World’s biggest flop film was made for Rs 3200 crore, earned only Rs 70000, never got an OTT release, director disowned this film

Did you this film released 10 years ago was a complete disaster at box office. Even the director of this film disowned this film.

Imagine making a film so badly received that it can’t find distributors in major markets and is labeled as propaganda. The director ends up distancing themselves from the project, which almost disappears from view. This is the story of the biggest box office flop ever.

World’s biggest box office bomb, earned only Rs 70,000 crore

United Passions, a 2014 sports drama, holds the infamous title of the biggest box office disaster in film history. The English-language movie, produced in France, chronicled the founding of football’s global governing body, FIFA. Shockingly, FIFA itself provided 90% of the film’s budget. Despite a hefty production cost of $29-32 million, the film barely made a dent at the box office. During its opening weekend in the U.S., United Passions earned a pitiful $918 — marking the worst debut in cinema history. Overseas, the film fared just as poorly, scraping together only $100,000 in Russia and surrounding countries. In many other regions, United Passions couldn’t even secure distribution, either being pulled entirely or released straight to home media.

Watch the United Passions trailer:

Why United Passions was disaster

United Passions was widely criticized for whitewashing the dark side of FIFA, glossing over the numerous allegations of fraud, corruption, and shady dealings, while presenting its executives as heroes. The timing of the film’s release couldn’t have been worse, coinciding with the 2015 FIFA corruption scandal that led to the resignation of several top officials, including FIFA President Sepp Blatter. Critics were ruthless, with many labeling it as blatant propaganda. The Guardian slammed it as “cinematic excrement” and “self-hagiography.” The film’s reception was so overwhelmingly negative that it earned a rare 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a clear sign that it failed to garner a single positive review.

Tim Roth, who portrayed Sepp Blatter in United Passions, has openly expressed his concern about the film’s omission of FIFA’s corruption scandals. In a candid interview with the BBC, Roth revealed he questioned the filmmakers, asking, “Where’s all the corruption in the script? Where’s the back-stabbing, the deals?” Despite the lack of focus on these key issues in the storyline, Roth attempted to infuse his performance with subtle hints of the darker, behind-the-scenes dealings, though they were largely absent from the narrative.

Director Frédéric Auburtin also faced heavy criticism for United Passions and distanced himself from the film. In a 2015 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he explained he had tried to balance making a feel-good movie with the truth, but the film ended up favoring FIFA. He said, “Now I’m seen as bad as the person who caused the financial crisis. My name is all over this mess, and now I’m considered a propaganda filmmaker for corrupt people.”

United Passions isn’t available on any streaming platform. Reports say no service wanted to buy its digital rights due to the negative attention surrounding its release.