There are several films in the world which made with a big budget but didn't perform well at the box office upon release. As we all know, there are various reasons out there which can make any film flop, be it storyline, run-time, actor's performance, or other creative choices. However, there are some exceptions. Some films, despite their bad performance at the box office, move on to receive critical acclaim and win prestigious accolades.
Sometimes, it gets difficult to understand the director's view for the general public, but a well-made film often earns recognition from critics. There's one such Hollywood film which initially failed to impress at the box office but later went on to earn critical acclaim, winning four Academy Awards in various categories.
This film was made with a budget of 44 million USD
This 1963 historical epic docudrama was directed by Joseph L Mankiewicz and Rouben Mamoulian. You will be surprised after learning about its production cost. The film was made with a budget of 44 million USD and managed to gross 57,779,280 USD worldwide, as per IMDb.
The Hollywood film is none other than 'Cleopatra', which hit the silver screens in 1963. The film features Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Pamela Brown, George Cole, Kenneth Haigh, Cesare Danova, Francesca Annis, and Hume Cronyn in the lead roles. For the unversed, the story revolves around Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt, who witnessed both triumph and tragedy when she resisted the imperial ambitions of Rome.
Despite its massive million-dollar budget, 'Cleopatra' is considered one of the most expensive productions of its time. At first, the film struggled commercially but later gained recognition for its grand scale, performances, and craftsmanship.
This historical epic film received 4 Oscars
Talking about the accolades, this film bagged four Academy Awards in different categories. Leon Shamroy was honoured with the Oscar in the 'Best Cinematography, Color' category. The art direction team of this film won an Oscar in the 'Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color' category. The costume design team, including Irene Sharaff, Vittorio Nino Novarese and Renie, won an Oscar in the 'Best Costume Design, Color' category and Emil Kosa Jr received the Academy Award in the 'Best Effects, Special Visual Effects' category.
It is worth noting that this movie has a run time of 5 hours and 20 minutes. Critics have given this historical drama 7 stars out of 10 on IMDb and it is available to stream on Apple TV.