11 Hollywood Flops That Didn't Live Up to Their Potential
Hollywood blockbusters fail all the time, but these movies and their producers should have known better.
Movie studio executives have proven time and time again that they don't actually understand what it takes to make a good movie. The way beloved brands have been destroyed from Star Wars to Star Trek to Avatar: The Last Airbender, shows that studios care much more about making money than putting together a good product. The thing is, good movies make more money, as these 11 Hollywood failures prove.
Just because a movie has heaps of money to throw at prominent actors and successful directors, doesn't mean it will capture the magical chemistry that makes a perfect movie. For that, you need good writing, and executives willing to leave their sticky paws off. For example, the King Arthur movie franchise featured here fell victim to significant rewrites during shooting that completely changed and handcuffed major plot points. As a result, they never got to make another.
Whether well-funded, based on awesome source material, or blessed with gifted actors, these movies all had the potential to be much better than they were. Except, they weren't. Here are 11 Hollywood failures that didn't live up to their potential.
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1. “The Flash” (2023)
Starring someone with more headlines for their mugshots than their movies, Warner Brothers inexplicably chose to back this super hero standalone in place of other projects. Instead, it was a complete and utter disaster. At least it produced some good memes. -
2. “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” (2003)
Meant to set up a series, the Sean Connery lead movie was received quite poorly. However, it has developed a cult following in more recent years. “It's one of my favorite bad movies,” u/gfbpa1989 wrote on Reddit. -
3. “The Mummy” (2017)
Originally intended to set up Universal's "Dark Universe," this first Tom Cruise flick was as far as it got. Brendan Frazier’s 1999 version is widely regarded as better. -
4. “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” (2017)
Directed by gangster specialist Guy Ritchie, this movie was supposed to be the start of a King Arthur expanded universe. Instead, it was a confusing and expensive one-off. -
5. “Moonfall” (2022)
Although it cost $144 million to make, this movie barely had a marketing campaign. It’s no wonder it managed to bring in less than $1 million on its opening night. -
6. “All the King's Men” (2006)
Based on Robert Penn Warren’s 1946 novel, the political drama with a star studded cast had loads of potential. “Dear Christ, what a boring mess of a movie this was. Just dropped the ball in pretty much every way,” one Redditor wrote about it. 11% on Rotten Tomatoes says the rest. -
7. “The Golden Compass” (2007)
Based on one of the better selling young adult fantasy series ever, this movie had the potential to set off a string of successful movies akin to Harry Potter. Instead, there was only one. -
8. “John Carter” (2012)
Regarded as one of the biggest flops of all time, this failure’s aftermath ended in the resignation of Walt Disney Studios’ head. It is also regarded as having "one of the worst marketing campaigns in movie history," according to a former studio marketing executive. -
9. “The Last Airbender” (2010)
Based on one of the most beloved animated series ever, all this movie had to do was touch on some nostalgia. Instead, the majority of the fan base chooses to forget this movie even exists. -
10. “The Soloist” (2009)
This based on a true story film starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx had Oscar big written all over it, until it didn’t. 56% on Rotten Tomatoes says why. -
11. "Downsizing" (2017)
As one redditor writes, “I feel like ‘Downsizing’ was an incredible example of worldbuilding. They put so much creative energy into making it seem as realistic as possible, that it seems like they only realized in the 11th hour that they needed a plot, and just sort of threw something together.”
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Starring someone with more headlines for their mugshots than their movies, Warner Brothers inexplicably chose to back this super hero standalone in place of other projects. Instead, it was a complete and utter disaster. At least it produced some good memes.
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