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From box office disasters to critical flops, some movies just don't earn their sequels. Join us as we count down the films that either killed their franchises or failed to launch them in the first place! Our countdown includes movies that bombed so hard, studios had to pull the plug on planned follow-ups, despite big investments and star power.
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00:00What's wrong? You've really been distracted today.
00:03Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the movies that either killed a franchise or failed to get one off the ground.
00:12I'm sorry, princess.
00:16Number 50. Hellboy.
00:18The 2000s Hellboy films hold a special place in the hearts of comic book fans,
00:23and a new Hellboy movie without the combined powers of Ron Perlman's charisma and Guillermo del Toro's directorial sensibility would be a tough sell.
00:33But the 2019 Hellboy completely failed to justify its existence.
00:38Is that my Uber?
00:43David Harbour does well in the title role, but that hardly matters with a film so tonally incoherent and desperately edgy.
00:51Hey! I'm on your side!
00:55Sorry, my bad.
00:56It was so bad that director Neil Marshall even disowned it, blaming studio interference.
01:02Between that and the dreadful box office, there was no chance in hell this reboot would continue.
01:08Come on! Do not sneak up on me like that!
01:12Number 49. Sin City. A Dame to Kill For.
01:16When the original adaptation of Frank Miller's neo-noir comic series was released in 2005,
01:22it was hailed for its cutting-edge visuals and gritty tone.
01:26After its release, co-directors Miller and Robert Rodriguez announced a sequel was in the works.
01:32But it wasn't for another nine years that it would actually be released.
01:36I told you. You belong here.
01:40Jerk!
01:42I thought there was another world out there.
01:46I thought I could be a part of it.
01:48By then, what was once groundbreaking was now old news,
01:52and the film felt like an overly graphic retread of its predecessor.
01:56Don't go soft on me, kid.
01:58Don't leave anybody breathing.
02:00I won't.
02:03Just to give you an idea of how disinterested audiences were,
02:07Sin City. A Dame to Kill For's total North American box office gross
02:11was less than half what the original made in its opening weekend.
02:16A third film was planned,
02:17but this awful performance led to the franchise's indefinite hiatus.
02:22Molly said you're ready to leave.
02:24No, I'm staying.
02:25Wrong answer.
02:26Number 48. Thomas and the Magic Railroad.
02:30While many TV characters have successfully transitioned to the big screen,
02:34that does not include Thomas the Tank Engine and his locomotive friends,
02:39who came to theaters in 2000 and were soon sent back to the station.
02:43Smile, you steamers. It's a sunny day.
02:46It's not sunny because Mr. C's not at the windmill.
02:49I look.
02:50I think his sparkle's all gone.
02:52My smoke box doesn't feel sunny.
02:54It feels stuffed up.
02:56Even if the critics reviewing it knew they weren't the intended audience,
03:00they couldn't look past the shoddy special effects and inept storytelling.
03:04Some even noted that the interwoven plotlines would likely make Thomas' preschool fans confused and restless.
03:11What if it's dark?
03:12It will be for a while.
03:13And cold.
03:15Maybe.
03:15A couple of weeks before its release, a sequel was announced.
03:19But that fizzled out once it barely managed to recoup its meager budget.
03:23The film's underperformance also resulted in writer-director and Shining Time Station creator,
03:29Britt Alcroft, resigning from her company.
03:32Ouch.
03:32Lady, you're a really helpful engine.
03:36And helping each other brings to life the magic in all of us.
03:41Number 47.
03:42Mortal Kombat Annihilation.
03:44Though the first Mortal Kombat was no cinematic masterpiece,
03:48it was about as good as you could expect from a mid-90s video game adaptation.
03:52Its follow-up, on the other hand, wasn't just bad.
03:55It was incompetent.
03:56I will take your soul myself if you fail me now.
04:03I will rally the extermination squads and prepare for victory.
04:10One of its producers even admitted that it was sent to theaters with unfinished special effects.
04:15Even the most undiscerning teenagers could tell this was an absolute stinker.
04:19I got everything I need right here.
04:21Though it managed to top the box office in its first weekend,
04:24it was a short-lived victory.
04:26A third film was on the horizon,
04:28but the toxic reception to this one kept it from getting off the ground.
04:32A reboot film was released in 2021,
04:35one infinitely better than this mess.
04:37Mother.
04:40You're alive.
04:42Too bad you will die.
04:45Number 46.
04:46Jem and the Holograms.
04:48A rather loose adaptation of the beloved 80s animated series,
04:52Jem and the Holograms left fans cold.
04:55You don't think we're gonna last that long.
05:00Lacking the giddy, colorful fun of its source material,
05:04it feels like a movie designed to turn off its target audience.
05:07A year before the film's release,
05:09star Aubrey Peoples expressed optimism that further Jem films would be made.
05:14But the horrendous box office performance made it clear that wouldn't be happening.
05:18Wait, let me explain what's been going on.
05:20Explain what?
05:22What are you gonna explain?
05:23Not only did it fail to recoup its meager $5 million budget,
05:27but it also debuted outside of the top 10.
05:30When a movie can't even meet the lowest of financial expectations,
05:33there's no point in even entertaining further installments.
05:36This isn't the end of anything.
05:38Number 45.
05:39Van Helsing.
05:41In the months and weeks leading up to Van Helsing's release,
05:44it seemed like the new action horror franchise was upon us.
05:48This is where I come in.
05:49No, wait!
05:49After all, it was the director of The Mummy and the star of X-Men
05:53teaming up for a movie that features Dracula,
05:56Frankenstein's monster, and plenty more fearsome foes.
06:00How could that go wrong?
06:01What are you complaining about?
06:03This is what you and me!
06:04Universal was so convinced of the film's financial prospects
06:07that they kept the Transylvania sets intact,
06:10assuming they would be used again soon enough.
06:13However, while Van Helsing turned a profit,
06:16it clearly wasn't what the studio was hoping for.
06:19And with critics largely loathing it and audiences mostly shrugging,
06:23a stake was put through the heart of any potential future installments.
06:26This is the door.
06:28He just didn't know how to open it.
06:30Number 44.
06:31Ugly Dolls.
06:32The Lego movie proved that even a piece of brand extension
06:35could have artistic merit.
06:36Ugly Dolls, based on the popular plush toys,
06:39is a perfect example of trying to cash in on name recognition.
06:43Everything that comes to Uglyville arrives here.
06:46So, if we're going to find the big world,
06:49it's only logical we start here.
06:51The first animated film produced by STX Entertainment,
06:55it was given a massive marketing push
06:57and was intended to start a whole new media franchise.
07:00But the next Trolls, it was not.
07:02Instead, Ugly Dolls was just another mediocre animated movie,
07:05one that arrived far too late.
07:08What is this?
07:09Not only were there no additional movies,
07:11but a television series in development at Hulu was also quietly scrapped.
07:15Talk about Ugly.
07:17We need to take a stand.
07:19All of us.
07:20But how?
07:21We're rejects.
07:22I read it in the paper.
07:23Number 43.
07:25Dragon Ball Evolution.
07:26Live-action adaptations of beloved manga slash anime
07:30don't have the best track record.
07:32And this is possibly the most infamous example.
07:35Where is it?
07:36I know it's here.
07:37Are you Piccolo?
07:38Did you kill my grandfather?
07:40Listen, idiot.
07:41If I wasn't Piccolo, whatever that is, I wouldn't tell you.
07:43Upon release,
07:44this American take on the beloved Dragon Ball franchise
07:47was despised by the series' devoted fans,
07:50who found it had little in common with the property they knew and loved.
07:54Wait, are you here for me?
07:57It's not your time, Goku.
07:58And anyone who wasn't already familiar with the series
08:01wasn't going to be persuaded by this schlocky mess.
08:04It certainly doesn't help that series creator, Akira Toriyama,
08:08essentially disowned it, saying it, quote,
08:11ticked him off.
08:12With feedback like this,
08:13it's no wonder that plans for further live-action Dragon Ball movies
08:17were soon canceled.
08:18One wish will be granted.
08:21Number 42.
08:22Land of the Lost.
08:23Will Ferrell starring in a big-budget comedic adaptation
08:26of the beloved cheesy television series Land of the Lost
08:29may have seemed like a surefire recipe for summer success.
08:33Package has arrived.
08:34What's the package?
08:36It's a canister of refrigerant.
08:37Unfortunately,
08:38a raunchy take on a children's show from the 70s
08:41was not the way to go,
08:43opening the same weekend as The Hangover
08:45likely put a dent in its box office prospects.
08:48But it could have easily recovered if it was,
08:50you know, funny?
08:51Classic hive behavior.
08:54They're obviously on patrol.
08:56Yep, just like drones, tirelessly hunting.
08:59Dude, it looks like they're getting ready to make out.
09:01Though no sequel was officially announced,
09:03it's easy to imagine the studio wanting to turn this into a franchise.
09:07But between being critically derided and ignored by audiences,
09:11any chance of that happening was lost.
09:13Chaka, technically I'm still your master.
09:16Number 41.
09:17Chaos Walking.
09:18Movie adaptations of Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games
09:22collectively raking in billions
09:24means that studios are forever on the hunt for the next YA sensation
09:28to turn into a blockbuster franchise.
09:30Could I contact my ship there?
09:32I need to warn them.
09:35Yeah.
09:36I have no idea.
09:37Shut up, Tom.
09:38Chaos Walking,
09:39based on the first film in Patrick Ness's book trilogy,
09:42was a big budget production with two stars in Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley,
09:48based on an acclaimed series set in a dystopian world where women have all but gone extinct.
09:53And it was chaos.
09:55And not in a good way.
09:56You don't know about your mother.
09:57She died when I was a baby, so.
10:04So?
10:05You can still know what she's like.
10:06She's dead.
10:07She's dead.
10:08That's what she's like.
10:09Critics found it dull and derivative,
10:11and audiences stayed away.
10:13Costing at least $100 million,
10:16it couldn't even make back half its budget worldwide.
10:19Viola.
10:20She's here.
10:21Viola's here.
10:23Or else would I be.
10:24Number 40, Fantastic Beasts, The Secrets of Dumbledore.
10:28As we just mentioned, the Harry Potter films were massively successful.
10:33The next series in the Wizarding World franchise, Fantastic Beasts,
10:37was, to put it mildly, a disappointment.
10:39Grindelwald has the ability to see snatches of the future.
10:44So we have to assume that he'll be able to anticipate what we do before we do it.
10:48Though the first film performed very well and received positive notices,
10:53sequel, The Crimes of Grindelwald, was a noted step down.
10:57While the third film, The Secrets of Dumbledore, was generally seen as an improvement,
11:01it wasn't enough to bring back people turned off by its predecessor.
11:05My sister was an obscurial.
11:09Unlike Credence, you never learn to express her magic.
11:12The initial plan for the Fantastic Beasts series was five films,
11:16but it ultimately stalled out at a tepid three.
11:19Let's call it fate.
11:20Number 39, Ender's Game.
11:23An adaptation of the cherished YA sci-fi novel Ender's Game
11:27was something countless readers imagined while excitedly turning the pages.
11:31Salamander!
11:32Halt!
11:34At ease.
11:35But many, including author Orson Scott Card,
11:38considered it to be unadaptable.
11:40But against all odds, an Ender's Game movie was made
11:43starring the likes of Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld, Viola Davis, and Harrison Ford.
11:49And it was fine.
11:51But it didn't resonate the way the book had for generations.
11:54You're not equipped to handle the heat of passage through an atmosphere.
11:56Our drones are our heat shield.
11:58Keep falling.
11:59Let gravity do the work.
12:00And its lukewarm box office performance means that none of the novel's sequels were adapted.
12:05Sometimes, things are just better off being left on the page.
12:08Sir, I can't win if I don't take any risks.
12:11Nobody's saying not to take risks.
12:13Just don't try and control everything.
12:15Number 38, The Darkest Minds.
12:18Yep, it's another failed YA adaptation.
12:21Based on the dystopian book series about super-powered teens,
12:24The Darkest Minds played to the emptiest theaters.
12:27Why should I trust you?
12:29Whether you trust me or not, I don't care.
12:31Sooner or later, you're gonna learn that the only ones who can help us are us.
12:34Okay, it wasn't that bad, but it was close.
12:36It largely feels like a setup for future installments that never were.
12:40And critics, already burnt out on similar fare,
12:44had little in the way of compliments.
12:46Look who's here.
12:49A little fugitive.
12:52After debuting with one of the worst opening weekends
12:55for a movie released in 3,000-plus theaters,
12:58it became evident that the future for The Darkest Minds as a film series
13:02was decidedly dim.
13:04So please, stop.
13:05Number 37, Artemis Fowl.
13:08While other YA adaptations on this list performed poorly in theaters,
13:13at least they made it to theaters.
13:15Artemis Jr., I presume?
13:18I have your father.
13:20A movie version of Owen Colfer's fantasy novel
13:23had been in the works since 2001.
13:25And once Disney got the rights,
13:27it seemed poised to be another book-to-screen sensation,
13:31especially with Kenneth Branagh directing.
13:33Then it was finished,
13:34and Disney, in their wisdom,
13:36decided not to put it in theaters.
13:38I'll have her badge for this.
13:40That's a bit harsh, isn't it?
13:41Shut up, Foley, or I'll have yours, too.
13:43Instead, Artemis Fowl debuted on Disney+.
13:46Some have attributed this decision to the COVID-19 pandemic,
13:50but it's far likelier that Disney knew they had a dud on their hands.
13:53Fans of the book series derided it
13:55for its lack of adherence to its source material,
13:58and critics were left flummoxed.
14:00Talk about Fowl.
14:01Where are we going?
14:03To finish this.
14:04You think I'm ready?
14:06Oh, I know you're ready.
14:07Number 36, Star Trek Nemesis.
14:10The series of films starring the cast of Star Trek The Next Generation
14:13wasn't intended to end with Nemesis.
14:16Romulus.
14:17I'm afraid the Opal Sea will have to wait, number one.
14:19But once Box Office Returns came in,
14:21it meant the premature end of Captain Picard and company on the big screen.
14:26Sure, it doesn't help that it was released just days before The Two Towers,
14:30but it's also just not up to par,
14:32as a Star Trek movie or as effective sci-fi entertainment.
14:36So what am I?
14:38My life is meaningless as long as you're still alive.
14:42Many consider it to be the worst film in the entire series.
14:46Among its detractors are its cast members,
14:49who have criticized director Stuart Baird's lack of familiarity with the source material.
14:54But the script is also just an utter mess.
14:56The Enterprise crew deserved better.
14:59To family.
15:00Number 35, Catwoman.
15:02An A-list actress fresh off an Oscar win,
15:05playing one of the most iconic comic book characters of all time,
15:08that's an attempted franchise starter if we've ever heard one.
15:12Amateur.
15:12But after Catwoman was released and flopped hard,
15:15it became clear its only legacy would be as one of the worst superhero movies of all time.
15:20Halle Berry, who famously accepted her worst actress Razzie award in person,
15:25does her best with what she's given.
15:27The problem is, what she's given is this.
15:30Even DC fans desperate to see something new that was even tangentially Batman-related knew to stay away.
15:38Cats may have nine lives,
15:40but this ill-fated take on Catwoman barely had one.
15:46Number 34, Treasure Planet.
15:48The early 2000s were rough for traditionally animated movies,
15:52and not even Disney was immune.
15:55What?
15:56It's Treasure Planet.
15:59No.
16:00Treasure Planet, a sci-fi update on the classic pirate story Treasure Island,
16:04is something of a bridge between old and new ways of storytelling,
16:08incorporating both 2D and 3D animation to give it a particularly dynamic visual look.
16:13Hold on to your lifelines, gents.
16:16It's gonna be a bumpy ride.
16:18But that wasn't enough to draw in families amidst a crowded holiday season.
16:23The hope was that it would earn enough to launch a direct-to-video and TV franchise.
16:27But Treasure Planet found very little treasure at the box office,
16:30becoming one of the costliest flops of all time.
16:34Stay out of trouble.
16:35You'll scat away.
16:37Why?
16:38Jimbo Land, when have I ever done otherwise?
16:42Number 33, Battleship.
16:44Hasbro had seen major success with live-action versions of Transformers,
16:48and G.I. Joe.
16:50So they likely figured that Battleship could be their next opportunity
16:53for turning one of their properties into a blockbuster franchise.
16:56You're turning it, you better?
16:59Come on, you with me?
17:00But there's a difference between adapting something with recognizable characters
17:03and a board game involving guessing where plastic pegs are.
17:07Battleship used its recognizable brand name for a Navy vs. Aliens movie
17:12that's loud and stupid without ever being much fun.
17:15Okay, so they can't see us and we can't see them.
17:18And we have no way to hit them from a safe distance.
17:20And when your budget is $209 million, that's not good.
17:24Any chances of Battleship becoming a new summer franchise
17:27were swiftly sunk by its poor performance.
17:30They ain't gonna sink this Battleship, no way.
17:32Number 32, Dark Phoenix.
17:34Tracing the trajectory of Fox's X-Men series is fascinating.
17:39At its peak, it proved just how good comic book movies could be.
17:43At its nadir, it was Dark Phoenix.
17:45I can't actually remember the last time you were the one risking something.
17:49And by the way, the women are always saving the men around here.
17:53You might want to think about changing the name to X-Women.
17:55The fourth and final film in the prequel series that began with X-Men First Class,
18:00Dark Phoenix is an origin story centered on Sophie Turner's Jean Grey.
18:04But it's all but impossible to get invested in any story
18:07when the execution is this lifeless.
18:10Please, stop.
18:12Not until I know you're gonna be okay.
18:14Though Disney's acquisition of Fox earlier that year
18:16was inevitably going to affect the inaugural X-Men film franchise,
18:21Dark Phoenix all but confirmed the series had hit a painful dead end.
18:25I know what I need to do now.
18:28What is that?
18:28Protect my family.
18:31Number 31.
18:32The Cat in the Hat.
18:34After the success of The Grinch,
18:36Universal quickly got to work on another live-action adaptation of a Dr. Seuss classic.
18:40Where did you come from?
18:44Hmm.
18:45How do I put this?
18:46When a mommy cat and a daddy cat love each other very much,
18:51they decide.
18:52This take on The Cat in the Hat had Mike Myers' comedic energy and an elaborate production design.
18:57But it had none of the whimsical charm of Seuss's work.
19:01Critics savaged it for its obnoxiousness and overly crude humor.
19:06And word of mouth was not great.
19:08While the studio had also planned to adapt Seuss's follow-up,
19:11The Cat in the Hat Comes Back,
19:13The poor response to this ended that.
19:15In fact, Seuss's widow, Audrey Geisel,
19:18decided to stop allowing live-action adaptations of her husband's work after seeing it.
19:23Ouch.
19:24Cromwell.
19:26Please.
19:28Ouch!
19:29Number 30.
19:30Speed Racer.
19:31Based on a beloved anime and helmed by the lauded directors of The Matrix,
19:35you'd think this wannabe franchise would go all the way past the finish line.
19:40I don't know if I can watch this.
19:42It's too bad, then, that it stalled out on its very first leg.
19:46While Speed Racer's eclectic visuals have earned it a rabid cult following over the years,
19:51that same quirky tone made it a tough sell for casual moviegoers.
19:54This movie couldn't even recoup its own budget at the box office,
19:58let alone deliver any profits.
20:00You poor naive chump.
20:04Despite ideas for a follow-up already revving up,
20:08the returns were so bad,
20:09it's unlikely we'll ever see this version of Speed on the big screen again.
20:13Number 29.
20:14Solo, A Star Wars Story.
20:17When Disney sought to make a film series about everyone's favorite space cowboy,
20:21they made Alden Ehrenreich sign on the dotted line for a whole trilogy.
20:25What's your name, son?
20:27Hunt.
20:28Um, what?
20:31Who are your people?
20:36I don't have people.
20:38I'm alone.
20:40Um,
20:44Solo.
20:45But therein also lies the problem.
20:47No one wanted a Han Solo movie without Harrison Ford,
20:50and audiences said as much with their wallets.
20:52The depressing box office ensured Solo would be Han's one and only big screen adventure.
20:58The impact went way beyond this one film, though.
21:00No, Solo's underperformance had repercussions all across the galaxy far, far away,
21:06with many reporting that it scared the Mouse House away from producing any more theatrical Star Wars spinoffs.
21:12I don't like it.
21:14I don't agree with it.
21:16But I accept it.
21:18So, if you're ever wondering where those big-budget tentpoles went, blame Solo.
21:22Number 28.
21:23Mortal Engines.
21:24A buzzy young adult series, a steampunk aesthetic, and a cushy December release date
21:29seem like a foolproof formula for a new industry juggernaut.
21:33Very, very nice.
21:35I've dug up a few of these in my time, but none as good as this.
21:39Unfortunately, both fans and reviewers disagreed.
21:42Lambasted by toxic word of mouth, Mortal Engines failed to garner much traction during the busy holiday frame,
21:49and it has the poor profits to prove it.
21:51Or it would, if it had any profits at all.
21:53The movie is often cited as one of the biggest box office bombs of all time,
21:58losing its studio around $175 million.
22:02You failed.
22:04Given the wallet-burning results,
22:06you can imagine why distributor Universal Pictures wasn't very eager to adapt the remaining three books.
22:11Number 27.
22:13Sahara.
22:13Even if this disaster flick had been a smashing success,
22:17which for the record, it most definitely was not,
22:19prospects for a sequel still would have been as barren as an actual desert.
22:23Ava.
22:27Ava.
22:32We'll get through, huh?
22:33Sahara's fate as a franchise was actually decided in a courtroom,
22:37where the original book's author tried suing the film's producer.
22:40There's a laundry list of reasons why,
22:42but most of them boil down to the movie's extremely bumpy path to theaters.
22:47It wasn't even worth it either.
22:48The adaptation got a total yawn from audiences.
22:51Is that all?
22:58So considering there's no money in the brand,
23:01and a decade-spanning lawsuit to smooth over,
23:03it's no wonder everyone abandons Sahara 2.
23:06Number 26.
23:08Showgirls.
23:08There's an old saying in Hollywood,
23:10sex sells.
23:11Sadly, Showgirls is the exception.
23:14While there were tons of headlines about the film's explicit content,
23:17it didn't translate to ticket sales.
23:19I'm sorry!
23:19I'm sorry.
23:25Jesus, mommy.
23:27You can probably blame the bad reviews for that one.
23:30Modern critics have come back around to give Showgirls its due,
23:33but they came too late to rescue the in-development sequel.
23:37Well, technically, we did get Showgirls 2.
23:40However, it didn't star Elizabeth Berkley,
23:42and was released primarily through film festivals,
23:44DVD, and video on demand.
23:46If Showgirls had hit theaters today,
23:49we may have actually gotten the proper sequel it always deserved.
23:52Then what are you doing here?
23:54I'm watching you be a prick.
23:57Well, you ain't seen nothing yet.
23:59Number 25.
24:00I Am Number 4.
24:02Despite its name,
24:03I Am Number 4 couldn't even make it past movie number one.
24:06Keep in mind, this was also at a time when every studio in town was looking for the next young adult craze.
24:11You all right?
24:15Yeah.
24:16Anyone else see what happened?
24:18DreamWorks thought they'd struck gold with this book series,
24:21so much so, they fast-tracked development on a sequel before I Am Number 4 even hit theaters.
24:25But when the mediocre film delivered even more mediocre results,
24:29the franchise hopeful quietly turned into a disappointing one-off instead.
24:34I'm sorry.
24:35I'm not.
24:37I mean, it was.
24:39But, um, I don't know.
24:41I kind of look at it like a total gift.
24:44All in all, there's seven long books in the series.
24:47However, to this day, there's still only one movie.
24:49That alone should tell you everything you need to know.
24:51Number 24, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.
24:56For the record, casting Jim Carrey as the maniacally inept Count Olaf was a stroke of genius.
25:02I will raise these orphans as if they were actually wanted.
25:08It's tragic, then, that it didn't end up moving the needle all that much.
25:11Despite the popular source material,
25:13A Series of Unfortunate Events suffered from soft audience turnout.
25:17Distributor Paramount Pictures wanted to adapt the other ten books into feature films.
25:21But the lower-than-expected profits slowed down development.
25:24And by the time everyone was on board,
25:26the child actors were too old to reprise their roles anyway.
25:29It doesn't matter.
25:30This is-
25:31Doesn't matter.
25:33Are you checking me, Gary?
25:35This turned out to be a series of unfortunate events indeed.
25:38Just not in the way that helped anyone's pocketbook.
25:40Number 23, The Dark Tower.
25:43Stephen King may be a household name on bookshelves,
25:46but his forays to the big screen have had some very mixed results.
25:49Looking at you, The Dark Tower.
25:51Was it about the tower?
25:55The war?
25:58Yes.
25:59It's even more embarrassing when you realize it took ten years of development
26:02for this movie to finally see the light of day.
26:04When it did, audiences outright rejected the final project,
26:08disappointed in the way it crammed King's epic story into a two-hour snore fest.
26:13Reviews were bad, profits were worse,
26:15and any thoughts of adapting the rest of the series were simply non-existent.
26:18One last time around the wheel, old friend.
26:23No one was touching this stinker with a ten-foot pole.
26:26And honestly, that's for the best.
26:28Number 22, Independence Day, Resurgence.
26:32Whoever thought it was a good idea to revive this franchise without Will Smith
26:35needs a major wake-up call.
26:37Hey, come on.
26:38Let's be, uh, let's be professional.
26:41His star power almost single-handedly catapulted the original to popcorn entertainment's staple.
26:46So when Independence Day came back 20 years later without him,
26:49all it got was some major diminishing returns.
26:5220th Century Fox hoped the franchise name alone would drive interest for a third film,
26:56but considering Resurgence finished its run as a serious financial disappointment,
27:00it's clear they shouldn't have even made it in the first place.
27:03You all have to pick up the pieces once it's over.
27:08This is my part.
27:09So don't expect to see these aliens return for a third time.
27:12At least, not without Will Smith.
27:14Number 21, The Mummy.
27:16It takes a special kind of box office poison to ruin a film,
27:19a franchise, and a whole universe in one fell swoop.
27:222017's The Mummy was just that bad.
27:25I don't know what you're talking about.
27:26Headlined by Tom Cruise,
27:28The film underwent rigorous production delays in order to kickstart a whole cinematic universe of monster flicks.
27:34Dracula, The Invisible Man, Frankenstein's monster.
27:37It was all riding on the groundwork laid by The Mummy.
27:40But then came the box office tallies.
27:42Let's just say the numbers were so crummy,
27:44this mummy was promptly put back in its tomb alongside any hope for future crossovers.
27:49Maybe this time they'll let it rest for good.
27:52And that is a mistake.
27:54We cannot afford to repeat.
27:58Number 20, The Lone Ranger.
28:04Disney's The Lone Ranger is a modern adaptation of the classic radio series and 50s television show.
28:11However, it seems as if The Ranger and Tonto aren't quite the superstars they were 60 years ago.
28:17The film was lambasted for its bloated length and over-reliance on action,
28:21while also being accused of whitewashing by casting Johnny Depp as a Native American.
28:26What's your crime, boy?
28:28Indian.
28:31The film cost roughly $400 million to produce and market,
28:35but it ended up only making $260 million at the worldwide box office.
28:39Stars Armie Hammer and Ruth Wilson were signed to do at least three movies,
28:44but these plans fell off a horse upon The Lone Ranger's abysmal performance.
28:48Did you know that they made another Conan movie in 2011?
28:59Neither did most people.
29:00Despite the movie featuring a few respectable actors, including Jason Momoa and Ron Perlman,
29:05it was severely criticized for basically every aspect of its filmmaking and for relying too heavily on its 3D effects.
29:12The film ended up grossing a meager $48 million on a $90 million budget.
29:17There were plans to follow up the remake's story,
29:20but it was soon announced that they would be making a sequel to the original 1982 film instead.
29:25However, these plans eventually fell through too,
29:27meaning the 2011 movie likely ended Conan's appearances on the silver screen.
29:32It's probably best that there were no more films,
29:47because we don't know if we could sit through another one.
29:49Aragon was considered one of the worst movies of 2006
29:52due to its atrocious writing and derivative storyline.
29:55Despite the movie's roasting by critics,
30:03it admittedly didn't do terribly at the box office,
30:06as it grossed a rather respectable $250 million on a $100 million budget.
30:11However, this was deemed a disappointment,
30:14and the sequels, which were set to film back-to-back,
30:16Lord of the Rings style, were cancelled.
30:19Fans of Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle
30:21will just have to wait for a more respectable film adaptation,
30:24because Aragon wasn't it.
30:27Are you ready to try again, Dragonrider?
30:31Number 17. King Arthur Legend of the Sword
30:34But there is no way that I am fighting.
30:39If there's one movie audiences were not asking for,
30:42it was yet another King Arthur movie,
30:44this time directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Charlie Hunnam.
30:47Don't get us wrong, we love those guys,
30:50but we don't think a fantastical King Arthur film
30:52was a good fit for their talents,
30:53and neither did audiences.
30:56Why have enemies when you can have friends?
30:57The movie grossed only $148 million
31:00on a Marvel-esque $175 million budget,
31:04effectively making it one of the biggest bombs of the year.
31:07Legend of the Sword was meant to serve
31:08as the first entry in a six, yes, six film series,
31:12but after losing Warner Brothers $150 million,
31:16its sequels were swiftly and understandably given the axe,
31:19or sword in this case.
31:21I feel a joke coming on here.
31:23Number 16. Planet of the Apes
31:25You damn dirty human!
31:28Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes had one thing going for it,
31:32Rick Baker's incredible makeup effects.
31:34Aside from that, the movie was a total wash,
31:36as it was a confusing mess with a twist ending
31:39that tarnished the iconic nature of the original.
31:41Can't we all just get along?
31:44While the movie was a financial success,
31:46Fox decided to scrap its plans for a sequel,
31:48and Tim Burton stated that he'd, quote,
31:51rather jump out a window than do another Apes movie.
31:54However, this was no great loss.
31:56Fox decided to reboot the series instead,
31:58resulting in 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes,
32:01and arguably one of the greatest movie trilogies of all time.
32:05Take your stinking bar off me, you damn dirty ape!
32:08Number 15. Jumper
32:09Just jump all over the place, jump, jump, jump, jump, jump,
32:12and nothing's gonna happen.
32:14Jumper was another relatively successful movie
32:16whose sequels were canceled.
32:18Jumper starred many notable actors,
32:20including Hayden Christensen,
32:21Michael Rooker,
32:22and Samuel L. Jackson,
32:24but it received horrible reviews
32:25due to its lack of coherence and awful special effects.
32:29However, the movie did gross over $200 million
32:31on an $85 million budget.
32:33But while producer Lucas Foster
32:35hoped to turn the movie into a trilogy,
32:37these plans have yet to come to fruition.
32:39A spinoff titled Impulse
32:41premiered on YouTube Red in June 2018.
32:43So, you know, that's something?
32:46No one is going to believe you.
32:49Number 14. Godzilla
32:51Godzilla is one of the greatest monsters
32:56to ever grace movie screens.
32:57It deserved better than this abomination.
33:00Godzilla was set to be the movie of the summer,
33:02as it was made for a massive $130 million.
33:05And while it made a very respectable $379 million
33:09at the box office,
33:10it was viciously attacked by critics
33:12for being nothing more than a dumb disaster flick.
33:15What do we do?
33:17Running would be a good idea.
33:19There were plans to produce a trilogy
33:21based around Godzilla and similar monsters,
33:24but plans fell through
33:25when they failed to generate interest
33:26among moviegoers and theater owners.
33:28The sequels were scrapped
33:30and Godzilla was rebooted over 15 years later.
33:33Let them fight.
33:35Number 13. Ghostbusters.
33:37Let's light them up.
33:38The all-female reboot of Ghostbusters
33:41was immediately met
33:42with an unfair amount of disdain.
33:44Its trailer was heavily downvoted on YouTube
33:47and many people personally attacked the filmmakers
33:49and cast over social media.
33:51Regardless of the reasons for the vitriol,
33:53the movie ended up grossing $229 million
33:56on a $144 million budget.
33:59Because of the film's huge marketing budget,
34:01the studio needed $300 million just to break even.
34:04Booyah. Emphasis on the boo.
34:06Well, I would love to see that. I really would.
34:08Sony head Rory Brewer hoped
34:10that the movie would spawn a franchise,
34:12and it was reported that the cast
34:13had signed on for two more movies.
34:15However, director Paul Feig later confirmed
34:18that they were canceling the sequels
34:19due to the film's mediocre reception.
34:22This is not good.
34:26Number 12. The Divergent series, Allegiant.
34:30What if there's nothing else out there?
34:32Young adult movies are big business.
34:34Ever since Harry Potter dominated the world throughout the 2000s,
34:37producers the world over have been trying to replicate its success.
34:40The Divergent series did not do that,
34:43despite a respectable lead performance from Shailene Woodley.
34:46Allegiant was the third movie in the series,
34:48but it only grossed a disappointing $179 million
34:51at the worldwide box office.
34:53You saved a city.
34:56Help me save the world.
34:58Due to the film's underperformance,
35:00plans for the second part of the movie fell through,
35:02and it was announced that the story would continue
35:04as a television film and or TV series without Shailene Woodley.
35:08Talk about two serious blows.
35:10Hey.
35:10We're leaving.
35:11What?
35:12Right now.
35:13What? I can't.
35:13Number 11. Battlefield Earth.
35:16While you were still learning how to spell your name,
35:19I was being trained to conquer galaxies.
35:23Battlefield Earth is infamous for being one of the worst movies of all time,
35:27filled with bad acting and curiously angled shots.
35:31The movie also has its roots in Scientology.
35:34Scientology's founder, L. Ron Hubbard,
35:36wrote the novel on which the movie is based,
35:38and famous Scientologist John Travolta
35:41hoped that the novel would be adapted in two parts.
35:43Those hopes were soon dashed post-release.
35:46Your powers of observation are simply startling.
35:50The movie dramatically fell off the box office charts
35:53after its opening weekend,
35:54eventually grossing just shy of $30 million
35:57on a $73 million budget.
35:59The commercial failure,
36:01coupled with the eventual bankruptcy of production company Franchise Pictures,
36:05meant that we never got to see the conclusion of Hubbard's story on screen.
36:09I've wasted my time, haven't I?
36:12Number 10.
36:13The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
36:14I'm following you now.
36:15I'm just going to follow you everywhere.
36:18There wasn't exactly a strong demand for a reboot of the Spider-Man franchise
36:22only five years after Spider-Man 3.
36:25And unfortunately, the mediocre quality of these films didn't do much to win over audiences.
36:29The Amazing Spider-Man 2 received a mixed reception,
36:32and eventually grossed a disappointing, relative to the property, $709 million.
36:38I don't want your money.
36:39Come on, everybody wants my money!
36:41While this iteration of the Spider-Man series was meant to spawn an entire universe,
36:46including more Spider-Man films,
36:47and Sinister Six, Venom, and Black Cat movies,
36:51these plans were indefinitely delayed after the performance of The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
36:55Sony then reached a deal with Marvel to bring Spider-Man to the MCU,
36:59effectively canceling The Amazing Spider-Man franchise in the process.
37:03Number 9.
37:04Batman and Robin.
37:05Chicks dig the car.
37:06This is why Superman works alone.
37:09Like Battlefield Earth,
37:11Batman and Robin is known for being one of the worst movies of all time.
37:14And like Battlefield Earth,
37:16there were high hopes that it would pave the way for future installments.
37:20Let's kick some ice.
37:22Warner Brothers had commissioned a sequel based solely on the dailies of Batman and Robin.
37:27It was to be called Batman Unchained,
37:29and planned to feature Scarecrow as the main antagonist,
37:32with George Clooney reprising his role as the Caped Crusader.
37:35However, Clooney decided that he was done with the cowl,
37:38after the harsh reception of Batman and Robin,
37:41and the sequel was cancelled.
37:42Warner Brothers then hired Christopher Nolan to completely reboot the franchise,
37:46resulting in Batman Begins.
37:48Where are you?
37:50Here.
37:51Go!
37:52Number 8.
37:53Fantastic Four.
37:54You guys sure you're in the best shape to be doing this?
37:56Fox had big plans for their rebooted Fantastic Four.
37:59A sequel was announced before Fantastic Four even began filming,
38:03with a planned release date of July 14th, 2017.
38:06However, the movie was a massive critical and commercial bomb,
38:09earning only $168 million at the worldwide box office,
38:13and a 9% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
38:16The future of the franchise was immediately thrown into question,
38:19although it wasn't looking very good for the Marvel's first family.
38:22It's fantastic.
38:23Say that again?
38:29In December 2017,
38:30Disney announced that it was purchasing Fox's TV and film assets,
38:34a move that would place the future of the Fantastic Four in the hands of Marvel Studios.
38:38We saw how well it worked for Spider-Man, so fingers crossed.
38:42It's clobbering time!
38:46Number 7.
38:47Terminator Genisys.
38:48You are nothing but a relic from a deleted timeline.
38:52There once was a time when the Terminator series was the pinnacle of action cinema.
38:56Nowadays, we get the likes of Terminator Genisys,
38:59which many people found to be a convoluted, watered-down mess.
39:02The film earned only $89 million at the domestic box office,
39:06which was considered a massive disappointment for the iconic franchise.
39:09Why hold on to someone when you know you must let them go?
39:12Worse yet, Genisys was said to be the first movie of a new trilogy,
39:15but these plans were cancelled after the movie's numbers came in.
39:19It was then announced that James Cameron would be returning to the series,
39:22and that the next film would serve as a reboot and continue the story of Terminator 2.
39:27Hasta la vista, Genisys.
39:28Are you kidding me?
39:30Number 6.
39:30The Mortal Instruments, City of Bones.
39:33I'm a werewolf.
39:35Not the golden machine.
39:36Hollywood desperately wants to find the next Harry Potter.
39:39While some young adult adaptations like The Hunger Games and Twilight have found success,
39:44many others have failed, but few as spectacularly as The Mortal Instruments.
39:48City of Bones opened poorly and never recovered,
39:51earning only $90 million on a $60 million budget.
39:55Wait, you can see this guy?
39:56Of course she can.
39:57She's a witch.
39:58Plans for a sequel, City of Ashes, were made before the release of City of Bones,
40:02but due to the disappointing box office performance, these plans were put on hold.
40:06It was eventually announced that the sequel was cancelled,
40:09and that The Mortal Instruments would continue as a television series.
40:13I have no idea what you're talking about.
40:15Number 5.
40:16Superman Returns.
40:17Who are you?
40:19I'm Clark Kent.
40:21Superman Returns served as a reboot-slash-sequel of the first two Superman movies,
40:26and ignored the third and fourth entries, which, let's be honest, was for the best.
40:30Stop!
40:31Don't do it!
40:32The people!
40:32Unfortunately, while many people considered it a decent movie,
40:36it was a disappointment at the box office,
40:38earning only $391 million against a $200-plus million budget.
40:43You wrote that the world doesn't need a savior.
40:47But every day, I hear people crying for one.
40:49A sequel was planned and set to star Brainiac and Bizarro as villains,
40:54with much of the cast reprising their roles,
40:56but it was scrapped after the underperformance of Superman Returns.
40:59A reboot was planned instead, and Zack Snyder's Man of Steel was released seven years later.
41:05Number 4.
41:06The Golden Compass.
41:07If you value your lives, come no further.
41:11Warner Brothers was really swinging for the fences with The Golden Compass.
41:15But hey, like we said, you gotta find the next Harry Potter.
41:18It was made on a $180 million budget, and starred various A-listers,
41:23including Nicole Kidman, Ian McKellen, and Daniel Craig.
41:26However, fans of the novel were incensed that the adaptation diluted the story
41:29anti-religious themes, and significant studio interference negatively impacted the finished product.
41:35The movie received mediocre reviews, and grossed only $70 million in the domestic market.
41:40Is that all?
41:43Due to the movie's underperformance and alleged pressure from the Catholic Church,
41:47New Line canceled the remaining two entries of the series,
41:50leaving his dark materials fans without a satisfying conclusion to the on-screen story.
41:55Maybe we shouldn't be doing this.
41:56Number 3.
41:57The Last Airbender.
41:59I don't know how to bend the other elements.
42:01We didn't really have high hopes for M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender,
42:05but it turned out to be even worse than we imagined.
42:08Not only did the movie generate a measly 6% on Rotten Tomatoes,
42:11it was heavily criticized for whitewashing many of its Asian characters.
42:15Despite the bile spat at the movie from both critics and fans,
42:18it managed to generate a respectable $319 million at the box office.
42:23While Shyamalan had planned to make a sequel featuring Azula as the villain,
42:27these plans never came to fruition.
42:28However, Shyamalan has expressed interest in making more Airbender movies at a future date,
42:33should the opportunity arise.
42:35Let's hope he's just trolling.
42:37I don't think that's a good idea.
42:38Number 2.
42:39John Carter.
42:40That don't look like a fair fight.
42:42Suffice it to say that Disney had big plans for the John Carter name.
42:46They allegedly put upwards of $350 million into the movie,
42:49including marketing costs,
42:51and the filmmakers reported that they were planning to make the series into a trilogy.
42:55Is that your expert view?
42:56The producers even began work on the second movie,
42:59The Gods of Mars,
43:00before John Carter was released to theaters.
43:02However, the film only made $284 million,
43:06and plans for the remaining two movies were quickly canceled,
43:09while director Andrew Stanton returned to the world of 3D animated films,
43:13directing Finding Dory instead.
43:15Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about
43:20our latest videos.
43:22You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
43:26If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
43:31Number 1.
43:32Green Lantern.
43:36Of all the superhero bombs,
43:41Green Lantern was the most spectacular.
43:43The film was yet another swing and a miss for DC,
43:46as it earned a 26% rating on Rotten Tomatoes,
43:49and only grossed $220 million on a massive $200 million budget.
43:54When you consider that the movie needed to make $500 million to be considered a financial success,
43:59as speculated by The Hollywood Reporter,
44:01it's clear that Green Lantern was a massive failure.
44:04Well, that's good advice.
44:05The studio's plans for an extended Green Lantern series were immediately scrapped,
44:09making its end credit teaser more than a little embarrassing.
44:13Oh, I'm sorry.
44:14Did I disappoint you?
44:15How would you fix any of these movies?
44:17Let us know in the comments.
44:19You must show them the power of water.
44:21You must show them the power of water.
44:28The fire of the run.
44:30You must show them the power of water.
44:34It's bad.
44:34The fire of the run.
44:40You must show them the power of water.
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46:20
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