10 Movies With INSANE Budgets (That Didn't Pay Off)
4. 47 Ronin
47 Ronin was a 2013 3D period fantasy film starring Keanu Reeves that looked like it might be something quite epic when the trailers began rolling in. Unfortunately, the film, which was based on a fictionalized version of the real-life story of the forty-seven rōnin from 18th century Japan failed to hit its mark.
The movie had a huge budget, which focused a lot of attention on effects it probably could have done without. The total budget for the movie was $175 million with most of that going into post-production effects work. When it was greenlit, it was considered risky, and Universal Studios paid big for their gamble.
The movie managed to earn $151 million at the worldwide box office. When adjusted for inflation, that amounts to a total loss of $152 million for the studio. That amount of money was significant, and it had an impact on Universal Studios' bottom line for 2013.
The critical response didn't help bring in viewers while the film was in theaters thanks to widespread negative feedback. 47 Ronin holds a rating of 15% on Rotten Tomatoes with most of feedback indicating the movie is dull, lacks momentum, and was released at a bad time (Christmas when the market was oversaturated). Despite the poor showing, the movie did receive award nominations for production and costume design.