dustin Bollinger , Casey Affleck , Sam Rockwell Runtime 160 minutes

2 Mulholland Drive (2001)

Domestic Gross: $7.2 Million | Worldwide Total: $20.3 Million

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People are still debating the literal and metaphorical meaning of Mulholland Drive; if they can’t settle on the movie’s point more than 20 years later, trying to sell that movie was going to be an insurmountable challenge. It also went through a tumultuous development cycle, as David Lynch initially envisioned it as his TV follow-up to Twin Peaks. After the Pilot was rejected, Lynch managed to turn what he had into a movie that took even more time to become a Hollywood classic.

Even if people don’t find the movie particularly enjoyable, it has captured millions of minds determined to solve the many mysteries it presents.

The narrative that completely changes its aim in the final act and the overall very surreal and confusing story didn’t draw in enough moviegoers to turn a profit. However, since its commercial failure, acclaim for Mulholland Drive has only grown. Even if people don’t find the movie particularly enjoyable, it has captured millions of minds determined to solve the many mysteries it presents.

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David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive is a neo-noir mystery about aspiring actress Betty, who becomes involved with a woman suffering from amnesia and a mysterious blue box. Starring Naomi Watts and Laura Harring, the 2001 surrealist film explores themes of identity, memory, and Hollywood’s dark side.

Director David Lynch Release Date October 19, 2001 Writers David Lynch Cast Laura Elena Harring , Mark Pellegrino , Justin Theroux , Naomi Watts , Ann Miller Runtime 147 minutes

Related 10 Critically Acclaimed 2000s Movies That Were Box Office Bombs

Although these 2000s movies were critically acclaimed, they were still box office bombs.

1 The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)

Domestic Gross: $89.6 Million | Worldwide Total: $169.7 Million

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The Emperor’s New Groove is also probably a victim of the 2D vs. 3D conundrum Disney was facing in the early and mid-2000s. It doesn’t feature a typical Disney protagonist; Kuzco being awful is the very point of the story, but makes him a harder character to sell. Trudie Styler co-directed a documentary called The Sweatbox about the movie’s production, detailing the change in directors, production delays, and many of her husband Sting’s songs being cut from the final soundtrack.

There were a lot of reasons for people to be skeptical about The Emperor’s New Groove going in. However, when people watched it later, it turned out to be an absolutely hilarious animated classic in the making, with a strong central storyline about the protagonist realizing his faults and an underrated cast of stars. The Emperor’s New Groove is the universal example of an underrated Disney movie, which flopped alongside many other great movies in the 2000s.

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The Emperor’s New Groove is an animated comedy film released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Mark Dindal, it follows the story of Emperor Kuzco, who is transformed into a llama by his power-hungry advisor Yzma. Journeying with a humble villager named Pacha, Kuzco must reclaim his throne while navigating humorous and unexpected challenges. The film features voice work by David Spade, John Goodman, Eartha Kitt, and Patrick Warburton.

Director Mark Dindal Release Date December 15, 2000 Writers Chris Williams , Mark Dindal , David Reynolds , Stephen J. Anderson , Don Hall , John Norton Cast David Spade , John Goodman , eartha kitt , Patrick Warburton , Wendie Malick , Kellyann Kelso Runtime 78 Minutes

Source: boxofficemojo.com, Carrie Rickey, SlashFilm, looper.com, USA TODAY

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