GREEN LANTERN And COWBOYS & ALIENS Among 2011's Biggest Box Office Flops

Conan the Barbarian, Cowboys & Aliens, Green Lantern, The Thing and many more have made it onto The Hollywood Reporter's list of the 15 biggest box office flops of 2011. Read on for more.

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By Josh Wilding - 12/26/2011

The Hollywood Reporter (via IGN Movies) has released the following list as a part of their "THR Year In Review". Industry analysts have revealed that this year has seen a 4% drop in domestic revenue at the box office, and as the site points out, even if a studio makes back its production budget it still splits grosses with theater owners and marketing costs. Here are their top 15 movies which failed to make an impact after being released in 2011.

Mars Needs Moms - Budget: $150M; Global Gross: $39M
Sucker Punch - Budget: $82M; Global Gross: $89.8M
Arthur - Budget: $40M; Global Gross: $45.7M
Green Lantern - Budget: $200M; Global Gross: $219.9M
Cowboys & Aliens - Budget: $163M; Global Gross: $178.8M
Glee: The 3D Concert Movie - Budget: $9M; Global Gross: $18.7M
Conan the Barbarian - Budget: $90M; Global Gross: $48.8M
I Don't Know How She Does It - Budget: $24M; Global Gross: $30.5M
The Thing - Budget: $38M; Global Gross: $27.4M
The Big Year - Budget: $41M; Global Gross: $7.4M
The Rum Diary - Budget: $45M; Global Gross: $21.6M
Anonymous - Budget: $30M; Global Gross: $14.8M
Tower Heist - Budget: $75M; Global Gross: $126.3M
Happy Feet Two - Budget: $135M; Global Gross: $115M
New Year's Eve - Budget: $56M; Global Gross: $54.9M

The chances of a Green Lantern sequel seem to be getting dimmer! Which of these box office "flops" did you enjoy the most? Sound off with your thoughts below.

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110 Comments

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	Denn1s - 12/26/2011, 2:45 AM Login to report abuse i liked gl and conan. could be better though, both of them
	zerakis81 - 12/26/2011, 2:52 AM Login to report abuse They must give GL an other chance it can really become a good movie,it deserves it with,or without Ryan Renolds,in the lead but definetly with Mark Strong as SINESTRO.He really nailed it...
	NeoBaggins - 12/26/2011, 2:58 AM Login to report abuse I guess a couple of those films were lucky to make some what of a prophet. They could have ended up like Conan 3D; pure shit on all fronts. Green Lantern was terrible, but I think there's enough there for a second go. It's like WB owes the audience a better effort. Keep Reynolds and the cast in general and replace the entire production team- director, writers, FX devision, producer.
	Batman27 - 12/26/2011, 3:11 AM Login to report abuse I think they should make a sequel to Green Lantern with a smaller budget. 150 million instead of 200 million. Get a new director maybe J.J Abrams when hes done with Star Trek 2. Keep Mark Strong the best thing about the film.
	Owley - 12/26/2011, 3:17 AM Login to report abuse Okay, but some movies havent been released in other countries, for example we havent Rum Diaries oder Big Year around here... :S
	spiderneil - 12/26/2011, 3:19 AM Login to report abuse Technically there are no flops as the movie, DVD, blu ray and the tv syndication means any movie will almost certain make it's money back. A better term would be the movie wasn't a hit
	JerBear - 12/26/2011, 3:19 AM Login to report abuse Like others have said above me, make a sequel, not a reboot... same cast, new crew.
	buttercup - 12/26/2011, 3:23 AM Login to report abuse I'm proud to say I've not seen a single movie on the list.
	TheMyth - 12/26/2011, 3:55 AM Login to report abuse GL deserves a sequel WITH the same cast. I second the motion of those above me, just find a new director and writers. I have yet to see Conan but I plan on buying it on BluRay, as it doesn't matter to me if the movie turned out good or bad, I buy all CBM's. I also wanna see Suckerpunch, the effects in that movie looked cool from the previews and I'm surprised it's budget was so low. I feel bad for the Mars Needs Moms flic, whoever produced it anyway that was a massive failure. Must've been worse than the previews implied.
	NeoBaggins - 12/26/2011, 4:11 AM Login to report abuse Also, I watched Cowboys and Aliens at the theater one day. Wasn't expecting much and it turned out to be a good time at the movies. Not a rush DVD purchase, but it got by.
	Dickel - 12/26/2011, 4:15 AM Login to report abuse Cowboys and Aliens was the worst CBM I've seen this year.. and one of the worst movies as well. Shocker!! It was the poorly executed in both script and direction. It was nearly as bad as the worst movie I've ever seen - Island of Dr Moreau
	NoAssemblyReqd - 12/26/2011, 4:17 AM Login to report abuse The making of Mars Needs Moms was more interesting than the movie. The Blu-ray has a PiP view of the mo-cap actors which makes you appreciate the craft a bit more...but the movie itself is a an uneven yarn.
	ThunderCougarFalconBird - 12/26/2011, 4:20 AM Login to report abuse The problem with Green Lantern was the editing. - Cast was fine. Not everyone's first choices but they were solid enough, some even great. - Story was used and predictable but in all honesty which Hollywood movie isn't? - FX were great (IMO). The suit didn't look real and that's what made it PERFECT! It's a construct of the ring and therefore NOT real. - Editing was terrible. Scenes were just thrown together with no real thought of pacing. As a result the whole movie fell apart. The small flaws in other areas of the movie were exposed and magnified. Give the cast and even director a shot at a sequel. Execute the production crew in front of their families (send complaints to "Jeremy Clarkson @ BBC, England") and hire a team that knows what they're doing!
	NoAssemblyReqd - 12/26/2011, 4:20 AM Login to report abuse How did they define flop? All the movies on the list got mixed to negative reviews in addition to doing bad box office. Surely there were some well-reviewed movies that failed to perform...
	pro346 - 12/26/2011, 4:49 AM Login to report abuse @buttercup why are you proud for just because a movie doesnt do that well at the boxoffice doesnt mean its shit not to mention more than a few of them movies are yet to open in other markets,I dont base what I watch on how much money it makes otherwise i would just watch avatar 24/7 pointless article by the way
	NeoBaggins - 12/26/2011, 4:49 AM Login to report abuse pfft Island of Dr Moreau is the shiznite!
	dahamma - 12/26/2011, 4:52 AM Login to report abuse GL is the new Batman and Robin lol
	NoAssemblyReqd - 12/26/2011, 4:55 AM Login to report abuse Haven't seen GL, and don't want to. Being unfamiliar with his story, like most audience members I want to feel confident a movie is for me, that I'll have an easy time getting into the story. The movie's trailers, and banners like the one above, which emphasized CG and a cast of seemingly dozens of really goofy looking characters I don't know, pretty much told me that GL was a fan-only affair. Contrast this with another big production filled with odd characters and fx: the original LOTR. Its trailers emphasized story, and gave me confidence I would get to know each of the characters (also unfamiliar to me).
	JDUKE25 - 12/26/2011, 5:01 AM Login to report abuse
	MarVell - 12/26/2011, 5:10 AM Login to report abuse Out of all of these flops, I've only seen Conan the Barbarian and Green Lantern, and sadly neither met my expectations, but if I had to choose between the two I'd watch Green Lantern again. GL is bad but Conan is beyond bad.
	Alex2814 - 12/26/2011, 5:12 AM Login to report abuse It's too bad about GL. There were some really great things about the movie. Great casting for Sinestro and GL Corps members. Cool finally seeing Oa and the Gaurdians on the big screen. But Parallax and Hector Hammond really sucked!
	thetrojan - 12/26/2011, 5:19 AM Login to report abuse and heres a potential flop from a member here http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/thetrojan/news/?a=51598
	nerdman81 - 12/26/2011, 5:40 AM Login to report abuse Sad to say the only movie on that list that I GENUINELY enjoyed was Arthur!! I watched GL a couple times, and while I felt it was better upon second viewing, it still wasn't nearly good! I sat through Cowboys and Aliens, and it was alright, but I will probably never watch it again unless a friend or something REALLY wants to watch it. I hoped and knew that Crappy Feet 2 would fail because the first one was just horrid in every conceivable way...ugh And Sucker Punch was just plain retarded, which I could tell from the previews. Of the ones I have yet to see, the only one I'm looking forward to is The Thing!
	RorMachine - 12/26/2011, 5:43 AM Login to report abuse Honestly I think I preferred GL to CB&A. Technically Cowboys was a better made movie, but it had zero heart, it was bland as hell to me. I didn't care about any of the characters. GL was a bit more engrossing..despite also being a mess!
	breakUbatman - 12/26/2011, 5:53 AM Login to report abuse GL 2 could work if done right, the first movie just had a crappy script altogether. And villain amalgamation is never a good idea - both Krona and Parallax were wasted and the easter eggs were stupid. GL2 : - Hal and Sinestro are working together as a team (duh) - Sinestro is secretly using the yellow ring to oppress his home planet, therefore goes undetected by the guardians and GLs - Manhunters detect something is wrong (don't know how) but are seen as corrupt because Sinestro is the greatest. -Manhunters revolt and battle the corps, Hal and Sinestro somehow end up out numbered and running on E. Sinestro has to use the yellow ring to save their lives. -Guardians find out, Sinestro is arrested, Hal has to testify, Sinestro escapes. -From there you have the classic beef or something to that effect.
	Cyclops84 - 12/26/2011, 5:55 AM Login to report abuse I didn't like GL the first time I saw it, but honestly it got a lot better the second and third times around. Also, which is sad to say, but I had a much better time watching it on Blu-Ray than at the IMAX. I'm kind of astounded that the best movie on that list only made 14 million. I saw Anonymous with my girlfriend and I was actually blown away by the movie.
	volk1478 - 12/26/2011, 6:15 AM Login to report abuse I thought The Thing was great!
	ZombieOverEasy - 12/26/2011, 6:15 AM Login to report abuse @Ron You hit the nail on the head! The editing of GL was my biggest beef, the pacing was horrible. I enjoyed The Thing. I think they borrowed too much from the original though. I'll bet if you sit down with the original and the prequel and play them side by side, the films almost line up scene for scene. They didn't take enough risks with the formula of the first film. I still felt it was a good offering and I'll own it on BluRay, if nothing else just so I have both flicks. They did a horrid job of promoting it, online at least. I didn't even know the film had come out until 2 weeks after the fact and by then I had trouble finding a theater that was still playing it. Loved the first film and would have been there opening day had I known it was out.
	PaulRom - 12/26/2011, 6:27 AM Login to report abuse @BreakUBatman That sounds excellent, I'd love to see something like that play out in the sequel (which needs to be made). I thought both Green Lantern and Cowboys & Aliens were rather underrated. Sure they both failed to meet expectations, but personally I was able to enjoy them both. Lantern needed a better script, less CGI (as in, using a real costume/mask), and an additional 15-20 minutes on Oa (at least); Cowboys had messed up plot points and a sometimes uneven feel. Still need to check out Conan and Tower Heist though.
	edwardshiro - 12/26/2011, 6:31 AM Login to report abuse Between Green Lantern and Thor, Green Lantern was much better, if you analyze it objectively.
	RunDTC - 12/26/2011, 6:39 AM Login to report abuse only saw GL and C&A. both times wanted my money back.
	MarVell - 12/26/2011, 6:43 AM Login to report abuse @PaulRom - I'm sure by now you have low expectations for Conan, due to all the bad reviews it's gotten, but do yourself a favor and have lots of beer while you watch Conan, and a better movie handy for after to cheer you up. Ha, ha!!
	PaulRom - 12/26/2011, 6:53 AM Login to report abuse @Fitz3241 Yeah, I've kept my expectations low for Conan since I saw it at 23% on Rotten Tomatoes. Not expecting much. I don't drink beer, but thanks for the suggestion anyways. ;P
	blueorangeny - 12/26/2011, 7:00 AM Login to report abuse I have confidence that they will move forward with a Green Lantern 2. Don't be surprised 2014.
	MarVell - 12/26/2011, 7:05 AM Login to report abuse @PaulRom - The beer was just a joke, the better movie after was the suggestion. Maybe the original Conan The Barbarian, hell you'd even be better off with Conan the Destroyer. Ha, ha!!
	dellamorte1872 - 12/26/2011, 7:15 AM Login to report abuse kinda glad CB + A failed! premise sounded corny from the get go. plus if it did well it woulda taken even longer for more S.T
	Coldblood6 - 12/26/2011, 7:15 AM Login to report abuse I didn't think Sucker Punch was bad but I understand why most people didn't like it. I thought the Thing was great and I'm a huge fan of the original. C&A was bland as hell and rather uninteresting; surprised that JF misfired so badly with that. GL was insipid crap. What's amazing is that so many of you think that WB "owes" fanboys and/or the character to make a sequel/reboot??!?? Are you guys for real??? You really think WB owes it to a fanbase to invest (= flush down the toilet) another $200 million dollars!?! Every non-CB fan that I know who saw that movie describes it as TERRIBLE; a sequel would get virtually no viewings from the regular GA and would give GL the ignomy of having TWO big budget mega-BOMBS!
	Xeetor - 12/26/2011, 7:21 AM Login to report abuse REBOOT GREEN LANTERN
	dellamorte1872 - 12/26/2011, 7:26 AM Login to report abuse SUCKER PUNCH WAS LITERALLY PROLLT THE WORST MOVIE I "SAW" THIS YEAR
	dellamorte1872 - 12/26/2011, 7:27 AM Login to report abuse PROLLY
	skullboy - 12/26/2011, 7:34 AM Login to report abuse Boy, forget the fact the GL was number 1 on the box office that weekend anyway, huh? Idk why this movie can't catch a break. The Marvelites are just yucking this up and greatful that critics like Rotten Tomatoes agree with them on that. I'm still not convinced it was that bad and still not convinced Thor was epic. Talk about a lucky break, eh?
	MarVell - 12/26/2011, 7:40 AM Login to report abuse @Coldblood - I'd like to see Green Lantern handled better if a sequel or reboot is attempted, a successful sequel is possible without a extremly big budget, take Star Trek the Motion Picture for instance, The Wraith of Khan had a much smaller budget but a better script and director and is considered by most fans to be the film that started such a successful franchise. Another example would be X-Men: First Class, after how poorly X-Men Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine was recieved by fans, another X-Men film seemed too impossible to be any good, but Mathew Vaughn and company delivered. So it's not an imposibility but more likely an improbability.
	BlackAmerica - 12/26/2011, 7:44 AM Login to report abuse I've only seen three of those. I love Sucker Punch. It was beautiful. I liked Green Lantern, but it could have been better. I was forced to watch Mars needs more Moms, and absolutely hated it. It was an hour+ of a kid whining for his mommy.
	JohnTom88 - 12/26/2011, 7:46 AM Login to report abuse ^ A bad movie is bad movie, chump. It's not about Marvel, DC or anything. BTW, Rotten Tomatoes is managed by WB go figure. There's no conspiracy in raising the Marvel films score up.
	dellamorte1872 - 12/26/2011, 7:46 AM Login to report abuse GREEN LANTERN WAS BAD but it was a success in the sense that I GAVE IT A CHANCE. CB+A did not get one, and viewing SUCKER PUNCH led to me trashing my copy so i could never view it again
	Jolt17 - 12/26/2011, 7:48 AM Login to report abuse Make Green Lantern 2 for a redemption (and to please us fans), keep Mark Strong (or maybe Reynolds too, I personally don't mind if he stays or leaves) - or take a G.I. Joe: Retaliation route probably for the cast and the team in general, and get rid of Sony ImageWorks. I know the creatives' decision was probably wrong to use CGI suits, etc., but that animation house produced only decent visuals with $200 million. I've seen a lot other examples that had a bigger amount of CGI, and better, and cheaper.
	dellamorte1872 - 12/26/2011, 7:49 AM Login to report abuse also DUDLEY MOORE is ARTHUR you cant remake a classic performance. there isnt "ASH" in the new EVIL DEAD!
	Jolt17 - 12/26/2011, 7:55 AM Login to report abuse And anyway, I've only seen Green Lantern from those movies listed. I kind of wanting my money back not because it's that bad a movie, but the amount of disappointment was uncanny. Still wanting to see Cowboys & Aliens. Heard quite a lot of bad things about it, but also a few good ones, and I heard it was way too underrated as well (along with Green Lantern)...but what I've seen from the trailers, clips, etc., I'm still quite interested. breakUbatman: Ever thinking to tell that to Warner Bros.? That's quite brilliant an idea.
	SWelch - 12/26/2011, 7:59 AM Login to report abuse Out of that list I only saw Green Lantern, Conan the barbarian, Cowboys & Aliens and The Thing. I throughly enjoyed Conan. I thought it captured the essences of the Robert E Howard stories perfectly. The other three I wasn't really impressed with. Though I say i enjoyed C&A a little more than the others. Now Sucker Punch was so god awful I couldn't even finish watching. Zack Snyder really screwed that moie up. I am so sick and tired of the use of slow moti9on in these movies and Snyder is one of the worst offenders. Which is why I'm have my doubts about the Superman movie. I thought he dropped the ball on Watchmen as well. He was so busy trying to make it look like the GN he failed to with the actors. There are three kinds of directors. One who are great with the technical side of movie making but don't know how to work with actors to bring out the best performance. Those that are great workng with actors but not great with the technical side. And those that are good with both sides of movie making. Snyder falls into the first one. He is great with the technical side of making movies but he is not an actors director.
	InFamouslyCool - 12/26/2011, 8:01 AM Login to report abuse They all sucked.
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