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John Carter loses Disney £126 million

Science fiction movie starring Taylor Kitsch has become one of the biggest flops of all time

A statement from Disney has confirmed that sci-fi flick 'John Carter' has become one of the biggest flops in movie history. It will lose the company $200 million (£126 million).

Speaking to its shareholders, Disney gravely announced the hit that its studio division would take as a result of their gamble on Pixar director Andrew Stanton's live action debut.

[Related feature: Five reasons John Carter bombed]
[Related feature: The biggest flops of 2011]


They said: "In light of the theatrical performance of 'John Carter' ($184 million global box office), we expect the film to generate an operating loss of approximately $200 million during our second fiscal quarter ending March 31. As a result, our current expectation is that the Studio segment will have an operating loss of between $80 and $120 million for the second quarter."



The film was dogged by concerns over marketing, which failed to sell the story to its target audience thanks to a nondescript name, confusing trailer and lack of big name stars.

The story of a 19th century American war veteran transported into the middle of a grand-scale conflict on Mars, which was based on the seminal sci-fi novels of 'Tarzan' author Edgar Rice Burroughs, was given a lukewarm reception by critics and audiences.

Disney still have a chance to make back some cash this summer though, with Pixar animation 'Brave' and comic book flick 'Marvel's Avengers Assemble' still to come.