The year 2024 presented a varied landscape for Hollywood, where substantial budgets did not necessarily result in significant box office returns.
Animated features dominated the market, with four films securing positions in the top 10 highest-grossing list. Additionally, nine out of the ten films were sequels, while the remaining entry was an adaptation of an established intellectual property.
Below is the list of the top 10 highest-grossing films in Hollywood:
- Inside Out 2 – $1.69 billion
- Deadpool & Wolverine – $1.33 billion
- Despicable Me 4 – $969.36 million
- Moana 2 – $717.80 million (Currently still in theaters)
- Dune: Part Two – $714.44 million
- Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire – $571.75 million
- Kung Fu Panda 4 – $547.69 million
- Wicked – $525.33 million (Currently still in theaters)
- Venom: The Last Dance – $475.50 million (Approaching the end of its theatrical run).
- 10. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – $451.10 million
Among the Hollywood films set to be released soon, only Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Mufasa: The Lion King appear to have a chance of securing a position in the top five. This outcome would likely result in Venom: The Last Dance and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice falling out of the top ten by year’s end.
It is also worth noting that several high-budget Hollywood productions, which were anticipated to perform exceptionally well at the box office, ultimately ended up being significant letdowns.
Here is a list of 11 high-budget Hollywood films that debuted with promising expectations but ultimately failed to meet them.
Argyle
Scheduled for release on February 2, 2024, Matthew Vaughn’s spy action Hollywood comedy proved to be a lackluster form of entertainment, further compounded by a deceptive marketing strategy that prominently featured Henry Cavill as a leading actor, despite his actual role being limited to a cameo.
Featuring performances by Sam Rockwell and Bryce Dallas Howard, Argyle was produced with an estimated budget of $200 million but managed to generate only $96 million in global box office revenue.
Madame Web
Released on February 12, 2024, as part of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU), Madame Web, which is inspired by a well-known Spider-Man supervillain, failed to make an impact. With a production budget of $100 million, the film garnered only $100.49 million, resulting in a financial disappointment in Hollywood.
The Fall Guy
Featuring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, The Fall Guy, directed by David Leitch, was an entertaining film that had the potential for significant success. However, despite its $125 million budget, it managed to earn only $181.07 million at the global Hollywood box office.
IF
Directed by John Krasinski and starring Ryan Reynolds and Steve Carell among others, IF received moderate reviews but fell short at the box office, earning $190.30 million against a budget of $110 million.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
It is unfortunate that Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, one of the standout films of the year, underperformed at the box office. Directed by George Miller and featuring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth in leading roles, the film had a budget of $168 million but concluded its theatrical run with a disappointing $173.77 million in global earnings.
Joker: Folie à Deux
As a sequel to the 2019 billion-dollar hit, Joker 2 received mixed reactions and ultimately generated only $206.40 million on a $200 million budget.
Borderlands
The video game adaptation directed by Eli Roth, featuring Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, and Jamie Lee Curtis, had a production budget ranging from $110 to $120 million. However, it only garnered $32 million at the global box office.
Megalopolis
Francis Ford Coppola, the esteemed filmmaker, directed the self-financed Megalopolis, a project he had envisioned for decades. Unfortunately, the film received unfavorable reviews upon its release and earned merely $13.86 million against a budget of $120 million.
Fly Me to the Moon
Directed by Greg Berlanti, Fly Me to the Moon starred Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, set during the Apollo 11 mission. With a budget of $100 million, the film managed to collect only $42.22 million worldwide.
Red One
Featuring Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, and JK Simmons, Red One is a high-budget Christmas film that was originally intended for direct-to-OTT release but was later shifted to theaters, where it underperformed despite positive audience feedback. The film, now available for streaming on Prime Video, reportedly had a budget exceeding $250 million and earned only $175.06 million at the global box office.
Kraven the Hunter
In Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, the only films that have achieved significant box office success are the three Venom installments: Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and Venom: The Last Dance. In contrast, other spin-offs centered on Spider-Man villains, such as Madame Web, Morbius, and the recent Kraven the Hunter, have performed poorly. The film starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson has only made $26 million globally against a budget of $110 million. Although it is still in theaters, it is unlikely to reach $50 million by the conclusion of its Hollywood box office run.