The Notorious Mars Movie Curse
Hollywood has had a long and troubled relationship with Mars. In 1996, Tim Burton’s chaotic sci-fi comedy “Mars Attacks!” was widely panned by critics and only managed to bring in about $101 million worldwide—just barely scraping past its $100 million budget. Not exactly a hit.
The new millennium didn’t bring better luck. In 2000, Hollywood released two major Mars-themed films, both of which struggled. Anthony Hoffman’s “Red Planet,” starring Val Kilmer, earned only $33.5 million on an $80 million budget and was considered a significant flop. Brian De Palma’s “Mission to Mars,” inspired by a Disneyland ride, performed slightly better, making $111 million worldwide on a $100 million budget, but still failed to generate real excitement or lasting impact. Three big swings at Mars, and none landed the box office home run.
Things didn’t improve for Disney. In 2011 and 2012 came a pair of notable failures: “Mars Needs Moms” and “John Carter.” Both films were set mainly on Mars and rank among the biggest financial disappointments in Disney’s history. According to reporting, “John Carter” was initially titled “John Carter of Mars,” but after so many Mars flops, Disney dropped “of Mars” from the title. This change did nothing to help its fortunes.
Andy Weir and the Shadow of Failure
When author Andy Weir was interviewed by Lightspeed Magazine, he was candid about his concerns. He knew all about Mars movies’ poor box office history:
“When you talk about Mars movies, there's what they call ‘The Mars Curse' in the movie industry; that was actually something that was going to, potentially, be a problem in getting ‘The Martian‘ greenlighted. The last significant commercial success that took place on Mars was ‘Total Recall' with Arnold Schwarzenegger. I might be wrong; there may be something in the middle there. And it's also that some things people don't like were also commercial successes. I actually liked ‘Mission to Mars,' with Gary Sinise. Didn't like the one with Val Kilmer as much.”
Weir had seen “Red Planet” and “Mission to Mars” and was well aware of how poorly they performed. In the years between 1990’s “Total Recall” and the release of “The Martian” in 2015, no Mars-set film had managed a significant box office victory. Comedies like “RocketMan” (1997) failed to impress audiences, and other movies—”Ghosts of Mars,” “Doom,” and even the Flaming Lips' ultra-niche “Christmas on Mars”—barely registered.
Is Mars Really the Problem?
Despite the evidence, Weir didn’t think Mars was to blame. As he put it:
“I think Mars is a big topic. ‘The Martian,' ‘John Carter,' ‘Mars Needs Moms,' and ‘Santa Claus Conquers the Martians' all took place on Mars, but those movies are not, in any way, similar. I think comparing movies that take place on Mars is not that productive. It's like saying ‘Cloverfield' took place in New York City and so does the TV show ‘Friends'; let's compare them.”
Weir argued that these movies failed for very different reasons, and Mars itself was just the backdrop. From the cult classic “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” (1964) to big-budget disasters, a common thread was hard to find beyond the setting.
What Made “The Martian” Succeed?
So how did Ridley Scott’s adaptation break the so-called curse? “The Martian” brought the planet to life with realism and a scientific approach. As Weir and his interviewer discussed, authenticity mattered—Matt Damon’s Mark Watney faced survival on Mars with plausible tactics and genuine humanity. In contrast, films like “Red Planet” faltered because their astronauts spent more time arguing and fighting than acting like real astronauts. Weir pointed out that astronauts undergo psychological screening for a reason and don’t engage in movie-style brawls in real life.
Maybe that’s the lesson. If you want your Mars movie to succeed, focus on truthfulness, teamwork, and the real challenges of space. Hollywood’s curse wasn’t Mars—it was formulaic plots and a lack of authenticity. “The Martian” earned $630 million worldwide and was nominated for seven Academy Awards, proving the curse could be broken with the right approach.
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