War cinema has long been a pivotal touchstone of filmmaking brilliance. Through its confronting and visceral stories and its basis on historical facts, the war genre has always been able to appeal to the masses despite its often-disturbing presentation. There is perhaps no greater testament to this than the fact that such war films asSaving Private Ryan,American Sniper, and1917are among the highest-grossing R-rated films of all time. However, not every war film has been so fortunate at the box office.
From cult classics that have found their plaudits over time to largely undiscovered gems that still haven’t found the praise they deserve,these war films were unable to make a splash at the box officedespite their brilliance and boldness. Be they decades-old triumphs that have stood the test of time with exceptional grace or recent releases that bring interesting new perspectives to the genre, these movies should have done a lot more throughout their theatrical release.
Directed by Joseph Vilsmaier
A poignant and appropriately bleak anti-war film that, at its best, presents the horrifying conditions ofthe Eastern Front of WWIIin confronting fashion,Stalingradis one of the best and most underrated war films of the 1990s. It follows a group of Wehrmacht soldiers who, after being plucked from a cushy station in the beautiful Italian summer, are sent to Russia. As Operation Barbarossa stalls, however, the soldiers find themselves engulfed in the winter hellscape that is the Battle of Stalingrad.
While it performed admirably in Germany,Stalingradfailed to make a splash at the domestic box office, grossing just$152,972throughout America and Canada. Over time, it hasbecome more widely respected as a true feat of war cinemaand one of the better international movies of its decade.
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9’A Midnight Clear' (1992)
Directed by Keith Gordon
Another underrated gem of ’90s war cinema that failed to make an impact at the box office,A Midnight Clearis a surprisingly hopeful and humane presentation of war conflict in the midst of WWII. Set inthe winter of 1944, as Christmas nears, it follows a small American reconnaissance squad led by Will Knott (Ethan Hawke) as they encounter a group of young German soldiers who want to surrender. Agreeable and fond of one another, the two groups negotiate terms for the surrender, but the fog of war always threatens to lead to a tragic resolution.
Whatever it lacks in terms of harrowing and realistic violence and the grandiose spectacle many war movies employ,A Midnight Clearmore than makes up forits tender and sensitive tale of humanityfrom William Wharton’s novel that was based on his experiences in the war. Unfortunately, such a picture didn’t translate to box office success, making just over$1.5 millionagainst a budget of $5 million.
A Midnight Clear
8’Green Zone' (2010)
Directed by Paul Greengrass
Any film thattries to juggle the nuances of war and pulsating action spectaclecan quickly become undone by the clashing tones of bombastic excitement and horrific war violence. By incorporating a strong political slant into its story,Green Zonemanages to circumnavigate many of these issues reasonably well. It follows Roy Miller (Matt Damon), a US Army CBRN Officer tasked with finding weapons of mass destruction in the Iraq War, only to find himself uncovering the disturbing truth behind his assignment.
With Damon and directorPaul Greengrasspreviously collaborating onThe Bourne SupremacyandThe Bourne Ultimatum, it is perhaps no surprise that the moviemimics the energetic and pulse-raising excitement of those spy gems. However,Green Zonefailed to enthrall moviegoers upon release, concluding its theatrical run with a box office haul of just$94.9 millionagainst its production budget of $100 million.
Green Zone
7’Casualties of War' (1989)
Directed by Brian De Palma
From the ever-evocative and enticingBrian De Palma,Casualties of Waris a harrowing psychological thriller about morality and authority in the military presentedin the context of the Vietnam War. It focuses on the feud that erupts between Pvt. Eriksson (Michael J. Fox) and his commanding officer, Sgt. Meserve (Sean Penn), when the former stands in the way of the latter’s vulgar intention to abduct a young Vietnamese woman to be used for sex by the company.
While De Palma was sometimes best known for his excessive style,Casualties of Waris among his most mature and grounded offerings. Bolstered by outstanding efforts from Fox and Penn, it remains one of the most brutal and sobering pictures to truly grapple withthe destructing and dehumanizing horrors imposed on Vietnamese civiliansduring the war. It made just$18.7 millionagainst a production budget of $22.5 million, perhaps due to itsmore negative depiction of the army.
Casualties of War
6’Kingdom of Heaven' (2005)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Admittedly,Kingdom of Heavenis a complex movie to analyze in terms of how woefully it performed at the box office and how deserving it was of its resulting status as a major flop. The main reason is the stark disparity between the theatrical release andRidley Scott’s director’s cut. Whereas the latter—containing over 40 minutes of added scenes—is heralded as an awe-inspiring masterpiece,the version initially released is riddled with flawsthat undermine the narrative and mar the grandiosity of Scott’s original vision.
Even so,the theatrical release still has enough spectacleto suggest it should have made more than its$218.1 million(off a production budget of $130 million). Interestingly, the film was a major box-office disappointment in the U.S. and Canada, where it grossed just $47.4 million. While there are nuances and frustrations to the state of its initial release, Scott’s extended version ofKingdom of Heavenisa fantastic historical epic about the Crusadesthat should have become a soaring box office triumph had 20th Century Studios, then 20th Century Fox, honored the original picture from the outset.
Kingdom of Heaven
5’Beneath Hill 60' (2011)
Directed by Jeremy Sims
As an Australian production with a significantly smaller production budget than many other war films,Beneath Hill 60’s comparatively measly intake of$3.4 millionisn’t as disastrous as many may first think. However, it is still a far cry from what the gritty WWI drama truly deserved. Following soldiers of the 1st Australian Tunnelling Company, it depicts an audacious effort to burrow deep underground and beyond German lines to plant an explosive device that will devastate the enemy.
While many criticized the film’s frequent flashbacks to Australia, it received universal praise for the engrossing realization of the nerve-rattling and pivotal assignment. Having to work as silently as possible so as not to reveal their ploy to German miners in the area,every sequence of tunneling is loaded with both frenetic urgency and palpable tension.Beneath Hill 60isone of the better war movies of its decadeand an underrated war film of the 21st century thus far. It remains a small tragedy that many more haven’t had the opportunity to see it at all, let alone in cinemas.
Beneath Hill 60
4’Johnny Got His Gun' (1971)
Directed by Dalton Trumbo
Johnny Got His Gunmarks the only directorial effort in the career of famed screenwriterDalton Trumbo, but it still presents a harrowing masterclass of restrained filmmaking thathaunts the mind long after it is seen. Based on Trumbo’s novel of the same name, the film focuses on a young WWI soldier who, after being hit by an artillery shell, awakens in a hospital bed, having lost all of his limbs, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Communicating with his doctors by banging his head on the pillow in Morse code, the soldier begs to be euthanized, a request that the army refuses to grant.
Despite being made on a lean budget of approximately $1 million and winning the second prize atthe 1971 Cannes Film Festival,Johnny Got His Gunfailed to make its money back, completing its theatrical with a paltry$2,735before leaping up to a still-dismal figure of $767,794 through theatrical rentals.The film has endured in pop culture, however, largely through its feature in Metallica’s music video for their hit song “One” and its reputation asa one-of-a-kind war movie.
Johnny Got His Gun
Directed by Sam Mendes
Based on the real-lifeAnthony Swafford’s compelling memoir of the same name,Jarheaddelivers acontemplative, unsettling, and even often funny realization of life in the Persian Gulf War. StarringJake Gyllenhaalas Swafford, it follows the Scout Sniper as he and his comrades progress through Operation Desert Shield, quickly growing tired of their routine drills, physical training, and military responsibilities while developing a deep yearning for their first confirmed kills.
While it remains a polarizing picture today,Jarheadhas come to be widely respectedas a brave and authentic, albeit less traditional, meditation on war.It is often at its best when mixing the weighted drama with its disturbing observations to a sinister comic effect. It grossed$97.1 millionagainst a massive production budget of $72 million (not including marketing), though its long-standing relevance in pop-culture circles has generated three direct-to-DVD sequels.
2’The Thin Red Line' (1998)
Directed by Terrence Malick
Compared to other war films featured on this list,Terrence Malick’s wafting meditation on the impact of warwas hardly a box office catastrophe. Against a production budget of $52 million, its box office intake of$98.1 millionseems far from disastrous, but it is important to note that little is known about how much was invested into the picture’s marketing campaign. Moreover, few would argue thatThe Thin Red Lineis a war epic thatshould have far surpassed its $98.1 million gross.
Private Witt (Jim Caviezel) is an absconder living peacefully among the locals in the South Pacific. When discovered by his commanding officer, he is promptly thrust back into the brutality of war. As the Battle of Guadalcanal unfolds, Witt and his comrades reckon with their evolving philosophies towards life and death in the face of combat. Poetic, powerful, and visually astonishing,The Thin Red LinepresentsMalick at his absolute bestand is heralded by many as one of the greatest war movies ever made.
The Thin Red Line
1’Paths of Glory' (1957)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Today,Paths of Gloryis revered around the world as one of the finest anti-war films ever made, a scorching condemnation of military malpractice and chain-of-command absurdity that also serves asStanley Kubrick’s major breakthrough. However, given it was not heralded as being a monumental film upon release, accounts of its box office performance vary quite drastically. What’s true is that it grossed $1.2 million againsta budget of $900,000, which is not great.
In WWI, French soldiers refuse orders to carry out an attack, knowing any advance to be a suicidal ordeal. With three soldiers being selected to stand trial for cowardice to make an example of the disobedience,Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas) vows to defend the menin court. With a scathing ire towards military and political posturing,Paths of Glorywas perhaps ahead of its time in 1957—so much so that it was banned in parts of Europe—but it has aged gracefully with its uncompromising anti-war sentiment and the scorching lens it casts upon its most repugnant characters.
