 The Wiz proved to be a commercial failure , as the $ 24 million production only earned $ 13 @.@ 6 million at the box office . Though prerelease television broadcast rights had been sold to CBS for over $ 10 million , in the end , the film produced a net loss of $ 10 @.@ 4 million for Motown and Universal . At the time , it was the most expensive film musical ever made . The film 's failure steered Hollywood studios away from producing the all @-@ black film projects that had become popular during the blaxploitation era of the early to mid @-@ 1970s for several years . 
