The Biggest Box Office Bombs Of 2026 (So Far)

In every year, a little rain must fall — and these films are evidence that when it rains, it pours. They entered the public arena hoping to make a mint, but instead they hit the dirt. Each one has become a box office casualty in 2026.

So many things can factor into a movie's failure — whether it's inclement weather keeping people from theaters, terrible reviews ruining that crucial opening weekend haul, or an uninspiring marketing campaign. Sometimes audiences would just prefer to wait for motion pictures to show up on streaming. Even bad word of mouth can sink a film before it's released. 

No matter the issue, these productions just plain didn't have what it took to make it to the top of the pile, sinking under the weight of their own bad luck. Here are all of the big screen flicks that have bombed at the box office so far in 2026.

Perhaps it was released too close to "28 Years Later," which came out in the summer of 2025. Perhaps it was because the "28 Days Later" series has always been more of a cult property than a key-turning franchise player. In any event "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" undeniably bombed at the box office, making just over $35 million worldwide (as of this writing) on a $63 million budget. During the week of February 1, Sony Pictures began pulling the film from theaters, signaling that it has decided to close up shop on the movie's big screen run.

"Bone Temple" did well critically and has audience support, standing at an 88% viewer approval score on Rotten Tomatoes. But director Nia DaCosta hasn't had a big hit since 2021's "Candyman," and the film's largest stars are Ralph Fiennes and an uncredited Cillian Murphy, finally reprising his role as Jim from "28 Days Later." 

Maybe it was bad luck, maybe it was destiny — or maybe fans are just waiting to see Jim's story, which might play out in the next flick in the franchise. In any event, the failure of "Bone Temple" leaves the fate of the whole "28 Days" universe up in the air. That could be ironic for those holding out for Murphy.

Chris Pratt's latest science fiction epic had audiences begging for "Mercy" — which bombed, crashed and burned at the box office even though it knocked "Avatar: Fire and Ash" off the top of the American box office during its debut. Making over $41 million worldwide as of this writing, the film's budget sits at $60 million. Three weeks into its release, it would need to make another $20 million worldwide to break even. 

The problems "Mercy" faced were multifold. The film raked in a pitiful 24% critical approval score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it came out the same weekend a blizzard hit the East Coast and closed hundreds of movie palaces. 

On top of that, Chris Pratt has never really been able to open a non-franchise movie on the power of his name alone; while his MCU, Lego universe, "Jurassic World," "Super Mario" and "Garfield" films have been hits, "The Electric State" and "Passengers" didn't exactly set the world on fire. It's quite possible that sci-fi fans weren't in the mood for a somber futuristic action piece about AI. All that snow didn't help. 

The "Melania" documentary was destined to be a qualified success at best. A film that focuses on First Lady Melania Trump in the run-up to President Donald Trump's second inauguration, it cost $75 million to make and has pulled in under $10 million to date. Amazon Studios seems unlikely to recoup its investment, even though the movie landed in third place at the domestic box office the weekend of its release.

The flick received a dire critical response, and it sits at a 7% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes. But audience feedback was conversely glowing, and it's certified Hot on the viewer side of the Tomatometer. That underlines how difficult it is to sell a political documentary in this day and age; while some people will love it, if they don't spend money on tickets, it will sink into the cultural mire. Eventually, the outing will end up on streaming, where Amazon will house it and likely recoup at least some of what it spent to get it out the door. 

The most incredible thing about the failure of "Greenland 2: Migration" is that many moviegoers probably didn't know about the existence of the first disaster movie in the series, "Greenland." But the original flick persevered as a pandemic-era VOD hit, leading to the theatrical release of its progeny. Word of mouth must not have been strong enough; audiences resisted the Gerard Butler-led sequel, which made a scant $25 million worldwide against a $90 million budget. 

The film also flopped with critics; 51% of the 89 Rotten Tomatoes accredited pundits who saw the motion picture liked it. Post-apocalyptic fare has done decently at the box office before this; outings as varied as the "A Quiet Place" series and "Mad Max: Fury Road" have generated moolah for the genre, so there's no reason why "Greenland 2" couldn't have done the same. Leads Gerard Butler — the king of so-bad-they're-good-action flicks — and Morena Baccarin aren't the kind of stars who conjure up box office gold these days, which may be a bigger factor in the feature's failure.

"Silent Hill" has been uncommonly lucky when it comes to the success of its big screen adaptations. But while 2006's "Silent Hill" and 2012's "Silent Hill: Revelations" both made back their budgets, "Return to Silent Hill" looks like it might be the series' first flat-out flop. The feature has pulled in over $12 million worldwide on a $23 million budget. As of this article's publication, it's likely that it's not going to recoup its humble margin.

The movie fizzled with both critics and fans of the game; it has a 17% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes and the audience score is 29%. This is in spite of its fairly faithful rendering of the plot of "Silent Hill 2." Perhaps the movie was too loyal to those plot strictures and became incomprehensible to newbies dipping their toes into the franchise for the first time. In any event, it looks like there fans might have to wait another 10 years for a fourth walk into the mists.

There are only three certainties in life: death, taxes, and a Jason Statham movie ruling the midwinter box office. The king of the post-Christmas cineplex, Statham has become a comforting presence in the top 10 every year; give him a cockamamie action plot and a wide-open January weekend, and he can usually break the bank. But what gelled for "The Beekeeper" and "A Working Man" didn't quite come together for "Shelter," which has only made $14 million worldwide on a $50 million budget as of this writing.

Its familiar plot might have been a factor. Teaming up a tough guy and a little girl has meant easy cash for decades, but with strong competition coming from "Send Help," audiences might have been looking for more unusual fare. 

Yet there may be some hope left for "Shelter"; critics responded positively to it, giving the flick a 63% positive approval score on Rotten Tomatoes. Judging from the film's popularity with Statham fans on the Tomatometer and IMDb, it's possible that word of mouth might end up moving tickets before the film ends its box office run. But don't bet on it.

"Dead Man's Wire" has an astounding pedigree. Helmed by Gus Van Sant, the cast includes Bill Skarsgård, Al Pacino, Colman Domingo and Cary Elwes. But though it had a microbudget of $15 million, it has only made back over $2 million worldwide so far. That's a huge disappointment, considering how much talent the film boasts and how many critics loved it. The movie has been certified fresh by pundits and sits at 91% on the Tomatometer.

The true-life tale is a period piece that could have been hampered by a small marketing budget and lack of experience at the top; this is, in fact, the very first film that Row K Entertainment has ever released, though it has several more movies coming over the course of 2026. "Dead Man's Wire" might become a hidden gem that finds its way into the hearts of thriller lovers over time, but it looks like it won't be breaking financial records any time soon.