Wolfgang Petersen was one of the most renowned German film directors in the world. However, the disaster film Poseidon, which hit German theaters in 2006, became the biggest flop of his career and turned out to be an economic disaster.
What is Wolfgang Petersen known for? The greatest success of Wolfgang Petersen is arguably “Das Boot” from 1981. There, Petersen not only directed but also wrote the screenplay. His career began with his first film in 1965. Unfortunately, the director passed away last year in Los Angeles.
Other highlights from his career include the following films:
- The NeverEnding Story
- Troy
- Air Force One
- The Perfect Storm
In “The Perfect Storm,” Petersen even managed to cast true Hollywood icons as actors. Here, Petersen relied again on the stormy sea and sent George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg into the water.
What is Poseidon? The film was inspired by the disaster film “The Poseidon Adventure” from 1972 and the novel “Poseidon Adventure.” However, Petersen did not want to stick too closely to the original, but rather picked up the idea of a luxury cruise ship that is struck by a gigantic wave.
In the film, we experience the events of a luxury liner named Poseidon, which travels from Europe to New York on New Year’s Eve. However, the ship is struck by a monster wave over 50 meters high and capsizes. Numerous passengers die, and the few survivors wait in the ballroom for help.
Other failed adaptations can be found on MeinMMO:
Poseidon performed as a mediocre film, incurring losses
What a catastrophe was the film? Poseidon consumed a budget of 160 million US dollars and accordingly raised high expectations for success. The film is technically behind giants like World War Z, but not many films can boast such a high budget.
However, despite the film coming with impressive special effects, Poseidon could only achieve mediocre ratings:
- 5.7/10 (IMDb)
- 33% (Rotten Tomatoes)
- 2.5/5 stars (Filmstarts)
The film grossed 181.7 million US dollars worldwide. However, along with advertising costs, distribution costs, and other expenses, the film lost about 77 million US dollars.
After Poseidon, Wolfgang Petersen took a ten-year break and released only the film “Four Against the Bank” before his death.
Yet Wolfgang Petersen is not alone with his flop; Peter Jackson also had to endure a significant career setback: Peter Jackson’s biggest flop is a science fiction epic that cost millions and should have been a success like his Lord of the Rings
