Why Did John Carter (2012) Bomb At The Box Office?

Released in March 2012, John Carter wasn't just a flop — it was a full-scale studio embarrassment. Based on a 100-year-old pulp novel nobody under 70 had heard of, the film aimed to kickstart a franchise and ended up becoming one of the most expensive write-offs in movie history.

Here's what went wrong.

The Budget Was a Joke
Disney reportedly spent:

• $250 million on production
• $100 million on marketing
• $350 million total investment

It made just $73 million in the U.S. and $284 million worldwide. Not even close. Disney had to report a $200 million loss in Q2 2012 — the biggest single-movie write-down they'd ever taken at the time.

No One Knew What the Hell It Was
The source material, A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, wasn't exactly household IP. It predated Star Wars, Avatar, and most modern sci-fi — but you wouldn't know that from the marketing. Disney promoted it like a perfume ad set on Mars.

The trailer? All vibes, no plot. Moody shots of dusty landscapes and shirtless sword fights, with a Peter Gabriel song for emotional weight. One exec told Vulture:

"Nobody knew how to sell it. We couldn't explain the plot in one sentence."

What's even worse, they butchered the title. It was supposed to be called John Carter of Mars. At the last minute, they dropped "of Mars" to appeal to a broader audience — or in Andrew Stanton's words, not to scare off women. Instead, they ended up with a title that sounded like a Hallmark Channel drama about a tax consultant.

The Director Was in Over His Head
Andrew Stanton had never made a live-action movie before. He came from Pixar, where he'd directed Finding Nemo and WALL-E. But animation is one thing. Live-action blockbusters are another.

He reportedly:

• Reshot over 25% of the movie himself
• Used Pixar's animation review process, which delayed production
• Brought in Pixar story artists to rework scenes
• Refused to make cuts or simplify the story
• Believed emotion and scale would carry it, the way it did in animation

According to The New Yorker, Stanton didn't accept that the film might fail until the last possible moment.

While John Carter was being edited, Disney's leadership was already shifting. New studio head Rich Ross inherited the project, didn't like it, but let it continue. When it tanked, he took the fall and was ousted shortly after.

The movie opened in early March, wedged between The Lorax and The Hunger Games. Families ignored it. Teens waited two weeks for Katniss. Critics weren't kind either — calling it "confusing," "lifeless," and "derivative." It's still sitting at around 52% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The franchise died instantly.

Stanton had already plotted out a trilogy, with sequel titles like The Gods of Mars. The first film even set up future installments with cliffhangers. Didn't matter. After the financial hit, Disney killed the whole thing.