There were some great movies in 1995, several of which made hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office. Cutthroat Island is not one of those movies. In fact, this swashbuckling pirate adventure film starring Geena Davis and Matthew Modine lost money. Like, a lot of money. So much so that it held a Guinness World Record for nearly two decades.
Though the not-so-bad pirate movie no longer has the distinction of being the biggest box office bomb of all time, you can watch Cutthroat Island right now without paying a penny. If you’re curious, or want to revisit a much-maligned epic about a woman seeking a hidden treasure, come along as we break it all down…
Cutthroat Island Was A Box Office Failure And Derailed The Pirate Genre For Nearly A Decade
Up until April 2012, Cutthroat Island had the distinction of holding the Guinness World Record for the largest box office loss of all time, which amounted to $105 million (or $145 million, adjusted for inflation). According to Guinness, the movie had an estimated production budget of $98 million (plus marketing) and a box office gross of only $10 million, which accounted for the nine-figure loss.
While there were some pirate movies following the release of Cutthroat Island – Muppet Treasure Island comes to mind – the genre was pretty much put on ice for the better part of the next decade until Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl came along and made $654 million, per BoxOffice Mojo, in June 2003.
You Can Watch Cutthroat Island Streaming For Free
If you want to watch Geena Davis and Matthew Modine team up as two pirates going to the edge of the world and back in search of treasure and some old-fashioned revenge (or at least see if this movie is as bad as critics made it out to be), you’re in luck. Not only is Cutthroat Island streaming, it’s available on multiple free platforms, meaning you don’t have to pay, or even sign up, to go on an adventure.
Sure, you’ll have to sit through some commercial breaks along the way, but it’ll feel like you’re watching this 1995 adventure film on cable like it’s the olden days.
So, What Took Cutthroat Island’s Place In The Guinness Book Of World Records?
Okay, you’re probably wondering what detrhoned Cutthroat Island and made it walk the plank? Well, it’s a little, err, massive, 2012 movie by the name of John Carter. In May 2012, Guinness World Records gave the Disney box office bomb the dishonor of being given the record for the most money lost by a film. This amounted to a loss of at least $161 million.
Though John Carter did pull in around $284 million, per BoxOffice Mojo, that paled in comparison to the amount of money Disney spent producing and promoting what was to be the start of a new franchise.
So, if you’re up for an adventure, give Cutthroat Island a watch. I mean, it’ll only cost you a couple of hours of your time and nothing more…
