Looks like Disney’s John Carter wasn’t the only big loser this year. According to Variety, Universal lost $80 million on the Peter Berg-directed Battleship. While it may not be as bad as the $200 million that Disney lost on Andrew Stanton’s failed sci-fi flick, it’s still a hard hit to the balance sheet, one that was probably looking pretty good a year ago this time when Fast Five had finished its theatrical run.
Battleship did take in a healthy $300 million worldwide, but it also cost over $200 million to make, hence the $83 million loss of cash flow that the studio’s parent company, Comcast, is seeing on their financial statements.
You might feel bad for the studio, and all those involved in the massive flop that was Battleship, but let’s take a look at this whole situation for just a second. What did the studio expect when they made a film based on a board game, especially one with zero popularity in today’s day and age?
To make matters worse, they headlined the film with a pop star who can’t act (Rihanna) and unproven leading man (Taylor Kitsch). Sure, Liam Neeson pops up in the film as does Alexander Skarsgard, and while both do have the necessary acting chops, neither could save this shipwreck of a film.
From start to finish Battleship was a total mess and if we’re being frank here, I think most people expected that.
Hey Universal, does the phrase “you sunk my battleship” carry a whole new meaning now?