11 Oscar-Winning Movies That Flopped

Oscars: Technical Achievement Award

Budget: $3.7 million

Box Office: $3.3 million

Distributors RKO Radio Pictures pushed "It's a Wonderful Life" despite its January 1947 release date.It's a Wonderful LifeIt's a Wonderful Life hit theaters for Christmas 1946. The initial budget was about $2 million. Inflated shooting schedules and crew changes pushed costs near $4 million.

Now, the film is considered a holiday classic, movie lovers did not go to theaters for its premiere.. Another war-themed holiday film released at the same time drew attention away from the production. Having exceeded its budget, the poor box office performance hurt its Liberty Films production company.

The company went bankrupt because of the failure. Also, they failed to renew the copyright license when it expired in 1974, either by error or choice. Cable TV networks used this mistake because It's a Wonderful LifeThe film gave families an easy way to entertain during the holiday season.

One big complaint about the budget earned the film the only Oscar win from five nominations. Special effects lead Russell Shearman invented a new fake snow for the film. This replaced the industry standard untoasted cornflakes or asbestos.

Fellow directors at the production company found the new materials costly. George Stevens said, “Why the hell couldn’t it be springtime?” Shearman's invention won the Academy Award for Technical Achievement and remains used for snow scenes now.

Oscars:Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Effects Editing, and Best Original Score

Budget: $27 million

Box Office: $21 million

The film is based on Tom Wolfe's 1979 "non-fiction novel," The Right Stuff The movie put the lives of NASA's first astronauts, the Mercury 7, on screen. Despite top visuals, sounds, and a cast with Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Sam Shepard, and Jeff Goldblum, the film did not make its budget at the box office.

Bad marketing may have caused the problem; The Right StuffIts release, which overlapped with Mercury 7 astronaut John Glenn's presidential run, looked like election propaganda instead of an inspiring film.

Unfortunately for Ladd Company, the space film's production company suffered this final blow after several box office failures, ending with the company's dissolution.

Oscars: Best Visual Effects

Budget: $85 million (estimated)

Box Office: $71 million

Starring Robin Williams and Cuba Gooding Jr., What Dreams May Comechronicles the life of Dr. Chris Nielsen (Williams) and his wife Annie, who recently lost their two sons. When Chris dies in a car accident, he tries to find his family in the afterlife.

Williams' well-received performance earned the film two Oscar nominations.the filmcritics gave 'What Dreams May Come' mixed reviews. Reviewers liked its ambitious vision and strange visuals, some calling it “a series of paintings come to life,” but they found the plot overly sentimental.the plotdescribes the sentimentality. The Los Angeles Times described it this way.Los Angeles Times:

Watching the film feels like being in a room with a couple locked in a hot embrace. It might be fun for them, but what about everyone else?

The success of the children's filmAntz, which came out the same day, hurt the movie's box office.

Oscars: Best Writing, Best Original Screenplay.

Budget: $839,700

Box Office: $1.6 million, including several re-releases in the 1990s and 2000s

Orson Welles directed and starred in 'Citizen Kane'Citizen Kane eventually became one of the most acclaimed movies. Getting the film made faced dangers, mainly because of William Randolph Hearst, the real person who inspired it.

Citizen KaneThe film paints the newspaper tycoon as a cruel, power-hungry megalomaniac who ignores the people he harms. (Welles reportedly liked Hearst's lover, actress Marion Davies).

Welles tried to deny the link. Hearst, who owned 28 newspapers and magazines, quickly learned about the negative portrayal and refused to print positive things. He launched a smear campaign against Welles and tried to blackmail RKO Radio Pictures and theater chain owners. Even if theaters wanted to show the film, they struggled to fill seats because they could not advertise it in many popular publications.

The Academy recognized it in 1942, but decades later, people saw 'Citizen Kane' as one of the best American films.Citizen Kane became widely praised as one of the best films in American cinema history.

Oscars: Best Writing (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen)

Budget: $60 million

Box Office: $47 million

This film shows director Cameron Crowe's early life as a teenage reporter forRolling Stone, Almost Famous The film captured the 1970s rock scene with a story about a fictional band (and a group of groupies) on tour. Critics liked it; Roger Ebert even nominated it for best film of the year. Now, though it is a cult classic, this title points to its weak box office showing.

Working against the movie, relations with DreamWorks SKG reportedly soured.Crowe worked against the movie with DreamWorks SKG, the studio that financed and released it. Crowe thought the company could market the film better, but rumors spread that DreamWorks did not want to spend more money on Crowe's "little personal movie."

The $60 million production cost was reportedly already $15 million over budget, partly due to a longer-than-planned shoot and a music budget higher than usual.

Oscars: Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Martin Landau), Best Makeup

Budget: $18 million$18 million

Box Office: $5.9 million$5.9 million

Tim Burton saw a film about Ed Wood as his passion project.Ed Wood,Johnny Depp and Martin Landau star with Sarah Jessica Parker and Patricia Arquette. This film became Burton's least-grossing movie ever.

AThis is the theatrical biopic of Ed Wood., a struggling Hollywood artist posthumously named “the worst director of all time.” The film showed Ed Wood's resilience. Critics praised it, though it reached only a small audience. Still, it became a cult classic.It is a cult classic., and Burton considers it among his best.

Oscars:Best Supporting Actress (Angelina Jolie)

Budget: $40 million$40 million

Box Office: $48 million

Based on Susanna Kaysen's memoir, she entered a mental institution after a borderline personality disorder diagnosis in the 1960s.Girl, Interrupted The film featured big stars. Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Brittany Murphy, Elizabeth Moss, and Clea DuVall all appeared. However, the box office results were disappointing.

Criticspraised the acting., especially Ryder and Jolie, who play an Oscar-worthy, fiery character. Reviews remained mixed, citing a plot that felt uneven and melodramatic.TheNew York Timesreview headlineThe review read, “Stop Your Whining, Little Girl.”

The subject matter seemed too intense for casual moviegoers seeking simple entertainment.

Oscars: Best Achievement in Cinematography, Best Achievement in Sound Mixing, Best Achievement in Sound Editing, Best Achievement in Visual Effects, Best Achievement in Art Direction

Budget: $180 million ($156 million after tax credits)$180 million ($156 million after tax credits)

Box Office: $186 million

HugoProducers first set the budget at $100 million, then went over by $80 million through choices, including making it 3D. Hugo Cabret is an orphan in 1930s Paris. He lives in a train station wall. With only an automaton to remember his father, he and a toy merchant's goddaughter start an adventure to find a home.

The film earned 11 Oscar nominations and five wins. However, other family films released at the same time overshadowed it at the American box office.Arthur Christmas,Puss in Boots,The Muppets, andHappy Feet Two.

HugoThe film performed better internationally than in the US, where it earned $71 million. Still, these small profits were unexpected for a film directed by Martin Scorsese. Considering the theaters' cut of the gross, Paramount did not make back the budget.

Oscars:Best Achievement in Cinematography, Best Achievement in Visual Effects

Budget: $150-185 million (not including marketing)$150-185 million (not including marketing)

Box Office: $259 million$259 million

Like its predecessor,Blade Runner 2049Blade Runner 2049 did not perform as well at the box office as producers expected. The marketing team used cryptic teasers with little plot information, a tactic used for franchises like Star Wars.Star Warsbut left potential fans of Blade Runner unsure if the movie was worth seeing.Blade RunnerSome reviewers felt the movie was too drawn out. They also felt the overt sexism in the franchise was not properly handled.

Critics praised Blade Runner's visuals and how it built on original themes, yet it made many same mistakes. Reviewers felt the film dragged too long; the sexism in the franchise was not fixed.

Oscars: Best Costume Design

Budget:$34 million

Box Office: $47 million

Director Martin Scorsese, who also made Taxi Driver and Goodfellas, surprised fans of his other violent films with this revelation.Taxi Driverand GoodfellasGoodfellasScorsese believed the emotional abuse in The Age of Innocence's storyline made the film one of the most violent he made.The Age of Innocence Based on Edith Wharton's novel, The Age of Innocence made the film one of the “most violent” Scorsese ever worked on.Edith Wharton's novelThe movie follows 19th-century New York's high society circles. A tangled web of love triangles happens among the characters.

Despite Scorsese's claims and favorable reviews, moviegoers found directing the period piece puzzling and mostly skipped seeing it.

Oscars: Best Achievement in Makeup

Budget:$150 million

Box Office: $140 million

A remake of a 1941 film, The Wolfman The Wolfman became one of Universal Studios' biggest financial failures. Last-minute staff changes, a writers' strike, direction revisions, and release date setbacks caused even a cast of Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, and Simon Merrells to fail the period horror film at the box office.As director Joe Johnston stated:

The production was a leaky, rudderless ship. Bad decisions, infighting, leaders avoiding blame, and too many unqualified cooks caused the perfect storm.

Universal Studios president Ron Meyer was unhappy with the film. He said, “One of the worst movies we ever made was Wolfman. Wolfmanand Babe 2Babe 2are two of the sh*ttiest movies we put out.”

Even so, The Wolfman took the Oscar for its only makeup nomination, which seems important for a werewolf film.The Wolfmantook home the Oscar for its only makeup nomination, which seems important for a werewolf film.