Scary? More like Yawnsville
Adaptations, reboots, revamps and re-envisions are all words that Hollywood uses to describe the generally profitable practice of remaking older films.
And while some have turned out to be major blockbusters—such as Paramount's "War of the Worlds" and Warner Brothers' "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Superman Returns," all of which garnered more than $200 million at U.S. box offices—others didn't fare so well.
Here are the least-popular American remakes of all time, based on domestic gross figures compiled by Rentrak.
—By CNBC's Karma Allen.
Posted 16 April 2015
'Fright Night' (2011)
Audiences found Disney's 2011 remake of the 1985 horror film "Fright Night" to be a yawner, and it grossed just $18.30 million dollars at U.S. box offices.
The original, which is considered a cult classic, follows a teenager who learns that his neighbor is a vampire, but no one believes him. (Domestic gross figures for the original were unavailable.)
'Last Man Standing' (1996)
New Line Cinema's "Last Man Standing" was based on a story by Ryuzo Kikushima and Akira Kurosawa, and some filmgoers will recognize the plot outlines from Kurosawa's 1961 film "Yojimbo," according to Rogerebert.com.
The remake, released in 1996 and starring Bruce Willis, Christopher Walken and Bruce Dern, was a dud. It grossed $18.19 million.
'The Thing' (2011)
Universal Pictures' "The Thing" is a prequel to the 1982 scifi thriller of the same name starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead. The film review site Rotten Tomatoes called it a "bare serviceable minimum for a horror flick, but "The Thing" is all boo-scares and a slave to the far superior John Carpenter version."
Audiences agreed. The remake grossed $16.99 million. (Universal Pictures is a subsidiary of CNBC's parent company, NBC Universal.)
'Catch That Kid' (2004)
"Catch That Kid," distributed by 20th Century Fox, is a remake of the Danish family action film "Klatretosen."
It was a critical and commercial bomb when it was released in 2004, grossing $16.7 million in U.S. theaters. Curious fact: The film had an estimated production budget of $12 million (according to Box Office Mojo), so it theoretically could have been profitable, but since that doesn't include money the studio spent marketing the film, it more likely lost money.
'The Hitcher' (2007)
"The Hitcher," a Focus Features-financed remake of the 1986 slasher film of the same name, tells the story of a serial killer who pins his crimes on two college students who gave him a ride, according to IMDb. The remake, which was shown in nearly 3,000 theaters, grossed $16.38 million domestically, while the original raked in about $6 million in only 800 theaters.
(Focus Features is a subsidiary of CNBC's parent company, NBCUniversal.)
'Bangkok Dangerous' (2008)
Nicolas Cage produced and stared in "Bangkok Dangerous," a 2008 remake of the Pang Brothers' 1999 film of the same title. It grossed $15.29 million domestically, a major flop considering its estimated production budget of $45 million, according to Box Office Mojo data.
'The Invasion' (2007)
"The Invasion," a science fiction thriller starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, is one of three remakes of Don Siegel's 1956 film "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." Critics generally panned and audiences stayed away from the Warner Brothers' remake, and it earned just $15.07 million, a fraction of its $80 million production budget.
'Wicker Park' (2004)
MGM's 2004 film "Wicker Park" is a remake of the 1996 French film "L'Appartement." The suspense thriller, which stars Josh Hartnett and Diane Kruger, was criticized for its convoluted plot twists. The film grossed $12.92 million domestically.