Summary

There have been plenty of movies in the last decade which have arrived with huge fanfare but still failed spectacularly. A movie's hype and a movie's quality can often be two completely different things. Big franchises, big name actors and exciting premises don't necessarily add up to enjoyable movies, and audiences have been disappointed over and over again by big-budget flops.

Despite the incredible amounts of money that go into some Hollywood movies, they can still turn out badly. Audiences often feel assured of a certain level of quality before going into a movie based on some of the people involved, but this just makes the disappointment even more palpable when these movies fail to meet expectations. Whether they flopped at the box office or earned terrible reviews, some recent movies show that it's foolish to judge anything based on trailers and reputations.

10 The Mummy (2017)

Tom Cruise couldn't save this failed franchise starter

Rather than being a fresh homage to classic monster movies, The Mummy tries to evoke other, more interesting movies.

The Mummy was supposed to kickstart a new franchise for Universal, but the movie's failure meant that those plans were shelved. Universal's Dark Universe was an ambitious plan to bring back many classic movie monsters, such as Dracula and Frankenstein's monster. The franchise was canceled before it even got going, as critics and audiences shunned the remake.

The Mummy's $400 million box office return would be a good start for many other movies, but it represented a loss after the huge marketing and distribution costs. While the financial returns were so-so, the critical response was nothing short of a disaster. Tom Cruise's usually bulletproof reputation took a big hit, as reviews criticized the movie's muddled plot and its derivative style. Rather than being a fresh homage to classic monster movies, The Mummy tries to evoke other, more interesting movies.

9 A Wrinkle In Time (2018)

A big-budget adaptation of a classic novel that missed the mark

A Wrinkle in Time is less than the sum of its parts. A great book, cast and director somehow added up to a mediocre final product.

A Wrinkle in Time is based on one of the most popular young adult adventure novels of all time. Madeleine L'Engle's story about a young girl on a magical adventure has endured for decades, but Disney's movie adaptation doesn't capture the spirit of the book. The cast features Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling and Reese Witherspoon, but it still bombed at the box office, with a reported loss of over $100 million.

A Wrinkle in Time never managed to tap into the magic of the book. Although there is no shortage of beautiful scenes, the story lacks any kind of personal touch. The broad, ambitious story still requires deep and thoughtful characterization, even if the themes are supposed to be universal. A Wrinkle in Time is less than the sum of its parts. A great book, cast and director somehow added up to a mediocre final product.

8 Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)

The Looney Tunes legacy sequel was a shameless commercial for Warner Bros.

The main problem with A New Legacy isn't the humor or the weak celebrity cameos, but the overabundance of Warner Bros. properties.

The original Space Jam was a work of mad genius, pairing Michael Jordan with Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Looney Tunes on a basketball-based adventure with shape-shifting aliens. It didn't really need a sequel, but another big-screen outing for the Looney Tunes was still an exciting prospect. Space Jam: A New Legacy features several NBA stars to accompany LeBron James, but the sequel was a hollow imitation of the original.

A New Legacy tries to copy the same formula that made the first movie such a success, but it lacks a lot of the humor that makes Michael Jordan's version a success. The main problem with A New Legacy isn't the humor or the weak celebrity cameos, but the overabundance of Warner Bros. properties, which makes the movie seem like an ill-advised commercial for the production company.

7 Jupiter Ascending (2015)

The Wachowski sisters couldn't sprinkle their magic on this sci-fi flop

The movie's budget was reportedly cut in half shortly before production began, and the script had to be quickly rewritten.

Jupiter Ascending was directed by the Wachowski sisters, the directing duo behind The Matrix. Understandably, there was a lot of hype for their next sci-fi epic, which promised a grand adventure across the solar system with a generous helping of action and romance thrown in for good measure. Jupiter Ascending failed to meet expectations, and any talk of a new franchise to follow The Matrix was quickly silenced.

Although its visual effects are stunning at times, Jupiter Ascending's story is a confusing and dreary mess. The movie's budget was reportedly cut in half shortly before production began, and the script had to be quickly rewritten. This explains many of the problems with Jupiter Ascending, but Eddie Redmayne's bizarrely camp performance and the strange half-canine warriors might have hampered the movie even without these last-minute changes.

6 Mortal Engines (2018)

The young-adult movie should have had three sequels

Mortal Engines probably came a few years too late to ride the wave of young adult book adaptations that thrived at the box office, like The Hunger Games and Divergent.

Based on the hugely popular series of young adult novels by Philip Reeve, Mortal Engines takes place in a steampunk-inspired dystopia where cities have been mounted on wheels, and they roam a barren wasteland preying on smaller towns. The Mortal Engines novels have sold millions of copies all over the world, but the long-awaited movie adaptation couldn't capitalize on this popularity, and it failed to recoup its budget at the box office.

Mortal Engines should have started an entire franchise, since there are four books in the series, but the movie's poor financial performance means that this is extremely unlikely. Mortal Engines probably came a few years too late to ride the wave of young adult book adaptations that thrived at the box office, like The Hunger Games and Divergent. It didn't help that the Mortal Engines lacked recognizable stars, with Hugo Weaving as one notable exception.

5 Gemini Man (2019)

Ang Lee and Will Smith should have been a dream pairing

Ang Lee proved in 2019 that he was capable of misfiring, as his sci-fi thriller Gemini Man was a critical and commercial disappointment.

Ang Lee has a diverse filmography, including hits as varied as Brokeback Mountain, Sense and Sensibility and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. He proved in 2019 that he was capable of misfiring, as his sci-fi thriller Gemini Man was a critical and commercial disappointment. Gemini Man has Will Smith pulling a double shift as both a Marine nearing retirement and a younger clone trying to kill him.

The combination of Ang Lee and Will Smith was not enough to rescue Gemini Man from mediocrity. The movie was first conceived by screenwriter Darren Lemke in 1997, and it was stuck in development hell for decades as different directors and actors came and went. The technology finally caught up with Lemke's original vision, but a lackluster story meant that Gemini Man never fully explored its intriguing premise.

4 Amsterdam (2022)

A great ensemble cast are sadly wasted on a bumbling script

The mystery-comedy also features Robert De Niro, Rami Malek, Anya Taylor-Joy and Taylor Swift in smaller roles, but it was unable to convert this star power into box office success.

Amsterdam announced one of the most exciting ensemble casts in years, led by Margot Robbie, Christian Bale and John David Washington. The mystery-comedy also features Robert De Niro, Rami Malek, Anya Taylor-Joy and Taylor Swift in smaller roles, but it was unable to convert this star power into box office success. Amsterdam made $31.2 million at the box office with a budget of $80 million, making it a huge failure.

Amsterdam is based on the true story of a conspiracy to overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, but most of the characters and a lot of the narrative is fictional. The plot ties itself in knots trying to reconcile its fictional elements with the facts of history, and it becomes harder to follow as more and more characters are introduced. Another problem is that the main trio of Robbie, Bale and Washington seem to be acting in three different movies.

3 Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)

The Star Wars sequel trilogy ended in controversial fashion

The Rise of Skywalker often seems like an apology for The Last Jedi, either backtracking or retconning most of Rian Johnson's biggest ideas.

The final chapter in Star Wars' sequel trilogy was even more divisive than The Last Jedi. There's still a lot to like about The Rise of Skywalker, but its mixed response is representative of the divide that has grown throughout the fan base. Although it was a massive financial success, as any main series Star Wars movie is bound to be, The Rise of Skywalker sits at just 51% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi took the franchise in a bold new direction. It wasn't universally popular, but it showed a willingness to break with the same old stories and some of the more restrictive lore. The sequel often seems like an apology for this movie, either backtracking or retconning most of The Last Jedi's biggest ideas. The Rise of Skywalker's ending promises business as usual for the future of Star Wars, but recent TV shows have struggled with the next step.

2 Fantastic Four (2015)

Marvel's iconic superhero team still hasn't had a worthy movie

Fox reportedly took the movie out of director Josh Trank's hands for the extensive reshoots after they grew dissatisfied with his work, and Simon Kinberg took over. The result is a movie which seems cobbled together at the last minute.

The Fantastic Four deserve a truly great movie, but multiple iterations of the team have so far failed to produce one. The most recent attempt was 2015's Fantastic Four, which could be the worst of the lot. Despite an exciting young cast including Michael B. Jordan and Miles Teller, Fantastic Four is a confused and dour superhero story which failed to meet expectations. It holds a remarkably low Rotten Tomatoes score of 9%.

The behind-the-scenes chaos of Fantastic Four has been well-documented. Fox reportedly took the movie out of director Josh Trank's hands for the extensive reshoots after they grew dissatisfied with his work, and Simon Kinberg took over. The result is a movie which seems cobbled together at the last minute. A new Fantastic Four reboot set for 2025 will have to reinject some of the color and fun into the team if it wants a better shot at success.

1 Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016)

Zack Snyder's face-off movie promised a lot but delivered a little

Dawn of Justice enjoyed an outstanding opening weekend at the box office, but this ended with a historic dropoff in ticket sales.

The words "Batman v Superman" are enough to excite any fan of superhero movies, and the clash between two of the most iconic heroes of all even drew attention from people who might otherwise steer clear of the genre. Dawn of Justice enjoyed an outstanding opening weekend at the box office, but this ended with a historic dropoff in ticket sales, as fans left the theater disappointed.

Fans may have wanted a couple of hours of super-powered combat, but Zack Snyder had other ideas for the second movie in his "Snyderverse" trilogy. Dawn of Justice tries to set up DC's answer to the MCU with a few too many character introductions and teases for other stories which get in the way of the main action. The actual story of the conflict between Batman and Superman doesn't get the chance to develop into something interesting, and the action leaves a lot to be desired.