The term box office bomb or flop generally refers to a film that is viewed as highly unsuccessful or unprofitable during its theatrical run, sometimes preceding hype regarding its production, cost or marketing efforts. To earn this distinction, the film must also fail to earn more than the reported cost of its production, distribution and marketing by a wide margin.
Gauging the financial success of a film is difficult, and because there is no definitive definition, what makes Box-office bomb can be very subjective. Not all films that fail to earn back their estimated costs during their theatrical runs are bombs, and the label is generally applied to films that miss earnings projections by a wide margin, particularly when they are very expensive to produce, and sometimes in conjunction with middling or poor reviews (though critical reception has nothing to do with box office performance).
Read more about Box Office Bomb: Possible Success of Flops, Studios Pushed Into Financial Ruin, Independent Films
Famous quotes containing the words box, office and/or bomb:
“The quality of American life is an insult to the possibilities of human growth ... the pollution of American space, with gadgetry and cars and TV and box architecture, brutalizes the senses, making gray neurotics of most of us, and perverse spiritual athletes and strident self-transcenders of the best of us.”
—Susan Sontag (b. 1933)
“Difference of opinion is advantageous in religion. The several sects perform the office of a Censor ... over each other.”
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
“Gracious Lord, oh bomb the Germans.
Spare their women for Thy Sake,
And if that is not too easy
We will pardon Thy Mistake.
But gracious Lord, whate’er shall be,
Don’t let anyone bomb me.”
—Sir John Betjeman (1906–1984)