*Guest Post* The 5 Biggest Box Office Bombs in Recent History

*Hi everyone! I have a Guest Post, provided by Tagg who writes for Cable.TV.com so here you go! :)

The 5 Biggest Box Office Bombs in Recent History

Don't you hate it when you spend millions of dollars on what is sure to be a box office smash, and no one sees it? I know I do.  Seriously though, when it comes to movies, it's really all about the Benjamin's. Sure, you leave the theater with a belly full of popcorn and a warm heart after a romantic comedy, but what production companies really want is your money. That's why they're willing to pump huge budgets into the best actors, special effects, and free donuts for everyone on set. So what happens when movies don't make up their budget? They're known as "flops," and they're added to the movie hall of shame forevermore.

"John Carter" – 2012

 What's probably affectionately known as the first flop of 2012, "John Carter" cost Disney around $350 million to make and market. No problem, right? I mean, how could a movie about a Civil War soldier being transported onto another alien planet ever fail? Well, fail it did. In fact, Disney was originally reporting a $90 million loss, but it sounds like the damages will be closer to $200 million. Not a good day to be Taylor Kitsch, who was poised to be cinemas newest "it" action adventure star. Now he's starring on this list instead; sorry, Taylor! Um, loved you in "Friday Night Lights!"

"New Year's Eve" – 2011

Mix together a hip, star-studded cast, give them each equal screen time and a catchy title, and you have a recipe for box office success, right? Err… not so much. In fact, although it cost about $56 million to make (most of the budget going to pay the talent) the supposed blockbuster raked in about $1.5 million less than it cost to make and market. Critics widely scoffed at the movie's premise, and I believe I read reviews that called it "vapid" every day for a month. It just goes to show you that pretty faces do not a movie make.

"The Adventures of Pluto Nash" – 2002

"The Adventures of Pluto Nash" took a whopping $120 million to create, but it only brought in a pitiful $7 million at the box office. OK, can we take a moment to soak in that fact? $7 million is roughly what small independent films rake in, with nobody actors and newbie directors. "Pluto Nash" was a starring vehicle for Eddie Murphy, but why anyone would ever think that a movie revolving around a galactic club owner and a celestial mafia would be a good idea is beyond me. And apparently, I'm not the only one who feels this way, considering no one cared to see it.

"Gigli" – 2002

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez showed the world that love and careers never mix when they teamed up for the box office bomb, "Gigli." Pronounced "gee-lee," its name was as botched as its plot; a lesbian criminal, a mob enforcer, and a disabled hostage; what doesn't sound plausible about that? The LGBT was outraged when Jennifer Lopez's lesbian character ended up straight after all, after succumbing to the Jersey charm of Gigli. With a $54 million budget, the movie took in just over $6 million, making it as big of a failure as Jen and Ben's relationship.

"Waterworld" – 1995

Despite a massive (at the time) budget of $175 million, the public proved that they weren't into drippy, post apocalyptic movies. Kevin Costner proved to be a bigger risk, flopping with "The Postman" just a few months later. Luckily, international ticket sales brought "Waterworld" to break even, but American totals have the flick losing about $90 million. In the end, no one took "Waterworld" seriously; maybe because it was about three hours too long and excessively boring. Better luck next time!

OK, it might seem like box office bombs are total failures, but without them, how could we write snarky roundup articles? On the bright side, production companies know what doesn't work; time to chuck all of those Civil War/alien dramas and start from scratch. If you know of a box office bomb that I left out, let me know in the comments below or on Twitter.

Tagg writes for CableTV.com. He typically writes about TV and entertainment. When he’s not writing or watching the History Channel, he’s an avid golfer. You can follow him on Twitter @CableTV.