5 Movies That Set The Worst Kind Of Box Office Records

Box office records are a funny thing. Some of them, such as the biggest domestic opening weekend or the box office ceiling for video game movies, get shattered with fascinating frequency. Others, though, seem to belong forever to certain films. Just look at the five box office records that will probably never be broken: these accomplishments are connected to titles that, thanks to shifting viewing habits and changes in how movies are released, don't have to worry about their historic benchmarks vanishing anytime soon. 

Then there are the movies that broke the absolute worst kind of box office records. These projects are forever intertwined with box office achievements that redefined how badly films could perform. These records stand as testaments to financial boondoggles, as well as the worst case scenarios for theatrical releases. These five motion pictures, each inhabiting wildly different genres, still stand out, years after their respective releases, as especially potent cautionary tales for anyone planning to release a feature theatrically. 

Do not end up like these five movies. If the box office records of titles like "Sinners" and "Oppenheimer" reflect how many people will head to the big screen to see something special, these five movies capture the opposite scenario. Here are five instances of records getting shattered because movies went completely awry at the box office.

In 2021, Warner Bros. Pictures engaged in "Project Popcorn," an initiative in which every single one of the studio's titles that year was simultaneously released in theaters and on HBO Max. Everything from "Dune" to "Godzilla vs. Kong" to "In the Heights," among many others, got this bold treatment, which didn't pay off like it was supposed to. One of the many films affected by this release strategy was "Reminiscence," a near-future noir pastiche from writer-director Lisa Joy, starring Hugh Jackman as a deeply tormented man fixated on memories.

Hugh Jackman went from teaching P.E. to playing Wolverine, but even his drastic overnight success didn't mean that every single film he's anchored has become a box office sensation. On the contrary, Jackman's often had trouble headlining hits that aren't either "X-Men" films or musicals. "Reminiscence," however, still did far worse than even "Pan" or "The Fountain," opening to $1.95 million. That set a record for both the worst opening weekend in history and the first time in history a feature debuted to under $2.5 million while opening in 3,000+ theaters. 

Screening in 3,265 locations, "Reminiscence" couldn't even blame its troubles on just the simultaneous HBO Max launch. Poor reviews and a dreary marketing campaign ensured this wasn't a motion picture people were craving to see in 2021. 

As the studios have painfully discovered over and over again, a film can be incredibly frontloaded during its opening weekend and then collapse after that, like the 10 superhero movies with the biggest second weekend drops. The various "Twilight" sequels, for instance, made 50% of their opening weekend grosses from just their Friday hauls. "One Direction: This is Us," meanwhile, made 56.1% of its domestic bow from just its first day of business. The champion amongst frontloaded opening weekends, though, is easily the 2023 Telugu-language "Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire."

Released on December 22, 2023, "Salaar" grossed $3.84 million on its first day of release before collapsing 73% on its second day of domestic release, eventually making $5.61 million over its entire opening frame. This feature got hit hard by Christmas Eve (a day famous for diluting box office numbers as people focus on holiday celebrations instead of the big screen) landing on a Sunday. Among the other most frontloaded movies of all time, three other titles ("Anyone But You," "The Iron Claw," and "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom") also opened over that December 22-24, 2023 frame, a reflection of how much Christmas Eve takes the wind out of a movie's box office sails. 

But "Salaar" plummeted 88% in its second weekend, a sign that the film had dismal enough staying power to become the most frontloaded movie ever domestically.

In May 2004, "Shrek 2" became the first movie in history to open in 4,000+ domestic theaters. After this breakthrough, that kind of launch still initially remained rare — as late as 2010, only six movies opened in that many locations. That all changed by the mid-2010s, when studios, both big and small, began cramming their titles onto as many screens as possible. Mid-budget movies were out, big tentpoles were in, and to try and ensure they'd make those costly price tags back, studios began launching films regularly in more than 4,000 theaters to reach as many moviegoers as possible right away.

By 2016, 14 movies opened in 4,000+ theaters, while 2017 saw that number increase to a whopping 22 releases. Inevitably, some flops were going to emerge. That came to pass in August 2017 with "The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature," which opened to only $8.34 million, the worst opening weekend in history for a movie playing in 4,000+ locations. To boot, nearly a decade after its premiere, it remains the only movie to screen in that number of theaters and make under $10 million in its domestic debut.

That's an embarrassing record to hold, but at least it ensures the otherwise forgettable "The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature" made some kind of history in its theatrical release.

In late January 2020, nobody could know that the entire theatrical film world was about to change forever when, in just a few weeks' time, multiplexes closed down in response to COVID-19. Before all that chaos erupted, though, January 2020 delivered the usual smattering of shrug-worthy genre fare the month is known for. That included "The Rhythm Section," starring Blake Lively as a vengeful woman learning the art of assassination from a weary figure played by Jude Law. This grim action film saw Lively embracing a new punching-heavy genre compared to the traditional romantic dramas or thrillers she previously dominated.

Ranking Blake Lively movies by their box office earnings emphasizes her steady box office prowess. When "It Ends With Us" blew everyone away at the box office, it reaffirmed how much pull she has in the right project. However, "The Rhythm Section" wasn't one of those. Right away, this $50 million title capsized at the domestic box office with a $2.71 million launch. There was no coming back from such a disastrous drop and "The Rhythm Section" certainly wouldn't get a chance to rebound thanks to what happened in its third weekend.

In that frame, "The Rhythm Section" lost 2,955 of the 3,049 theaters it previously played in. That was the largest theater drop ever for a motion picture in its third North American weekend. Remaining in only 94 theaters, "The Rhythm Section" was finished at the box office after 14 days.

A movie with a bizarre title like "Zyzzyx Road" at least suggests there's an entertaining story behind how this project saw the light of day, whether it's even a good film or not. "Zyzzyx Road" certainly delivers on that front, since this 2006 Katherine Heigl thriller earned only $30 at the domestic box office, making it the lowest grossing movie ever domestically. That's the sort of haul that makes DC 's 10 biggest box office flops (so far) look like immense moneymakers in comparison.

"Zyzzyx Road" and its $30 haul was made possible by the film's producers releasing it in one Dallas movie theater, solely to complete a contractual obligation for the Screen Actors Guild. Lacking distribution, marketing, or a willingness to play "Zyzzyx Road" on more than just that one screen, the film inevitably capsized at the box office. Only six people reportedly saw it in its blink-and-miss-it Dallas theatrical run, ensuring that an otherwise long-forgotten indie thriller from the mid-2000s was forever enshrined in box office infamy.

The complete financial opposite of current all-time domestic box office champion "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," "Zyzzyx Road" (the second movie featuring Katherine Heigl to make this list, following "The Nut Job 2: Nutty By Nature") has clung tightly to a box office record that no movie is eagerly looking to overturn. What a fittingly peculiar achievement for that weirdo title.