Well, just under $80 millions isn’t usually considered a flop, but nor is it a hit, having failed to pass the maybe-its-too-old hit standard of $100 million. The flop/hit standard, though, rarely has to do with any net profit from the film, since, well, those calculations can be odd (e.g. marking “how much money we could have made if we had just put the money in the bank and earned interest” in red).
Why didn’t it do better? Many reasons: Mediocre script (DA’s style of writing had changed from the wacky absurdist fiction to the more thickly plotted Dirk Gently style and he didn’t seem to be able to recapture it), mediocre directing, mediocre marketing… all kind of made the film, well, mediocre. Quite frankly, even though I’m a long time fan of DA’s universe, changing plot points, not doing things “exactly” right… this never bothered me. In all the other forms, it was the characters that made it a quality Hitchhiker’s work. This film didn’t have them.
Zaphod - In the film, he was… well, stupid… an almost Bush-like take on the ex-POTG. He should have maybe appeared stupid, but you weren’t sure if he was pretending or not (there’s that quote in the first book that describes his character perfectly)… since he’s actually quite intelligent. And political jokes like that never age well. (Not that that’s stopped DA before :smack: )
Trillian - In the film, was a dreamy, idealistic, and not always sure of herself. Completely opposite the way she should have been: Devestatingly intelligent, more at ease with space travel than Zaphod even, and always seeming to be in control of the situation…
Ford - I didn’t buy once that he was a researcher for the Guide. He just seemed to hang around with a towel over his shoulder most of the time.
Arthur - Actually did a decent job capturing his character, I think. Maybe needed just a touch more of smartassedness that was lurking just below the surface.