10 More Awesome Movies That Didn't Deserve To Bomb

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World was one of the most-hyped films of 2003, being touted as a major awards contender, and indeed it went on to receive 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.

But even with Russell Crowe's post-Gladiator star power, the $150 million naval war drama grossed an underwhelming $211.6 million worldwide. 

Despite the wide acclaim for the film's performances and astonishing technical execution, Master and Commander got lost amid a sea of competition both direct and indirect.

Weeks either side of its release, it went up against an absolute slew of buzzy films, including The Matrix Revolutions, Elf, Love Actually, Bad Santa, The Haunted Mansion, The Last Samurai, and of course, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

The film's less action-packed nature than the marketing implied may have also harmed its word-of-mouth appeal, and the Patrick O'Brian novel series on which the film is based is a relatively niche property.

In the very least, Master and Commander's reputation has endured over the last two-plus decades, and it's likely been a consistently solid performer on home video, especially with its amazing 5.1 surround sound mix.