10 Directors Who Survived Huge Movie Failures

Coming off the back of two of the most tepidly-received films of his career - 1492: Conquest of Paradise and White Squall - Ridley Scott wasn't exactly at the peak of his game heading into 1997's G.I. Jane, and that rustiness showed in the finished product.

It's one of the director's worst movies to date, with an annoyingly heavy-handed message about equality, long stretches of dullness where nothing engaging happens, and several poor performances (Demi Moore won a Razzie Award for her troubles) dragging the whole thing down.

Continuing a running theme among the entries on this list, the film lost money - Scott's third box-office disappointment in a row - while also damaging Moore's star power significantly. Needless to say, all eyes were on the director's next move, to see if he could pull himself out of the rut he'd found himself in with his last few efforts.

A comeback was needed, and boy, did Scott deliver. Three years after G.I. Jane, the filmmaker made Gladiator, a five-time Oscar winner (including Best Picture) that performed exceptionally well at the box-office, going on to become the second-highest grossing film of 2000.

To this day, it's regarded as one of the director's best films, and with its awards recognition, financial success and critical praise, it was the polar opposite of G.I. Jane in every conceivable way.