Big Bang Theory Actors Who Starred In Box Office Bombs
There have been few shows like "The Big Bang Theory" before and after it first aired back in 2007. Centered around the lives of a handful of geeky intellectuals in sunny California, the series followed their struggles to adapt to the normal world and all its intricacies while tackling complex science with ease. It wouldn't have been possible without the talented cast, who, over the course of nearly 300 episodes, made it kind of cool to be a nerd.
While the series was an undeniable hit thanks to its loveable characters, not every project the cast has tackled outside "The Big Bang Theory" has been met with the same success. You might be surprised how many of the series' biggest stars have at least one regrettable title under their belt. So, without further ado, we'll be taking a look at 12 of the biggest box office bombs from the cast of "The Big Bang Theory."
Jim Parsons: Spoiler Alert
Undoubtedly the most famous member of the expansive cast of "The Big Bang Theory," it's safe to say that Jim Parsons owes much of his fame to the hit series. Involved in only a handful of projects before starring in all 12 seasons as the lovably awkward Sheldon Cooper, Parsons quickly transformed his newfound success into several roles across film and television during and after his time on "The Big Bang Theory." Unfortunately, not all managed to draw the same level of attention as his most famous work, with the 2022 rom-com "Spoiler Alert" being a notable example.
Brought to audiences by director Michael Showalter, "Spoiler Alert" follows Michael (Parsons) and Kit (Ben Aldridge), a pair of Manhattanites who find themselves in a will-they-won't-they relationship while tackling the ups and downs of life. Equal parts comedy and hard-hitting drama, the film was produced on a relatively modest budget of under $25 million, as evidenced by its nomination for best music supervision for film budgeted under 25 million dollars by the Guild of Music Supervisors. But despite the low production cost, given the presumed hefty price tag associated with Parsons in a lead role, and its final gross of just $1.4 million, it's hard to deny that "Spoiler Alert" was anything but a box office flop. That said, the truth may be a little more complicated than that, as "Spoiler Alert" hit video-on-demand services within a few weeks of its theatrical release, suggesting mere box office bucks may not have been the studio's biggest priority.
Kaley Cuoco: Burning Bodhi
Though "The Big Bang Theory" is undoubtedly one of the most famed projects actress Kaley Cuoco has been a part of, it's far from the only credit to her name. Getting her start with minor roles as a child actor in the early '90s, she moved on to regular appearances in Disney Channel original movies by the turn of the millennium before landing her first big break on the 2002 series "8 Simple Rules." By the time it ended in 2005, she was well-versed in sitcom acting, with her career-defining role as Penny on "The Big Bang Theory" soon to follow.
Of course, like all of the cast members we're looking at, not everything Cuoco has taken on has been a groundbreaking success. In the fall of 2015, shortly after "The Big Bang Theory" Season 9 had kicked off, Cuoco starred in the quickly forgotten flick "Burning Bodhi." Notable for being a departure from her usual comedic fare, the drama saw Cuoco take on the role of Katy, who, after the untimely death of a former classmate, finds her life once again intertwined with old friends after they'd long since grown apart.
While the production budget for the 2015 independent film is still undisclosed, with a box office gross of just $3,000, it's safe to say it was likely the lowest take of any of Cuoco's feature films and one of the furthest from profitable on our list.
Johnny Galecki: Suicide Kings
Just like his co-star Kaley Cuoco, Johnny Galecki's time on "The Big Bang Theory" is among his career's biggest highlights, and much like Cuoco, it's a career that goes back long before the CBS sitcom first aired. Though he's now best remembered as Leonard Hofstadter, there are plenty of other underrated gems in Galecki's acting career, like the 1997 film "Suicide Kings."
Starring alongside the likes of Christopher Walken and Sean Patrick Flanery in the gritty black comedy, Galecki's character of Ira Reder becomes embroiled in his friends' desperate attempt to come up with $2 million in ransom money after one of their sisters is kidnapped. With no way to make the money legally, they opt for a little kidnapping themselves, taking former criminal kingpin Charlie Barret (Walken) hostage and forcing him to help them get what they need.
It turns out that Ira and friends weren't the only ones a few million short because by the time "Suicide Kings" finished its run through theaters, it only pulled in a lowly $1.7 million against a budget of $5 million. Heaps of sour reviews from critics certainly didn't help, but are strikingly at odds with a favorable opinion from audiences over the years, making "Suicide Kings" one of the most underrated box office bombs from the cast of "The Big Bang Theory."
Simon Helberg: Annette
While pretty much every character on "The Big Bang Theory" changed in some way during the 10+ years it was on the air, few can rival the complete transformation Simon Helberg's Howard went through. Whether you love or hate him, going from desperately single and living in the shadow of his more educated peers to happily married by the end of the series makes Howard one of Helberg's more layered characters. Unfortunately, his first film role after the conclusion of "The Big Bang Theory," though well-received, didn't do as well at the box office as he may have hoped.
The 2021 musical drama stars Helberg alongside Adam Driver and French actress Marion Cotillard, with Helberg playing a jilted lover amidst a whirlwind of death and stardom between Driver's Henry McHenry and Cotillard's Ann Defrasnoux. Unfortunately, thanks to universal theater closures in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, 2021 was one of the trickiest years for film releases. Though some titles managed to overcome the challenge and draw big crowds, like "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and "Godzilla vs. Kong," "Annette" failed to mirror their successes, earning just over $3 million against a stated budget of $15.5 million. However, audiences may not have had time to check this one out in the cinema, as "Annette" became available to stream a mere two weeks after its theatrical debut.
Mayim Bialik: Kalamazoo?
Though Mayim Bialik's filmography is noticeably slight compared to her peers, she more than makes up for it with a prolific career in television spanning over 35 years, of which "The Big Bang Theory" is just one of many noteworthy projects. Back in 2010, the "Jeopardy!" host took on the role of Amy Fowler, perhaps the only equal to Sheldon Cooper in terms of raw intelligence, with their eventual marriage towards the end of the series practically fated from their first meeting. Despite Bialik's impressive acting resume, no one's career is perfect, and one of her worst performing projects would come in the form of 2006's "Kalamazoo?"
Bialik stars as one of three friends who are unhappy with where they've ended up in life but can at least rest easy knowing that the past will stay in the past. That's until the scheduled opening of a time capsule from their days in high school threatens to expose all their unfulfilled aspirations at an upcoming high school reunion. Opening 103rd for April 2006 in the domestic box office and going on to achieve a final take of little more than $50,000, it's hard to call "Kalamazoo?" anything short of a financial disaster.
Kunal Nayyar: Think Like a Dog
Whether it was for a single season or all 12, the time the cast spent on "The Big Bang Theory" proved to be a career-defining period for all involved. That couldn't be more true for Kunal Nayyar, who by 2007 only had a one-off appearance on an "NCIS" episode to his television acting credit before landing a coveted main role in CBS's hit series. Nayyar rounded out the lineup of California-based scientists and intellectuals as Raj Koothrappali, Howard's best friend who is perpetually unlucky in love. From there, he started landing roles left and right, all while playing a part in the award-winning series.
Of course, not every project can stack up to the impressive collection of awards "The Big Bang Theory" racked up. After the series concluded in 2019, Nayyar took a leading role in the ill-fated "Think Like a Dog." He stars as Mr. Mills, a wealthy tech investor who catches on to a new invention that allows humans to read the minds of man's best friend, only to have less-than-noble intentions for the device's future. While it was actually a solid flick, much like Simon Helberg's "Annette," "Think Like a Dog" also suffered from an unfortunate release date, with a final global take of just under $1.3 million at the box office. But once again, (and this is the last time we'll be using this excuse), an immediate arrival to video on demand in the United States is at least partly to blame for the low ticket sales.
Melissa Rauch: The Bronze
Joining the cast in a recurring role in Season 3 before being promoted to series regular by Season 4, Melissa Rauch's character of Bernadette evolved from being one of the show's most mild-mannered to most hated by audiences. That's not a knock on her performance, though, as it can take some serious acting chops to play a character audiences dislike so perfectly. More than halfway through "The Big Bang Theory," she got a chance to shine as the lead role in the 2015 film "The Bronze," which fittingly proved to be anything but gold medal worthy.
Rauch stars as Hope Greggory, a washed-up world-class athlete who once took home the Olympic bronze medal for gymnastics. After the shocking and tragic death of the coach who got her to the podium, she's tasked with training one of his students in exchange for a hefty sum of money he's left behind. Premiering to tepid reviews from critics and an even worse performance in ticket sales, "The Bronze" wound up making just $600,000, which doesn't even come close to making back its scant $3.5 million budget.
Kevin Sussman: Killers
Starting as a recurring player before joining the main cast in Season 6, Stuart Bloom quickly became one of the most memorable characters on "The Big Bang Theory." Played by Peter Sussman, the comic store owner often winds up being worse off than just about any of his already socially awkward peers, constantly beleaguered by either another failed attempt at love or a brand new medical condition to tackle. Beyond "The Big Bang Theory," he starred in several films in the 2000s and beyond, with "Killers" being the biggest to bomb.
Starring as one half of an assassin couple opposite Ashton Kutcher, Katherine Heigl, and Tom Selleck, the 2010 comedy failed to make good on its fun premise and star power, reflected by a relatively modest take of just $98 million. And since it's generally accepted that a film needs to make double its production budget to be deemed profitable, a box office gross of just $23 million more than its $75 million budget meant that "Killers" was dead on arrival.
Laurie Metcalf: Dear God
Though not a part of the main cast, Mary Cooper played an important part in Sheldon's life, raising the young genius and helping him mature into a wildly successful adult, which was fully explored in the spinoff series, "Young Sheldon." Long before she would get a recurring role as Sheldon's mother, actress Laurie Metcalf was busy building perhaps the most wide-reaching career of anyone on this list. With a nearly decade-long run on "Roseanne" as Jackie Harris and countless other projects to her credit, there were bound to be a few missteps along the way, with 1996's "Dear God" being one of the biggest.
Metcalf stars alongside Greg Kinnear as Rebecca Frazen, a postal employee who gets the wrong idea after her co-worker, Tom (Kinnear), begins reading incoming letters addressed "To God." Flopping with critics and audiences and grossing just over $7 million at the box office against a $22 million budget, "Dear God" is probably exactly what the studio was saying after this one hit theaters.
Wil Wheaton: The Curse
Wil Wheaton's time on "The Big Bang Theory" was spent not playing another member of the gang, but instead simply playing himself. Famous (or infamous, depending on who you ask) to every Trekkie in the world for portraying Wesley Crusher on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Wheaton is well-known to Sheldon too, winding up on his list of mortal enemies after failing to make a scheduled appearance at a convention.
Though "The Big Bang Theory" proves that Wheaton may never be able to truly leave his time on "The Next Generation" behind, he's still starred in a number of films and television episodes over the years. While there's plenty to choose from that meet the criteria for a box office bomb, we'll be going back to 1987, just weeks before "The Next Generation" first aired, and taking a look at "The Curse."
Wheaton stars as Zack, a teenage boy whose rural farmhouse becomes the site of a disturbing meeting between humans and alien life after a meteor strikes one night. Eventually seeping into the ground, the object infects the local drinking water, driving those it encounters to madness and eventual grisly death. Lost in a veritable sea of B-movie horror shlock throughout the '80s, it only made back less than half its $4 million budget in the cinema.
Sara Gilbert: High Fidelity
Though a number of the films we've looked at bombed for good reason — whether an unfortunate release date or simply a terrible product — others have managed to become cult classics despite their disastrous releases. That's exactly what happened to Sara Gilbert who, years before joining the cast of "The Big Bang Theory" as Leslie Winkle, Leonard's co-worker and on-again-off-again partner, starred in the 2000 rom-com "High Fidelity."
Another "Roseanne" alum, Gilbert is far from the only big name in "High Fidelity," which also saw Jack Black and John Cusack in lead roles. Based on a book of the same name, audiences follow record store employee Rob (Cusack), who begins to look inward after a particularly nasty breakup. From there, he vows to revisit the five girlfriends who caused him the most painful breakups while trying (and largely failing) to confront his own faults. Though it didn't turn a profit at the time, making little more than 1.5x its production budget of $30 million, it's been remembered as one of Cusack's best since its debut, earning heaps of praise over the years from critics and casual audiences alike.
Jerry O'Connell: Joe's Apartment
Though he had the smallest part in "The Big Bang Theory" compared to the other actors we've looked at, Jerry O'Connell had one of the most profound roles in canon, playing Sheldon Cooper's late father, George. O'Connell's had a prolific career in film and television beginning at the age of 12 with Rob Reiner's "Stand By Me." From there, he starred in nearly too many films to count, but for the purposes of our lineup, we'll look at one oft-forgotten title from the mid-'90s, "Joe's Apartment."
Arguably the strangest title on our list, the 1996 black comedy kicks off after college graduate Joe (O'Connell) arrives in a run-down New York City apartment, only to find it infested with thousands of cockroaches. They're not the typical pest, however, and instead are the type to talk, sing, and dance, quickly becoming Joe's friends as he tries to protect his apartment from a greedy land developer looking to topple not just his home but his six-legged friends too.
While it may be hard to imagine with a premise like that, the film didn't do too well by any metric, and with all the money spent animating dozens of roach scenes, there was no hope of it ever making back its $13 million budget, pulling in just $4.6 million globally.