- 5/8/2025
From promising trailers to disappointing deliveries! Join us as we explore recent films that had us hyped until red flags appeared. These movies initially captured our attention with star power, beloved franchises, or intriguing concepts, but ultimately left us questioning our excitement when warning signs emerged - whether from behind-the-scenes drama, troubling production news, or early critical reception.
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00:00You're right, I should have told a better one.
00:04You're trying to be funny now?
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:09And today, we're looking at movies, released 2022 onward, that we were excited to see,
00:14until red flags were raised.
00:16We're excluding Snow White, because, come on, nobody was ever excited for that.
00:21Tough day.
00:23I wouldn't limit it to today.
00:26Number 10.
00:27Captain America, Brave New World.
00:30Speaking of literal red flags, the teaser for Sam Wilson's first solo movie as Captain America
00:36gave us a brief glimpse of Red Hulk.
00:45The full trailer later confirmed Thaddeus Ross would make the transformation.
00:50The reception was mixed with the CGI giving some
00:54flashbacks to Ang Lee's Hulk from over 20 years ago.
00:58Others were eager to see Harrison Ford become a giant red monster.
01:02Since when were they red?
01:03As Red Hulk dominated the advertising, though, people noticed the same clips being used,
01:10suggesting he wouldn't appear until the third act.
01:13If the ads were giving away the climactic twist, chances are the film didn't have much else up its
01:19sleeve. The trailer essentially spoiled the whole movie, which many would place lower on their MCU
01:25ranking.
01:26That didn't work.
01:27Number 9.
01:28Rebel Moon Franchise.
01:30Nobody can deny that Zack Snyder has a passionate following.
01:34I heard.
01:36And yes, it's quite impressive.
01:38Fans were thrilled when it was announced that Netflix was bankrolling Snyder's answer to Star Wars.
01:44While people were open to the prospect of Rebel Moon being split into two parts, they grew annoyed
01:49when Snyder announced both would be getting R-rated director's cuts at later dates.
01:54While Snyder is practically synonymous with director's cuts, those were all for wide theatrical releases.
02:02Is that right?
02:05We'll see when the job is done.
02:08A streamer like Netflix could have skipped the PG-13 versions and given us the extended
02:14R-rated cuts up front.
02:16The shorter versions were largely panned.
02:19While the director's cuts were better received, they weren't vast improvements.
02:23Watching all four amounted to over 10 hours of content, making the ordeal feel like homework
02:29in the end.
02:30We know what each of us must do.
02:34Number 8.
02:35The Exorcist.
02:36Believer.
02:36Director David Gordon Green has seen an unpredictable career trajectory, going from indie dramas
02:43to raunchy comedies to horror movies.
02:46Sometimes I hear her voice.
02:49She talks to me.
02:50For all the peaks and valleys, 2018's Halloween was a high point for Green.
02:55Following that film's success, Green seemed like the ideal candidate to revive the Exorcist
03:01franchise.
03:01Fans began to lose faith with the releases of Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends, which
03:07continued a story everyone thought was officially over.
03:11You tempted and you provoked that man when you should've left him alone.
03:17People weren't thrilled with how Green treated Laurie Strode and Michael Myers in the sequels,
03:22leaving them worried about how Ellen Burstyn's Chris McNeil would be treated in The Exorcist
03:28Believer.
03:28Hurstyn was ultimately wasted in a film so poorly received that Universal scrapped any
03:34sequel plans in favor of a reboot.
03:36You made your choice.
03:39Number 7.
03:40Borderlands.
03:41For the longest time, video game movies had a reputation for being awful.
03:45By the 2020s, Hollywood had seemingly cracked the code, giving us hope for Borderlands.
03:50Can we just skip to, I don't know, whatever this is?
03:55In addition to the beloved source material, the film had an all-star cast and a fun director
04:00in Eli Roth.
04:01They grew wary in early 2023 when news broke the film was undergoing reshoots, which Roth
04:08wouldn't return for.
04:09Listen, I don't want to be here.
04:12Nothing personal.
04:12The plot thickened in 2023, when co-writer Craig Mazin insisted on using a pseudonym.
04:19The film was finally released over a year later, opening to abysmal reviews and, even worse,
04:24box office.
04:25For many, the writing had been on the wall since the film was branded with a PG-13 rating,
04:30despite reportedly being envisioned for the hard-R crowd.
04:34Is there any way out of here that doesn't involve garbage?
04:39Um, no.
04:41Number 6.
04:43Magazine Dreams.
04:44For a minute, Jonathan Majors seemed poised for superstar status.
04:49Yeah, Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania was a letdown, but Majors would have other opportunities
04:54to play Kang the Conqueror.
04:56And how many worlds will die if you get out?
05:03Not yours.
05:04In the meantime, he had a certified awards contender with the Sundance hit Magazine Dreams.
05:10Before that film could reach a general audience, Majors found himself embroiled in an assault
05:16scandal that went from bad to career-ending.
05:18Okay.
05:20Okay, then.
05:24Bye.
05:25In addition to Majors being barred from the MCU, Searchlight Pictures dropped Magazine Dreams,
05:31leaving its future uncertain.
05:33Briarcliff Entertainment eventually stepped in as a distributor, giving the film a limited
05:38run in 2025.
05:40While Majors' performance was praised, the controversy made for an uncomfortable watch,
05:45with the film now serving as a symbol of wasted talent.
05:48I need another chance.
05:50Another chance?
05:51Killian, I've given you plenty of chances.
05:53Number 5.
05:54Don't Worry Darling
05:55After Olivia Wilde made her feature directorial debut with the teen comedy Booksmart, audiences
06:00were enthusiastic about seeing her switch genres in this thriller.
06:04To be honest, I've been out of it since we arrived.
06:08Yeah.
06:08Look at this guy now.
06:08Bill says it's the jet lag.
06:10It's all just been a bit of a blur.
06:12The talent in front of the camera was equally compelling.
06:15The cast included Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, the latter replacing Shia LaBeouf.
06:20Although Wilde claimed LaBeouf was dismissed due to unacceptable behavior, the actor gave
06:26a conflicting report, saying he quit.
06:28You okay?
06:30No, I don't know.
06:31I'm not.
06:33I had a really weird dream.
06:35LaBeouf wasn't the only star who allegedly got on Wilde's bad side.
06:39Rumors suggested the director got into a screaming match with Pugh.
06:43Wilde's recent breakup with Jason Sudeikis and fleeting romance with Styles only fanned
06:48the flames.
06:49By the time Don't Worry Darling premiered to middling reviews, people were more fixated
06:54on the behind-the-scenes drama than the film.
06:56What do you think you know?
07:01Listen.
07:03I've always known.
07:05I chose this.
07:11Number 4.
07:12Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
07:15While opinions vary on the Star Wars sequel trilogy, most agreed that Harrison Ford's
07:20performance as Han Solo was a highlight.
07:22Chewie.
07:24We're home.
07:26Fans were optimistic that Disney would do right by Indiana Jones next.
07:31Granted, Steven Spielberg wouldn't be directing, but given how Kingdom of the Crystal Skull turned
07:36out, maybe it was time for a newcomer like James Mangold to take the reins.
07:41Thanks for putting up with me.
07:42Despite numerous delays, Disney seemed confident with the Dial of Destiny premiering at the Cannes
07:48Film Festival.
07:49The studio was overly confident, as reviews out of Cannes were mediocre at best.
07:54While subsequent reviews were more positive, expectations had been lowered to the point
07:59that many opted to skip Indy's fifth adventure, resulting in one of Disney's biggest bombs
08:05ever.
08:06I should have retarded you when I had the chance.
08:08Number 3.
08:09The Flash
08:10The build-up to this long-awaited superhero film was a marathon of bad press.
08:16There was just no way to recover from that.
08:17Just let it go.
08:18After years of failed attempts to get a Flash movie going, the DCEU promised to shine the
08:24spotlight on the speedster.
08:26The project got various false starts, with talents like Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Seth
08:31Graham-Smith, and Rick Famuyiwa attached at different points.
08:35Even after Andy Muschietti was locked in as director, the bigger issue was star Ezra Miller.
08:41This is not trippy, dude.
08:42This is catastrophic.
08:43Once seen as a promising up-and-comer, Miller's off-screen antics and legal troubles overshadowed
08:50the film.
08:50The buzz surrounding Michael Keaton's return as Batman also depleted, as people had grown
08:55tired of the multiverse concept by the time The Flash hit theaters in 2023.
09:00Just like that, a slow-motion train wreck swiftly crashed and burned.
09:05I don't know what it means exactly to beave, but it seems like it's positive.
09:12Number 2.
09:14Joker Foliadu
09:15Although 2019's Joker seemed perfectly self-contained, audiences were genuinely and morbidly curious
09:23when Todd Phillips moved forward with a sequel.
09:26Some were ready to jump ship amid reports the sequel would be a musical.
09:34Others found the musical angle enticing.
09:36With Lady Gaga playing Harley Quinn, surely the soundtrack would be gangbusters, right?
09:42Like its predecessor, Joker Foliadu premiered at Venice.
09:46You don't know what it's like to love somebody, to love somebody the way I love you.
09:59Baby, baby, baby, baby, you don't know what it's like.
10:05Where the first film won the Golden Lion, Foliadu was met with a far more mixed response.
10:12Sure, the original Joker ignited polarizing opinions.
10:16As more critics saw Foliadu, though, the sequel's reception went from divisive to full-blown rotten.
10:22Mainstream viewers were even harsher, quickly spreading the word that the joke was on Arthur
10:27Flex fans.
10:481.
10:49Megalopolis
10:50After nearly 50 years and $120 million out of his own pocket,
10:55Francis Ford Coppola's passion project would see the light of day.
11:00I'm turning over a new leaf.
11:02Don't mess with me.
11:03I'm not messing, you're the one who came in disguise.
11:06Given the time and money invested, cinephiles expected a masterpiece at most.
11:11At the very least, Megalopolis had to be competent.
11:14With so much on the line, the director of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now
11:19couldn't produce a dumpster fire.
11:21Reality sunk in when Coppola screened the film for potential distributors
11:25with one studio head saying,
11:27It's so not good.
11:28And it was so sad watching it.
11:30If you pretend to be good, the world won't take you seriously.
11:34But if you pretend to be bad...
11:36While Lionsgate released the film theatrically, Coppola had to pay for marketing.
11:41Amid scandals involving fake critic quotes and Coppola's allegedly inappropriate behavior
11:47on set, reviews confirmed this was a vanity project of epically disastrous proportions.
11:53It is the responsibility of leadership to work intelligently with what is given.
11:58I'm not wasting time fantasizing about a world of flawless people and perfect choices.
12:04What movie were you excited to see until warning signs arose?
12:08Let us know in the comments.
12:09Sam, you shouldn't even be in these situations.
12:14You're not Steve Rogers.
12:16You're not Steve Rogers.
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