10 Infamous Sci-Fi Movie Disasters That Cost Obscene Money
3. John Carter
As mentioned previously, Disney and Mars don't seem to go hand-in-hand, but John Carter is a much better movie than its reputation would suggest. Obviously, that reputation is as one of the biggest box office bombs in history which it most definitely is, but there's still a lot to love about Andrew Stanton's sci-fi epic.
Some of the acting might fall a little flat, but the visual effects are largely on point, and the sheer amount of world-building that takes place in the space of one movie is undoubtedly impressive. However, a muddled marketing campaign that made it look like every other sci-fi blockbuster and the studio-mandated generic title didn't exactly increase John Carter's chances of success, and Disney willingly let the rights go less than three years later.
$284m at the box office is not an ideal return for a movie that cost a reported $350m once the marketing budget was factored in, with the studio losing up to $200m on the project in the process. Unsurprisingly, it didn't take the higher-ups very long to veto any plans for further adventures on Barsoom.