One Of Steven Spielberg's Biggest Box Office Flops Is An Underrated Disney Movie

Steven Spielberg's films typically do big numbers at the box office, but they can't all be hits. Despite being based on a beloved Roald Dahl story, "The BFG" only took in $199 million worldwide, which seems like a lot of money on paper. However, "The BFG" was produced for $140 million, excluding marketing costs, so Disney took an L with this one. That said, viewers seeking a charming fantasy movie will likely enjoy Spielberg's rare flop.

"The BFG" follows Sophie (Ruby Barnhill), a girl who befriends a giant (Mark Rylance), who's shunned by his peers for refusing to feast on humans. Giants hunting children is a horrifying concept, but Spielberg's adaptation was praised for being more lighthearted than Dahl's original tale. "I can imagine other adults loving the film for helping them remember what it's like to be young enough to hide from a movie monster because he's big and weird-looking and then laugh because he's kind of silly," Roger Ebert wrote.

Other critics compared it to "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," the family-friendly Spielberg classic that was banned in Scandinavia. "[The film is] imbued with a humanist streak that links it with 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' and, especially, 'E.T.,' and stresses exactly why Spielberg's family movies remain every bit as essential as the films that earned him a new measure of artistic credibility," Salon noted. As of this writing, "The BFG" boasts a 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, so at least it won over the critics. But why didn't audiences turn out to support Spielberg's blockbuster?

The exact financial losses of "The BFG" aren't clear. However, experts estimate that it lost between $90 and $100 million during its theatrical run, which is steep. Disney persevered due to the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and other hits, but "The BFG" failing was still a shock — but it wasn't the only big-budget movie to fail at the time. "The BFG" faced stiff competition from "The Legend of Tarzan" and "The Purge: Election Year" when it rode into theaters in July 2016 — just in time for Independence Day.

"The Purge: Election Year" was the only one that turned a profit, but its budget was significantly smaller. Elsewhere, "Finding Dory" — which was released in June — was still swimming high at the top of the box office, so the family audience chose fish over giants. It seems that viewers weren't interested in new movies on this holiday weekend. Hopefully, audiences keep discovering "The BFG" as the years progress. It's one of the underrated gems in Steven Spielberg's filmography — and perfect viewing for the whole family. Fortunately, Spielberg has made more hits since then, so the film's box office shortcomings didn't hurt his career.