9 Movies That Bombed Twice
7. Hellboy (2004 & 2019)
Before the era of the MCU, a comic book adaption film was a rare thing, and the most unexpected of heroes took huge risks if they wanted to step up to the silver screen. Dark Horse Comics's Hellboy, played by Ron Perlman, was a fun but gritty action-packed romp that was a hard sell to a mass audience.
Hellboy did outgross its budget, grabbing a box office of $99m a $66m cost but there were extenuating circumstances that caused the film to make less money than it perhaps was expected to or could've done.
Because of the word "hell" in the title, some theatres were quite uncomfortable carrying the picture. Some outright refused to carry it, and some changed the title on the placard hilariously to "Helloboy". The film also mysteriously disappeared from some cinemas over Easter weekend as religious superstition took hold.
Still, Hellboy made enough money back to warrant a sequel which was far more successful. When it came time for a third, changes in director and lead actor turned the project into a reboot.
Much like the 2004 version, the 2019 interpretation of Hellboy just about made back its production budget albeit by an even lesser margin: $55m box office to its $50m cost.
Where the two films had a similar financial stories they differ in reception. The Hellboy reboot was despised by critics, the general audience and even director Nick Marshall who said "you can't polish a turd" about the finished product.