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6) Nights in Rodanthe
Most people don't realize it, but this is the fourth Nicholas Sparks novel to be adapted into a major motion picture. It performed much more in line with his first two films, Message in a Bottle ($52.9 million) and A Walk to Remember ($41.2 million), than his blockbuster, The Notebook ($81.0 million). While many would argue that a $41.9 million domestic run for a title whose romantic leads are a combined 103 years old is pretty darned good, I believe that "from the creator of The Notebook" should have led to a larger box office run. It's fine if you disagree with me, as long as you understand my thought process here. Nights in Rodanthe left theaters in the black, but it also left money on the table in terms of opportunity cost.

7) The Family That Preys
This is the last of the unqualified winners. Tyler Perry's out-of-nowhere ascension into mainstream box office draw was solidified long before this title came out. Its $37.1 million domestic performance is a bit less than Meet the Browns, but it was about the same amount ahead of Daddy's Little Girls, placing it squarely in the expected range for non-Madea films from the actor/director. Perry has become so powerful in such a period that if he wants a cameo in Star Trek, then by God, he gets a cameo in Star Trek.

8) Righteous Kill
I realize that your first instinct would be to call a $73.1 million worldwide performer against a $60 million budget a winner. This goes back to what is said at the start of the column. Domestic revenue is more important and this title's $40.1 million domestic is only two thirds of its budget, not factoring in other negative cost expenditures. The $33 million attained internationally helps some but it's not enough to view this as a title that was in the red when it exited theaters. It's at best a draw theatrically that will earn its money on home video, which it has already done to the tune of $15.4 million thus far. No one is getting fired over this one nor is anyone getting promoted.

9) My Best Friend's Girl
We have reached the dregs and let me say with emphasis that the dregs of September are the true dregs, particularly now that January somehow has become the new May. This ill-conceived Kate Hudson/Dane Cook "romantic comedy" proves that Hudson has the worst taste in scripts this side of Nic Cage and Cook's 15 minutes are gone, assuming they ever existed. It earned $19.2 million domestically and $34.8 million worldwide against a $20 million budget, making it a non-factor at best. Memo to Hollywood: Stop hiring Dane Cook. It didn't work with Tom Green, it didn't work with Rob Schneider, it didn't work with Jamie Kennedy, and it's not working now.

10) Ghost Town
I am quite possibly the only person in the world who loves British television yet doesn't find Ricky Gervais the least bit funny. Even so, I remain to this day surprised by how little marketing was given to this endeavor. I'm not going to make a play on words about the title or anything, but the next commercial I see for this will be, well, the third. And the people who cut the trailer couldn't find anything in the movie that was funny, remarkable when we consider it is 84% fresh at Rotten Tomatoes. In fact, I know about 25 people who have watched it. To a person, they at least like if not love the film. It seems destined to be a cult classic, but a $13.3 million domestic performance with double that in total worldwide sales against a $20 million budget is weak.

11) Igor
I still have only the vaguest idea what this is. I know it is an animated movie about a dude who looks like he should be hanging out at Notre Dame, unlike Jimmy Clausen (ba-da-bump). What I do know is that it made $26.6 million worldwide, $19.5 million of it domestically, against a $30 million production budget. So, it failed.

12) Choke
Notable only for how sexually sophomoric it is in content, my beloved Clark Gregg's directorial debut was just too far out there for mainstream consumers. Fox Searchlight made the unfortunate decision to pay $5 million for distribution rights to a film that went on to gross $2.9 million. Basically, they overpaid for mediocre performance, making this the equivalent of a New York Yankees contract.

13) Miracle at St. Anna
Anecdotally, when I saw this trailer, I was convinced it was going to be a hit. After talking to other people, I quickly realized this was not a commonly held belief as the convoluted story of a decapitated statue head seemed to alienate many. Apparently, when Bart Simpson does it to Jebediah Springfield, it's entertaining. When Spike Lee does it, it's creepy. Whatever the explanation for such circuitous logic, this title earned a whopping $9 million worldwide against a $45 million budget. It is one of the biggest financial failures of 2008.

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