Year In Review 2013: The Biggest Movie Flops of 2013

“R.I.P.D.”
“It’s like ‘Men in Black’ only with ghosts,” said a now-unemployed studio executive at a regretful pitch meeting. Thanks to the supernatural actioner “R.I.P.D.”, 2013 started off on a low note for Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds (and anyone who actually went to see the movie). Co-starring Jeff Bridges, the film followed the adventures of two paranormal police officers of the Rest In Peace Department charged with keeping assorted ghouls, ghosts, and monsters in check. The $130 million picture completely tanked, grossing a paltry $33 million at the North American box office and another $45 million abroad.

“Getaway”
Ethan Hawke and Selena Gomez: Together at last! Maybe it was because 43-year-old Hawke isn’t quite the box office draw he once was (though was he really ever that much of a draw?), or maybe it was the fact that audiences likely had a hard time believing Gomez as a street-wise car thief/computer hacker, but for whatever reason the automobile-based thriller “Getaway” didn’t really connect with moviegoers. Produced for only $18 million, the film was only able to make a little over $10 million at the box office. Ouch.

“Elysium”
After wowing audiences and critics alike with his impressive 2009 feature film debut “District 9,” director Neil Blomkamp may have been the victim of high expectations. Unfortunately, “Elysium” - a sci-fi tale of haves and have-nots starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster -- was not quite as well received, financially or critically. The $115 million science fiction flick grossed a (relatively) disappointing $92 million at the North American box office.

“After Earth”
Oh, M. Night Shyamalan. Once the darling of Hollywood and fans of the twist ending thriller, the “Sixth Sense” director’s reputation took a pretty major hit after series of disastrous high profile efforts (See: “Lady in the Water” and “The Last Airbender”). That’s part of what made Sony’s decision to hand him the reins of the $130 million sci-fi adventure “After Earth” kind of a head-scratcher. Set 1,000 years in the future, the film stars Will Smith and Jaden Smith as a father and son (go figure!) who crash land on an extremely hostile planet that turns out to be Earth. Not even Smith’s considerable box office appeal could save “After Earth” - the film grossed a measly $60 million at North American cinemas.

“The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones”
Vying for the title of next big Young Adult sensation, “The Mortal Instruments” series was meant to be the inheritor of the “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” crown. However, the reality for Cassandra Clare’s supernatural franchise (about a war between angels and demons) was a far cry from the success of “The Twilight Saga” or the “Potter” films. “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones” performed so poorly (making only $31 million domestically) that the sequel, “City of Ashes,” was scrapped just as it was about to start production.

“Turbo”
This really was not a great year for Ryan Reynolds at the box office. First the paranormal actioner “R.I.P.D.” crashed and burned, and then “Turbo” - the $135 million Reynolds-headlined animated film about snail racing - flopped with a lacklustre opening weekend and disappointing $82 million domestic haul. While there probably won’t be a big screen sequel to “Turbo” any time soon, the film did spawn an animated series set to debut on Netflix in December 2013. Ryan Reynolds is wisely sitting this one out.

“Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters”
Yet another Young Adult franchise that fizzled in theatres this year, the failure of “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters” can largely be attributed to the fact that it came out almost four years after the first movie, “The Lightning Thief.” Even though the $90 million fantasy film brought back most of the original cast, most of the series’ once young audience had already grown up and moved on. With only $67 million in North American ticket sales, “Sea of Monsters” did not perform well enough to guarantee a sequel, leaving the fate of ‘The Titan’s Curse” up in the air.

“Jack the Giant Slayer”
From the get-go, things did not look promising for “X-Men” director Bryan Singer’s $195 million dark fantasy movie “Jack the Giant Slayer.” Disputes between the studio and Singer over the tone of the film reportedly led to a compromise on the rating. What was originally intended to be an R-rated movie ended up being neutered by Warner Bros. in post-production to make it more family friendly. The end result was a film that didn’t really know what it was. All told, “Jack” made only $65 million in North America -- or about one third of what it cost to make. It’s estimated that Warner Bros. and producers Legendary Pictures lost upwards of $100 million on the movie.

“Gangster Squad”
You’d think putting some of today’s most interesting actors together in one movie would be a recipe for box office success. But no, not even the combined talents of Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Giovanni Ribisi, Anthony Mackie, and Nick Nolte could salvage the mess that was “Gangster Squad.” Panned across the board by critics, the 1940s-set cops and crooks flick was unable to recoup its $60 million budget -- even despite its star-studded cast and January release date, a fact which should have guaranteed little competition. “Gangster Squad” only made $46 million at U.S. and Canadian cinemas.

“The Lone Ranger”
Where to begin? “The Lone Ranger” was 2013’s “John Carter.” Disney seriously overestimated the appeal of the flagging Western genre when they sank an astounding $215 million (not including marketing costs) into “The Lone Ranger.” Gore Verbinski’s bloated, tonally uneven cowboy adventure was essentially just a “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie in the desert, with Johnny Depp playing an equally ridiculous (not to mention racist) character. The big budget Western took in only $89 million domestically, and it’s estimated that Walt Disney Pictures took a $190 million hit as a result of the film’s failure. "Hi-Yo, Silver! Away!"