Hollywood flops
Meg Ryan, Madonna, Travolta & Co. – seven films that killed the careers of superstars
Meg Ryan wants to make old flops forgotten with “What’s Happening” – then there’s reason to laugh again
© Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images / AFP
Meg Ryan is currently trying to make a comeback as the queen of the romantic comedy with “What Happens Later” – a good 20 years after a film almost ended her career. And she’s not the only one who fell deeply: the seven most blatant Hollywood crashes. With trailer!
Her new film also tells the story of her life. Plays in “What Happens Later”. Meg Ryan, a woman who meets her ex-lover after many years – the two are stuck in an airport, snowed in. The big question, of course, is: Does the old attraction still exist between them? This question also arises with the romantic comedy itself: Is there a spark again between Meg Ryan, one of the most popular actresses of the 90s, and the audience? Because in the past 20 years this love had cooled down significantly. Guilt: a film made by Meg Ryan.
Monster hits like “Harry and Sally”, “Sleepless in Seattle” and “em@il für Dich” taught viewers: Don’t go to a Meg Ryan film without an extra pack of tissues. When interest in romantic comedies waned, she tried ambitious projects, but was unsuccessful. Then came the erotic thriller “In The Cut” in 2003: Not only was she being chased by a serial killer, she even appeared naked in some scenes. The audience, irritated, put away their tempo packs, and Meg Ryan has not had any big roles since then. She hasn’t made a single film in the past nine years.
Not the only fall from the Hollywood Olympus, Demi Moore, Kevin Costner and Madonna also transformed from box office stars into box office poison almost overnight. Here are the six deadliest superstar films:
From screen god to postman: Kevin Costner and “Postman”
The high: Kevin Costner was Hollywood’s golden boy. He won seven Oscars for his directorial debut, “Dances with Wolves.” He played the lead role and even co-produced the noble western. And Costner could also be romantic: in “Bodyguard” he skillfully broke Whitney Houston’s heart.
The crash: He again directed, produced and starred in “Postman” (1997). Over 177 minutes, the perfectionist Costner unfolded his story about a postman who delivers old letters in a post-apocalyptic America, thereby becoming a messiah, but somehow also acting as a sperm donor. It didn’t work: the $80 million film grossed less than $18 million, and Costner’s star status was gone. But: In the summer there will be another western epic, directed, starring and written by Kevin Costner, of course. Title: “Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1”. He can’t help it…
From top star to flop star: Elizabeth Berkley and “Showgirls”
The high: She was already considered a future superstar. Elizabeth Berkley had worked her way up in numerous films when Paul Verhoeven – after the legendary erotic thriller “Basic Instinct” – offered her a leading role. She was supposed to play a young stray who has a meteoric career as a dancer in sex clubs. Hollywood was expecting the next mega hit…
The crash: “Showgirls” was critically panned in 1997 and flopped at the box office. To this day it holds the record as the most nominated film for the Golden Raspberry – a total of 13 times. Today, “Showgirls,” which was also named the worst film of the 90s, is considered a cult. This didn’t help Elizabeth Berkley much: she was forever barred from the front row of Hollywood actresses; today she gives workshops for young girls with body problems.
From world savior to voice actor: Mark Hamill and “Star Wars”
The high: He made film history – and introduced generations of boys to a completely new toy: As Luke Skywalker in the first “Star Wars” trilogy (1977 to 1983), Mark Hamill fought his way up to become the idol of millions of twelve-year-olds who brought their laser swords to playgrounds and neighborhoods terrorized.
The crash: Unfortunately, Mark Hamill was also tied down with “Star Wars” – when he applied for the role of Mozart in “Amadeus” he was told that it was difficult to imagine Luke Skywalker at the piano. While his Star Wars film partner Harrison Ford started out as one of the biggest action stars of the 80s and 90s, he lent his voice to the Joker from “Batman” as a dubbing actor in cartoons and computer games, for example. He only received a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018.
From gold to raspberries: Demi Moore and “striptease”
The high: She played with megastars like Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Robert Redford and Michael Douglas. She was one of the greatest herself: Demi Moore was the first actress to demand more than ten million dollars for a film role – and got it. And with husband Bruce Willis, also a superstar, she became a glamor symbol, more famous than the Hollywood sign. It looked like she could do no wrong…
The crash: … but then “Striptease” came into cinemas in 1996. For a then-record sum of twelve million dollars, Moore played an ex-FBI secretary who works as a stripper to support herself and her daughter and in the process uncovers a series of murders. The negative film awards that the film won were also record-breaking: out of seven nominations for the Golden Raspberry, it won six. Demi Moore then turned flop after flop – until Drew Barrymore helped her to a modest comeback in 2003 with the role of the main villain in “Charlie’s Angels – Full Power”.
From pop idol to worst actress of the century: Madonna and “Stormische Liebe – Swept Away”
The high: She owned the 80s. Not only did Madonna rule the charts, sing confidently about God and sex and leave no doubt that she was controlling her career – she also displayed great charm in many of her films. But after “Susan… Desperately Wanted”, “Dick Tracy” and “Evita”, the pop diva absolutely had to try her hand at a romantic comedy.
The crash: In “Stormische Liebe – Swept Away” Madonna played an elite millionaire’s wife who ends up on a deserted island with a simple fisherman. Sure: they fight each other. Sure: you fall in love. Sure: the film didn’t gross $600,000 – after that, Madonna was ready for the island. A few years later, the singer received an award as the “worst actress” of the 20th century, but strangely enough, “Stormische Liebe” was not mentioned in the award. The jury was probably afraid to watch the film.
From comeback king to box office poison: John Travolta and “Battlefield Earth”
The high: Hardly anyone has experienced career downturns like John Travolta – and no one has worked his way up as often as the hobby pilot, who at one time owned five aircraft, including a Boeing 707-138B. At the end of the 70s he was the biggest screen star on the planet with Saturday Night Only and Grease – until no one could see his face anymore. At the end of the 80s the comeback with “Look who’s talking” followed by the next crash. With “Pulp Fiction” in 1993, he not only revived his career for the second time, but also his image – suddenly Travolta was even considered the King of Cool. But he had a really bad idea…
The crash: The Scientologist Travolta believed that he had to film a book by the cult founder L. Ron Hubbard as the main actor and co-producer. The science fiction film “Battlefield Earth” about an uprising of Earthlings against evil aliens turned into an unprecedented disaster in 2000. One critic wrote at the time that he found “everything about ‘Battlefield Earth’ to be shit, the beginning, the middle and especially the end.” Financiers sued for budget fraud, various companies went bankrupt and Travolta’s career went down the drain: despite numerous film roles, he never managed to get back into the A-league.