box-office bombs
Money-losing theatrical releases
Films that fail dramatically at the box office, losing substantial money for their studios.
A bomb suggests not just underperformance but spectacular commercial disaster—often movies with large budgets that audiences simply didn't show up for: The studio released three box-office bombs in a row.
The term carries a note of industry schadenfreude.
- flopComplete commercial failure
- disasterSudden ruinous event
- failureLack of success
- misfireFailure to discharge
- disappointmentSadness from unmet expectations
write-off · underperformance · dud · budget overrun · financial loss · cult classics · critical darling · turkey · fiasco · debacle · vanity project · opening weekend · revenues · letdown · Ishtar · cinema · Waterworld · film festivals