10 Eagerly Anticipated Movies That Failed to Meet the Hype

When fans anticipate the release of a movie, it is expected that it will live up to expectations and sell out at the box office. This is just logical. However, Hollywood has taught us many lessons, some of them incredible. There have been movies that were highly anticipated by fans, but in the end, the sales didn’t justify the anticipation.

Here are ten movies that fans were eagerly awaiting, but fell short of the hype and didn’t sell out upon release.

Related: The 10 best movies that helped ruin the cinema

10 The Lego Movie 2: Part Two (2019)

the lego movie It has one big appeal: it’s a tribute to one of the favorite toys of the last half century. the lego movie it was well received by fans around the world and became a smash box office success, grossing $468.1 million worldwide on a budget of $60-$65 million. In true Hollywood tradition, a hit movie deserves a sequel. Last year, fans of the movie top gun rushed to theaters to enjoy the sequel Top Gun: Maverick. This is the spirit when a great movie gets a sequel.

so when The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part was announced, there was a lot of anticipation and excitement. Fans rejoiced at the movie’s trailer release in 2018. But when the movie was finally released in 2019, it underperformed in theaters. Although the film made a decent profit, grossing $192.5 million on a budget of $99 million, the sales did not justify the high anticipation for the film’s release.^[1]

9 Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

the 1982 movie Bounty hunter It’s a great movie that’s still being watched today. The movie almost always ranks high on the best sci-fi lists of all time. So when the sequel, Blade Runner 2049, it was announced, the fans were really excited. Also, the movie had a budget of $150 to $185 million, which puts it in the same vein with movies like avengers. Despite the anticipation for the film, Blade Runner 2049 it has become a warning to film producers.

It only managed to gross $267.5 million worldwide. Looking at it from a logical perspective, the movie was profitable. But considering the hype around its release and the fact that it was widely considered a great movie by the people who saw it, we can’t really call it a blockbuster. This is a movie that was expected to sell and deserved to sell, but it didn’t.^[2]

8 Future Crimes (2022)

In the weeks leading up to the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, the film crimes of the future it was the movie on everyone’s mind. This is because it was a David Cronenberg film, his first feature since 2014. The fact that David Cronenberg returned to the body horror genre that he pioneered in the 1980s made crimes of the future a long awaited movie.

Unfortunately, the film flopped miserably, grossing $4.6 million on a budget of $27 million. Despite a summer theatrical release that allowed it to capitalize on the hoopla at the Cannes Film Festival, the film became a historic box office flop.^[3]

7 Catwoman (2004)

The movie catwoman it had two advantages. First, it featured a star-studded cast led by Halle Berry. Second, the story centered around a very popular and successful DC Comics character. The premiere of the film was highly anticipated by everyone because it featured Catwoman. However, the film became an instant box office flop. One of the reasons responsible for the failure is that the film’s producers did not see fit to model the character of Catwoman in the film after the comic book character already popular with fans.

There’s nothing in the movie that ties it to the world of Batman or Gotham, and none of the comic book heroes appear in the movie. The film’s producers made it too obvious that the film catwoman it was nothing short of a money grab to enjoy the success of the comic book character without making any effort to understand the character. The film grossed $82.1 million on a budget of $100 million.^[4]

6 John Carter (2012)

John Carter it’s in a league of its own when it comes to movies that turned into financial losers. The film was originally scheduled to be released as John Carter of Marsthen Disney changed it to John Carter in the final moments before its release. The film had a budget of $306.6 million, but ended up grossing only $284.1 million in box office sales.

When the movie was announced, fans were expectant. On top of the exorbitant production costs, Disney poured $100 million into an unfocused marketing campaign that did nothing more than increase its costs. Even though Disney managed to make a visually stunning trailer for the movie, the movie did not live up to the hype. Critics and audiences alike were disappointed in the film. The film failed to connect with the public and had a record loss.^[5]

5 Hugo (2011)

The movie Hugo is a 2011 American adventure drama film. It is based on the book The invention of Hugo Cabret. When the movie was announced, fans of the book were anticipating the release of the movie. Things were looking promising for the film in the production phase due to its star-studded cast and budget. The film, however, fell short in terms of sales despite the anticipation for its release.

Even though it had a budget of $150-$170 million, the worldwide box office sales were only $185.8 million. Experts believe that the disastrous failure is due to the fact that the film had a marketing strategy that confused the audience. While it is actually an adult arthouse film, it was presented as a children’s Christmas multiplex film.^[6]

4 The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

The fate of the movie The Matrix Resurrections it is one that is disastrously unforgettable. is the sequel to The Matrix Revolutions and the fourth installment in Matrix film franchise The first film in the series, Matrix (1999), was a huge commercial success and one of the most popular films of the decade. It was followed by the matrix reloadedwhich was released in May 2003.

While Matrix grossed $460 million on a budget of $63 million, the matrix reloaded it had a budget of $127-$150 million but grossed $741.8 million worldwide. In the same year, another sequel, The Matrix Revolutions, was released. It had a budget of $110-$150 million and grossed $427.3 million. So far, a successful franchise. However, the negative turn occurred in 2021 when the fourth film, The Matrix Resurrectionswas released.

Many fans thought The Matrix Resurrections it would be a huge success considering the producers had to wait eighteen years for another sequel. However, it was a colossal flop at the box office. The film had a budget of $190 million but only sold $159.1 million worldwide.^[7]

3 Watchmen (2009)

The movie watchmen is an adaptation of the popular 1986-1987 DC Comics limited series of the same name. The comic series is one of the most iconic and acclaimed comics of all time. He is the “Shakespeare” of comic literature. This is the reason why many fans were looking forward to the movie. Several attempts were made prior to 2009 to bring the comic to the big screen, but all failed.

In 2009, Warner Bros. gave Zack Snyder a budget of $138 million to bring the comic to the big screen. Despite the great expectation among fans, the film failed to sell. The film grossed $185 million worldwide. Analysts have posited that the film failed to sell because it slavishly stuck to the source material, beat for beat, frame after exact frame. It is believed that by following the source material too closely, Synder was telling a story he did not believe in, which affected how audiences viewed the film.^[8]

2 Snakes on a Plane (2006)

The movie snakes on a plane is a 2006 American action film starring Samuel L. Jackson. It’s a deserving entry on this list because the movie gained considerable attention online before its release. His marketing photos became instant memes. The movie’s marketing trailer timing was when the trailer for the movie was released. Online fan bases sprang up all over the world.

Not surprisingly, no one expected the film to gross less than $400 million due to the immense popularity it had gained online. To ensure the success of the film, the producers even went so far as to incorporate fan feedback into the production of the film. Ultimately, the film was a box office flop with only $62 million in sales worldwide.^[9]

1 Steve Jobs (2015)

The movie steve jobs told the true life story of the iconic Apple co-founder. There was a lot of anticipation for the release of the film because it is a biopic about a very successful man. Also, the movie had A-listers like Kate Winslet. Unfortunately, the film did not sell despite all the anticipation.

There are several theories that explain why the movie failed miserably. The most notable of these theories is that Michael Fassbender, who played Jobs, did not embody the true enigma that surrounded the real Steve Jobs during his lifetime. The film grossed $34.4 million in worldwide box office sales. This is incredible, considering that the film is based on the life of one of the most admired business tycoons in the western world.^[10]