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10 War Movie Flops That Deserved Better Find help us

War cinema has long been a pivotal touchstone of filmmaking brilliance. Through its confronting and visceral stories and its basis on historical facts, the war genre has always been able to appeal to the masses despite its often-disturbing presentation. There is perhaps no greater testament to this than the fact that such war films as Saving Private Ryan, American Sniper, and 1917 are among the highest-grossing R-rated films of all time. However, not every war film has been so fortunate at the box office.

From cult classics that have found their plaudits over time to largely undiscovered gems that still haven’t found the praise they deserve, these war films were unable to make a splash at the box office despite their brilliance and boldness. Be they decades-old triumphs that have stood the test of time with exceptional grace or recent releases that bring interesting new perspectives to the genre, these movies should have done a lot more throughout their theatrical release.

10

‘Stalingrad’ (1993)

Directed by Joseph Vilsmaier

A poignant and appropriately bleak anti-war film that, at its best, presents the horrifying conditions of the Eastern Front of WWII in confronting fashion, Stalingrad is one of the best and most underrated war films of the 1990s. It follows a group of Wehrmacht soldiers who, after being plucked from a cushy station in the beautiful Italian summer, are sent to Russia. As Operation Barbarossa stalls, however, the soldiers find themselves engulfed in the winter hellscape that is the Battle of Stalingrad.

While it performed admirably in Germany, Stalingrad failed to make a splash at the domestic box office, grossing just $152,972 throughout America and Canada. Over time, it has become more widely respected as a true feat of war cinema and one of the better international movies of its decade.

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9

‘A Midnight Clear’ (1992)

Directed by Keith Gordon

Image via InterStar Releasing 

Another underrated gem of ’90s war cinema that failed to make an impact at the box office, A Midnight Clear is a surprisingly hopeful and humane presentation of war conflict in the midst of WWII. Set in the winter of 1944, as Christmas nears, it follows a small American reconnaissance squad led by Will Knott (Ethan Hawke) as they encounter a group of young German soldiers who want to surrender. Agreeable and fond of one another, the two groups negotiate terms for the surrender, but the fog of war always threatens to lead to a tragic resolution.

Whatever it lacks in terms of harrowing and realistic violence and the grandiose spectacle many war movies employ, A Midnight Clear more than makes up for its tender and sensitive tale of humanity from William Wharton’s novel that was based on his experiences in the war. Unfortunately, such a picture didn’t translate to box office success, making just over $1.5 million against a budget of $5 million.

8

‘Green Zone’ (2010)

Directed by Paul Greengrass

A soldier and a woman walking together in Green Zone
Image via Universal Studios

Any film that tries to juggle the nuances of war and pulsating action spectacle can quickly become undone by the clashing tones of bombastic excitement and horrific war violence. By incorporating a strong political slant into its story, Green Zone manages to circumnavigate many of these issues reasonably well. It follows Roy Miller (Matt Damon), a US Army CBRN Officer tasked with finding weapons of mass destruction in the Iraq War, only to find himself uncovering the disturbing truth behind his assignment.

With Damon and director Paul Greengrass previously collaborating on The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, it is perhaps no surprise that the movie mimics the energetic and pulse-raising excitement of those spy gems. However, Green Zone failed to enthrall moviegoers upon release, concluding its theatrical run with a box office haul of just $94.9 million against its production budget of $100 million.

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Green Zone

Release Date

March 12, 2010

Runtime

115 minutes





7

‘Casualties of War’ (1989)

Directed by Brian De Palma

Sean Penn, Michael J. Fox, and Thuy Thu Le in Casualties of War
Image via Columbia Pictures

From the ever-evocative and enticing Brian De Palma, Casualties of War is a harrowing psychological thriller about morality and authority in the military presented in the context of the Vietnam War. It focuses on the feud that erupts between Pvt. Eriksson (Michael J. Fox) and his commanding officer, Sgt. Meserve (Sean Penn), when the former stands in the way of the latter’s vulgar intention to abduct a young Vietnamese woman to be used for sex by the company.

While De Palma was sometimes best known for his excessive style, Casualties of War is among his most mature and grounded offerings. Bolstered by outstanding efforts from Fox and Penn, it remains one of the most brutal and sobering pictures to truly grapple with the destructing and dehumanizing horrors imposed on Vietnamese civilians during the war. It made just $18.7 million against a production budget of $22.5 million, perhaps due to its more negative depiction of the army.

6

‘Kingdom of Heaven’ (2005)

Directed by Ridley Scott

Balian kneeling with a sword in Kingdom of Heaven
Image via 20th Century Studios

Admittedly, Kingdom of Heaven is a complex movie to analyze in terms of how woefully it performed at the box office and how deserving it was of its resulting status as a major flop. The main reason is the stark disparity between the theatrical release and Ridley Scott’s director’s cut. Whereas the latter—containing over 40 minutes of added scenes—is heralded as an awe-inspiring masterpiece, the version initially released is riddled with flaws that undermine the narrative and mar the grandiosity of Scott’s original vision.

Even so, the theatrical release still has enough spectacle to suggest it should have made more than its $218.1 million (off a production budget of $130 million). Interestingly, the film was a major box-office disappointment in the U.S. and Canada, where it grossed just $47.4 million. While there are nuances and frustrations to the state of its initial release, Scott’s extended version of Kingdom of Heaven is a fantastic historical epic about the Crusades that should have become a soaring box office triumph had 20th Century Studios, then 20th Century Fox, honored the original picture from the outset.

5

‘Beneath Hill 60’ (2011)

Directed by Jeremy Sims

Brendan Cowell as a soldier looking at the camera dirty and concerned in Beneath Hill 60
Image via Paramount Pictures

As an Australian production with a significantly smaller production budget than many other war films, Beneath Hill 60’s comparatively measly intake of $3.4 million isn’t as disastrous as many may first think. However, it is still a far cry from what the gritty WWI drama truly deserved. Following soldiers of the 1st Australian Tunnelling Company, it depicts an audacious effort to burrow deep underground and beyond German lines to plant an explosive device that will devastate the enemy.

While many criticized the film’s frequent flashbacks to Australia, it received universal praise for the engrossing realization of the nerve-rattling and pivotal assignment. Having to work as silently as possible so as not to reveal their ploy to German miners in the area, every sequence of tunneling is loaded with both frenetic urgency and palpable tension. Beneath Hill 60 is one of the better war movies of its decade and an underrated war film of the 21st century thus far. It remains a small tragedy that many more haven’t had the opportunity to see it at all, let alone in cinemas.

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Beneath Hill 60

Release Date

April 15, 2010

Runtime

122 minutes





4

‘Johnny Got His Gun’ (1971)

Directed by Dalton Trumbo

A nurse tending to a patient in Johnny Got His Gun
Image via Cinemation Industries

Johnny Got His Gun marks the only directorial effort in the career of famed screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, but it still presents a harrowing masterclass of restrained filmmaking that haunts the mind long after it is seen. Based on Trumbo’s novel of the same name, the film focuses on a young WWI soldier who, after being hit by an artillery shell, awakens in a hospital bed, having lost all of his limbs, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Communicating with his doctors by banging his head on the pillow in Morse code, the soldier begs to be euthanized, a request that the army refuses to grant.

Despite being made on a lean budget of approximately $1 million and winning the second prize at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival, Johnny Got His Gun failed to make its money back, completing its theatrical with a paltry $2,735 before leaping up to a still-dismal figure of $767,794 through theatrical rentals. The film has endured in pop culture, however, largely through its feature in Metallica’s music video for their hit song “One” and its reputation as a one-of-a-kind war movie.

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Johnny Got His Gun

Release Date

August 4, 1971

Runtime

112 Minutes





3

‘Jarhead’ (2005)

Directed by Sam Mendes

Anthony Swaford looking pensive in Jarhead
Image via Universal Pictures

Based on the real-life Anthony Swafford’s compelling memoir of the same name, Jarhead delivers a contemplative, unsettling, and even often funny realization of life in the Persian Gulf War. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Swafford, it follows the Scout Sniper as he and his comrades progress through Operation Desert Shield, quickly growing tired of their routine drills, physical training, and military responsibilities while developing a deep yearning for their first confirmed kills.

While it remains a polarizing picture today, Jarhead has come to be widely respected as a brave and authentic, albeit less traditional, meditation on war. It is often at its best when mixing the weighted drama with its disturbing observations to a sinister comic effect. It grossed $97.1 million against a massive production budget of $72 million (not including marketing), though its long-standing relevance in pop-culture circles has generated three direct-to-DVD sequels.

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Jarhead

Release Date

November 4, 2005

Runtime

125 Minutes





2

‘The Thin Red Line’ (1998)

Directed by Terrence Malick

Three soldiers looking in the same directions in The Thin Red Line cast
Image via 20th Century Studios

Compared to other war films featured on this list, Terrence Malick’s wafting meditation on the impact of war was hardly a box office catastrophe. Against a production budget of $52 million, its box office intake of $98.1 million seems far from disastrous, but it is important to note that little is known about how much was invested into the picture’s marketing campaign. Moreover, few would argue that The Thin Red Line is a war epic that should have far surpassed its $98.1 million gross.

Private Witt (Jim Caviezel) is an absconder living peacefully among the locals in the South Pacific. When discovered by his commanding officer, he is promptly thrust back into the brutality of war. As the Battle of Guadalcanal unfolds, Witt and his comrades reckon with their evolving philosophies towards life and death in the face of combat. Poetic, powerful, and visually astonishing, The Thin Red Line presents Malick at his absolute best and is heralded by many as one of the greatest war movies ever made.

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The Thin Red Line

Release Date

December 23, 1998

Runtime

171 Minutes





1

‘Paths of Glory’ (1957)

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

A group of soldiers on the trenches in Paths of Glory
Image via United Artists

Today, Paths of Glory is revered around the world as one of the finest anti-war films ever made, a scorching condemnation of military malpractice and chain-of-command absurdity that also serves as Stanley Kubrick’s major breakthrough. However, given it was not heralded as being a monumental film upon release, accounts of its box office performance vary quite drastically. What’s true is that it grossed $1.2 million against a budget of $900,000, which is not great.

In WWI, French soldiers refuse orders to carry out an attack, knowing any advance to be a suicidal ordeal. With three soldiers being selected to stand trial for cowardice to make an example of the disobedience, Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas) vows to defend the men in court. With a scathing ire towards military and political posturing, Paths of Glory was perhaps ahead of its time in 1957—so much so that it was banned in parts of Europe—but it has aged gracefully with its uncompromising anti-war sentiment and the scorching lens it casts upon its most repugnant characters.

NEXT: The 50 Best War Movies of All Time, Ranked

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