Was The Legend of Tarzan a Hit or Flop?

The Legend of Tarzan is generally considered a box office disappointment or a flop when its performance is evaluated against its substantial production budget and the financial metrics common in the film industry.

Understanding Film Profitability

Determining whether a film is a "hit" or a "flop" goes beyond simply comparing its worldwide gross to its production budget. Major studio films incur significant additional costs, primarily for marketing and global distribution, which can often add another 50% to 100% of the production budget. A widely accepted guideline for a film to break even and start generating profit is that it needs to gross at least 2 to 2.5 times its production budget. This accounts for the shared revenue with theaters and the additional marketing spend.

The Legend of Tarzan's Financial Overview

Here's a breakdown of the film's key financial figures:

Given its $180 million production budget, The Legend of Tarzan needed to gross significantly more than its actual $356.7 million worldwide total to be considered profitable. To cover its production costs and an estimated marketing budget (which could easily have been another $100-$150 million), the film would have needed to earn closer to $450-$500 million globally just to break even or turn a modest profit. Falling short of this threshold indicates it did not perform well enough financially to be a commercial success.

Critical Reception

Adding to its challenges, The Legend of Tarzan received mixed reviews from critics. While not directly a financial metric, critical reception can influence audience turnout and long-term profitability through home video and streaming rights.

Conclusion

Despite grossing over $350 million worldwide, The Legend of Tarzan was unable to recover its high production and marketing costs sufficiently. This financial underperformance, combined with its mixed critical reception, firmly places it in the category of a box office flop.