It's been a slippery slope for Bill Condon's The Fifth Estate: first Wikileaks founder Julian Assange denounced the movie, then critics refused to be convinced, it disappointed at the box office and now it has been slapped with a great big 'flop of the year' sticker, courtesy of Forbes.

The Fifth Estate
Sadly, Even Cumberbatch Couldn't Rescue 'The Fifth Estate.'

The topical movie, covering the rise of news-leaking website Wikileaks and set in a thriller format, initially seemed to be a shoo-in for success with actor-of-the-moment Benedict Cumberbatch as Assange and the Oscar-winning Condon at the helm.

Watch The 'The Fifth Estate' Trailer:

Unfortunately, all was not plain sailing when it came to the film's release. Assange's derision towards the film, charged with claims that the movie was a negatively slanted attack on him and his organisation, was widely publicised and perhaps was responsible for bringing down the public expectations towards film which seemed initially well-placed within the zeitgeist.

'The Fifth Estate' was also the worst major studio debut of the year.

The Fifth Estate tops the list of this year's flops due to its meagre return in comparison to its budget. The film has so far returned a mere $6m (£3.6m) of its relatively meagre $28m (£17.1m) budget, according to Forbes, which equates to a percentage of just 21%.

Benedict Cumberbatch Daniel Bruhl
'The Fifth Estate' Returned Just 21% Of Its Budget.

Popular actor Benedict Cumberbatch may seek reassurance in noting that similarly big-name stars, including Sylvester Stallone, Gary Oldman, Liam Hemsworth and Harrison Ford, also feature in movies listed in the top ten. However, director Condon may feel stung by the stingray of shame knowing his film's return was 15% less than the next on the list - Stallone's meat-headed action movie Bullet to the Head.

Pass the turkey.

Full list of Forbes' 2013 box office flops:

1. The Fifth Estate - 21% return

2. Bullet to the Head - 36% return

3. Paranoia - 39% return

4. Parker - 49% return

5. Broken City - 54% return

6. Battle of the Year - 55% return

7. Getaway - 58% return

8. Peeples - 60% return

9. RIPD - 60% return

10. The Big Wedding - 63% return