i'm just going by the people who know about money.
Hugh Jackman in 'The Wolverine' (Click for more photos) Did you hear the news? Apparently The Wolverine, which opened with $53 million last weekend, is a flop! Oh, don't take my word on it, check out these various pundits which call it a "disappointment", "underwhelming", "disappointing", and...
www.forbes.com
Waterworld - Even 18 years after its release on the very same weekend as
Wolverine,
Waterworld is
still held up as the king of the bombs, which wasn't true then nor is it true now. At a then-record cost of $175 million, the Kevin Reynolds-directed and Kevin Costner-starring 'Mad Max on water' adventure picture was tagged as a flop before it even opened. Dubbed 'Kevin's Gate' and 'Fishtar', the film battled rounds and rounds of bad press concerning cost overruns due to the difficulties of filming on water, as well as the behind the scenes squabbling between Reynolds and Costner. The film debuted to mixed reviews and a good-but-not great $22 million opening.
While the film suffered from bleh word of mouth (it was basically a character-driven sci-fi downer with two massive bookend action scenes) and eventually cashed out at $88 million in the US, overseas grosses saved the day. Amassing $175 million in international dollars, the picture limped out of the red with a respectable $266 million in global box office. It was no mega smash, but the film eventually broke even thanks to home video and cable sales. It's no masterpiece, but it's no mega-flop either. It's a generally satisfying action film that made its money back the hard way. You want to knock an over budget Kevin Costner epic? Pick on
The Postman, but leave
Waterworld alone.