Biggest Flops of 2012: 'John Carter,' Mariah Carey, 'Missing,' 'That's My Boy'

It was a very bad year for Taylor Kitsch, Nelly Furtado and a singing Tom Cruise

By Gregory Ellwood, Melinda Newman, Daniel Fienberg, Liane Bonin Starr Monday, Dec 24, 2012 11:59 PM

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In the entertainment business common sense tells you not everyone is going to end up a winner. It's a competitive marketplace where moviegoers, television audiences and music fans often end up picking one movie, TV show or album over another. 2012 had its share of films, shows and singles that lost money because of extraordinary circumstances, but it also featured some flops that were completely rejected by the public and will be remembered for decades. Unfortunately for Taylor Kitsch fans, the former "Friday Night Lights" star toplined two of them.

With that in mind, some of the biggest flops of the past 12 months can be found embedded in the story gallery below.

Agree? Disagree? Share your thoughts below.

The-spirit-indestructable--nelly-furtado

Biggest Movie, TV and Music flops of 2012

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Tedd

The crack at Paul Dano amused me because I totally agree. Everything about Ruby Sparks intrigued me...except the lead. Dano is right at the top of the Actors That Bug Me list, and I resent it when he inexplicably shows up in otherwise really good movies, like Looper and There Will Be Blood.

I still intend to see Sparks, but we get George Lucas to digitally insert some other actor?
December 25, 2012 at 2:33AM EST Reply to Comment
Darren

Daniel do you have a problem with keeping NBC and ABC separate? In the text for The Following you start with ABC then finish with NBC, in the text for Animal Practice you start with NBC then finish with ABC. Does no one copy edit this text? I know it's the internet but come on, make an effort.
December 25, 2012 at 7:39AM EST Reply to Comment
- Ricardo Chill. Everybody makes mistakes and Dan's articles are usually really good.
  December 25, 2012 at 1:10PM EST
- dan Darren - No. Nobody copy edits this text. Thank you for pointing out my typos and I'll go fix. I assume when you wrote "The Following" you meant "Missing," though I understand that there's a difference between a rude commenter checking his facts and somebody who gets paid to write doing so.
  
  Fixed!
  
  -Daniel
  December 25, 2012 at 2:13PM EST
That Werewolf Guy

Oh yeah, that Nelly Furtado Album. I thought it would have been a bad idea to hire Timbaland as a producer a few years ago, but hiring producers who tried to sound like him was an even worse idea.

And that Madonna album...man, how sad is this? A former trendsetter is now copying trends and decides to sound like every other interchangable pop starlet on the radio. Oh well, at least she stayed away from Dubstep (as far as I remember).
December 25, 2012 at 8:24AM EST Reply to Comment
Bill

It would be interesting if you guys did an article explaining movie economics a little better. Some of these don't look like huge flops just based on the numbers. A couple of things I'd want to know: How much of a movie's gross typically goes directly to the studio? Do marketing expenses factor into the calculated budget? How does DVD/rental income typically compare to box office gross? I imagine some of these things vary on a case by case basis, but it would still be helpful to get some kind of context.
December 25, 2012 at 11:07AM EST Reply to Comment
- CaptainCanada Keep in mind that studios only see about half of the overseas dollars, a noticeably lower share than they get of the domestic box office.
  December 25, 2012 at 11:09AM EST
- mridge1 I agree. An article about the studio economics would be interesting however I think you'll have a hard time getting any solid facts out of a studio for anything recent.
  December 25, 2012 at 5:41PM EST
CaptainCanada

I don't recall "That's My Boy" being assessed as one of Sandler's best films in years (though that's a paltry honour, even if it was).
December 25, 2012 at 11:08AM EST Reply to Comment
- Rhonda84 A paltry 21 percent positive reviews per Rotten Tomatoes.
  December 25, 2012 at 12:00PM EST
- Monty Jack "Best Adam Sandler movie in years" is kinda like saying "the best time I was kicked in the nuts".
  December 25, 2012 at 10:45PM EST
Mulderism

What about "Cloud Atlas"?
December 25, 2012 at 1:48PM EST Reply to Comment
- someperson On domestic grosses yes, but it hasn't opened globally yet.
  December 25, 2012 at 4:33PM EST
- Mulderism According to Box Office Mojo it has.
  
  http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=cloudatlas.htm
  December 25, 2012 at 4:53PM EST
- It has not opened in four of the biggest markets in the world. UK, Korea, Japan and France. It's already performed solidly over or overperformed in Russia. The verdict is absolutely not clear yet with Atlas.
  December 25, 2012 at 8:13PM EST
josef martin

I actually thoroughly enjoyed John Carter of Mars. It had genuinely decent narrative, while providing us with brand new stylistic choices that made this film a cut above similar entertainment fluff. A really enjoyable romp based on Edgar Rice Burroughs, I thought it filled more than its quota for good humour, romance, action and fantasy. It's marketing campaign, on the other hand, was a disaster.
December 25, 2012 at 10:07PM EST Reply to Comment
- Julie I enjoyed John Carter so much I Tivo-ed it.
  January 12, 2013 at 8:09PM EST
John W

I would have seen Dredd but in my theater all they showed was the 3D version. I can't stand 3D.
December 26, 2012 at 3:51AM EST Reply to Comment
- Matty That's cool. On that other hand, folks, if you're one of those people who watched The Avengers or TDKR for the fifth or sixth time rather than giving Dredd a shot, how's about ending it tonight.
  December 26, 2012 at 7:31PM EST
bd

That's My Boy is Sandler's best film in years? Reading that anybody thinks or writes that is just as bad as watching the whole movie.

And I find it much more difficult to think and type Kyle "McLaughlin" than the correct spelling: Kyle McLachlan.
January 9, 2013 at 9:25AM EST Reply to Comment

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Biggest Flops of 2012: 'John Carter,' Mariah Carey, 'Missing,' 'That's My Boy'

It was a very bad year for Taylor Kitsch, Nelly Furtado and a singing Tom Cruise

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Biggest Flops of 2012: 'John Carter,' Mariah Carey, 'Missing,' 'That's My Boy'

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Biggest Flops of 2012: 'John Carter,' Mariah Carey, 'Missing,' 'That's My Boy'

Comments

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Ricardo Chill. Everybody makes mistakes and Dan's articles are usually really good.

CaptainCanada Keep in mind that studios only see about half of the overseas dollars, a noticeably lower share than they get of the domestic box office.

mridge1 I agree. An article about the studio economics would be interesting however I think you'll have a hard time getting any solid facts out of a studio for anything recent.

CaptainCanada I don't recall "That's My Boy" being assessed as one of Sandler's best films in years (though that's a paltry honour, even if it was).

Rhonda84 A paltry 21 percent positive reviews per Rotten Tomatoes.

Monty Jack "Best Adam Sandler movie in years" is kinda like saying "the best time I was kicked in the nuts".

Mulderism What about "Cloud Atlas"?

someperson On domestic grosses yes, but it hasn't opened globally yet.

Mulderism According to Box Office Mojo it has.http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=cloudatlas.htm

It has not opened in four of the biggest markets in the world. UK, Korea, Japan and France. It's already performed solidly over or overperformed in Russia. The verdict is absolutely not clear yet with Atlas.

Julie I enjoyed John Carter so much I Tivo-ed it.

John W I would have seen Dredd but in my theater all they showed was the 3D version. I can't stand 3D.

Matty That's cool. On that other hand, folks, if you're one of those people who watched The Avengers or TDKR for the fifth or sixth time rather than giving Dredd a shot, how's about ending it tonight.

bd That's My Boy is Sandler's best film in years? Reading that anybody thinks or writes that is just as bad as watching the whole movie.And I find it much more difficult to think and type Kyle "McLaughlin" than the correct spelling: Kyle McLachlan.

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CaptainCanada

I don't recall "That's My Boy" being assessed as one of Sandler's best films in years (though that's a paltry honour, even if it was).

Mulderism

What about "Cloud Atlas"?

Mulderism According to Box Office Mojo it has.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=cloudatlas.htm

John W

I would have seen Dredd but in my theater all they showed was the 3D version. I can't stand 3D.

bd

That's My Boy is Sandler's best film in years? Reading that anybody thinks or writes that is just as bad as watching the whole movie.

And I find it much more difficult to think and type Kyle "McLaughlin" than the correct spelling: Kyle McLachlan.

Be the first to know - sign up now to get an instant e-mail alert
whenever something big happens in Movies, TV or Music