How Trojan War Made Only $309 on a $15 Million Budget

In the annals of Hollywood disasters, few failures are as spectacular—or as mathematically absurd—as Trojan War. This 1997 teen comedy starring Will Friedle and Jennifer Love Hewitt had a production budget of $15 million. Its total theatrical gross? A jaw-dropping $309.

That's not a typo. Three hundred and nine dollars. To put that in perspective, the average movie ticket in 1997 cost around $4.59. This means roughly 67 people bought tickets to see Trojan War during its theatrical run.

The Release Strategy That Wasn't

How does a studio film with a respectable budget perform this poorly? The answer lies in one of the most limited releases in modern cinema history. Warner Bros. dumped Trojan War into exactly two theaters for one week in September 1997, then pulled it immediately.

This wasn't a strategic platform release building buzz in select markets. This was a studio quietly disposing of a film it had zero confidence in, fulfilling contractual theatrical release obligations before sending it straight to video.

The Math of Disaster

Let's break down the carnage:

• Production budget: $15,000,000
• Box office revenue: $309
• Return on investment: 0.002%
• Loss per dollar spent: Warner Bros. lost $99.998 for every dollar invested

To recoup its budget at the box office, Trojan War would have needed roughly 3.2 million ticket sales. It got 67.

What Went Wrong?

Trojan War follows high schooler Brad (Friedle) on a quest to get condoms for his dream date with the popular Brooke (Marley Shelton), while his best friend Leah (Hewitt) pines for him. The plot? Pure late-90s teen comedy formula.

So why did Warner Bros. abandon it? Test screenings were reportedly disastrous. The studio had acquired the film and realized it had a dud on its hands—not terrible enough to be memorable, not good enough to market. Rather than throw good money after bad on marketing and a wide release, they took the nuclear option.

A Legendary Failure

By 2007, Trojan War held the distinction of being the fifth lowest-grossing film since modern box office tracking began in the 1980s. It remains a cautionary tale studied in film business courses as an example of how studios handle unsalvageable projects.

The film found modest redemption on home video and cable, where it developed a small cult following. Freed from impossible box office expectations, some viewers discovered a charming, if unremarkable, teen romp. But that $309 figure? That's forever.

In an industry where opening weekend numbers are scrutinized obsessively and films are pulled after underperforming with $5 million debuts, Trojan War's $309 total stands as the gold standard of theatrical failure—proof that sometimes the kindest thing a studio can do is admit defeat before anyone notices.