Box office flops that won an Oscar?
06-17-11 | 07:55 PM
#4
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Box office flops that won an Oscar?
The Wiz was a commercial flop, won 2 oscars.
Although nevert meant for a big box office, Ed Wood made less than a third of it's budget back.
Although nevert meant for a big box office, Ed Wood made less than a third of it's budget back.
Last edited by Rockmjd23; 06-17-11 at 08:02 PM.
06-17-11 | 08:29 PM
#7
DVD Talk God
06-17-11 | 09:57 PM
#8
Re: Box office flops that won an Oscar?
If you're counting any Oscar (not just Best Picture), there are a number of flops that have won them. 1963's "Cleopatra" is considered one of the biggest box office flops of all-time (over many years it eventually made back its money, but in the short run nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox), but it still won 4 Oscars.
Last edited by brainee; 06-17-11 at 10:29 PM.
06-17-11 | 10:01 PM
#9
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Box office flops that won an Oscar?
Actually, there aren't many examples when it comes to the visual effects award, which tends to go to something with a high profile that did pretty well or better at the box office.
One exception would be What Dreams May Come, which grossed $55 million (US) against an $85 million budget.
One exception would be What Dreams May Come, which grossed $55 million (US) against an $85 million budget.
06-17-11 | 10:09 PM
#10
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Box office flops that won an Oscar?
It made 70M in the U.S. Yes, much lower than expected, but it made 302M in the rest of the world. With a total of 372M . And it made 41.8M in DVD sales just in the U.S. alone. I can't find any rental numbers. Is that really a flop?
Last edited by Daytripper; 06-18-11 at 12:30 PM.
06-18-11 | 12:33 AM
#11
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Box office flops that won an Oscar?
If you're counting any Oscar (not just Best Picture), there are a number of flops that have won them. 1963's "Cleopatra" is considered one of the biggest box office flops of all-time (over many years it eventually made back its money, but in the short run nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox), but it still won 4 Oscars.
06-18-11 | 12:46 AM
#12
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Box office flops that won an Oscar?
Just to get it out of the way, top 10 lowest grossing Best Picture winners:
A lot of documentaries and foreign films also fall under 'flop' by the traditional sense, even those that technically made money.
Spoiler:
A lot of documentaries and foreign films also fall under 'flop' by the traditional sense, even those that technically made money.
06-18-11 | 04:35 AM
#14
Re: Box office flops that won an Oscar?
I don't consider Cleopatra to be a flop in the general sense of that term. It was the #1 highest grossing movie of 1963....but because they spend a ridiculous amount of money on it, many people think that it flopped at the Box Office. There just wasn't any way that it could make back it's cost in one year.
Wow, The Hurt Locker really stands out on that Best Picture list. Usually Best Picture winners get a big bump when nomination season starts. If I remember correctly, Hurt Locker is kind of unusual in that it was already on DVD and PPV before nominations were even announced. Taking that into account, it's not quite the flop it appears. An Iraq war movie with little star power and a limited release doesn't have much of a chance to make money at first. I'm reading that home video sales within a couple of months of the Oscars was over $30 million. So you can look at those figures subbing for the box office Oscar bump that most winners get.
06-18-11 | 05:01 AM
#15
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Box office flops that won an Oscar?
Hmmm, The Atlantic had a different list of lowest-grossing BP winners, which may be more accurate because it includes much older films. Adjusted for inflation, of course:
10. The Great Ziegfield (1936) — $95 million
9. The Last Emperor (1987) — $89 million
8. It Happened One Night (1934) — $86 million
7. No Country for Old Men (2008) — $74 million
6. Marty (1955) — $70 million
5. Crash (2005) — $67 million
4. An American in Paris (1951) — $67 million
3. Hamlet (1948) — $61 million
2. All the King’s Men (1969) — $60 million.
1. The Hurt Locker (2009) — $15.5 million.
10. The Great Ziegfield (1936) — $95 million
9. The Last Emperor (1987) — $89 million
8. It Happened One Night (1934) — $86 million
7. No Country for Old Men (2008) — $74 million
6. Marty (1955) — $70 million
5. Crash (2005) — $67 million
4. An American in Paris (1951) — $67 million
3. Hamlet (1948) — $61 million
2. All the King’s Men (1969) — $60 million.
1. The Hurt Locker (2009) — $15.5 million.
06-18-11 | 06:08 AM
#16
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Box office flops that won an Oscar?
As I said, I don't consider it a flop in the general sense of the term as we use it today....I look at it as a studio's production nightmare. There was no way that film was going to make back it's cost in one year. Just labeling it a flop and then moving on groups it with movies like Meet Dave, Ishtar, Pluto Nash and Town and Country in people's minds....movies that people avoided like the plague, the exact opposite of Cleopatra's case.
06-18-11 | 10:04 AM
#17
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Box office flops that won an Oscar?
That's because, for some reason, people equate PROFITABILITY with POPULARITY. If a film is a "hit", to me that means that lots and lots of people went to see it (at the going market rate, not using some cheap sales trick like Lady Gaga selling her new album for 99 cents to get the numbers up). A "bomb" to me doesn't have anything to do with how much money it made (though they usually go hand-in-hand), but with how many people went to see it.
So if something like Cleopatra, or more recently Superman Returns, has a huge production budget for one reason or another, and still brings out more moviegoers than a typical "hit", but because of its budget it's considered a failure? Meanwhile some little film that cost $250K to make and grosses $10 million is considered A HUGE HIT!!! Seriously? So if 20 million people go to see something it's less of a success than if 1 million people do? That's nonsense.
Unless you own a share of the film, I don't think profitability should matter when defining its success.
So if something like Cleopatra, or more recently Superman Returns, has a huge production budget for one reason or another, and still brings out more moviegoers than a typical "hit", but because of its budget it's considered a failure? Meanwhile some little film that cost $250K to make and grosses $10 million is considered A HUGE HIT!!! Seriously? So if 20 million people go to see something it's less of a success than if 1 million people do? That's nonsense.
Unless you own a share of the film, I don't think profitability should matter when defining its success.
06-18-11 | 11:06 AM
#18
DVD Talk Legend
06-18-11 | 01:56 PM
#19
Re: Box office flops that won an Oscar?
Last edited by brainee; 06-18-11 at 02:54 PM.
06-18-11 | 02:25 PM
#20
Re: Box office flops that won an Oscar?
Going to older movies, there are some surprise "flops" - movies whose reputations and popularity have greatly changed in the decades following their release. "Citizen Kane" lost money - and it wasn't a mega-budgeted, but still popular, type of flop like "Cleopatra". Which kind of makes sense. I can't imagine a typical moviegoer of the time "getting" what that movie's about (hell, typical moviegoers of today couldn't either). And there were the extenuating circumstances of Randolph Hearst putting the squeeze on to financially cripple the film (and it kind of worked, since a number of theaters wouldn't play it for that reason).
"It's a Wonderful Life" falls short for this thread by not winning an Oscar - though it was nominated for some major ones (including Picture, Director, and Actor). At the time, it was so unpopular that director Frank Capra's reign as America's most popular filmmaker was deemed over. And the studio famously let it fall into public domain - where it got played ad nauseum on tv, eventually gaining a following.
"It's a Wonderful Life" falls short for this thread by not winning an Oscar - though it was nominated for some major ones (including Picture, Director, and Actor). At the time, it was so unpopular that director Frank Capra's reign as America's most popular filmmaker was deemed over. And the studio famously let it fall into public domain - where it got played ad nauseum on tv, eventually gaining a following.
Last edited by brainee; 06-18-11 at 02:55 PM.
06-18-11 | 03:19 PM
#21
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Box office flops that won an Oscar?
Actually, there aren't many examples when it comes to the visual effects award, which tends to go to something with a high profile that did pretty well or better at the box office.
One exception would be What Dreams May Come, which grossed $55 million (US) against an $85 million budget.
One exception would be What Dreams May Come, which grossed $55 million (US) against an $85 million budget.
06-18-11 | 03:56 PM
#22
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Box office flops that won an Oscar?
Poltergeist II still made over $40m (unadjusted) on a $19m budget, thats reasonable at least.
06-18-11 | 04:03 PM
#23
Re: Box office flops that won an Oscar?
I wasn't. A movie about the Iraq war, released in late June 2009, on a max of 500+ theaters. None of that would help a film's box office.
It's widest release occurred in late July/early August. The film also lacked star power, which is usually needed to get the sheep to show up at the theater.
It's widest release occurred in late July/early August. The film also lacked star power, which is usually needed to get the sheep to show up at the theater.
06-18-11 | 04:06 PM
#24
Re: Box office flops that won an Oscar?
The Wolfman won for Best Makeup and barely made $60 mil in the US. The budget is listed at $150 mil, but I bet it's much higher than that given the very troubled production.
Zodiac is another one that under performed and didn't win any Oscars. Oh wait, that's right, it wasn't even fucking nominated for anything.
Zodiac is another one that under performed and didn't win any Oscars. Oh wait, that's right, it wasn't even fucking nominated for anything.
06-18-11 | 04:11 PM
#25
Re: Box office flops that won an Oscar?
1967's "Doctor Dolittle" was a Best SFX winner (along with a couple of other Oscars) that was a flop by just about anyone's standards.
Just browsing through Oscar lists, Best Costume seems to be an award vulnerable to flops winning. Just in recent years, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" ($55M budget vs $16M US gross) and "Marie Antoinette" ($40M budget vs $16M US gross) are examples.
Just browsing through Oscar lists, Best Costume seems to be an award vulnerable to flops winning. Just in recent years, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" ($55M budget vs $16M US gross) and "Marie Antoinette" ($40M budget vs $16M US gross) are examples.