One Of John Wayne's Biggest Box Office Flops Was A Ridiculous Historical Adventure Movie

RKO Radio Pictures

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Today, studios are kneecapping themselves with irresponsible budgets. But Hollywood has been overspending on projects long before the days of $300 million movies. Just look at "The Conqueror," an absolute disaster of a film that saw John Wayne play the Mongol leader Temujin, better known as Genghis Khan. Yes, the Duke played Genghis Khan in Dick Powell's 1956 historical epic, which remains one of his biggest blunders, despite being the 11th-highest-grossing film of that year. How could a movie that seemingly enjoyed a solid return at the box office be considered a disaster? Well, it goes well beyond the shoddiness of the film itself, mostly thanks to producer Howard Hughes, who spent so much money on this one feature that he never stood a chance of making it back.

As iconic a figure as Wayne remains, even he made the odd misstep. 1968's "The Green Berets" is one notorious example that prompted accusations of being "cruel and dishonest" from Roger Ebert. But "The Conqueror" remains Wayne's worst film and for good reason. It follows the 12th-century Mongol chief and his "blood brother," Jamuga (Pedro Armendáriz), as they abduct Bortai (Susan Hayward), the daughter of the Tartars' evil leader, Kumlek. This leads to a clash between Temujin's clan and the Tartar armies.

The film was directed and produced by Powell, but the real engine behind it was Hughes. That said, the business magnate didn't need to do much work to convince Wayne to star. The actor reportedly lobbied for the lead role, apparently entirely unaware of how horribly miscast he would actually be. Likewise, he was almost certainly unaware of just how much money studio RKO Radio Pictures and Hughes were about to sink into this historic catastrophe of a film.

RKO Radio Pictures

Things didn't get off to a great start for "The Conqueror." John Wayne demanded that the shooting get underway following lengthy delays that had cost him personally. In "John Wayne: The Life and Legend," author Scott Eyman recounts how the Duke sent an angry letter to Howard Hughes insisting the film go into production. He got his way, but it wasn't the most auspicious beginning.

Things didn't get much better from there. "The Conqueror" was as dismal as its notorious reputation suggests. The dialogue would be laughable enough, considering John Wayne — great hero of the American Western — was struggling his way through a portrayal of a Mongolian warrior without a hint of irony. But the lines themselves were beyond awkward, written in a style seemingly designed to evoke the language of the decade but which just came off as needlessly confusing. This is to say nothing of the racial insensitivity that characterized the movie as a whole or the questionable events it contained. At one point, Wayne's conqueror announces to Susan Hayward's Bortai, "Know this woman: I take you for wife," then carries her off to his yurt against her will.

More serious still was the fact that many scenes for "The Conqueror" had been shot in the desert outside St. George, Utah, little more than 100 miles from the Nevada National Security Site where the U.S. Government was conducting nuclear testing. Years later, many involved in the production of "The Conqueror" contracted cancer (though no official connection between the film and the illnesses has ever been confirmed). Today, "The Conqueror" remains a forgotten John Wayne film that left a tragic legacy. It also lost Howard Hughes and RKO a heck of a lot of money, despite its box office success.

RKO Radio Pictures

Things didn't improve for "The Conqueror" after filming wrapped up. As recounted by Scott Eyman, once the movie had been shot, Howard Hughes sold RKO Radio Pictures and its library to General Teleradio. "The Conqueror" was part of the deal. But Hughes ultimately bought back the picture a month before its theatrical release, along with the similarly unreleased "Jet Pilot," for $12 million. That was seemingly on top of what Hughes and RKO had already spent on the picture. According to Eyman, the considerable advertising campaign claimed the film cost $6 million, but the total figure was, in fact, $4.4 million, with Wayne earning $250,000. But that doesn't account for the marketing budget.

According to Harry Medved's "Hollywood Hall of Shame: The Most Expensive Flops in Movie History," Howard Hughes considered "The Conqueror" to be "a masterpiece" and spent an incredible $1.4 million on the advertising campaign. It seemed to work, though not quite as well as Hughes needed it to. "The Conqueror" made $4.5 million at the box office and finished the year as the 11th highest-grossing film. But as Medved writes, "these receipts still fell far short of earning back the tremendous cost of the production and the publicity." The year after "The Conqueror" debuted, RKO ceased production entirely. Wayne's movie wasn't entirely to blame, as the studio had struggled to make a hit for some time. But with its massive budget and dismal critical reception, it definitely didn't help.

Today, "The Conqueror" remains as infamous as ever, having failed to undergo any sort of critical reappraisal. Letterboxd users agree that it's Wayne's worst film, and its regrettable racial insensitivity will likely ensure that never changes.