Disney has a long history of ambitious science fiction filmmaking, with many of its cinematic ventures into the genre achieving massive success. However, not all of these high-stakes gambles have paid off, with several tentpole releases backed by considerable budgets, star talent, and advanced visual effects ultimately cratering at the box office.
Lightyear (2022)
Pixar's 2022 film Lightyear, a spin-off focused on the iconic character from the Toy Story franchise, became one of the studio's rare theatrical disappointments. Directed by Angus MacLane and featuring Chris Evans voicing the titular space ranger, the film presented a more conventional sci-fi adventure than Pixar's typical fare, serving as the in-universe movie that inspired the toy. The concept, however, proved divisive. Amidst a period where audiences had become accustomed to Pixar films premiering on Disney Plus, Lightyear asked them to return to theaters for a character-focused spin-off rather than a direct Toy Story sequel. The movie opened to $50.6 million domestically and grossed $226.4 million worldwide against a reported $200 million budget. According to reports, Lightyear resulted in a loss of approximately $106 million for Disney, a notable setback given the safe concept and beloved character IP.
Mars Needs Moms (2011)
Before John Carter's colossal failure, Disney experienced a significant financial loss with the 2011 motion-capture animated science fiction film Mars Needs Moms. Directed by Simon Wells and produced by Robert Zemeckis, the movie followed a young boy who journeys to Mars after his mother is abducted by aliens. Despite a reported production cost of $150 million, coupled with tens of millions more in marketing, the film was met with widespread audience indifference. It garnered only $6.9 million in its North American opening weekend and ultimately earned $39.2 million globally. The film's poor performance led to the closure of ImageMovers Digital, the animation studio responsible for its production. Disney ultimately recorded a write-down of around $70 million for Mars Needs Moms, with broader estimates suggesting a substantially higher overall loss.
Tomorrowland (2015)
Tomorrowland, released in 2015, stands out as a fascinating sci-fi failure for Disney due to its attempt to launch an entirely new franchise. Directed by Brad Bird and co-written by Damon Lindelof, the film starred George Clooney and Hugh Laurie, loosely basing its premise on Walt Disney's optimistic vision of the future. The narrative centered on a hidden utopian world populated by the planet's brightest minds. Despite the ambitious concept, Disney's marketing campaign proved detrimental, deliberately keeping much of the plot under wraps and leaving audiences unclear about the film's premise. The $190 million production struggled, opening to $33 million domestically and grossing $209 million worldwide. Estimates from The Hollywood Reporter placed Disney's losses between $120 million and $140 million, marking it as one of the studio's most expensive original film failures.
Strange World (2022)
Released in 2022, Strange World featured many hallmarks of a successful Disney animated feature: a vibrant alien world, a family-centric adventure, a skilled animation team, and a wide theatrical release. However, it failed to connect with audiences. Directed by Don Hall, the film followed three generations of the Clade family exploring a mysterious underground world. The movie, which embraced a pulpy science fiction adventure style reminiscent of old movie serials, garnered only $73.6 million worldwide against a $180 million production budget. Factoring in marketing and other expenses, Deadline calculated total costs at approximately $317.4 million, resulting in an estimated loss of $197 million. Like Lightyear, Strange World's financial struggles were exacerbated by Disney's pandemic-era distribution strategy, which had conditioned audiences to expect animated features to eventually arrive on Disney Plus, making it challenging to draw families to theaters for an unproven original story.
John Carter (2012)
The 2012 sci-fi adventure John Carter has become a byword for Hollywood disaster. Intended to launch a new franchise based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' century-old Barsoom novels, the film was entrusted to Andrew Stanton, fresh off directing acclaimed Pixar films like Finding Nemo and WALL-E. Disney executives, wary of the recent failure of Mars Needs Moms, reportedly decided to remove "of Mars" from the title, opting for the less evocative John Carter. The film's marketing struggled to clearly convey its premise, drawing further attention to its escalating budget. With production costs around $250 million and marketing expenses at $100 million, the film opened to just $30.2 million domestically. Despite eventually grossing $284.1 million worldwide, this was insufficient to recoup Disney's investment. The studio eventually acknowledged an expected operating loss of approximately $200 million, cementing John Carter's status as one of Disney's most infamous cinematic failures.