2000s Box Office Bombs That Are Actually Worth Watching

Every year, movies are released that completely blow away audiences in movie theaters, resulting in a big payout for Hollywood studios at the box office. However, not every film that gets released has the privilege of becoming a blockbuster, despite some of them deserving success. This was especially true in the 2000s, prior to the integration of streaming services into the mainstream film industry, meaning that for a film to break even, it had to perform well during its theatrical run.

Sadly, this means that many films that underperformed ended up forgotten by most mainstream audiences, even though they might be better than some of the movies that actually did become blockbusters. For these films, no one person can be faulted for their failure to attract moviegoing audiences: Some just had poor release timing, while others might have been too ahead of their time.

Nevertheless, all 20 of these box office bombs from the 2000s deserve to be revisited by movie fans. While some of them showcase earlier work from actors who have particularly excelled in the 2020s, others are hidden diamonds in their respective actors' or directors' filmographies. From animated children's films to gritty science fiction, these box office bombs will make fans of cinema puzzled at why they performed so poorly.

Disney's animated library was in a golden age during the late 1990s and early 2000s, with films like 1998's "Mulan" and 1999's "Tarzan" becoming huge box office successes. Sadly, not every animated Disney film became an immediate hit, with one example during this time being the 2000 film "The Emperor's New Groove." The film stars David Spade as young Emperor Kuzco, who becomes the target of an assassination attempt that goes awry and instead turns Kuzco into a llama. 

After being released in theaters during the holidays in 2000, "The Emperor's New Groove" vastly underperformed compared to other Disney animated films at the time. At the box office, it grossed below new releases like "What Women Want" and "Dude, Where's My Car?," but the film eventually found later success and cult fame through its home video releases. 

Sadly, the failure of "The Emperor's New Groove" in theaters was a long time coming, given its troubled production. The film was originally going to be an animated musical with songs composed by Sting, but poor test screenings forced Disney to bring in Mark Dindal to direct and restructure the film as a comedy. The 2002 documentary "The Sweatbox" takes a behind-the-scenes look at the film's difficult behind-the-scenes transformation. 

"Osmosis Jones," is one of the more unique animated films of the early 2000s. The film combines animation with live action, centering on Chris Rock's titular white blood cell, who works as an officer in the Frank Police Department, chasing down germs in the body of Frank, a live-action Rhode Island zookeeper played by Bill Murray. Osmosis Jones, or "Ozzy," particularly becomes faced with his greatest threat yet: a virus known as Thrax that could potentially kill Frank.

The box office performance of "Osmosis Jones" was nothing less than abysmal. With a budget of $70 million, "Osmosis Jones" grossed only $14 million during its theatrical run, failing to outperform critically panned films like "Jurassic Park III" and Tim Burton's "Planet of the Apes." It ended up being one of the last theatrical productions of Warner Bros. Feature Animation, before the company scaled back its animation feature staff and moved its focus to television.

Reviews for "Osmosis Jones" weren't kind, either. Particularly, critics weren't fond of the film's sense of humor, with TV Guide calling it, "A gross-out celebration of ... bodily fluids and functions that will delight kids of a certain age." The film did, however, receive a spin-off series, "Ozzy & Drix," on Kids' WB from 2002 to 2004, starring Phil LaMarr as Osmosis Jones. Despite poor reviews, it remains an interesting moment in the history of animated features. 

"Donnie Darko" is much more adored by the public in the modern day, though it was quite divisive and controversial with it was first released. Written and directed by Richard Kelly, the film stars a young Jake Gyllenhaal as the titular teenager, who becomes plagued with visions after a sleepwalking episode in which he learns that the planet will end in a month. It premiered in January 2001 at Sundance Film Festival, where it received reviews that made it a highly-anticipated indie film of 2001.

Unfortunately, its release in October 2001 was unlucky. Considering its advertising included scenes from the film involving an airplane crash, its release shortly after the September 11th terrorist attacks impacted audiences' interest in it. By the end of its original theatrical run, "Donnie Darko" only grossed a little under $518,000 against a budget of $6 million. The film has, however, since garnered a cult fanbase, and after reissues and a director's cut in 2004, the film ended up grossing over $7 million overall. 

Although it flew under the radar when it was first released, "Donnie Darko" is now regarded as a quintessential psychological thriller of the early 2000s. To this day, fans of the film still debate the meaning of its ending, which can be perplexing, especially for those who watch the film for the very first time.

By the time 2002 rolled around, Paul Thomas Anderson was no stranger to commercial success, thanks to the acclaim of his 1997 ensemble drama "Boogie Nights," which he followed up with "Magnolia" two years later. His 2002 film, "Punch-Drunk Love," by all accounts, should've seen him reach even more success, given that he cast Adam Sandler in the lead, who at the time had recently starred in successful late 1990s blockbusters like "The Wedding Singer" and "Big Daddy."

"Punch-Drunk Love" stars Sandler as Barry, a man prone to fits of rage and violent outbursts due to his emotionally abusive family, which complicates his budding romance with Lena, played by Emily Watson. The film also features Philip Seymour Hoffman, a frequent collaborator of Anderson, as a mattress store owner and phone sex line operator who threatens Barry after Sandler's character refuses to be extorted.

The film was a tonal departure from Sandler's previous work, garnering him acclaim and a Golden Globe nomination. However, at the box office, it didn't gross more than its $25 million budget, maxing out at number 7 total after three weeks in theaters. Still, it remained one of Sandler's most beloved dramatic performances, proving that the actor was capable of more than just slapstick comedy, and eventually opening the door for him to be in films such as 2019's "Uncut Gems." 

"Treasure Planet" is another hidden gem in Walt Disney's animated library, adapting Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel "Treasure Island" into a fantasy science-fiction setting. As in the book, the film follows a young Jim Hawkins, who searches for the long-lost loot of the fabled pirate Captain Flint, teaming up with a ragtag group of pirates including their anthropomorphic captain Amelia, the cybernetic mutineer John Silver, and astronomer Dr. Delbert Doppler. 

Though the film received acclaim from critics, who praised its quintessential Disney animated charm, "Treasure Planet" became one of the biggest box office bombs of all time. For starters, it was an expensive project for Disney, racking up a $140 million budget, of which it only earned back roughly $110 million. Its release over Thanksgiving weekend in 2002 was also overshadowed by the box office dominance of films like "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" and "The Santa Clause 2." 

"Treasure Planet" was also the subject of internal dispute during its production at Disney. On top of that, it was a difficult film to appeal to Disney's usual audience due to its lack of music or romance. However, it remains an underrated masterpiece that every fan of Disney should sit down and watch, if only for the stunning visuals that were far ahead of their time. 

Wes Anderson's movies haven't always been box office successes, with the exception of the Academy Award-nominated film "The Grand Budapest Hotel" in 2014. However, it was the director's fourth film in 2004, "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," that failed to attract audiences the most. Co-written by Noah Baumbach, "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" is a loose homage to the life of oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, starring Bill Murray as the titular diver who seeks revenge on a jaguar shark for killing his former partner.

Despite featuring an ensemble of some of Anderson's most frequent collaborators, including Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, and Jeff Goldblum, it grossed only half of its budget domestically after twelve weeks, totaling nearly $35 million internationally against a $50 million budget. Critical response was also divided, with some praising Anderson's unique visual and comedic style, while others found it off-putting.

In hindsight, reviewers have come around on "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," with The A.V. Club re-evaluating it in 2014 after its re-release on The Criterion Collection, calling it "a comedy, albeit one with melancholy and morbid undertones." Though it's far from Wes Anderson's finest and most nuanced work, it remains an entertaining piece of the director's unique filmography. 

M. Night Shyamalan can be quite a divisive filmmaker, as his films often incorporate mind-bending twist endings. Such examples include his 1999 thriller "The Sixth Sense," 2000's superhero film "Unbreakable," and, most recently, his 2023 horror film "Knock at the Cabin." However, his 2006 fantasy film "Lady in the Water" was both a critical and commercial failure, only grossing $72 million against a budget of $70 million. 

"Lady in the Water" centers on an apartment superintendent played by Paul Giamatti, who discovers a sea nymph (Bryce Dallas Howard) living in the pool of his building. The film was heavily criticized at the time of its release, though critics' reactions may have been biased against the film. Particularly, Shyamalan casts himself as a tenant of the building who is writing a book that he believes will be world-changing, while Bob Balaban plays a misguided film critic who is brutally killed for his own errors.

For fans of Shyamalan's other work, however, "Lady in the Water" might still be worth a watch. It definitely has charming aspects to it, such as Giamatti's performance, but it's also far from the director's worst crimes against filmmaking. 

Andrew Dominik's 2007 historical drama is based on a 1983 novel by the same name, centering on the real-life relationship between American outlaws Jesse James and Robert Ford in the Wild West. "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" starred Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck, with supporting performances from Sam Rockwell, Zooey Deschanel, and Mary-Louise Parker. The film was critically acclaimed by reviewers, with some calling it one of the best Western movies of the 2000s. 

However, for some reason, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" did not fare well at the box office when it was released in September 2007. It only grossed $3.9 million domestically by the end of its theatrical run, mostly due to not being widely released alongside the year's box office successes like "Resident Evil: Extinction" and "Saw IV." 

Somewhat unexpectedly, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" has developed a large cult following, resulting in a revival campaign to get it played at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, New York. It's also a favored project by Dominik, who called it "a movie that really benefits from being on the big screen," (via Collider). It's just a shame it wasn't appreciated by moviegoing audiences the first time around.

2007 was a great time for both studio comedies as well as movie parodies, although this did not necessarily translate to box office success. One such example of this is "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story," starring John C. Reilly as its titular rock and roll star, which parodies musical biopics like 2005's "Walk the Line." The film features many now-iconic moments from 2000s comedy movies, including one scene where Reilly's Cox meditates with the Beatles, played brilliantly by Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Justin Long, and Jason Schwartzman. 

The film's satire of musical biopics and the overall state of the music industry in 2007 was adored by critics who saw the film back when it was released theatrically. In his review for the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert commended Reilly's performance, writing, "Instead of sending everything over the top at high energy, like 'Top Secret!' or 'Airplane!,' they allow Reilly to more or less actually play the character, so that, against all expectations, some scenes actually approach real sentiment." 

Sadly, "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" didn't attract audiences when it was in theaters. It only grossed $20.6 million at the box office, underwhelming compared to its budget of $35 million. But by the time the film was included on Rolling Stone's 70 best comedies of the 21st century, it had garnered all the acclaim it had originally missed. 

Like "Peter Pan," "A Christmas Carol" is a tale that's been told a hundred times by many different filmmakers. In 2009, Walt Disney Pictures released their third adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens novel after "Mickey's Christmas Carol" and "The Muppet Christmas Carol." This version of "A Christmas Carol" was directed by Robert Zemeckis, the visionary behind "Back to the Future" and "Forrest Gump," and starred Jim Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge through the use of 3D motion capture.

However, these technological innovations ended up hurting the film in the long run at the box office. Though by the end of its international theatrical run, the film had grossed $325 million, topping its budget of $200 million, its initial performance was underwhelming, only grossing $30 million in the United States and Canada. Such a box office failure resulted in inner turmoil at Disney, with the president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group subsequently resigning. 

Nevertheless, 2009's "A Christmas Carol" remains a stellar adaptation of the classic Christmas tale, with Carrey's digitized performance bringing both nuance as well as humor.