Will Ferrell Starred Alongside CGI Dinosaurs in One of His Biggest Box Office Bombs (2024)

Remember that time when Will Ferrell went full Jurassic Park and made a movie with CGI dinosaurs? If you don't, then we can't really blame you because the 2009 comedy Land of the Lost was a box office bomb of prehistoric proportions. Long before 21 Jump Street proved that raunchy remakes of classic television shows could work, Casper and City of Angels filmmaker Brad Silberling took a swing at the idea with Land of the Lost. Based on the 1970s series of the same name, Land of the Lost follows the exploits of Dr. Rick Marshall (Will Ferrell) a widely mocked scientist who theorizes that there is a time-warp dimension where all missing anomalies reside. With the help of a ragtag crew, Rick succeeds in finding this "Land of the Lost" and soon learns it's filled with intelligent T-Rexes, promiscuous primates, evil lizardmen, and much more. Except, moviegoers didn't really seem to care.

'Land of the Lost's Movie Is Based on a 1970s TV Show

The original Land of the Lost series that the 2009 film is based on ran for three seasons from 1974-1977. Created by Sid and Marty Krofft as well as Allan Foshko, the show can almost be described as The Swiss Family Robinson meets Jurassic Park. Like the later film, the Land of the Lost series follows Rick Marshall (Spencer Milligan), as well as his two children, Will (Wesley Eure) and Holly (Kathy Coleman). Instead of being a scientist, though, Rick is a widower and park ranger who is trying to be a good single father to his two children.

One day, while on a rafting vacation, the Marshall family is shocked to discover a mysterious chasm that catches them in its clutches. They survive the ordeal unscathed but find themselves trapped in a world unlike any other. A land filled with lost creatures both from the Earth's long history and some that seem entirely mythical. Not only do they find themselves walking alongside the once-thought-to-be-extinct dinosaurs, but they also come face to face with the terrifyingly slow Sleestack lizardmen. Though this world is beautiful and miraculous, Rick and his children are still trapped here and are now forced to find a way to survive this landscape and hopefully escape.

Sid and Marty Krofft's shows were well known for their elaborate and occasionally surreal special effects, which were some of the biggest reasons for Land of the Lost's success. The claymation and practical costumes may look silly by today's standards, but this level of scale and production value was rarely seen in television programs at the time. Couple that with the engaging family story held together by the Marshalls, and there's no wonder why the show was a hit.

What Is the 2009 'Land of the Lost' Movie About?

Land of the Lost 2009 makes a big change to the source material by forgoing the family dynamic of the series. Instead of being a park ranger and family man, Will Ferrell's take on Rick Marshall is far more arrogant and short-tempered, staying consistent with the absurd comedic characters that Ferrell is so well-known for. Though he was a once respected archeologist, Marshall is publicly humiliated on live television after he gives his theories on unfounded Tachyon energy. This leads to Marshall being demoted to a grade school instructor, but he finds another chance to prove his theories when he meets fellow scientist Holly Cantrell (Anna Friel), whom he forms a romantic bond with. Just to be clear (and we hate that we need to explain this), this Holly has no familial relation with Rick, unlike her counterpart in the show who is Rick's daughter. Seems like the confusion could have been avoided if they just gave this completely different character a completely different name, but we digress.

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Rick and Holly find a Tachyon anomaly in a roadside attraction in the desert, of all places. There they meet a tour guide named Will Stanton (Danny McBride), who, again, is not related to Rick in this version despite having the same name as Rick's son in the original show. After turning on their show-tune-singing Tachyon device, the trio finds themselves in the Land of the Lost, and one of the first things they come into contact with is an unusually smart T. Rex. This prehistoric predator is so intelligent to the point that it recognizes when Rick insults the creature by mocking its tiny brain.

The trio meets more colorful creatures than pissed-off dinosaurs. They also meet a friendly (if not inappropriately handsy) missing link primate named Chaka (Jorma Taccone), who becomes their guide in this mysterious land. They also meet the leader of the intimidating Sleestacks, Enik (John Boylan), who is later revealed to be a shadowy manipulator of the three. Eventually, Rick is able to stop Enik's dastardly plans for world domination by making amends with his T. Rex rival, and they find a way to go back home. Will, on the other hand, decides to stay with his new best friend Chaka, as he thinks he's found a place where he belongs. This leaves the two scientists to return home and report their findings, as Rick and Holly live happily ever after as a happy couple (a statement that must sound very strange and inappropriate to fans of the original show).

Why Did Will Ferrell's 'Land of the Lost' Bomb?

Though it's a Wil Ferrell comedy through and through, Land of the Lost had a much larger budget than your average late 2000s comedy at a whopping $100 million dollars. That's how much both Oppenheimer and Barbie cost to make a piece. Be it poor reviews or lack of marketing traction, Land of the Lost would end its box office career as a massive financial failure, only making about $69 million worldwide. Though the film may have been lost to film obscurity and has its fair share of issues, you could also do a lot worse than Land of the Lost for a late 2000s comedy. The production value and effects are rock solid, the characters have decent chemistry with each other, and the jokes are fairly standard for what you'd expect from a Will Ferrell comedy.

So why did it bomb? Well, while poor reviews were probably a factor, Land of the Lost was also blindsided by a box office behemoth in the comedy genre. The exact same day that Land of the Lost was released was also the same date that The Hangover was released, and the Vegas comedy would take in an unprecedented $450 million plus at the box office. It made almost exactly $400 million more than Land of the Lost did. While Land of the Lost seemingly had the edge with an established IP and a more family-friendly rating of PG-13, it just didn't stand a chance against the viral sensation that was The Hangover. June wouldn't get much better for the Will Ferrell film competition-wise either, as it would also later have to go up against Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and The Hurt Locker.