20 Movies That Lost Hundreds of Millions Betting on “Strong Female Leads”

Today’s movie studios often spend a lot of money on big-budget action films starring women in roles that were historically given to men, or in brand new action series. They hope these films will launch successful, connected movie universes, but not all of them succeed. Some films don’t attract enough viewers and end up losing money. The following movies are examples of those with female leads that didn’t perform well in theaters.

‘The Marvels’ (2023)

The latest Marvel film brought together Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau for a journey into space. However, the movie had a troubled production and didn’t generate much excitement beforehand. It went on to have the lowest opening weekend box office numbers of any Marvel film ever, resulting in Disney losing over $200 million when factoring in how much it cost to make and advertise.

‘Madame Web’ (2024)

Dakota Johnson played a paramedic who suddenly gains the ability to see the future in this film connected to the Spider-Man Universe. However, the movie’s confusing marketing led to a lot of online criticism and hurt its chances at the box office. Critics didn’t like the story or acting, giving it very poor reviews. Ultimately, the film earned less than one hundred million dollars worldwide and caused Sony to cancel any plans for sequels.

‘Borderlands’ (2024)

Cate Blanchett starred in this movie, which was based on a well-known video game. The film had a difficult production, facing many delays and requiring costly reshoots. Critics didn’t like it, pointing out a confusing story and unconvincing special effects. Ultimately, the movie failed to earn back its large production budget and became one of the year’s biggest box office disappointments.

‘Ghostbusters’ (2016)

Sony tried to bring back its popular supernatural comedy series with a new version starring Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig, but it didn’t go well. Fans of the original movies strongly disliked the reboot, and the film struggled to make a profit due to its high cost. Ultimately, Sony lost around seventy million dollars on the project and decided not to make any more sequels.

‘Mulan’ (2020)

Disney reimagined its classic animated musical as a darker, live-action war film with Liu Yifei in the lead role. The movie faced both political issues and production delays caused by the pandemic, which also impacted how it was released. Many viewers were disappointed by the removal of popular characters and songs from the original. Experts believe the film ultimately lost money due to its very high production costs.

‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ (2019)

Linda Hamilton reprised her role as Sarah Connor, starring alongside Mackenzie Davis, who played an enhanced super-soldier. The film acted as a sequel to the original second movie, disregarding all others, but it didn’t attract a large audience. Despite some positive reviews, the movie flopped at the box office, resulting in losses exceeding $120 million for the studios involved.

‘Dark Phoenix’ (2019)

As a huge X-Men fan, I was really excited for Dark Phoenix, especially with Sophie Turner taking on the Jean Grey role. But honestly, the whole production seemed troubled. I heard they did a ton of reshoots, which pushed back the release date and really drove up the cost. When it finally hit theaters, it just… flopped. It had the worst opening weekend of any X-Men movie, and people quickly stopped going. It ended up losing the studio over $100 million, and it felt like a pretty unceremonious end to the X-Men films from Fox.

‘Charlie’s Angels’ (2019)

Okay, so I saw the latest installment in this spy series starring Kristen Stewart, and it was directed and written by Elizabeth Banks. Honestly, the marketing was all about girl power, which I appreciated, but it didn’t really connect with audiences. It opened way below what the studio expected and disappeared from most theaters pretty quickly. Sadly, it didn’t make nearly enough money to cover how much it cost to make and advertise – a real shame!

‘The 355’ (2022)

Jessica Chastain both starred in and produced this spy thriller, which featured an international cast including Lupita Nyong’o. The story centers on intelligence agents from various countries who team up to prevent a worldwide crisis. However, the film received poor reviews due to uninspired action and a weak script. Ultimately, it wasn’t financially successful, earning less than $30 million globally and failing to cover its production costs.

‘A Wrinkle in Time’ (2018)

Ava DuVernay directed this movie, based on a popular fantasy novel, starring Storm Reid in the lead role. Disney spent a lot on special effects to create the book’s detailed world on screen. However, critics found the story confusing and felt it didn’t capture the magic of the original book. Ultimately, the film lost the studio over $100 million.

‘Mortal Engines’ (2018)

Hera Hilmar starred as Hester Shaw, a scarred runaway, in this action-packed, steampunk movie produced by Peter Jackson. While the film showcased impressive, giant moving cities, it didn’t clearly explain the details of its unique world, which confused many viewers. It performed very poorly in theaters and became a major box office failure, losing an estimated $170 million or more.

‘Tomorrowland’ (2015)

Britt Robertson acted with George Clooney in this hopeful sci-fi movie set in the future. While the film had a creative and unique story, it didn’t quite resonate with most families. Because it was expensive to make, it needed to be a huge hit to succeed, but it didn’t earn enough money. Ultimately, Disney lost a significant amount of money on the project when factoring in all the costs of making and promoting it.

‘Jupiter Ascending’ (2015)

In this sci-fi film directed by the Wachowskis, Mila Kunis plays a cleaning worker who unexpectedly learns she’s actually a member of galactic royalty. While visually impressive, the movie received mixed reviews, with many finding the story and acting difficult to follow. It didn’t make enough money in the US to cover its costs and needed international sales to avoid significant financial losses. The film is now remembered as a notable example of a big-budget, original sci-fi movie that didn’t succeed.

‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ (2024)

Anya Taylor-Joy stars in this new installment, a prequel to the popular film ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’. Though reviewers liked the action and the detailed world created in the movie, it didn’t draw many viewers to theaters. The film’s earnings were significantly lower than its production costs, which unfortunately slowed down any future plans for the series, despite its quality.

‘Catwoman’ (2004)

Halle Berry led the cast in this movie, which took many liberties with the original comic book. Critics and audiences heavily criticized the film’s story and costumes when it came out. It didn’t make back its $100 million production cost and is frequently ranked among the worst superhero movies of all time, resulting in a substantial financial loss for Warner Bros.

‘Argylle’ (2024)

Bryce Dallas Howard stars in this expensive action comedy as a spy novelist who unexpectedly becomes involved in a genuine espionage situation. Despite a large investment from Apple Original Films and a release in theaters, the film’s complicated story and over-the-top action didn’t impress audiences. As a result, it earned significantly less money than its reported $200 million production cost.

‘Ghost in the Shell’ (2017)

Scarlett Johansson played the lead role of the cyborg Major in this film, which was based on the popular anime and manga. However, the choice to cast Johansson sparked debate about whitewashing before the movie even came out. While the film’s visuals were well-received, many felt the story didn’t capture the thoughtful themes of the original source material. Ultimately, the studio lost around sixty million dollars on the project.

‘Wish’ (2023)

Ariana DeBose starred as the voice of Asha in Disney’s new animated musical, created to honor the company’s 100th anniversary. While the film tried to recreate the charm of classic Disney movies, it received a mixed response from audiences and critics, particularly regarding its story and animation. It didn’t perform as well as expected in theaters, facing strong competition from other films, and ultimately wasn’t a financial success.

‘Elektra’ (2005)

Jennifer Garner returned as her character from ‘Daredevil’ in this movie focusing on an assassin. Critics didn’t like the story or the film’s low production value, and it didn’t perform well at the box office – marking a particularly low point for Marvel films at the time. This failure unfortunately led to a decade-long hesitation from studios to greenlight superhero movies with female leads.

‘Cutthroat Island’ (1995)

Geena Davis starred in this pirate movie, which is sadly famous for being a massive financial failure. Problems during production, including delays and actors being replaced, caused the film’s costs to skyrocket. It earned very little money compared to how much it cost to make, ultimately leading to the bankruptcy of the studio that produced it, Carolco Pictures. The film’s disastrous financial performance is still talked about in the movie industry as a cautionary tale.

I’m really curious to hear what everyone else thought – which of these movies failing at the box office shocked you the most? I’d love to read your opinions in the comments!

2025-11-27 00:16