10 Films That Risk Being 2014's Biggest Box Office Failures

3. Noah

After dropping out of The Wolverine, Darren Aronofsky finally gets his shot at big-budget filmmaking with this $160m Biblical-inspired epic. Not only the most expensive movie the director has ever made, but also the most ambitious. However, it remains to be seen how Aronofsky's unique vision translates into box office receipts. Prior to Noah, Aronofsky's most expensive production came in at $35m. That was The Fountain, which received incredibly mixed reactions and early reviews point to Noah being just as divisive, which isn't an encouraging sign as The Fountain failed to recoup even half of its budget at the box office. Behind-the-scenes rumors also indicate that the director was furious with Paramount testing an alternative cut of the movie to audiences, though it has since been announced that it is Aronofsky's version that will land in theaters. Although the story of Noah equates to only three chapters of the Bible, the power of the religious audience is not to be underestimated. This is the same demographic that saw Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ gross over $600m, and recently the studio attached a ludicrous disclaimer to the movie's advertising that emphasizes the artistic license taken with the story in order to avoid controversy. A huge risk for both studio and director, Noah probably needs to earn at least $300m just to break even and the liberties taken with the tale could both alienate religious audiences and prove too outlandish for casual moviegoers.