Benedict Cumberbatch's 'The Fifth Estate' Is THE Biggest Film Flop Of The Year

Benedict Cumberbatch may be one of Britain's most sought after actors right now, but it seems not everything he touches turns to gold...

'The Fifth Estate', in which he bleached his hair to take on the role of whistleblower Julian Assange, has been named the biggest film flop of 2013.

According to Forbes online, the biopic achieved global box office takings of $6 million (£3.7m), compared to its $28m (£17m) budget.

Cumberbatch as Assange and Brühl as Domscheit-Berg

One Huffington Post blogger, Victoria Sadler, after watching the flick, summed up many people's disappointment with the film by writing: "The Fifth Estate should have been an exciting, dynamic dramatisation of one of the most extraordinary series of events of our time. Instead it is a rather disappointing, at times boring, film which just makes you sad for what could have been."

And WikiLeaks founder Julian, who has been holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for more than a year to avoid extradition to the United States, refused to meet actor Benedict to help him prepare for his role because he believed it would only help destroy his organisation. He even told the 'Sherlock' star not to do the film.

"To have the man you are about to portray ask you intelligently and politely not to do it gave me real cause for concern, however, it galvanised me into addressing why I was doing this movie," Benedict said on Reddit in response to a user asking him whether Julian's letter affected his role in the film.

Here are the top ten biggest film flops of the year in full, according to Forbes:

1. The Fifth Estate - Budget:28 million, Global Box Office:6 million, Return: 21%
2. Bullet to the Head - Budget:25 million, Global Box Office:9 million, Return: 36%
3. Paranoia - Budget:35 million, Global Box Office:13.5 million, Return: 39%
4. Parker - Budget:35 million, Global Box Office:17 million, Return: 49%
5. Broken City - Budget:35 million, Global Box Office:19 million, Return: 54%
6. Battle of the Year - Budget:20 million, Global Box Office:11 million, Return: 55%
7. Getaway - Budget:18 million, Global Box Office:10.5 million, Return: 58%
8. Peeples - Budget:15 million, Global Box Office:9 million, Return: 60%
9. RIPD - Budget:130 million, Global Box Office:78 million, Return: 60%
10. The Big Wedding - Budget:35 million, Global Box Office:22 million, Return: 63%

*Forbes' list does not include additional costs for marketing, which the magazine states can equal some films' budget.

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