# 20 box office bombs of 2015 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 1, 2015, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-box-office-bombs-of-2015/736309 "2015-11-01T03:11:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-box-office-bombs-of-2015/736309/21 "2015-11-02T16:06:47Z")
> [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](#): > > … > **”Unfinished Business”** - I like to laugh at comedies. If Vince Vaughn is in a film, it’s never funny. Especially when it’s supposed to be a comedy. Didn’t see it… I can’t say I’m a huge fan of his, and I didn’t see this one, but I thought Vaughn was just fine in _Wedding Crashers, Dodgeball, Mr. & Mrs. Smith_ and _Swingers_. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-box-office-bombs-of-2015/736309/22 "2015-11-02T16:12:31Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > Question: If you’re not an Apple fanboy/fangirl, is there any reason to go see this film? It isn’t just for fans. The movie follows Jobs’ career, but it doesn’t fawn over him. In fact, it portrays him as a colossal jerk a lot of the time. It’s well-written and well-acted. It’s a character study of an important historical figure. It’s about someone trying to impose his will on everyone around him, and their efforts to resist this. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-box-office-bombs-of-2015/736309/23 "2015-11-02T16:26:42Z")
I’ve never heard of fourteen of these films and, the two I saw at home after the fact (Jupiter Ascending & Chappie), got turned off partway through for being boring. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_John_Marcej)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-box-office-bombs-of-2015/736309/24 "2015-11-02T17:10:01Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I can’t say I’m a huge fan of his, and I didn’t see this one, but I thought Vaughn was just fine in _Wedding Crashers, Dodgeball, Mr. & Mrs. Smith_ and _Swingers_. Wow, except for _“Swingers”_ I couldn’t stand any of those other films. Especially _"Dodgeball_. Extremely unfunny. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-box-office-bombs-of-2015/736309/25 "2015-11-02T17:43:02Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > Question: If you’re not an Apple fanboy/fangirl, is there any reason to go see this film? I’m not. I think Steve Jobs was a colossal asshole. I also think this was the smartest script I’ve ever heard. I find it vanishingly rare for movies to depict intelligence. Almost unheard of to show what true charisma is. Next to impossible to make us understand why other putatively sane people stay with assholes. Sorkin does all of this. He gives us Jobs’ reality distortion field by showing it in action and making it believable. Meanwhile, Boyle takes what is essentially a stage play and opens it up into a movie, making the stage itself one of the characters. The movie isn’t perfect. Chrisaan, the mother of Jobs’ daughter Lisa, is underwritten and probably miscast. (She’s a year older than Jobs yet played as a 22-year-old hippie.) You do have to be familiar with the facts of Jobs’ life despite some sneaky exposition. Seth Rogan has one expression. The artificial compression of the same few characters into three times and places will either thrill you by its audacity or irritate you by its falseness. I was thrilled. People who care about Apple won’t be. I don’t care. I loved it. Sorkin’s not winning the Oscar will be like Trump winning the presidency. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-box-office-bombs-of-2015/736309/26 "2015-11-02T17:45:08Z")
> [@Sam\_Lowry](#): > > Also, Shaun the Sheep is a British movie, based of a British TV show. Apparently it was a really good movie and should have done better with kids in the US, but it’s not exactly terrible that it didn’t do well here, since it did so well everywhere else. I don’t think they really expected it to be a big hit in the US. I made sure that I saw it on opening weekend, since I figured it wouldn’t stay much longer. The film got a 99% fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $19 million in the US on an estimated $25 million budget. Since it has no dialog, it can be shown anywhere without any additional changes other than translating the credits. And plans have been announced for a sequel (in September) – a sure sign the movie was _ **not** _ a flop. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-box-office-bombs-of-2015/736309/27 "2015-11-02T17:56:24Z")
> [@Sam\_Lowry](#): > > Also, Shaun the Sheep is a British movie, based of a British TV show. Apparently it was a really good movie and should have done better with kids in the US, but it’s not exactly terrible that it didn’t do well here, since it did so well everywhere else. I kept meaning to see this. I guess I’ll catch it on video, as I suspect many parents will. For the uninitiated, _Shaun the Sheep_ is a spinoff character from the Wallace and Gromit short film _A Close Shave_. There is indeed a children’s TV show (and quite amusing it is too). _Shaun the Sheep_ has its own spinoff show for the younger kids called _Timmy Time_, about a baby lamb who goes to an animal preschool (also quite amusing, even for adults). All by Aardman. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-box-office-bombs-of-2015/736309/28 "2015-11-02T19:19:18Z")
Re: _Steve Jobs_. The quick tanking of the film after going wide means it has no chance at an Oscar or similar award. The love-hate thing about it is odd. Apparently, the lack of widespread interest is due to non-Apple-philes being meh about it. But there has also been a severe backlash from the “Steve Jobs is God” people, despite it being intended as a positive portrayal of him overall. Sorkin loves Jobs. But he wanted to show his different sides. And that’s a no-no to some. That leaves Sorkin fans. Adds up to a hard set of preconceptions to overcome at the box office. Any studio exec with an IQ over 40 knew that Fantastic 4 would bomb. But that’s 10 points more than you need to have a job greenlighting movies. We saw _Shaun the Sheep_ and weren’t impressed. Not as good as other Aardman films. Deserves its fate. The only other film on the list that I _had_ been interested in is _Rock the Kasbah_, because … Bill Murray. But the reviews are harsh. Went too deep into vanity project land. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-box-office-bombs-of-2015/736309/29 "2015-11-02T21:09:10Z")
The 3 films on this list I saw (_Steve Jobs, Shaun the Sheep, Blackhat_), I really enjoyed. I plan on seeing _Crimson Peak_ soon, but the others were films I knew were probably not up my alley in the first place, so I never had any intention of seeking them out (especially with their subsequent reviews). ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-box-office-bombs-of-2015/736309/30 "2015-11-02T21:53:59Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Re: _Steve Jobs_. > > The quick tanking of the film after going wide means it has no chance at an Oscar or similar award. It definitely still has a chance for Oscars. It might not be as sure of a bet as it was, but it’s not a complete loser. It’s done disappointingly for the studios, but it still has made $14 million so far on a $30 million budget. It’s not a movie that made $1 million and disappears quietly. With the great reviews and all the people involved who have previously been nominated for or have won Oscars, I’d bet that the studio is counting on at least some nominations for Oscars and other awards. And then they’ll do a rerelease in January for some limited theaters, or just heavily push the awards and raves it’s received when it comes out on DVD and streaming. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-box-office-bombs-of-2015/736309/31 "2015-11-02T23:22:39Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Re: _Steve Jobs_. > > The quick tanking of the film after going wide means it has no chance at an Oscar or similar award. I perceive this as one of the broadest, but shallowest, years in recent memory for award-quality films. I’m guessing that under the new-ish voting system this does get nominated for Best Picture, unless that unseen pack of pictures still waiting to come out late this year (Joy, etc) steps up. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-box-office-bombs-of-2015/736309/32 "2015-11-02T23:44:27Z")
The Academy members will watch a Danny Boyle/Aaron Sorkin film with Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet. The box office grosses don’t matter. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-box-office-bombs-of-2015/736309/33 "2015-11-03T01:06:15Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > “Jem and the Holograms did $120” > > More than I expected. It’s truly outrageous. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-box-office-bombs-of-2015/736309/34 "2015-11-03T04:26:19Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I’ve never even heard of “We Are Your Friends” and “Seventh Son”. I have. But that doesn’t mean I can tell you why Zak Efron would star in some DJ coming of age story named after an eclectic mid-2000s electo-house song or Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore would star in some piece of shit fantasy film. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-box-office-bombs-of-2015/736309/35 "2015-11-03T13:54:01Z")
I haven’t seen any of the movies. But I would have had I heard about _Shuan the Sheep_. I love Ardman. I will have to look for it on Netflix. None of the rest jump out at me as something I want to see, even the Jobs picture. I can only take so many all-action-all-the-time pictures, and the _Pan_ prequel sounds like a silly premise. Who cares about the origins of Peter Pan - he isn’t supposed to be a complex character. The rest are just meh. It doesn’t appear to be possible to make a good Fantastic Four movie, more’s the pity. None of the others have any hook to draw me in. I wonder if the box-office of _Steve Jobs_ will make it more, or less. likely than it will get Oscars. Sometimes it seems the Academy likes “arty” better than successful. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-box-office-bombs-of-2015/736309/36 "2015-11-03T15:37:09Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > The Academy members will watch a Danny Boyle/Aaron Sorkin film with Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet. The box office grosses don’t matter. I’m inclined to agree, esp. since there’s going to be what looks (at least at this point) to be a paucity of other credible Best Picture prospects. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-box-office-bombs-of-2015/736309/37 "2015-11-03T20:29:01Z")
I’m hearing good things (i.e., Oscar buzz) about Spotlight, the upcoming film about the Boston Globe’s investigation into the Catholic priest sexual abuse scandal. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-box-office-bombs-of-2015/736309/38 "2015-11-03T20:41:30Z")
Vulture has an Oscar predictions column, and they still have the movie as a contender, but less likely than it was before: [Oscar Futures: Can Steve Jobs Bounce Back?](http://www.vulture.com/2015/10/oscar-futures-can-steve-jobs-bounce-back.html) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-box-office-bombs-of-2015/736309/39 "2015-11-04T01:18:04Z")
> [@Sam\_Lowry](#): > > Vulture has an Oscar predictions column, and they still have the movie as a contender, but less likely than it was before: [Oscar Futures: Can Steve Jobs Bounce Back?](http://www.vulture.com/2015/10/oscar-futures-can-steve-jobs-bounce-back.html) If you are doing predictions you have to change them every week (or day) or else people stop reading. Hillary Clinton has a 100% chance of winning the presidency but you won’t find anyone online repeating that week after week. The horse race is always far more interesting to read about. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_John_Marcej)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-box-office-bombs-of-2015/736309/40 "2015-11-04T06:17:31Z")
Well, if we’re going to talk Oscar Best Picture nominations, let’s use last year as an example. There were eight films nominated. Here are those films, along with the month they were released: _The Grand Budapest Hotel_ - **March** _Boyhood_ - **July** _Birdman_ - **October** wide release in **November** _Whiplash_ - Limited release in **October** wide release in **2015** \*The Theory of Everything \* - **November** _The Imitation Game_ - **November** _American Sniper_ - Limited release on **Christmas Day** wide release in **2015** _Selma_ - Limited release on **Christmas Day** wide release in **2015** Only two of the eight finalists were widely released before November. And this wasn’t a rare year, for the last few decades the majority of the Oscar nominated films aren’t released until the fall. For most of us, that don’t live in NYC or LA, we have no choice but to see a Best Picture nominee until the next year. So I wouldn’t be surprised if **Steve Jobs** (which I saw and liked very much) doesn’t get a nomination or two. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-box-office-bombs-of-2015/736309.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-box-office-bombs-of-2015/736309.md?page=3)