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 $58 million worldwide on a $63 million budget, far short of the twice-its-budget number needed to break even. 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 just under $55 million worldwide as of this writing, the film's budget sits at $60 million. It would need to make another $70 million worldwide at least just 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 $17 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 10% 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. 

"Silent Hill" has been uncommonly lucky when it comes to the success of its big screen adaptations. 2006's "Silent Hill" and 2012's "Silent Hill: Revelations" both made back their budgets, and it seems as if "Return to Silent Hill" looks like it might have done the same. The feature has pulled in over $48 million worldwide on a $23 million budget. As of this article's publication, it's likely that it's recouping its humble margin, but only barely.

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 the fans might have to wait another 10 years for a fourth walk into the mists.

While it provided an inventive, music-laden look into the messy life of a singing superstar, "Mother Mary" didn't do any favors for the career of the red-hot Anne Hathaway. Coming just before the release of "The Devil Wears Prada 2," "Mother Mary" landed with a comparative whimper; it only made just under $3 million on a reported $20 million budget. Perhaps audiences weren't ready to embrace the film's high-concept combination of thriller, musical, and romantic drama, or perhaps A24's promotional machine was focused elsewhere; in any event the film did have its defenders when it debuted, holding a 70% critical approval score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The movie centers around the titular Mother Mary (Hathaway), a Lady Gaga-style pop star who seems to have it all. But in the wake of an onstage accident she feels quite literally haunted. She seeks the support of the creator of her many exotic costumes — and, it's hinted, ex-lover — Sam Anselm (Michaela Coel), who reluctantly agrees to design a dress for Mary's comeback concert; but first they find that they have to hash out the tension between them and heal the wounds that caused their relationship to rupture in the first place.

The notion of turning the deadly serious George Orwell novel "Animal Farm" into a kid-friendly treatise on the horrors of communism feels like the stuff Robot Chicken sketches are made of. But director Andy Serkis really did risk his reputation on such a passion project, managing to accrue a $35 million budget to bring the film to life. Well, "Animal Farm" is alive all right — and like Frankenstein's Monster, it was rejected by an appalled public, grossing just over $5 million worldwide. Critics were equally unkind, with the film sitting at a 28% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The film's plot heavily rearranges what Orwell set in stone; the created-for-the-movie villain here is Frieda Pilkington (voice of Glenn Close), who repossesses Manor Farm not due to Farmer Jones' (Andy Serkis) alcoholism, but his failure to stay ahead of his mortgage payments. As in the novella, the animals stage a revolt and take over the property, renaming it "Animal Farm." A conflict soon erupts between Napoleon (Seth Rogen), a pig who helped lead the original revolt, and Snowball (Laverne Cox), who eventually turns against Napoleon and teams with Frieda to reclaim the farm for pigs and humans alike — and only pigs and humans. 

Hoping to get an untold story out into the world, the spirit of Mary Shelley possesses the body of Ida (Jessie Buckley), who knows sensitive information about a mob boss and blurts it out when Mary takes hold of her body. Unfortunately, Ida quickly tumbles to her death. Enter Frank (Christian Bale), the real, living Frankenstein's monster, who wants a bride to assuage his loneliness and turns to Dr. Cornelia Euphronius (Annette Bening) for help. They steal the body of Ida and bring her back to life. Frank takes advantage of Ida's missing memory by insisting she's his long-lost wife. Though romance soon sets in, Frank and Ida find themselves on the run and in deep trouble.

"Frankenstein" might seem like a timeless property that could weather any sort of adaptation, but "The Bride!" proved that not everything that shambles back from the dead is golden. Though director Maggie Gyllenhaal's interpretation of Mary Shelley's tale — which mixes reincarnation, bootlegging and movie-mad aesthetics — is definitely different, its box office total marks it as an also-ran. On a $90 million budget, the delayed film only posted just over $13 million worldwide. Critics also weren't wowed; it ended up with a 57% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes.

It may be the most expensive film ever produced by Saudi Arabia at $150 million, but it looks like "Desert Warrior" is going to go down in history as a major international flop. Though producers hoped the film would continue to stimulate the growth of the Saudi Arabian film economy, which had been in a booming state when the international production was mounted, the film's release was delayed by creative issues, and it ultimately arrived on the festival circuit in late 2025. But once it hit wide release in late April of 2026, it only made just over $700,000 worldwide. The film also crashed with critics, earning a mere 23% on the Tomatometer.

The film takes place in seventh century Arabia, as Princess Hind (Aiysha Hart) seeks to escape the lecherous ways of Emperor Kisra (Ben Kingsley), who wants her for his concubine. Hind decides to enlist the help of a bandit named Hanzala (Anthony Mackie) and raise an army of her own, leading to the Battle of Ze Qar — a real-life event with far more impact than it seems this movie will have.

"Crime 101" centers on jewel thief Mike (Chris Hemsworth), a master at engineering clean getaways who's shocked when he's grazed by a bullet during one of his carefully planned robberies. He tries to walk away from the heist game, only to have a job gone wrong be blamed on him. LAPD detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo) works to track down both Mike and the other culprit, a psychotic biker named Ormon (Barry Keoghan), while Mike zeroes in on an insurance broker (Halle Berry) who holds the key to what he hopes is his final job.

"Crime 101" boasted a star-packed cast, with Ruffalo and Hemsworth reuniting for the first time outside of a Marvel Cinematic Universe film. But the twosome could not guarantee the movie a big opening; it only made just under $73 million on an estimated $90 million budget. It was, however a huge critical hit and rests at 88% on the Tomatometer. While critics might have loved the noir-flavored mystery, it looks like audiences will have to discover it outside of the box office.

The same summer that watched the $750,000 budget horror film "Obsession" take off like a rocket at the box office also produced a colossal money-loser in the form of "Masters of the Universe." While young audiences flocked to low budget non-sequels, this Travis Knight directorial effort spent $170 million to adapt a bunch of Mattel toys from the 80s into live-action. Dolph Lundgren even briefly showed up to cameo and deliver his "good journey" catchphrase from the original Cannon Films "Masters of the Universe" adaptation. To say this film had minimal appeal to anyone under 45 was the biggest understatement of the year.

At the worldwide box office, "Masters of the Universe" grossed only $113.77 million, $64.8 million of which came from North American moviegoers. Among 2026 movies, "Masters of the Universe" made less than "The Sheep Detectives" and "Wuthering Heights" domestically, while it then came in behind "The Drama" at the worldwide box office. The reason for this one failing was simple: nobody cares about He-Man anymore. While Mattel's 2023 movie "Barbie" was based off a character that people still play with, it's been eons since He-Man had any cultural cache.

"Masters of the Universe" also cost too darn much, with a budget that was on par with "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" rather than a non-sequel reboot. In a summer moviegoing season where scrappy indies exceed expectations, "Masters of the Universe" was a meek flop. Not even a pep talk from the Sorceress could save it.

U.S. distributor A24 and all other "Death of Robin Hood" financers/global distributors had to know this Michael Sarnoski directorial effort was going to have limited box office appeal once they saw how the feature opened with Hugh Jackman's Robin Hood plunging an arrow into the neck of a youngster seeking to avenge their father. That brutal kick-off preceded a dour motion picture that had no interest in placating mainstream audience sensibilities. This approach had mixed results artistically, but Sarnoski was admirably stalwart in committing to his vision of Robin Hood.

Unfortunately, he was far from the first filmmaker to imagine a movie where the legendary outlaw was actually a brutal and violent individual navigating a grim world. In fact, that's become the de facto 21st century approach to Robin Hood on film. Titles like 2010's "Robin Hood" already obliterated any sense of distinctiveness "The Death of Robin Hood" could have had. Inevitably, this meant audiences just shrugged at this particular project when it hit theaters in mid-June. Though A24 had multiple summer 2026 hits with "Backrooms" and "The Invite," "The Death of Robin Hood" was a bummer for the studio with a dismal $5.3 million domestic cume.

Considering this project cost $20 million to make and has only grossed $6.07 million worldwide, there's no escaping that "The Death of Robin Hood" was a major box office misfire. Given how immediately grueling this production was, nobody involved in releasing it could've been surprised that audiences gave "Robin Hood" the cold shoulder.

After "Superman" kicked off the DC Universe with a box office bang in July 2025, all eyes turned to the franchise's second film, "Supergirl," to see if the DC Universe had some long term box office pull. With a prime pre-4th of July weekend launchpad and a plot that technically extended off of a final "Superman" scene, "Supergirl" seemed like it had all the ingredients in place to excel. Unfortunately for the film's financiers, "Supergirl" didn't open in 2017 or 2018, when superhero movies were basically bulletproof at the box office. It instead launched in an era where even the Marvel Cinematic Universe has produced multiple box office failures.

Still, nobody could've imagined just how poorly "Supergirl" would do. With only $72.11 million domestically, the feature made 2023's "The Flash" look like a hefty moneymaker. A dismal $53.8 million overseas haul brought the global "Supergirl" total to just $125.91 million. Considering this Craig Gillespie directorial effort carried a $170 million price tag, "Supergirl" didn't come close to turning a profit theatrically. Early estimates for how much "Supergirl" will eventually lose have gone as high as $125 million. 

Unfortunately, "Supergirl" was plagued by poor audience word-of-mouth as well as a strange marketing campaign more enamored with plastering Jason Momoa's Lobo everywhere rather than telling audiences why they should be compelled by Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock). Save for "The Odyssey" and "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," summer 2026 hasn't been kind to costly tentpoles. That reality capsized "Supergirl."

In hindsight, everything about the live-action "Moana" remake is bamboozling. For starters, why on Earth did Disney green-light this before the original "Moana" had turned a decade old? Nostalgia hadn't even set in yet. What was going on with Dwayne Johnson's uncanny appearance in this film? Why was Thomas Kail hired in his first ever feature film directorial gig, rather than a more experienced helmer who could have at least lent this "Moana" a distinctive personality compared to the original? Why was everything on-screen in "Moana" so drained of color?

This plethora of puzzling predicaments inevitably meant audiences were more likely to mock "Moana" than declare it a must-see July 2026 feature. While past live-action remakes of Disney cartoons (like "Beauty and the Beast") lucratively outpaced criticisms of ugly character designs, "Moana" was not such a title. Instead, this $250 million budgeted feature has, to date, only grossed $264.67 million worldwide, with $118 million of that coming from North American audiences. The live-action "Moana" ended up making less than half of the domestic cume of 2016's "Moana" even before taking inflation into account. It was also way below other live-action Disney remake domestic hits, like "The Little Mermaid" and "Aladdin."

Considering its excessively recent source material and all of its off-putting visual choices, it shouldn't be a surprise that "Moana" could become one of the biggest money-losers of 2026. After all, these box office figures were the furthest thing imaginable from being "shiny."

The saga of "Motor City" technically dates back to 2011, when Chris Evans was looking at the project as one of his first post-"Captain America: The First Avenger" lead roles. From there, "Motor City" bounced around Hollywood, struggling to find the momentum or a creative team that could bring it to fruition. It wouldn't be until the 2020s, when Alan Ritchson signed on to anchor this largely silent revenge action film, that it finally materialized. A barrage of stops and starts eventually led to "Motor City" amassing a $30 million budget, a price that would have been challenging to recoup under the best of circumstances.

To say "Motor City" didn't meet those circumstances is a comically gross understatement. Despite distributor Independent Film Company pushing it into 1,600 theaters in the middle of July 2026, "Motor City" only opened to $1.69 million domestically and fizzled out with a $2.83 million worldwide cume. A lot went wrong here, including the fact that, thanks to his work anchoring "Reacher" and "War Machine," Ritchson's probably seen as a streaming star to most people rather than a theatrical movie attraction. However, spending so much on an R-rated action film with such an offbeat central concept (specifically that it's a largely silent film) was always a bizarre maneuver.

"Motor City" would have had to perform like the second "John Wick" movie to be profitable, far too high a bar for any original action film to reach. No wonder it became a major summer 2026 bomb.