Heaven's Gate (1980)

Heaven’s Gate (1980) remains one of cinema’s most catastrophic financial failures, with a final production cost of $44 million against a mere $3.5 million domestic gross. Adjusted for inflation, that $3.5 million is less than 10% of the budget—a ratio far worse than the 13% gross-to-cost performance of #6 Mortal Engines. Michael Cimino’s western epic originally budgeted at $12 million spiraled out of control due to reshoots and delayed release, ultimately bankrupting United Artists and ending the New Hollywood director-driven era. The film lost approximately $40.5 million in its initial theatrical run.