‘War of the Worlds’ disaster: 6 other times big names couldn’t save big movies

The latest adaptation of H.G. Wells’ seminal novel about alien invasion on Earth, War of the Worlds was dusted off once again and released on big screens, courtesy of director Rich Lee.

Starring Ice Cube, Eva Longoria, Devon Bostick, and many others, the film was packed to the brim with familiar thrills, twists, and also however, a whole new concept — modern technology.

The film transpires entirely on computer screens and security footage, a contemporary take on the omniscient level of surveillance deployed through current tech.

However, it was this touch that proved to be a fatal one; as the movie sank below rescue level, partly due to the audaciously unconventional approach of incorporating what is a classic story in the audience’s mind with a concept that invokes a feeling of great disappointment in the real world.

It must be wondered whether submerging the film going crowds into a plot based on modern technology — largely derided bits of invention — was eventually too much to ask of them; granted, audiences don’t need the reminders of a surveillance state following them inside a movie theatre.

Alana Yzola of WIRED wrote in her critical analysis that the movie is “also Shameless Tech Propaganda.” 

“By making Big Tech the hero in a movie about government surveillance, the dismally rated remake feels more like an ad for Amazon than anything else,” the review continued.

Despite its colossal failure, with the big names and budget attached to the project, War of the Worlds wasn’t exactly set up for failure; indeed, it’s possible that the studio behind it — Universal Pictures — would have expected a huge financial breakthrough.

However, while the film may have survived with abysmal critical reviews, it absolutely could not thrive on the rejected box office ratings.

Though this isn’t the first (or perhaps, even last) time that a miscalculation of such proportions slipped through the fingers of a highly experienced team around it.

Here is a roundup of other six major box office blunders:

Ishtar (1987)

Director: Elaine May

With the attachment of a considerable directing talent and top stars of the day, Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman, leading the picture, Ishtar was poised for brighter horizons.

However, against all odds, the movie failed to break anything at the box office, let alone even, and a loss of $126 million later, it was filmmaker Elaine May whose death knell was sounded in the industry.

“If all of the people who hate ‘Ishtar‘ had seen it, I would be a rich woman today,” she once famously spoke of the disastrous reception to her movie.

Heaven’s Gate (1980)

Director: Michael Cimino

Remembered as a “notorious flop”, Heaven’s Gate was supposed to be Michael Cimino’s next big thing after the groundbreaking The Deer Hunter, released in 1978.

Featuring an ensemble cast of Jeff Bridges, Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, Isabelle Huppert, Willem Dafoe, John Hurt, among many others, Heaven’s Gate had a lot riding on it in terms of prestige and budget.

However, the film’s release effectively ended any expectations, when the financially overbloated film, coupled with what BBC’s Nicholas Barber described as its director’s “painstaking methods”, sank tremendously low at the box office.

While the film proved to be a turning point in the film culture’s auteur conversation — and eventually, a bad omen for such filmmakers — much like Ishtar, Heaven’s Gate has seen its legacy revived in subsequent years, even ranking at number 98 on BBC Culture’s poll of the 100 greatest American films.

The Lone Ranger (2013)

Director: Gore Verbinski

Starring the likes of Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, Helena Bonham Carter, and more, The Lone Ranger had the makings of a typical action adventure with the budgetary blessings of Disney behind it.

Though when it was released, it soon became clear that the people who made the film severely overestimated the audience’s love for Westerns at the time and fatally underestimated the effects of horribly offensive casting.

Cast as Tonto, a Native American character, Depp’s performance in the role was considered not only culturally offensive but also racist and gimmicky, actively tanking his star power which has only waned a lot more ever since.

Panned by critics, the film’s legacy was immediately buried, never to see the light of the day again, while it only made a measly $48.9 million at the box office over a course of five days, against its monumental budget of around $225-250 million.

Cutthroat Island (1995)

Director: Renny Harlin

Starring one of the biggest star prospects from the ‘90s, Geena Davis, and heralded by a huge budget of more than $115 million, Cutthroat Island was expected to be another classic offering in the pirate adventure cinematic canon.

However, the buzz around the movie soon subsided to give way to a humongous box office flop, which couldn’t even be saved by either its recently Oscar minted star in Davis or the interest surrounding her then new marriage to the film’s director.

Raking in just $16 million, the film actually proved to be a disaster on the strongest fronts of Geena Davis’ life — her reputation as a leading lady tanked and her marriage hit the rocks — while the movie’s leading man, Matthew Modine, also suffered a blow to his well established territory as one of Hollywood’s hottest stars.

Cats (2019)

Director: Tom Hooper

As the filmmaker behind the critically and commercially successful adaptation of Les Miserables in 2012, Tom Hooper’s Cats yielded high hopes from critics and audiences alike.

However, the movie starring Judi Dench, Taylor Swift, Idris Elba, Ian McKellen, and other heavyweights, was soon discovered to be a farce-ridden production of a beloved musical.

With bad CGI and performances the theatre crowds were absolutely unable to connect with, the movie became the laughing stock of the internet instead of the awards season vehicle it was postured as.

Costing Universal Pictures $93.5 million, without accounting for the marketing and distribution fees, Cats is remembered as little more than for the countless memes it spawned.

Cleopatra (1963)

Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz

The mother of all box office bombs — the film which gave birth to the phenomenon itself — Cleopatra is the biggest elephant in the room so far.

Starring Elizabeth Taylor as the titular Egyptian queen, supported by a stellar cast which included her famous husband Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Roddy McDowall, Martin Landau, among others, the movie infamously almost bankrupted its studio.

Coming up at nearly four hours worth of screentime and severely over budget owing to its star fees, grand set pieces, and other costs, 20th Century Fox nearly sank under its weight.

Cleopatra’s final budget of $44 million is calculated to amount more than $400 million today, while Elizabeth Taylor’s seminal fees of $1 million — the most for a leading lady of her time — and her behind the scenes romance with her onscreen love interest and future husband, Richard Burton, eventually caused more scandal and a bigger buzz than the movie could account for.