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PEOPLE & ARTS A29
Remembering Hollywood’s biggest box office disasters
LINDSEY BAHR
AP Film Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) —
“Pan” walked the plank
this weekend and it didn’t
go well.
Warner Bros.’ $150 mil-
lion live-action Peter Pan
origin story captured a
dismal $15.5 million from
North American theaters,
and its international pros-
pects don’t look much
more promising. The film
earned only $20.5 million
from 52 markets.
Unlike Disney’s largely
profitable foray into live-
action fairy tale adapta-
tions, “Pan, “starring Hugh
Jackman, Rooney Mara
and newcomer Levi Miller,
might find Warner Bros.
taking a write-down for
their losses. Only time and
the promise of an Oct. 22
China opening will seal
“Pan’s” ultimate fate, but
it already has the dubious
distinction of being one of
2015’s biggest bombs, up
there with Disney’s “To-
morrowland” and Fox’s
“Fantastic Four.”
In honor of the rare, fas-
cinating spectacle of the
box office bomb, here are
some of Hollywood’s most
infamous financial catas-
trophes.
Ranch will host more film shoots
despite ‘Maze Runner’ flap
RUSSELL CONTRERAS
Associated Press
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)
— The manager of a pri-
vate New Mexico ranch
says he will continue to
let movie productions film
at the site after a studio
squelched rumors that
actors stole American In-
dian artifacts while filming ic village and an aban-
“Maze Runner: The Scorch
Trials” there.
Diamond Tail Ranch man-
ager Roch Hart told The
Associated Press he’s hap-
py a 20th Century Fox in-
vestigation found the cast
did not swipe any of the
ancient items scattered
throughout the property.
If items were found miss-
ing, the ranch might have
banned future filming, he
said.
“We really don’t want to
Tuesday 13 October 2015

HEAVEN’S GATE (1980) “Ishtar” embarrassment husband Renny Harlin, as Universal let the stinker sit
It might not come close didn’t look so bad. a woman seeking buried on the shelf for a year, re-
to matching some of the HOW DO YOU KNOW treasure and vengeance. porting a $175 million loss
epic losses on the list, but (2010) The $98 million MGM film before the film even hit
director Michael Cimino’s Having not learned any made only $10 million do- theaters.
Western starring Kris Krist- lessons from “Town & mestically and for years THE LONE RANGER (2013)
offerson and Christopher Country’s” out of control was considered the big- After spinning box office
gest money-loser ever. gold with the “Pirates of
This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Levi Miller, THE ADVENTURES OF PLU- the Caribbean” franchise,
right, and Hugh Jackman in a scene from the film, “Pan.” TO NASH (2002) director Gore Verbin-
Warner Bros. sat on this ski, producer Jerry Bruck-
Associated Press $100 million Eddie Murphy heimer and star Johnny
space comedy for two Depp tried their hand at a
Walken is one of cinema’s budget, writer-director years before finally push- $215 million take on “The
most famous flops. The $44 James L. Brooks made this ing it out to theaters. The Lone Ranger.” The film,
million film made only $3.5 romantic triangle com- result? A worldwide sum of which co-starred Armie
million domestically and edy, starring Reese With- $7.1 million. Hammer, grossed $89
effectively destroyed the erspoon, Jack Nicholson, THE 13TH WARRIOR (1999) million domestically and
estimable United Artists. Owen Wilson and Paul This John McTiernan-di- $260.5 million worldwide,
TOWN & COUNTRY (2001) Rudd, for $120 million. It rected 10th century Vi- but Disney still prepped
Somehow this no-frills War- went on to gross only $48.7 king saga starring Antonio shareholders for a $160 to
ren Beatty, Diane Keaton million worldwide. Banderas cost a whop- $190 million loss.
and Goldie Hawn roman- CUTTHROAT ISLAND (1995) ping $160 million to make, JOHN CARTER (2012)
tic comedy cost $90 million Geena Davis starred bringing in only $61.7 mil- The century-old story may
to produce, and earned alongside Matthew Mo- lion worldwide. have directly inspired
$10.3 million worldwide. dine in this pirate adven- MARS NEEDS MOMS (2011) some of modern sci-fi’s
Suddenly Beatty’s 1987 ture, directed by her then- This already forgotten, biggest hits (hello, “Star
$150 million CG-animated Wars”), that didn’t seem
disaster featured the voic- to matter much to anyone
es of Seth Green and Joan in the end. Disney poured
Cusack, and netted only a reported $250 to $275
$39 million worldwide. million into producing the
47 RONIN (2013) film, resting it all on the
With a budget that’s been broad shoulders of small
reported to be in the $175 screen star Taylor Kitsch.
to $225 million-range, Ke- “John Carter” opened to
anu Reeves’ samurai epic only $30.2 million, and the
was a flop before audi- studio took a $200 million
ences had the chance write-down while it was still
to decide for themselves. in theaters.q

open it up to cattle ranch- “They gave us this big In this Oct. 12, 2014 file photo, American Indian petroglyphs
ing so we’re happy to speech when we got
continue to let more film- there to shoot, and they appear on rocks on private land on top of a hill in Placitas,
ing,” Hart said. “But we are said, ‘Don’t take anything.
going to impose stricter Respect the grounds,’” N.M. Associated Press
guidelines. I have a few O’Brien said last month
things up my sleeve.” during an appearance claims were untrue. artifacts from public land
Diamond Tail Ranch sits on “Live with Kelly and Mi- Hart also said despite initial but not private land.
near two Native American chael.” reports, actors stayed in Still, McBrinn said it’s a mat-
pueblos, a historic Hispan- “They were very strict designated areas, and all ter of respect that visitors
about littering and ‘Don’t artifacts remained at the not disrupt New Mexico’s
doned mining community. take any artifacts like ranch. unique landscape or an-
Jeep tours bring visitors to rocks, skulls ... anything like Maxine McBrinn, curator of cient items.
the isolated, mountain- that.’ And everyone just archaeology for the Muse- “This is not a place for trea-
ous region, where it’s not takes stuff, you know, obvi- um of Indian Arts & Culture sure hunters,” she said. “If
uncommon to find arrow- ously,” he said. in Santa Fe, said it’s illegal you remove something,
heads, petroglyphs, pieces O’Brien, 24, didn’t say what to take American Indian you do damage.”q
of pottery and even bones was taken but noted peo-
dating back hundreds of ple who worked on the film
years. later fell ill and blamed su-
“Maze Runner” star Dylan perstitions about removing
O’Brien suggested during the items.
a recent TV interview that However, 20th Century Fox
cast members took arti- spokesman Chris Petrikin
facts from the ranch de- said last week a studio in-
spite warnings not to do so. vestigation found O’Brien’s