Tom Cruise films have certainly dominated the Hollywood scene for a considerable part of the last half-century. And for the most part, it has simply been one stellar hit after another.
Cruise films may have become synonymous with box office success in modern times and yet, despite the truth encompassed within the numbers, the box office records show even the megastar credited with saving the theatrical distribution business had suffered his fair share of losses and misses in his days of yore.
And among the dozen that can be named from the rare list of Tom Cruise flops, there are five that are too surprising to even be remembered by the masses. But despite their varying genres, one common factor still ties the films together – the entire box office earnings of each of these projects can’t match Tom Cruise’s salary from Top Gun: Maverick.
5. Lions For Lambs (2007) – $64.8 million
One of the most surprising films in the roster, the 2007 war drama had a cast that in and of itself should have dragged the crowds to the theatres over the weekend. Despite Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, and Andrew Garfield standing as the four pillars erecting the Cruise epic to its destined greatness, the disjointed storytelling of the film shook the foundations upon which the plot stood – failing to cut an even $65 million at the box office.
4. Rock of Ages (2012) – $59.4 million
One simply cannot go tripping down the ole Tom Cruise memory lane without noting a mention of the infamous musical starring some of the greatest Hollywood actors of the era. Not only did the movie fail at the box office ($59.4 million) but it also proved to be an utter humiliation for the cast involved and according to IMDb, ranks as one of the worst Tom Cruise movies of the actor’s diverse and versatile career.
3. Magnolia (1999) – $48.4 million
The third film on the list is one that doesn’t deserve a place in a list of box office flops at all. The ambitiously striking drama that tears down barriers that define the limitations of human misery and leaves one reeling at the aftershock of its visual storytelling only earned a mere $48.4 million.
Tom Cruise earning a nod at the Oscars for his supporting role in the film and the film’s underground cult status acts as a salve for the film’s otherwise commercial failure.
2. The Outsiders (1983) – $26 million
Starring the evergreen Patrick Swayze and directed by the immortal Francis Ford Coppola, The Outsiders was one of the first films to grace Hollywood with the insidious ambition and infectious energy of a young Tom Cruise. Despite earning only $26 million at the box office against a budget of $10 million, the film holds a 70% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and catapults Cruise to the limelight.
1. Legend (1985) – $15 million
Not even the great Ridley Scott could salvage a film about unicorns and rainbows helping Tom Cruise battle the evil Lord of Darkness. The movie, despite drawing inspiration from Disney animated classics like Beauty and the Beast (1946), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), and Bambi (1942) could deliver none of the fantastical, magical, and feel-good vision and tanked commercially and critically, earning only $15 million against a budget of $24 million.
Tom Cruise Learns From His Rare Box Office Failures
Tom Cruise, in the years since Magnolia has bounced back at the box office, learning the importance of going for straight and assured formulaic hits that can draw in both money and entertainment for the industry rather than the artsy, indie, and edgy films that only manage to attract a niche crowd.
The one non-action film that the Top Gun star has attempted in recent years, i.e. American Made failed to draw crowds into the theatres despite flaunting one of the most entertaining and explosive performances from the action-espionage icon in his 4-decade-long career.
