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In fact, the idea of investing that much money into a movie was so unheard-of at the time, Universal didn't actually agree to it. To understand its failure, you have to factor in a certain record it broke, which would be surpassed by Titanic two years later. There is, in fact, a reason Waterworld was made into a Hollywood punching bag for years. Younger viewers might even be inclined to ask themselves what about the movie could have been considered so catastrophic, when at worst it's just a harmlessly fun action-adventure flick with some cool world-building. In fact, nowadays, Waterworld is more often remembered as an underrated childhood favorite than as an infamous turkey.
#WATERWORLD MOVIE BUDGET TV#
It wasn't until Waterworld got a second life on TV and home video that it became a staple of '90s cinema and a major nostalgia object.Īmong the many signs of its comeback success, you could point to the multi-platform video game inspired by it, or the sheer amount of merchandise it spawned, or the incredibly popular Waterworld: A Live Sea War Spectacular attraction found at Universal Studios parks around the globe. box office (via Box Office Mojo), a figure well below Universal Studios' expectations. For many years, the 1995 Kevin Costner blockbuster Waterworld had to endure the reputation of a "flop." Though its high concept of a future Earth completely covered in water was highly unique, the movie itself was lambasted by contemporaneous critics and grossed only $88 million in the U.S.
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