Could Tomorrowland be the Biggest Disney Movie Failure of All Time?

Roughly three weeks into its launch, Walt Disney Co's DIS Tomorrowland is on track to be the worst-performing movie in the company's history. The movie has grossed just $171 million in box offices worldwide, compared to a cost of $330 million to produce and market the film. By the time it finishes in box offices, the Hollywood Reporter estimated that it will lose $120 to $140 million. That comes slightly shy of Disney's The Lone Ranger, which caused a $190 million write-down two years ago.

Fortunately for Disney, however, Tomorrowland's failure may be overshadowed by optimism for how Star Wars: Episode VII will perform in December. Some experts have estimated that the latest Star Wars movie will see box office receipts of as much as $2 billion.

Tomorrowland also marks the second consecutive disappointment for actor George Clooney. His last movie, The Monuments Men also saw difficulty in the box office - earning just $155 million. Yet, that movie only cost $70 million to produce, giving it a net profit.

Disney stock has performed quite well year to date, gaining nearly 17 percent compared to gains of 2.25 percent in the S&P 500. Disney stock has consistently outperformed on a longer time horizon as well, gaining 226 percent in a five-year period compared with gains of 98 percent in the broad index.