Summary Some movies that flop in theaters find success and a dedicated audience once they hit streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney Plus.
Movies like “Encanto” and “Eternals” may not have performed well at the box office, but they became streaming sensations and were among the most-streamed movies.
“The Last Duel” and “The Nice Guys” were box office disappointments but found redemption on streaming platforms, proving that the audience for these films exists.
Many movies fail at making a profit in the theatrical window, but some are lucky enough to find their audience once they are available on VOD and streaming. Sometimes good word of mouth can spread, giving a well-deserved movie reassurance. Other times it seems the Netflix algorithm is unusually kind to a box office flop.
Recently, especially post-pandemic, movies spend less and less time in theaters and end up streaming much more quickly after their theatrical release. While the long-term effects of that are up for debate, it has no doubt helped some recent movies find an audience. Here are 10 box office flops that did well once they hit streaming.
Related: The 70 Best Movies On Netflix
10 Air
When Ben Affleck’s Air was first announced by Amazon Studios, it was intended to go straight to Prime Video. However, Amazon made the decision to give Air a theatrical run before sending it to streaming. While the film performed okay at the box office, it was not able to be profitable in the theatrical window, grossing only $90 million worldwide on a $70-90 million budget. However, Air’s box office didn’t really matter, as the theatrical release was meant to build prestige and good word of mouth for the sports drama. That paid off as the film has become a huge hit for Prime Video.
9 Encanto
Once Encanto hit streaming, it was a global sensation. Kids all over were watching the movie over and over again, and the soundtrack was inescapable, so it is easy to forget that the film only made $256 million worldwide. While this is a huge number, it is on the lower end for a Disney animated film, and one as beloved as Encanto. The film was released in late 2021 when theaters were still recovering from the shutdown, so families were understandably hesitant to go back to theaters, but by the time Encanto hit Disney Plus, people could not get enough of it.
8 Assassin’s Creed
Most movies on this list found success relatively soon after hitting streaming. However, Assassin’s Creed became a Netflix Top 10 hit seven years after its release. Earlier this year, the Michael Fassbender staring video game adaptation popped up in Netflix’s top 10 in several international territories, for seemingly no reason. The film was panned by critics upon release, and while it has its fair share of defenders, hasn’t garnered a cult following in the years since its release. The Netflix algorithm must have been feeling generous towards this movie, as it has become a surprise streaming hit.
7 The Suicide Squad
2021 was a strange time for a lot of reasons, but especially for the box office. Due to the worldwide pandemic, it’s hard to accurately judge how movies truly performed during this time. Things became even more complicated when Warner Bros. released all of their movies on streaming simultaneously with their theatrical release. This is one of the major reasons that despite being beloved by critics and audiences alike, James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad only made $168.7 million at the box office. It is one of the lowest-grossing comic book movies of its scale, but it was one of the most-watched movies on HBO Max (now Max) in 2021. With the release of Peacemaker afterward, the love for this film has only grown, and so have its streaming numbers.
6 Eternals
Eternals is the black sheep of the MCU. Outside of having a completely different style and tone than any other movie in the universe, it is also one of the few MCU movies that can be considered a box-office disappointment. The Chloé Zhao-helmed movie failed to double its nearly $300 million budget at the box office, but Eternals was one of the most streamed movies of 2022, with 4.2 billion minutes streamed. That’s more minutes streamed than both Frozen II and Uncharted. This is one of few Marvel movies that found the majority of its audience after its opening weekend, making it even more unique.
5 Edge of Tomorrow
Perhaps part of the reason Edge of Tomorrow disappointed at the box office was because of its title and confusing marketing campaign. Not only is Edge of Tomorrow a vague and generic title, but it seems that no one behind this movie can agree on what it should actually be called, as some refer to it as “Live, Die, Repeat.” Whatever the title is, the film did not live up to expectations upon its initial release, but through excellent word of mouth, the film found an audience on home video and streaming. Love for this film has only grown in the years since it came out, so much so that talks of an Edge of Tomorrow 2 have been vaguely thrown out every few months for several years now.
4 Mortal Kombat (2021)
This videogame adaption was another victim of Warner Bros. 2021 day and date release strategy. Mortal Kombat was released in early 2021 when vaccines were still rolling out, so it makes sense that audiences didn’t rush to theaters for it when they could watch it at home. The film grossed only $84.4 million, but Mortal Kombat was the most streamed movie of WB’s entire day and date plan. The movie was successful enough for Warner Bros to quickly green light a sequel, despite its low box office numbers.
3 The Snowman
Another strange case of a Michael Fassbender movie doing well on streaming seemingly out of the blue, in April of this year The Snowman shot to the top of the Netflix Top 10, despite a terrible reputation. Despite being based on a best-selling novel, and having acclaimed director Tomas Alfredson behind the camera, The Snowman was panned upon release and failed to gross even $7 million in its domestic box office. There has been very little reappraisal of the film, and it is still seen as a shocking disappointment but still found massive success on Netflix.
2 The Last Duel
Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel was not only one of the best movies of the year it came out but also one of the best in Scott’s entire filmography. It is an incredibly acted drama that stays with the audience long after it is over. So it was sad to see it belly-flop at the box office, with only $30 million worldwide. Thankfully the film was able to do much better once it hit streaming. Ben Affleck, who not only acts in the movie but also co-wrote it, told Entertainment Weekly he was proud of the film and was sad to see it flop but then “it did well on streaming, [and] thought, “Well, there you go. That’s where the audience is”.
1 The Nice Guys
The Nice Guys is one of the funniest movies of the 2010s and has rightfully earned a dedicated fan base. The film only grossed $62 million on a $50 million budget, but The Nice Guys is a movie people keep discovering and returning to on streaming. Talks of a sequel to The Nice Guys have been swirling for years, as the creators want to make one, and the fans really want to see one. Sadly, the strong streaming numbers and active fan base don’t seem to be enough to get a sequel off the ground.
Source: Entertainment Weekly