The 10 Biggest Box Office Flops of Summer 2024, Ranked (2024)

2024's summer film slate was filled to the brim with some amazing hits. Whether it be Marvel Studios' latest outing, , or Pixar's smash-hit sequel, Inside Out 2, this summer had a lot of great movies, featuring a healthy mix of classic blockbusters and unexpected successes. But with every hit comes a lot of letdowns, especially this last summer.

Failing at the box office can really twist the knife into the heart of a film, good quality or not. Does low box office numbers mean a film is necessarily "bad," though? Of course not. All types of great movies fail to connect with the mainstream, but it's undeniable that sometimes, some genuine flops also crash and burn. Thus, looking at the lowest box office earners of the summer is a tough task, separating the good from the bad. These are the ten biggest disappointments at the 2024 summer box office, ranked by their worldwide grosses. Their actual quality will, of course, be addressed, but it wasn't a factor in the order.

10 'Trap' (August 2)

Worldwide Gross: $82,677,045

The iconic M. Night Shyamalan's directorial career has been very hit or miss when it comes to quality and audience approval. He's produced some amazing films, like The Sixth Sense, but has also some of Hollywood's worst, with the likes of The Last Airbender. So, going into 2024's Trap, audiences were pretty unsure of what to think.

The concept of Trap is really good, and on paper, the premise is wonderful and thrilling. Unfortunately, though, it was not executed in a manner that brought it to its true potential. Trap wasn't necessarily bad, and there is genuine value in Shyamalan's artistry, but it's not great either. The film received mixed reviews; some really loved it, while others weren't very impressed. This divided response may have led to fewer people going to see it, but the marketing also definitely failed Shyamalan.

Rent on Amazon

9 'Fly Me to the Moon' (July 12)

Worldwide Gross: $42,147,722

Following the story of Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson), a marketing agent assigned to fake the moon landing for the government, Fly Me to the Moon failed to stick the landing at the box office. Even with the dynamic pairing of Johansson and Channing Tatum, Fly Me to the Moon flew under the radar.

Unfortunately, Fly Me to the Moon's reviews were mixed-to-positive. There was nothing inherently wrong with the film, but there wasn't much that was special about it either. Everything about this safe but somewhat unremarkable rom-com is good but not great, with not much to write home about at the end of the day. Much like the other films that struggled to bring home the big bucks, the marketing for Fly Me to the Moon was absolutely atrocious.

Fly Me to the Moon (2024)

PG-13

Comedy

Romance

Release Date

July 12, 2024

Director

Greg Berlanti

Cast

Scarlett Johansson , Channing Tatum , Woody Harrelson , Ray Romano , Jim Rash , Anna Garcia , Donald Watkins , Noah Robbins , Christian Clemenson , Colin Woodell , Nick Dillenburg , Christian Zuber , Gene Jones , Joe Chrest , Stephanie Kurtzuba , Colin Jost , Dariusz Wolski , Peter Jacobson , Lauren Revard , Njema Williams , Gary Weeks , Todd Allen Durkin

See Also

The 71 best films of 2024 – so farThe best movies of 2024 so far, according to critics

Runtime

132 Minutes

Writers

Keenan Flynn , Bill Kirstein , Rose Gilroy

Rent on Apple

8 'Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1' (June 28)

Worldwide Gross: $38,235,702

Telling the story of America's history across the span of 15 years in the post-Civil War era, Kevin Costner tries to deliver quite an ambitious story by revitalizing the once-mighty Western genre. While reviews were mostly mixed, they leaned primarily negative. Furthermore, the film opened poorly, gaining $11,052,561 for its domestic opening.

The most painful part of Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1's box office is how much it earned compared to its budget, which was around $100 million. Costner must've known betting so much money on a Western, of all genres, was a risky gamble that had a 50-50 chance (at best) of working. Costner is also not the star he once was, and it seems like Yellowstone's audience didn't show up to support him.

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1

R

Western

Drama

Release Date

June 28, 2024

Director

Kevin Costner

Cast

Kevin Costner , Sienna Miller , Michael Angarano , Jena Malone

Writers

Jon Baird

Watch on Max

7 'The Bikeriders' (June 21)

Worldwide Gross: $35,969,878

Normally, one would think that an all-star cast with some of the most talented performers in the industry would bring in waves of people. That proved to not be so true in the case of The Bikeriders. Regardless of the fact that the film had Oscar nominees Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, and Michael Shannon alongside Emmy winner Jodie Comer, The Bikeriders only raised about $5 million under its budget.

What's hard about the under-performance of The Bikeriders is that the film garnered positive reviews, with a fresh 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. Jodie Comer gives what can only be described as an Oscar-worthy performance. She steals the show, and her perspective on the old-fashioned biker gang is fresh and entertaining. It's clear to most that The Bikeriders deserved much better.

The Bikeriders

R

Drama

Crime

Release Date

June 21, 2024

Director

Jeff Nichols

Cast

Jodie Comer , Austin Butler , Tom Hardy , Michael Shannon , Mike Faist , Norman Reedus

Runtime

116 Minutes

Writers

Jeff Nichols

Watch on Peacock

6 'The Watchers' (June 7)

Worldwide Gross: $33,271,404

Studios typically love horror films because it's common that, due to their commonly low budgets, they deliver a profit faster than other major productions. While one of the main horror films of the summer, The Watchers did pass its budget, it wasn't by much; in fact, it only did so by about $3 million. The directorial debut of Ishana Night Shyamalan, The Watchers stars Dakota Fanning and follows a group of people stranded in a forest haunted by mysterious monsters.

Unfortunately, the Shyamalan name doesn't quite command the same interest — or, it must be said, respect it once did. The Watchers suffered from lackluster reviews and a distinct lack of interest, all of which translated to a mediocre box office. A huge factor for this lower attention is probably due to the fact that the film is commonly regarded as a bit boring and stale.

The Watchers

PG-13

Fantasy

Horror

Mystery

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Release Date

June 7, 2024

Director

Ishana Shyamalan

Cast

Dakota Fanning , Georgina Campbell , Olwen Fouéré , Siobhan Hewlett , John Lynch

Runtime

102 minutes

Writers

Ishana Shyamalan , A.M. Shine

5 'Borderlands' (August 7)

Worldwide Gross: $32,978,510

Gaining an absurd amount of notoriety, Borderlands may very well be the worst-reviewed film of the year. With a cast led by Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett and an IP with millions of fans around the world, hopes for the movie were high... at least until the trailer premiered, and everyone could see it was a disaster in the making As soon as screenings began, people practically flew to the internet to give their thoughts on how genuinely terrible the film was.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, Borderlands performed so poorly both critically and monetarily that it was officially pulled from theaters on September 5. That's right, this movie with an identity crisis stayed in theaters for less than a month before Lionsgate pulled the plug and sent it to streaming, where it hasn't been doing much better. Borderlands is a case study of when everything that can go wrong with a major film production does, leaving a trail of bad news in its wake.

Borderlands

Sci-Fi

Action

Adventure

Comedy

Release Date

August 9, 2024

Director

Eli Roth

Cast

Cate Blanchett , Haley Bennett , Jack Black , Gina Gershon , jamie lee curtis , Kevin Hart

Writers

Eli Roth , Joe Crombie

Rent on Amazon

4 'The Crow' (August 23)

Worldwide Gross: $23,900,925

If there's a film that everyone can say they expected to be terrible before it even released, it's The Crow remake of 2024. After all, The Crow franchise has a less-than-stellar track record following the 1994 groundbreaking original. Indeed, there hasn't been one Crow sequel that has been even remotely praised, and this questionable remake was not the exception.

Despite Bill Skarsgård's best efforts and some decent chemistry with co-star and acting newcomer FKA Twigs, The Crow never took flight with critics or at the box office — in fact, it had its wings clipped before it was even born. In the end, The Crow isn't even outright terrible; it's not the worst of the year or even the worst in its series. Instead, it's just unnecessary and forgettable, a combination that was never going to translate into box office success.

The Crow (2024)

R

Action

Crime

Fantasy

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

August 23, 2024

Director

Rupert Sanders

Cast

Bill Skarsgard , FKA Twigs , Danny Huston , Josette Simon , Laura Birn , Sami Bouajila , Jordan Bolger , Karel Dobrý

Runtime

111 Minutes

Writers

James O'Barr , Zach Baylin

3 'The Exorcism' (June 21)

Worldwide Gross: $9,661,882

A young woman begins to worry about her father as he takes on a role in a horror film and begins acting erratically. Is he back to his addictions, or is there a supernatural force secretly behind it all? Too bad it doesn't really matter much, because the film became a laughingstock among horror fans. In the film, Russell Crowe portrays an actor in an exorcism film where he plays an exorcist.

Sound familiar? It became very apparent to fans that Crowe's character is simply in the situation Crowe was in when he played an exorcist in The Pope's Exorcist just one year prior. The connection was just too funny not for people to point out, and yet it wasn't enough to make The Exorcism a winner at the box office. In fact, this misguided effort didn't even earn a second life as a camp or so-bad-it's-good classic. Considering the overflow of horror fans that have been coming out — many of them instant classics like Nicolas Cage's Longlegs — The Exorcism never really stood a chance.

Rent on Amazon

2 'The Fabulous Four' (July 26)

Worldwide Gross: $3,537,114

The Fabulous Four centers on lifelong friends who travel to Florida to be bridesmaids at a college friend's surprise wedding. What's tough about putting this film up against the rest of the lowest box office earners of the summer is the fact that it's an indie being compared to major studio productions. But, alas, The Fabulous Four earned only about $3 million at the box office this summer.

Another unfortunate truth about The Fabulous Four's low numbers is that it performed pretty darn well compared to other films by Bleecker Street Studios. Regardless of whether it performed well for Bleeker Street or not, The Fabulous Four received mostly negative reviews. Many consider it just not a very strong film, even with the wonderful talent attached.

The Fabulous Four

R

Comedy

Release Date

July 26, 2024

Director

Jocelyn Moorhouse

Cast

Susan Sarandon , Bette Midler , Megan Mullally , Sheryl Lee Ralph , Sophie von Haselberg , Deja Dee , Michael Bolton , Brandee Evans

Runtime

98 Minutes

Writers

Ann Marie Allison , Jenna Milly

Rent on Apple

1 'Summer Camp' (May 31)

Worldwide Gross: $2,641,507

The titanous names of Diane Keaton, Kathy Bates, Alfre Woodard, and Eugene Levy should have been able to bring in a decent amount of viewers for Summer Camp. Never heard of that movie? Nobody would blame one for not knowing, as no one seems to have known that this film even existed. The forgettable comedy follows three friends who return to the camp they used to spend their childhood summers in.

It's really hard to watch as these wonderful actors try to carry this horrendous film on their backs. Who knows? Maybe the film failed because they didn't want anyone to see them in it. Unlike other similar movies starring Diane Keaton, Summer Camp is neither sweet nor funny; instead, it's lazy and a waste of truly outstanding talent. Regardless, Summer Camp seems to be the worst earner of the summer. Fitting!

Rent on Amazon

NEXT: Every Star Wars Movie, Ranked by Box Office