2. “Town & Country”
Shortfall: $94.6 million
(Budget: $105 million; worldwide gross: $10.4 million)
“Town & Country” is not set in outer space, and does not feature expensive CGI set pieces. It is an earthbound farcical comedy that managed to cost north of $100 million, thanks to endless rewrites and a nearly two-year-long shoot. Some productions emerge from chaos with an acclaimed film; Warren Beatty and company did not. “Town & Country” was buried by critics, and ignored by audiences.
1. “Mars Needs Moms”
Shortfall: $110.5 million
(Budget: $150 million; worldwide gross: $39.5 million)
This big flop came from one of Hollywood’s biggest moviemakers: Robert Zemeckis (“Forrest Gump,” the “Back to the Future” trilogy), who produced. True to Zemeckis form, 2011’s “Mars Needs Moms” features what was then cutting-edge technology. Unfortunately for the film, audiences didn’t appreciate its motion-capture animation. “The movie looked downright creepy,” an unnamed “observer” told The Hollywood Reporter.