For as emotionally profound and meaningful as films can be, it’s still a business. Movies need to make money, and sometimes, that just doesn’t happen. It may be because of a bloated production, large marketing costs, tough competition in theaters, or just the general quality of a movie, but when a movie fails to turn a profit, it’s a flop. A failure. A bomb.
2025 has had plenty of flops and bombs, with the recent Tron: Ares (2025) set to cost Disney around $133 million in losses and Christy (2025) having one of the worst box office debuts of all time. Still, not all movies that bomb are bad. As demonstrated by the list below, here are five 2025 box-office flops that deserve a second chance. Several of these films have been charting in and around JustWatch’s Top 100 streamed movies this past week, so it’s clear that audiences are giving them a chance now that they’re out of theaters and on streamers like HBO Max and Prime Video.
Black Bag (2025)
Most spy thrillers tend to be grand affairs. The stakes are always high, and the fate of the world usually hangs in the balance. Black Bag is much more lowkey than you would expect, but that also makes it the perfect thinking man’s spy movie.
There’s an understated wit in Black Bag that will delight fans of more grounded spy flicks like The Killer (2023). From the moment the film starts, we’re presented with mystery after mystery, and thanks to the strong performances by Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett, you’ll constantly be guessing for the film’s 90-minute runtime what their endgame is. Are they truly loyal to one another, or are they manipulating each other for their own gain? Black Bag’s intense focus on witty dialogue may have put off audiences from seeing it back in March, but if you’re game for a spy movie that prioritizes brain over brawn, it is an underrated gem.
Eddington (2025)
Since he’s shifted away from horror, Ari Aster’s output has been polarizing to say the least. Beau Is Afraid (2023) was a nearly three-hour panic attack of Jewish guilt, and his follow-up, Eddington, goes all in on examining the COVID-19 pandemic. These movies are not for everyone, but if you want a frank discussion about social effects of the pandemic, there’s merit to Eddington.
In a lot of ways, Eddington is reminiscent of No Country for Old Men (2017). It’s a bleak examination of the human condition where no one is a good person and everyone is purely out for themselves. While it doesn’t outright condemn or condone any of its characters, given its politically charged nature, you’re meant to draw your own conclusions on whether or not the film has a happy or justified ending. It’s undeniably slow at points, and its protracted two and a half hour runtime definitely may cause some people to check out, but if it clicks with you, it’s a fascinating deep dive of that era of history.
Mickey 17 (2025)
Sci-fi movies tend to be hit or miss at the box office. Their performance usually comes down to how easy it is for audiences to understand their concept, and while Mickey 17’s premise may take some getting used to, once it gets going, it’s a great examination of the human condition.
If you loved Bong Joon Ho’s last big sci-fi epic, Snowpiercer (2013), then you’ll know what to expect from the world of Mickey 17. There’s an unmistakable level of grime and social commentary throughout the movie, showing the sharp class divide between the lower-class crew members of the spaceship and the rich theocrats who run it. We sympathize with Mickey’s plight of just trying to survive, and the frequent grizzly deaths he faces will make audiences feel they’re watching Source Code (2011). It’s a bit tonally uneven, which led to some middling reviews that hurt its box-office chances, but if you’re hunting for a sci-fi movie with a dark sense of humor, consider giving Mickey 17 a shot.
One Battle After Another (2025)
By all accounts, One Battle After Another is one of the best movies of 2025. Its financial failure has less to do with its quality, but rather, its enormous budget and marketing costs requiring at least $300 million to break even. It could still do it, but all signs point to it being a failure. It’s a shame, too, because One Battle After Another is a gloriously chaotic movie about revolution for a modern audience. It’s a politically charged story, like Eddington, but one that advocates for active resistance rather than quiet contemplation.
In some ways, it’s a modern-day The Battle of Algiers (1966) with the energy of The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). There’s so much going on during the film’s two hour and forty minute runtime, but it expertly finds a way to balance out the very real call to action the film advocates for with the weirdness Paul Thomas Anderson is known for. What other movie would feature a cabal of Santa Claus worshipping white supremists and semen demons? It shouldn’t work as well as it does, but PTA’s expert cinematography and direction make One Battle After Another a movie that needs to be experienced.
Thunderbolts* (2025)
Oh how the mighty have fallen. Not even a decade ago, Marvel was the standard bearer of box-office success, but 2025 has featured not one, but two, financial disappointments for the once almighty brand. Of the two, though, Thunderbolts* really should have done better than it did.
A lot of the problems that face modern Marvel movies is front and center with Thunderbolts*. There’s a lot of homework that fans need to do to fully understand what’s going on. But once you get over that, Marvel’s answer to The Suicide Squad (2021) is a thematically rich examination of trauma and depression that is surpsingly honest for a Marvel movie, to the point where it feels as dark as other bleak psychological dramas like Fight Club (1999). Even if you barely know anything about Thunderbolts* large cast going into it, you’ll grow to care for each of them, especially the film’s breakout star, Bob. If you’re been looking for a superhero movie that has something to say, Thunderbolts* is a breath of fresh air.
