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The recently releasedMoana live-action remake is projected to lose Disney more than $100 million after a disappointing opening-weekend haul at the box office. The movie grossed around $95 million worldwide in its debut frame, against a reported production budget of $250 million. Disney experienced a similar setback only last year, when Tron: Ares grossed less than $150 million worldwide against a budget of more than $200 million. That film’s losses were estimated to be around $130 million. These are massive numbers by any standard, and performances like this are unfortunately becoming more frequent. Back in the day, however, when a movie caused losses this massive, it went down in history. One such film is currently available to stream in the United States on Paramount+, but not for much longer.
The film was released theatrically in 2005, and coincidentally, it has a Disney connection as well. Although it was distributed domestically by Paramount, it was directed by Breck Eisner, the son of then Disney boss Michael Eisner. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Steve Zahn, and Penélope Cruz, the film was modeled on the Indiana Jones franchise. Production issues in Morocco, where millions were reportedly paid in bribes, led to the budget ballooning from $80 million to $160 million. The film was also the subject of an infamous lawsuit filed by author Clive Cussler, whose Dirk Pitt novels on which it was based. Cussler alleged that he wasn’t consulted on the script, which reportedly involved as many as 10 writers.
Watch the Big-Budget Bomb on Paramount+ Soon
The movie we’re talking about, of course, is Sahara. The film grossed $119 million at the worldwide box office, leading to an estimated loss of $129 million. It received mixed-to-negative reviews and is currently sitting at a 37% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, whose consensus described it as “a mindless adventure flick with a preposterous plot.” The action-adventure genre has had its ups and downs since then, with movies like Uncharteddoing moderately well at the box office, but the fifth official Indiana Jones film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, was a colossal misfire, grossing just $384 million against a budget of more than $400 million. You can watch Sahara on Paramount+ until August 1. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
