10 Critically Acclaimed Films You Never Realised Bombed At The Box Office

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 94%

Budget: $170 million

Box Office: $185 million

Martin Scorsese has grossed over $2 billion worldwide in his time as a director, but his adaptation of Brian Selznick’s historical fiction book about a boy living alone in a Paris railway station was not one of his finest moments at the box office, despite the film boasting a Fresh 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Renowned for his profanity-laden, ultra-violent body of work, the critics applauded the then 68-year-old director for trying his hand at a 3D children’s movie, and the vast majority of them were of the opinion that he succeeded unequivocally. However, while the end product was an extravagant and elegant fantasy adventure, getting there was no picnic.

Hugo overran its original budget by a considerable distance, with producer Graham King admitting that he relied on the sleeping tablet Ambien to get him through the months following the film’s disappointing release, with competition from The Muppets and Breaking Dawn Part 1 severely impacting his projected figures.

With audiences choosing to see other films over Thanksgiving, Hugo only made $15 million in its opening weekend. In the end, the movie is thought to have made a net loss of $92 million, making it one of the most notable box office bombs of 2011.