John Carter is one of the biggest box office flops of all time.

Studio Walt Disney have admitted they expect to lose $200 million on the film - which stars Taylor Kitsch as a military captain sent to Mars - having shelled out $100 million on marketing and $250 million producing the movie. The figures mean Disney could lose around $80-$120 million in its movie business during the current quarter, though will still make a substantial overall profit thanks to the company's TV endeavors.

The movie - based on books by Edgar Rice Burroughs - has taken no more than $184m at box offices worldwide, but cinema owners receive about half of that total.

John Carter director Andrew Stanton - who also helmed smash hits WALL-E and Finding Nemo - has previously admitted he pays no attention to the budgets on his films: "I've always worked with huge budgets, I mean the truth is, this is all I have ever known. Having said that, I've always ignored what the budget is. I've never felt any gain to be worrying about numbers."

Disney will hope to recoup some of their losses with big budget films due for release later this year, including Brave and The Avengers.