Forbes just released their list of the year’s 10 biggest flops (defining loss here as a percentage of budget, rather than total loss), which you can see below. The year is almost over, so there aren’t many films left that can out-bomb these bombs. All that’s left are Anna Karenina, Life of Pi, Twilight, Red Dawn, Rise of the Guardians, Silver Linings Playbook, Hitchcock, Killing Them Softly, Lay the Favorite, Playing for Keeps, The Hobbit, Hyde Park on the Hudson, The Guilt Trip, Zero Dark Thirty, Jack Reacher, Les Mis, Django, and Promised Land. Phew, okay, that’s actually a lot. But I believe in you, Red Dawn.

We used data from Box Office Mojo to see which films earned the smallest percentage of their budgets at the box office. Keep in mind that to begin to even imagine breaking even a film needs to earn at least twice its production budget at the box office. These 10 films didn’t come close. [Cloud Atlas is still in theaters, so it doesn't technically count yet, but I included it anyway.]

1. “The Oogieloves,” (Box office: $1 million; production budget: $20 million)

2. “A Thousand Words,” (Box office: $20 million; production budget: $40 million)/ “Cloud Atlas” (Box office: $24 million; production budget: $100 million)

3. “Dredd” (Box office: $28 million; production budget: $50 million)

4. “Big Miracle” (Box office: $25 million: production budget: $40 million)

5. “Wanderlust” (Box office: $21 million; production budget: $30 million)

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Vince's mom is telling her friends that he's an influential writer, Vince's dad is telling his friends that Vince should get a real job already, and Vince is telling me I have to remind everyone that he's got a critic's blurb on the cover of The FP.

Obviously, the big news in DVD land this week is the release of The FP.  Buy it now and you can be the proud owner of a FilmDrunk sticker! Or at least as sticker that has the FilmDrunk logo on it. Besides that ‘Beautifully Absurd!‘ (Vince Mancini, FilmDrunk) flick, there’s the latest Paul Rudd comedy, a high school party that got out of hand, Jason Segel, Ed Helms, Nic Cage, a bag of hammers, Father Tom Arnold, a sexy film about boney French people boning sexily, and an evil ventriloquist’s dummy. As if there were any other kind.

Vince’s Note: I haven’t talked about The FP much lately because I figured you were sick of it by now, but now’s your chance to see it! I’ve got TWO FREE DVDS to give away in honor of the release, and since I don’t feel like doing a contest, they’re going to the first two people to email me. [UPDATE: CLOSED]

The DVDs:
The FP
Wanderlust
Project X
Jeff Who Lives At Home
Seeking Justice
Big Miracle
Cat Run
A Bag Of Hammers
Keyhole
Exit Humanity
The Legend Of Hell’s Gate
The Jerk Theory
Four Lovers
Snow On Tha Bluff
P.O.E.: Poetry Of Eerie
Grave Danger

As always, the real fun begins on the next page.  Click on that big green “CONTINUE READING…”, you know you want to. If you’re feeling contrary, at least click here for this week’s Netflix streaming suggestions. Read the rest of this entry »

You may not have noticed on account of Burnsy being too busy partying at Sony headquarters to do a Weekend Movie Guide post on Friday, but this weekend’s new major releases were the found-footage telekinesis film Chronicle, the Daniel Radcliffe horror story The Woman in Black (RUN FOR YOUR LIVES, HE’S DORKY AND BRITISH!), and Drew Barrymore’s inspirational love story set in the world of stranded whales, Big Miracle (hashtag describe your penis with a movie). Chronicle won the day with an estimated $22 million for the weekend (on a $12 million budget), with Woman in Black hot on its heels at $21 m. Almost inconceivably, given America’s love affair with speech impediments and marine mammals, Big Miracle landed all the way at number four, grossing just $8.5 million on a $40 million budget.

That sounds like a bomb, and it is, but what did they expect opening against the Super Bowl? I’m sure it will do much better next week when the fanatical Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski fans aren’t all home watching the game.

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Dolphin Tale, the heartwarming true story of how Morgan Freeman built a robotic tail for an injured dolphin discovered by Marine Biologist Harry Connick Jr., and in the process inspired injured veterans, taught a young boy the power of love, and showed an estranged father that you’re never too old for redemption, opens this weekend. And I’m sure it’s no coincidence that Universal chose this week to release their trailer for Big Miracle, which used to be called Everybody Loves Whales, but now makes a fine addition to the describe-your-penis-with-a-movie-title canon.

Point being, it’s a pretty pathetic move, trying to steal Dolphin Tale‘s marine mammal thunder like that. Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski rescue trapped whales in Alaska? Really, guys? That‘s your story? Oh, please. I’ve watched Drew Barrymore. I’ve seen movies with Drew Barrymore. Drew Barrymore is no Morgan Freeman. And it would be insulting to even compare an accomplished jazz pianist like Harry Connick Jr. to a two-bit smirk peddler like John Krasinski. Oh, look at you, Captain Clever. You’re just so pleased with yourself, aren’t you. Yeah, you’re a real Wry-an Reynolds. Take your dumb whales and go home, this is dolphin country.

[Apple via RopeofSilicon]