Not all great action movies emerge as box office hits, with some true action gems floundering in theaters. Action movies are one of the greatest and longest standing monuments to the human desire for thrills and adventure. Stunts, gun play, martial arts, and vehicular spectacle, and other kinds of displays of physical grit, strength, and determination are everything action fans yearn for when they pay to see an action movie. However, box office success is never written in stone, with action movies becoming hits, flops, or everything in between just like any other genre. That, unfortunately, also applies to great action films as much as it does lackluster one.
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In fact, some truly phenomenal action movies have debuted in theaters only to be largely ignored by moviegoers. Fortunately, the silver lining of home media and streaming often gives action movies that bombed in theaters a second chance to find their audience, with some action movie theatrical flops later becoming wildly popular and beloved in the world of home media. Here are 10 great action movies that flopped in theaters despite deserving much better results.
1.) Waterworld
Once upon a time, the title Waterworld was synonymous with over-budget, troubled productions that drown at the box office, but it has aged fantastically as a sea-faring riff on Mad Max. Set in a post-apocalyptic future in which Earth has been submerged by water after the melting of the polar ice caps, Waterworld centers on the Mariner (Kevin Costner), a loner of the high seas with gills, who finds himself protecting Helen (Jeanne Tripplehorn) and Enola (Tina Majorino), the latter of whom bears a tattoo that could be a map to the fabled oasis known as Dryland. Waterworld‘s scope and high-seas battles make it an engaging popcorn adventure, along with the ruthlessly evil performance of the late Dennis Hopper as the Deacon, leader of the pirate gang known as the Smokers who also seek out Dryland. Waterworld eventually turned a profit through home media and other revenue sources, exemplifying that box office numbers are not the be-all and end-all of a movie’s bottom line, while Waterworld‘s sequel comic Children of Leviathan expanded the movie’s mythos and universe in epic fashion.
2.) Chill Factor
1999’s Chill Factor got a decidedly chilly response from critics and at the box office, but it deserved a much warmer one on both counts. Chill Factor focuses on short order cook Tim Mason (Skeet Ulrich) and ice cream delivery truck driver Arlo (Cuba Gooding Jr.), who find themselves transporting a chemical weapon codenamed “Elvis” in order to keep it out of the hands of terrorists. Chill Factor flips the numerical gimmick of Speed to great effect, with Mason and Arlo having to keep Elvis from ever reaching 50 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent the release of its flesh-eating virus. While consistent chase-fueled momentum and hilarious buddy banter between Ulrich and Gooding Jr., Chill Factor is an underrated action comedy that action fans should definitely pull out of the freezer.
3.) Gemini Man
Ang Lee’s Gemini Man was never marketed with the “Will Smith vs. Will Smith” tagline that it arguably should have had, which could at least partially account for the movie’s underperformance in late 2019. Nonetheless, Gemini Man is a splendid action-packed yarn following retired sniper Henry Brogan (Smith), who finds himself pursued by a younger clone of himself. Smith’s range really shines in his side-by-side performance as the veteran Henry and the youthful and conflicted killing machine, Junior, while the movie’s stunts and fight sequences (including an outstanding smackdown between Henry and Junior) deliver in spades. Gemini Man might be the rare Will Smith box office flop, but it is quite arguably the best of the bunch.
4.) Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Nine years after 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, director George Miller followed up one action classic with another with Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, a prequel devoted the origins of Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa (played here by Anya Taylor-Joy). Despite deservedly earning every bit of the acclaim that Fury Road did, Furiosa saw a far lower box office return. With Miller’s deft command of the incredible automotive action and stunts in Furiosa rivaling Fury Road‘s and the power of Anya Taylor-Joy’s performance as she seeks revenge for her mother’s death on Chris Hemsworth’s voraciously hammy Dementus, Furiosa‘s box office failure is a sad loss. Nonetheless, Furiosa is a worthy addition to the Mad Max universe and a truly stellar post-apocalyptic action spectacular primed for cult classic status.
5.) Last Action Hero
In his first big summer box office showdown, Arnold lost to the dinosaurs with Last Action Hero‘s close release to Jurassic Park in the summer of 1993, but it has stood the test of time as one of Arnold’s best action movies as well as his most underrated. In Last Action Hero, a magic movie ticket transports action movie fanatic Danny Madigan (Austin O’Brien) into the world of his favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger franchise, the Jack Slater movies. Last Action Hero is at once a fantastic Arnold Schwarzenegger action vehicle and a hilarious spoof of one, going out of its way to point out plot holes and making a memorable in-universe switcheroo with Sylvester Stallone as the star of Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Charles Dance and Tom Noonan’s cold and maniacal villains Benedict and The Ripper add flair to Last Action Hero‘s meta fun, which also fully capitalizes on the layers of being two Arnold actioners for the price of one. A flop in its day, Last Action Hero has long since emerged from the wreckage as a true Arnold classic.
6.) Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Edgar Wright directed what is arguably the most video game movie of all time in 2010’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, in which Michael Cera’s dorky protagonist must defeat the Seven Evil Exes of his new girlfriend Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Based upon Bryan O’Malley’s graphic novel series, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a delight for gamers and especially martial arts fans, with the movie’s wild fight sequences explosions of primary colors and kung fu madness, culminating in the literal explosion of the losing combatant into arcade game tokens. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World decidedly did not explode at the box office in 2010, but has since gone on to be a cherished nerd classic, a gradually achieved but well-deserved win for the video game-kung fu movie combo that Scott Pilgrim vs. The World energetically embodies.
7.) Dredd
Judge Dredd is 0-2 on making it big in movie theaters, but where 1995’s Sylvester Stallone-led Judge Dredd is remembered without much affection, 2012’s Dredd is the complete inverse, with many fans continuing to campaign for Dredd 2. Karl Urban portrays Judge Joe Dredd, with the movie following a “day-in-the-life” story of Dredd responding to a call in the Peach Trees city block with rookie Judge Anderson (Olivia Thirlby). The two are forced to fight for their lives when the building’s crime boss ruler, Ma-Ma (Lena Headey), orders their deaths. Dredd‘s close proximity to and shared single-location premise with 2012’s action hit The Raid: Redemption did it no favors, but the similarities between the two are superficial, with Dredd a wild sci-fi action ride anchored by Karl Urban’s grizzled and at times even chilling performance as Judge Dredd, delivered with his face consistently hidden by his helmet, a true flex of real comic book accuracy. Standing as a revered sci-fi action powerhouse over a decade after its debut, Dredd may be a comic book box office flop, but one that earns the Judge’s rating of “pass”.
8.) Ganapath: A Hero is Born
Tiger Shroff leapt to Bollywood stardom with the action-packed Baaghi franchise, but despite bringing the same charisma and martial arts prowess to 2023’s Ganapath: A Hero is Born, the post-apocalyptic actioner did not find similar success either in India or in its Western theatrical release. Set in the year 2070, Ganapath‘s world is one with a literal wall dividing the haves from the have nots, with young gangster Guddu (Shroff) finding himself kicked out of his bosses inner circle and taken in by a rebel group in the desert, with many coming to believe he is the prophesied savior of their people known as “Ganapath”. Sure, the CGI might be a little on the Sharknado side, and Guddu’s training gets him up to the level of a world class MMA champion in roughly a week or two, but those nitpicks are easy to set aside when Tiger Shroff snaps into action as a twirling machine of fists and kicks in Ganapath‘s many outstanding martial arts sequences. Shroff’s ring fights in particular, including his showdown with Monkey Man‘s fight choreographer Brahim Chab, are some of the best of his career. Ganapath sadly tanked theatrically, with the movie having seemingly yet to be given a streaming or physical media release, but for fans of Bollywood martial arts action, Ganapath is a spin-kicking blast.
9.) Boy Kills World
Bill Skarsgård trades in his usual sinister villain chops for those of a mute, formidable warrior in the action-comedy Boy Kills World, set in a dystopian future in which the Van Der Koy family rules with an iron fist. After the murder of his family by the Van Der Koys, the child known only as “Boy” trains for years under the wise Shaman (Yayan Ruhian) to exact revenge, finding a collection of both unexpected allies and unexpected enemies when he finally embarks on his vendetta. Skarsgård synchronizes his versatile range to portray Boy entirely without words while H. John Benjamin provides the voice of his arcade console-derived inner monologue. Boy Kills World amassed a paltry $3.3 million at the box office, a baffling outcome with the movie’s wild, video game-inspired tale and outstanding martial arts action scenes, including a show-stopping smackdown in which Yayan Ruhian brings all the power and grit of his roles in The Raid movies. Boys Kills World is essentially a streaming release that found its way into theaters, and hopefully, it will thrive over time in its real home in the streaming world.
10.) The Killer’s Game
Speaking of streaming or direct-to-video action movies that snuck under the radar into theaters, 2024’s The Killer’s Game also falls neatly in that classification. The second directorial outing of stunt coordinator extraordinaire J.J. Perry following 2022’s Day Shift, The Killer’s Game focuses on professional assassin Joe Flood (Dave Bautista), who discovers he is dying of a terminal illness and puts a contract on himself in order to give his girlfriend Maize Arnaud (Sofia Boutella) his life insurance money. Unfortunately, Joe learns too late that he was misdiagnosed, with an active assassination contract on his head. Dave Bautista brings his strengths as both action star and character actor to The Killer’s Game with a healthy dose of comedic hops to boot. Action fans will also thrill to not only the movie’s abundant stunts, gun play, and martial arts fights, but its ensemble that includes action greats like Scott Adkins, Marko Zaror, and Daniel Bernhardt along with Terry Crews and Bautista’s fellow pro-wrestler Drew McIntyre as the many assassins pursuing him. The Killer’s Game fizzled out at the box office, but the streaming world should hopefully be kinder to it as a stellar, action-packed second chapter of J.J. Perry’s transition from stunt coordinator to action filmmaker.
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Image courtesy of Marvel Studios.
