For over fifty years, Disneyhas been one of the most recognizable brands on earth. Whether in animation or live-action, Walt Disney Company’s family-friendly adventures have not only been mainstays in theaters but also some of the most critically and commercially successful of all time. Even as time passed and other companies slowly caught up on both the animated and live-action fronts, the Mouse House still dominated the 2010s with instant classics likeFrozenandCoco, plus the success of the MCU.
Still, a few films fell on the opposite end of the spectrum. Many movies exceeded expectations throughout the 2010s, but others received critical disdain andlukewarm or even icy box office numbers. In addition to some of their highest highs, the 2010s also saw Disney suffer several blows to their reputation, leading them to focus more on sequels and franchises such asStar Wars. Several of Disney’s biggest flops of all time were in the 2010s, many of which had real studio or even audience expectations behind them.This list will address Disney’s greatest flops of the 2010s, ranking them based on how hyped they were before release and just how underwhelming they ultimately were.
10’Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time' (2010)
Directed by Mike Newell
In the early 2010s, one of Disney’s greatest and most vocalized goals was to find the nextPirates of The Caribbean. That trilogy came out of nowhere to become a massive franchise by bucking the company’s established trends. Thus camePrince of Persia: The Sands of Time, an adult-aimed action adventure in a genre that was far trickier: video game movies.
Starring Jake Gyllenhaalas the titular Prince,Prince of Persia: The Sands of Timeloosely adapts the video game of the same name as it attempts to mold it into more of a Disney-esque adventure.Video game movies have a very rough history, with few seeing commercial success and even fewer seeing so critically.Prince of Persiawas no exception, receiving mixed reviews at best and barely scrapping its way to a profit.Despite barely making its money back,Prince of Persiastill held the title of highest-grossing video game movie of all time until the release ofWarcraft.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
9’Dumbo' (2019)
Directed by Tim Burton
Another trend that Disney developed in the 2010s was theirstring of live-action retellingsof their classic animated films. Beginning withCinderellain 2015 and stretching all the way to the modern day with next year’sSnow White, these films have typically been big box office draws but have been met with mixed reactions from audiences and critics.Dumbowas yet another disappointment, becoming the lowest-grossing out of all of the remakes by a large margin.
Tim Burtonhad previously directed 2010’s off-the-wallAlice in Wonderland, a film some credit as the real first Disney remake, but in fact, goes so far into its unique ideas that it is hard to truly count among them. A similar level of inventiveness and fun was expected forDumbo, especially with a cast featuring the likes ofDanny DeVito,Michael Keaton,Colin Farrell, andEva Green. Sadly, the film is oftena boring slog that gets weird in deeply uncool, almost ashamed ways.Dumboarguably could have been the most promising Disney remake, but it was middling at best.
8’Planes' (2013)
Directed by Klay Hall
Planestook theCarsuniverse off the road, although many would argue the correct phrasing would be “off the rails” as the cheap, non-Pixar project tanked the franchise’s reputationwith critics, casual audiences, and, worst of all, toy sellers. It starsDane Cookas Dusty, a young crop duster who wishes to become a racing plane alongside the likes ofJulia Louis Dreyfuss,John Cleese,Teri Hatcher, and others.
TheCarsfranchise would live on, andPlaneswould even get a straight-to-DVD sequel (as the original was intended to be). It made a tiny profit thanks to its minuscule budget, but itspoor animation, terrible writing, and an unusually uninterested castled to Disney dialing back its goals for the media franchise.Cars 3was a more grounded personal story, and since then, the franchise has been limited to a handful of Disney+ specials. In all honesty, it’s for the better.
Watch on Disney+
7’A Wrinkle in Time' (2018)
Directed by Ava Duvernay
Based on one of the most iconic coming-of-age novels of all time and directed byAva Duvernay,A Wrinkle in Timewas set to be Disney’s next big family-friendly odyssey and capitalize onthe young adult craze of the 2010s. Fans of the classic story were rightfully disappointed when they discovered that the 2018 film was tonally different from the novel they loved, was filled withmiscast characters, and replaced or removed crucial scenesfrom the book. This negative word of mouth translated into not only negative reviews but depressed box office numbers, leadingA Wrinkle in Timeto be a massive flop at the box office.
The original story balances quirky weirdness with a heartfelt and timeless conflict of leadership and responsibility. On the contrary, the film removes much of the uniqueness of the novel in exchange for more generic visuals and ideas, which only makes the rare moments the film does become weird stand out and feel out of place.Oprah Winfrey,Reese Witherspoon,Mindy Kaling,Chris Pine, andStorm Reidas protagonist Meg all feel slightly miscast, even though they do an admirable job with what they are given.
A Wrinkle In Time
6’The Good Dinosaur' (2015)
Directed by Peter Sohn
Though the 2010s saw Pixar release well-received originals, the decade largely saw them doubling down on a string of animated sequels.Finding Dory,The Incredibles 2,Toy Story 4, andCars 3dominated the latter half of the decade for Pixar, with one of the few exceptions beingThe Good Dinosaur. This original film features compelling visuals and a unique premise but was still met with mixed reviews and quickly becameone of Pixar’s worst-reviewed movies.
With an estimatedbudget of $175-$200 millionand a worldwide profit of just over$300 million,The Good Dinosaurbecame the first film in Pixar’s storied history that failed to turn a profit. Worse than that, however, the film didn’t spark much imagination with audiences, becoming downright forgotten over the following decade thanks to itslack of memorable characters, slow, stagnant plot, and unusually bland animation style.
The Good Dinosaur
5’Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' (2019)
Directed by JJ Abrams
Unlike most films on this list,Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalkermade a massive profit for Disney, quickly passing the billion-dollar mark. However, where it disappointed was in the audience and critical response. WhereasThe Last Jediwas divisive upon release,Rise of Skywalkerwas widely disliked, simultaneously ignoring the series' classic beats and the new direction the prior sequel pushed it in. The cast and crew of the final film have expressed regret about the film, withJJ Abramslamenting the lack of a thought-out plan.
AfterEpisode VIIIattempted to distance the sequel trilogy from the nostalgia-focused drive ofThe Force Awakensand was met with mixed reception from fans, Disney hastily rewroteEpisode IXto appease detractors. The result is an uneven movie with forced or shoehorned plot points and unnecessary references.It’s a terrible sequelthatturned off new fans and was too sloppy and forced to appease old fans, earning universal detection for its sloppy plotting and cringey dialogue. Audiences may not know how Palpatine returned, but they can be dead certain of the quality of his final film.
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
4’Mars Needs Moms' (2011)
Directed by Simon Wells
Created with the same motion capture technology used inThe Polar Express,Mars Needs Momswas based upon a children’s book of the same name and featured a computer-scanned cast ofSeth Green,Dan Fogler,Joan Cusack, and others.Mars Needs Moms' underlying heartfelt story is hindered by muddled direction and an animation style that just isn’t quite able to escape the uncanny valley.
Aregrettable title, poor marketing, and unfortunately unappealing animationled toMars Needs Momsbecoming the largest animated box office bomb ever.Robert Zemeckis’sImageMovers Digital was forced to closeafter the film lost over $100 million, and Disney at large quickly attempted to erase the movie from their history. Though its technological goals were high, and its foundations built upon solid source material,Mars Needs Momshas received little retroactive recognition since its colossal failure of a release. If the film is ever brought up today, it is usually in a negative light.
Mars Needs Moms
3’Tomorrowland' (2015)
After making such classic animated films asThe Iron GiantandRatatouilleand proving his live-action chops with the impeccableMission Impossible Ghost Protocol,Brad Birdwas tapped to direct Disney’s next big adventure franchise attempt, the sci-fi epicTomorrowland. Based on the Disney theme park and adaptingthe retrofuturist aestheticand hopeful optimism of the ’50s,Tomorrowlandwas meant to simultaneously be a throwback to Disney’s golden age while creating a new franchise.
Alas,Tomorrowlandbecame one of the largest box office bombs of all time and a blemish on the resume of not only Bird but also starsGeorge Clooney,Britt Robertson, andHughe Laurie. Bird brings a lot of technical prowess toTomorrowland, combining practical and visual effects to create visually entertaining setpieces. What drags the movie down, however, is its slow pacing, unfocused and inconsistent tone, and massive budget, which made profit difficult from the start.Tomorrowlandisdesperate to present itself as an important epicabout grandiose ideals. The titular location is wasted, building it up as this mythic location only for it to bebarren, empty, and decidedly limited in scope.
Tomorrowland
2’John Carter' (2012)
Directed by Andrew Stanton
Following in the footsteps ofPrince of PersiaandThe Sorcerer’s Apprentice,John Carterwas Disney’s next swing at filling thePirates of the Caribbean-shaped hole in their schedule. Based upon the classicEdgar Rice BurroughsnovelA Princess of Mars, thisTaylor Kitschvehicle opted for the much less interesting title ofJohn Carter, seemingly ashamed of its sci-fi origins. Disney struggles with whether to sell the film as a swashbuckling fantasy, a sci-fi epic, a serious action flick, or a fun family adventure, and this muddy direction carries over to the film itself.
John Carterboasts some decent visual effects and occasional humor. However, its bog-standard action movie plot, boring performances, and confusing marketing made it one ofthe most predictable box office bombsof all time. In fact, it isthelargest bomb of all time.John Carternot only fell short of Disney’s franchise hopes butmay have changed the trajectory of the company. Shortly following its failure, Disney pivoted and purchased LucasFilm, signaling a new dawn for the Mouse House.
John Carter
1'The Lone Ranger' (2013)
Directed by Gore Verbinski
The second-largest flop of all time stalled the careers ofJohnny DeppandArmie Hammerfor years.The Lone Rangeris more of a punchline than a film. Disney brought back directorGore Verbinski and Depp fromPirates of the Caribbeanand attached them to a well-established and recognizable IP about a gunslinging hero, The Lone Ranger. The result of this meticulous formula wasjust under 200 million dollars lostand a film thatreceived middling reviews from even the kindest and most forgivingaudience members.
The Lone Rangerhad a lot of pressure on it from Disney. The film quickly ballooned in budget to over 250 million dollars. Verbinski fought with Disney over the film’s direction and tone, andthe script was rewritten several times. The onscreen product shows this turmoil, asThe Lone Rangermeanders in its plot, is bloated and overlong, and features downrightbaffling performances from Hammer and Depp. Adding insult to injury is the fact that The Lone Rangerisan iconic character who deserves a spirited modern revival. Unfortunately, the film was disappointing for audiences, the legacy of its title character, and massively so for Disney’s bottom line.
