These 5 Movies Spent Almost As Much Convincing You To See Them As They Did Making Them

Green Lantern Spent More Hyping Itself Than Some Movies Cost To Make, Period

Warner Bros. handed Ryan Reynolds a $200 million production budget for this DC origin story, then reportedly piled on close to $100-125 million more just to market it worldwide. The film limped to $219.9 million globally, and Warner Bros. quietly shelved its entire planned franchise.

John Carter's Marketing Was SO Bad It Became Part Of Its Own Flop Story

Disney spent an already-eye-watering $250 million making this Edgar Rice Burroughs adaptation, then added another $100 million trying to get anyone to understand what it was even about. The confusing ad campaign is widely blamed for the movie's collapse, and Disney booked a historic $200 million write-down.

The Lone Ranger's Ad Budget Alone Could've Funded An Entire Other Movie

Disney's Johnny Depp western ran up a production tab north of $215-250 million, then layered on a reported $150 million marketing blitz on top of that. It grossed $260.5 million worldwide — nowhere close to covering both numbers — and the studio ate a write-down as high as $190 million.

Snow White and the Huntsman Nearly Doubled Its Budget Just In Ads

Universal's dark fairy-tale reboot cost a reported $170 million to produce, and industry estimates put the marketing and distribution spend at another $80-90 million on top of that. It actually did clear its production budget at the box office — but factoring in the ad spend made real profit a much murkier picture.

Justice League Needed $450 Million Just To Break Even — And Still Didn't

Between its reported $300 million production budget and an estimated $150 million global marketing spend, Warner Bros. needed the superhero team-up to gross around $450-750 million just to come out even. It made $657.9 million worldwide and was STILL considered a financial disappointment.