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List of box office bombs (1950s)

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki

Further information: List of box office bombs, 1950s in film, 1950 in film, 1951 in film, 1952 in film, 1953 in film, 1954 in film, 1955 in film, 1956 in film, 1957 in film, 1958 in film, and 1959 in film

#[edit]

Film Year of release Notes
The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. 1953 At the Hollywood premiere, patrons walked out after 15 minutes, and box-office receipts were disappointing. At the time it was released, the film received negative reviews from critics.[1]
12 Angry Men 1957 On its first release, 12 Angry Men received critical acclaim. A. H. Weiler of The New York Times wrote "It makes for taut, absorbing, and compelling drama that reaches far beyond the close confines of its jury room setting." His observation of the twelve men was that "their dramas are powerful and provocative enough to keep a viewer spellbound."[2] However, the film was a box office disappointment.[3][4] The advent of color and widescreen productions may have contributed to its disappointing box office performance.[3] It was not until its first airing on television that the movie finally found its audience.[5]

A[edit]

Film Year of release Notes
The Affairs of Dobie Gillis 1955 According to MGM records the film earned $423,000 in the US and Canada and $154,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $131,000.[6]
Alice in Wonderland 1951 At the time, these creative decisions were met with great criticism from Carroll fans, as well as from British film and literary critics who accused Disney of "Americanizing" a great work of English literature.[7] Disney was not surprised by the critical reception to Alice in Wonderland – his version of Alice was intended for large family audiences, not literary critics – but despite all the long years of thought and effort, the film met with a lukewarm response at the box office and was a sharp disappointment in its initial release,[8] earning an estimated $2.4 million at the US box office in 1951.[9] Though not an outright disaster, the film was never re-released theatrically in Disney's lifetime, airing instead every so often on network television. In fact, Alice in Wonderland aired as the second episode of Walt Disney's Disneyland TV series on ABC in 1954, in a severely edited version cut down to less than an hour. In The Disney Films, Leonard Maltin relates animator Ward Kimball felt the film failed because "it suffered from too many cooks – directors. Here was a case of five directors each trying to top the other guy and make his sequence the biggest and craziest in the show. This had a self-canceling effect on the final product."[10] Walt Disney himself felt that the film failed because there was no "warmth" in Alice's character.[11] Almost two decades after its original release, after the North American success of George Dunning's animated film Yellow Submarine (1968), Disney's version of Alice in Wonderland suddenly found itself in vogue with the times. In fact, because of Mary Blair's art direction and the long-standing association of Carroll's Alice in Wonderland with the drug culture, the feature was re-discovered as something of a "head film" (along with Fantasia and The Three Caballeros) among the college-aged and was shown in various college towns across the country. Disney resisted this association, and even withdrew prints of the film from universities, but then, in 1974, Disney gave Alice in Wonderland its first theatrical re-release ever, and the company even promoted it as a film in tune with the "psychedelic" times (mostly from the hit song "White Rabbit" performed by Jefferson Airplane). This re-release was so successful it warranted a subsequent re-release in 1981. Its first UK re-release was on July 26, 1979.

C[edit]

Film Year of release Notes
The Conqueror 1956 Despite the stature of the cast and a respectable box office performance, the film was a critical flop; it is often ranked as one of the worst films of the 1950s and one of the worst ever.[12] Wayne, who was at the height of his career, had lobbied for the role after reading the script and was widely believed to have been grossly miscast.[13] The Conqueror was listed in the 1978 book The Fifty Worst Films of All Time. Wayne was posthumously named a "winner" of a Golden Turkey Award for his performance in the film. The film was the eleventh most successful film at the North American box office in 1956, earning $4.5 million.[14]
Cyrano de Bergerac 1950 The movie recorded a loss of $300,000.[15] The film lapsed into the public domain in the mid-1980s.[16][17]

H[edit]

Film Year of release Notes
The Hunters 1958 Considered a lackluster war drama, The Hunters did not fare well with critics, although most audiences saw it as a widescreen epic.

L[edit]

Film Year of release Notes
Limelight 1952 Upon the film's release, critics' reception was divided; it was heavily boycotted in the United States, and commercially failed. However, the film was re-released in the United States in 1972 which included its first screening in Los Angeles. This allowed the decades-old film to be in contention for the 45th Academy Awards where Charlie Chaplin won his only competitive Academy Award. Today, the film is sometimes regarded as one of Chaplin's best and most personal works, and has since attained a cult following. While touring Britain to promote the film, Chaplin learned that he had been refused a re-entry visa to the United States because of his alleged communist sympathies, and many American theaters refused to play Limelight. Outside of cinemas in several East Coast cities, the film was not seen by the American moviegoing public. It was not until 1972 that the film was finally seen in wide American release. Limelight currently holds an excellent 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was massively popular in Japan.[18] It was enormously successful in Europe and around the world. However, in the US it was a relative disappointment, only taking in $1 million.[15] Limelight enjoyed a cumulative worldwide gross of $8 million.[19] Chaplin biographer Jeffrey Vance notes that the film's reputation has slowly grown over the decades. Vance maintains "Limelight is Chaplin's last great film, and it plays like a self-conscious summing up of his life and career. As a journey back to his beginnings and an often rapier-sharp self-critique, Limelight is Chaplin's most deeply personal and introspective film."[20]

N[edit]

Film Year of release Notes
The Night of the Hunter 1955 The Night of the Hunter premiered on July 26, 1955 in Des Moines, Iowa.[21] To promote the film, the Los Angeles Herald-Express serialized the film's script throughout April 1955.[22] The film also received an extensive promotional campaign from United Artists.[23] It later had its premiere in Los Angeles on August 26, 1955,[24] and in New York on September 29, 1955.[21] The Night of the Hunter was not a success with either audiences or critics at its initial release, and Charles Laughton never directed another film.[25]

O[edit]

Film Year of release Notes
The Opposite Sex 1956 According to MGM records the film earned $1,735,000 in the US and Canada and $1,025,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $1,513,000.[6]

P[edit]

Film Year of release Notes
The Painted Hills 1951 According to MGM records, the film earned $783,000 in the US and Canada and $302,000 elsewhere, leading to a loss of $122,000.[6]
Porgy and Bess 1959 Although the film won one Oscar and one Golden Globe, and its soundtrack album won a Grammy, it was critically and commercially unsuccessful, earning back only half its $7-million cost. The project was the last for Samuel Goldwyn. Due to its controversial subject matter, the film was shown only briefly following its initial reserved seat engagements in major cities, where it drew mixed reviews from critics. Two months after its release, Goldwyn grudgingly conceded, "No one is waiting breathlessly for my next picture."[26] It was broadcast on network television only once – Sunday night, March 5, 1967, on ABC-TV (during a week that also saw a rebroadcast of a TV adaptation of Brigadoon, as well as the first telecast of Hal Holbrook's one-man show Mark Twain Tonight!).[27] The 1959 Porgy and Bess has not been seen in its entirety on network TV since, although clips have been shown on some of the American Film Institute specials. The film had multiple presentations during the 1970s on Los Angeles local television, KTLA-TV, Channel 5, an independent station with access to the Goldwyn Studios output, most probably using the special pan and scan 35mm print which was made for the ABC-TV network presentation, as was KTLA-TV's practice.[notes 1]

R[edit]

Film Year of release Notes
Richard III 1955 Richard III opened at the Leicester Square Theatre on December 13, 1955, with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip attending the premiere.[28] Alexander Korda had sold the rights to the film to NBC in the US for $500,000 (about $NaN in today's dollars) and the film was released in North America on Sunday, March 11, 1956. The release was unique, in that the film had its US premiere on the same day both on television and in cinemas, the first instance of this ever being done.[28] It was not shown during prime time, but rather in the afternoon, so prime time ratings for that day were not affected by any pre-emptions for a special programme. It is quite likely that it was the first 3-hour telecast of a film or a Shakespeare play ever to be shown in the USA. The film, although slightly cut for television, was generally well received by critics, with Olivier's performance earning particular notice, but as a result of its simultaneous release through television and cinemas in the US, it was a box office failure, and many critics felt at the time that it was not as well-made as Olivier's previous films. However, the airing on US television received excellent ratings, estimated at between 25 and 40 million.[29] In addition, when the film was reissued in 1966, it broke box office records in many US cities.[30] Its critical reputation has since grown considerably, and many critics now consider it Olivier's best and most influential screen adaptation of Shakespeare. The film's failure at the US box office effectively ended Olivier's career as a director of Shakespearean films. His proposed film of Macbeth, which had been intended to go into production during 1957,[31] in the end finally failed to gain financing.[32]

S[edit]

Film Year of release Notes
Silk Stockings 1957 According to MGM records, the film earned $1,740,000 in the US and Canada and $1,060,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $1,399,000.[6]
The Silver Chalice 1952 Paul Newman was apparently not proud of his performance. When the film was broadcast on television in 1966, he took out an advertisement in a Hollywood trade paper apologizing for his performance, and requesting people not to watch the film. This backfired, and the broadcast received unusually high ratings.[33] The film is sometimes referred to as Paul Newman and the Holy Grail.[34] Newman called the film "the worst motion picture produced during the 1950s", and once screened it for guests at his home, handing out pots, wooden spoons, and whistles and encouraging the audience to offer noisy critiques.
Sleeping Beauty 1959 Disney's distribution arm, Buena Vista Distribution, originally released Sleeping Beauty to theaters in both standard 35mm prints and large-format 70mm prints. The Super Technirama 70 prints were equipped with six-track stereophonic sound; some CinemaScope-compatible 35mm Technirama prints were released in four-track stereo, and others had monaural soundtracks. On the initial run, Sleeping Beauty was paired with the short musical/documentary film Grand Canyon which won an Academy Award.[35] During its original release in January 1959, Sleeping Beauty grossed approximately $5.3 million in theater rentals (the distributor's share of the box office gross).[36] Sleeping Beauty's production costs, which totaled $6 million,[37] made it the most expensive Disney film up to that point, and over twice as expensive as each of the preceding three Disney animated features: Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and Lady and the Tramp.[38] The high production costs of Sleeping Beauty, coupled with the underperformance of much of the rest of Disney's 1959–1960 release slate, resulted in the company posting its first annual loss in a decade for fiscal year 1960,[37] and there were massive lay-offs throughout the animation department.[39] Like Alice in Wonderland (1951), which was not initially successful either, Sleeping Beauty was never re-released theatrically in Walt Disney's lifetime. However, it had many re-releases in theaters over the decades. The film was re-released theatrically in 1970,[40] where it was released on standard 35mm film. The release garnered $3.8 million.[41] It was re-released in 1979 in 70mm 6 channel stereo, as well as in 35 mm stereo and mono,[42] 1986,[43] and 1995.[44] It was originally going to be re-released in 1993 (as was advertised on the 1992 VHS release of Beauty and the Beast) but it was cancelled and pushed forward two years later to 1995. Sleeping Beauty's successful reissues have made it the second most successful film released in 1959, second to Ben-Hur,[45] with a lifetime gross of $51.6 million.[46] When adjusted for ticket price inflation, the domestic total gross comes out to $623.56 million, placing it in the top 40 of films.[47]
Sweet Smell of Success 1957 Despite a poorly received preview screening, Sweet Smell of Success has greatly improved in stature over the years. It is now highly acclaimed by film critics, particularly for its cinematography and screenplay. In 1993, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Thomas Fernsch, The Man Who Was Dr. Seuss (NY: New Century Books, 2001), pp. 104–105
  2. ↑ Weiler, A.H. (April 15, 1957). "Twelve Angry Men (1957) Movie Review". The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 12 Angry Men Filmsite Movie Review. AMC FilmSite. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  4. ↑ 12 Angry Men at AllMovie. Rovi. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  5. ↑ Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: Making 12 Angry Men Featurette on Collector's Edition DVD
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Mannix
  7. ↑ Thomas, Bob (1976). Walt Disney: An American Original. New York: Hyperion Press. pp. 220–221. ISBN 0-7868-6027-8. Search this book on
  8. ↑ "Alice in Wonderland: The Aftermath".[not in citation given]
  9. ↑ 'The Top Box Office Hits of 1951', Variety, January 2, 1952
  10. ↑ Maltin, Leonard (1973). The Disney Films. New York: Crown. p. 103. ISBN 0-7868-8527-0. Search this book on
  11. ↑ Disney, Tim Burton & Linda Woolverton deliver an “Alice” for the ages
  12. ↑ Francaviglia, Richard V.; Rosenstone, Robert A. (2007). Lights, Camera, History: Portraying the Past in Film. Texas A&M University Press. p. 55. ISBN 1-58544-580-0. Search this book on
  13. ↑ Monush, Barry (2003). Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the Silent Era to 1965. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 773. ISBN 1-55783-551-9. Search this book on
  14. ↑ 'The Top Box-Office Hits of 1956', Variety Weekly, January 2, 1957
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named tino
  16. ↑ Gray, Marianne (1991). Depardieu. Sinclair-Stevenson, Limited. p. 160. Retrieved January 20, 2016. Search this book on
  17. ↑ Zuckerman, Faye (March 23, 1985). "Prism into Public Domain: 24 Film Classics Set for Release". Billboard. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Limelight – Set Jap Box Office Record". The Mercury. Hobart, Tasmania. April 21, 1953. p. 7. Retrieved March 21, 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. ↑ Vance, Jeffrey. Chaplin: Genius of the Cinema. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2003 pg. 295. ISBN 0-8109-4532-0 Search this book on ..
  20. ↑ Vance, Jeffrey. Chaplin: Genius of the Cinema. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2003 pg. 280. ISBN 0-8109-4532-0 Search this book on ..
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Couchman 2009, p. 196.
  22. ↑ Couchman 2009, p. 198.
  23. ↑ Couchman 2009, pp. 196–8.
  24. ↑ "The Night of the Hunter". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  25. ↑ Burgess Meredith is credited as director of the film The Man on the Eiffel Tower[1]. Irving Allen and Laughton also directed but are not credited.
  26. ↑ Berg, A. Scott, Goldwyn: A Biography. New York: Alfred A. Knopf 1989. ISBN 0-394-51059-3 Search this book on ., p. 488
  27. ↑ "Television, Theater, Records, Cinema". Time. March 3, 1967.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Coleman, Terry (2005). Olivier. Henry Hilt and Co. ISBN 0-8050-7536-4. Search this book on , Chapter 20
  29. ↑ "Richard III Review". Screenonline. British Film Institute. Retrieved July 8, 2006.
  30. ↑ Bruce Eder. "Richard III". Criterion. Retrieved July 8, 2006.
  31. ↑ Terry Coleman Olivier: The Authorised Biography, London: Bloomsbury, 2005, p.277
  32. ↑ Daniels, Robert L. (1980). Laurence Olivier, theater and cinema. A.S Barnes. Search this book on
  33. ↑ Video on YouTube
  34. ↑ Susan Wloszczyna, "Paul Newman: A rare breed" (USA Today, byline September 30, 2008, accessed February 23, 2009.)
  35. ↑ "Disney Readies Film About Grand Canyon". Deseret News. January 6, 1959. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  36. ↑ Schickel, Richard (1968). The Disney Version: The Life, Times, Art and Commerce of Walt Disney. Chicago: Simon & Schuster. p. 299. ISBN 1-5666-3158-0. Search this book on
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 Thomas 1976, pp. 294–5.
  38. ↑ Barrier 1999, pp. 554–59.
  39. ↑ Norman, Floyd (August 18, 2008). "Toon Tuesday: Here's to the real survivors". Jim Hill Media. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
  40. ↑ "Cinema Scene". Ludington Daily News. July 10, 1979. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  41. ↑ Thomas, Bob (September 16, 1979). "'Beauty' napped at the box office". Associated Press. St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  42. ↑ Gaul, Lou (November 20, 1979). "Unappetizing Thanksgiving movie menu". Beaver County Times. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  43. ↑ Thomas, Bob (April 11, 1986). "A Renaissance: Animated films are enjoying a surprise". Evening Independent. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  44. ↑ "9 Things You Didn't Know About Sleeping Beauty". Oh My Disney. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
  45. ↑ "Movies: Top 5 Box Office Hits, 1939 to 1988". Ldsfilm.com. Retrieved 2014-04-13.
  46. ↑ "Sleeping Beauty". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
  47. ↑ "All Time Box Office Adjusted for Ticket Price Inflation". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved May 10, 2016.

Notes[edit]

  1. ↑ KTLA and competitor KHJ-TV telecast 35mm prints in preference to 16mm prints.[citation needed]

External links[edit]


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