Which Movie Is The Bigger Box Office Bomb?

When it comes to discussing if «Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny» or «The Flash» was a bigger bomb, one has to move past finances and focus on each franchise’s respective viability going forward. While it’s unknown how much both films lost for their respective studios, both «Dial of Destiny» and «The Flash» stand out as some of the biggest box office bombs of all time.

It’s unclear why Disney thought «Dial of Destiny» would be a practical way to spend $300 million, especially when one considers that the franchise essentially lives and dies on Harrison Ford’s shoulders. 81 years old as of this writing, Ford’s action hero days are, bluntly speaking, over, with the financial receipts of «Dial of Destiny» confirming that. Whoever wanted to show up for another «Indiana Jones» film did, but the $374 million haul wasn’t enough to turn a profit. If the film had a $100 million budget with a smaller scope, «Dial of Destiny» could have turned a considerable profit and functioned as a beautiful, intimate swansong to Ford’s tenure as the archeologist. Unfortunately, Disney treated Indy like a «Star Wars» or Marvel blockbuster, giving the franchise a budget it simply didn’t deserve. 

«The Flash,» however, is forcing DC to face an existential question about its viability. The Warner Bros.-owned superhero franchise is now on track to be rebooted by James Gunn, but can it succeed, especially after the disaster that was «The Flash»? Despite having the most brand appeal (it boasts two Batmen, one Supergirl, and a decent rendition of The Flash), nobody showed up to watch the film. It made even less than 2022’s «Black Adam.» 

While both «Flash» and «Indy» were disasters, at least «Dial of Destiny» didn’t make anyone question the franchise’s future.