A-List Movie Stars Whose First Films Were Bombs

Some A-list actors hit it big with their debut film, getting an Oscar nod for their performance, as Edward Norton did in "Primal Fear." But for most actors, it's a steep climb from the obscurity of uncredited parts with no lines to supporting roles and eventually lead roles. It is a rarefied few who claim a spot on the A-list. Even some who hit the A-list began their acting careers with a bomb or two before gaining recognition and making a name for themselves.

When you investigate the early films of many A-list actors, two things quickly become clear: every actor has an entirely unique path to the A-list, and when we rewatch their early flops, it's clear they already had that ineffable star quality. Looking back at these films, our future A-listers stand out in even their worst films. Join us as we look back on some of the box-office bombs A-List actors began their careers with.

Christian Bale has been acting since he was a child, and his feature film debut came in 1987 when he played Jum-Jum in the epic fantasy "Mio in the Land of Faraway," an adaptation of a novel by Astrid Lindgren, who is best known for her "Pippi Longstocking" book series. In the film, Mio (Nick Pickard) is whisked away from his miserable existence with his adoptive family to a magical kingdom where his father is the king. There he meets Jum-Jum (Bale), and together, the two boys travel to fight the evil knight Kato (Christopher Lee).

This film was a co-production between Swedish, Scandinavian, and Soviet financing, with a large budget, estimated at 55 million Swedish Krona (per IMDb). The end result is a fantasy film with good production values and special effects reminiscent of "The NeverEnding Story." Although we can't find any box office numbers for "Mio in the Land of Faraway," the lack of hard data suggests the film never came close to earning back the large production budget. Though the acting in this subpar fantasy wasn't very good, as reflected in the weak scores on Rotten Tomatoes, Bale's potential is obvious (something we saw again in his next role as Jim in Steven Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun").

"Return to Horror High" was George Clooney's feature film debut. Clooney plays Oliver, an actor in a slasher film who leaves production for a television role in the early scenes of the film. The premise of "Return to Horror High" is what makes the film interesting — it is a horror-comedy about the production of a low-budget slasher flick being shot on the grounds of the very high school where a string of murders took place five years before. The murderer was never found, and Crippen High closed its doors and sat abandoned until the small film crew arrived to shoot its horror flick.

"Return to Horror High" is an early example of meta-horror, and it was completely ahead of its time. That's not to say the film is good. It isn't, as we see reflected in the lamentable audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. But while the film isn't great, it's fun, providing an interesting commentary on filmmaking — often, directors want to make something meaningful and unique, while producers want to make something commercially profitable.

It's a particularly humorous commentary for a film with a reported budget of $1 million (via the Los Angeles Times), earning just shy of $1.2 million at the box office (per Box Office Mojo). Despite being a bomb, one thing is abundantly clear in this movie: the camera loves George Clooney. He also has the privilege of being the first kill we see on screen in "Return to Horror High," so don't be too disappointed when he gets it!

Vin Diesel's feature film acting debut was also his feature-length debut as a writer, director, and producer in his small-budget indie film, "Strays." In the film, Diesel plays Rick, a drug dealer who wants more out of life than one-night stands and hanging out with his buddies. But Rick finds it difficult to leave his group of friends behind as he tries to find fulfillment in a romantic relationship. The indie film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 1997 and was released many years later on DVD in 2008 (per IMDb).

Diesel funded "Strays" himself, raising around $50,000 by working as a telemarketer." Although the film wasn't financially successful, the ratings on Rotten Tomatoes aren't awful. According to The National, "Strays" and Diesel's short "Multi-Facial" gained the attention of Steven Spielberg, who wrote a minor role for Diesel in "Saving Private Ryan." After his part in the lauded war film, Diesel's career gained momentum, leading to him becoming the A-list actor he is today.

Before Jennifer Lawrence got an Oscar nod for her performance as Ree in "Winter's Bone," she had already experienced moderate success for her role in "The Bill Engvall Show" and a supporting role in an indie film. But Lawrence's first leading role in a feature-length film was as Agnes in "The Poker House." The indie film was actress Lori Petty's debut as a writer/director and was inspired by her troubled youth. Agnes' mother, Sarah (Selma Blair), is a sex worker, raising her three daughters in a card house where men come to gamble and be entertained by women.

Critics, who praised the performances, expressed a mixed response to the plot and directing, as we see reflected in the respectable scores on Rotten Tomatoes. The theatrical release of the film was so limited there are no box-office numbers available for the project other than the production budget of $1 million (per The Numbers). "The Poker House" premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival in 2009 (per IMDb), and Phase 4 Films later distributed the film on DVD. Although Lawrence's first lead role was in a box-office flop, it wasn't long before "The Hunger Games" and "X-Men" launched her onto the A-list.

Before Keanu Reeves became famous playing Ted Logan in the cult comedy "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure," he played Tommy Warneki — a teenage boy with an acute case of unrequited love — in "Teenage Dream." This forgettable Canadian sports drama centers on Robin (Olivia d'Abo), an aspiring competitive gymnast who can't train after being injured in a tragic car accident that killed her father. 

For gymnastics fans, this film has a plethora of gym scenes with an embarrassing '80s synth soundtrack playing in the background as Robin struggles to get back in competition form. This movie is so obscure, we can't even find box-office information, and it has zero ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, where it's listed under the original title, "Flying." You can stream a very grainy version through the Free Movies+ app on Roku or rent it for $0.99 cents on Amazon. The movie is terrible, but it's obvious Reeves was a star in the making in this forgotten flop.

Although Will Smith was already a TV star and a successful rapper, his feature film debut wasn't all that illustrious. He co-starred in an ensemble cast as a homeless teenager named Manny, who is in a wheelchair because his legs were amputated. The last portion of the independent film, "Where the Day Takes You," is excellent, filled with the up-and-coming actors of the '90s, including Dermot Mulroney, Laura San Giacomo, Sean Astin, Ricki Lake, Balthazar Getty, and Lara Flynn Boyle. Other famous faces also took supporting roles to flesh out the cast.

Unfortunately, this film didn't come anywhere close to recouping the $3 million budget, making it a box-office bomb (per IMDb). Despite not being profitable, this is actually a really wonderful film, reflected in the positive scores with both critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is often sad and difficult to watch, but the actors gave themselves to their roles, delivering solid performances. Taking a role in "Where the Day Takes You" didn't adversely affect Smith's rising star. If anything, it showed the range he was capable of.