Failed movie franchises

Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 04:34:46 GMT

Note : Honestly, I have never heard of this flick and it looks pretty lame... But, according to IMDB, this was to be the first in a serie of films based on a popular series of pulp novels. The poor box office returns cancelled plans for any further film productions. I won't miss those...

suggested by blackknight99

Supergirl

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 02:25:09 GMT

Note : In the 80's, following the success of Superman, they tried to launch another super-hero franchise in the same spirit. It seemed a good idea but the movie was really lame and flopped terribly...

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 04:09:22 GMT

Note : What a title... I mean, it is kind of cute but they did really expect us to take this movie really seriously?!? Actually, I haven't seen it so it might be actually completely awesome. Anyway, this was the first and last movie featuring the adventures of the Mighty Buckaroo Banzai.

suggested by Jamie

Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins

Sun, 14 Nov 2010 10:40:36 GMT

Note : Honestly, I have never heard of Remo or his movie. Never a good sign... This entry was advised by Ulysses. With such a title, they were clearly aiming for a franchise. Guess what ? Didn't happened! Why not ? Maybe because of the (not so) huge Fred Ward Star Power... No offense Fred !

suggested by Ulysses

Howard the Duck

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 04:46:57 GMT

Note What was George Lucas thinking with this piece of sh*t ?!? I'm pretty sure he needed some dough and thought he found his new cash cow. No way, this is maybe the worst comic-book adapatation ever...

suggested by gerardgurl34

The Punisher

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:03:55 GMT

Note : Before The Dark Knight, before Spider-man, before the X-men, there was the Punisher !!! Never seen it ? Me neither... It even failed to receive a theatrical release in the U.S.

The Rocketeer

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 08:25:04 GMT

Note : I don't get it... No disrespect but when you have Superman, Spider-man ,Batman or any other really famous super-hero, why would you pick the Rocketeer to make a comic-book adaptation ?!? Anyway, Roger Ebert loved this movie but I was just bored during the whole thing. I guess I wasn't the only one because after this introduction to the Rocketeer, he never came back...

Super Mario Bros.

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 09:40:25 GMT

Note : Mario was, probably still is, the most famous video game character and there have been many (most of them very good) games with him. So, it is quite natural that they decided to extand his realm to the movies. Unfortunately, it was a critical and financial disaster and we never saw Mario again expect, of course, in his lovely Nintendo games...

Street Fighter

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 09:04:37 GMT

Note : One year after the Mario movie, they tried another video game adaptation... Being a big Street Fighter fan, I had to see it in the movie theater... What a terrible experience! One of the wortst movies I have ever seen... Luckilly, I was not the only thinking that way so there was no sequel for this pile of horsesh*t....

The Shadow

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 04:47:03 GMT

Note Again, no direspect but I have never heard of the Shadow... Was it back then the most interesting super-hero out there ? I haven't seen this one but it was definitely no success and any possible sequel was cancelled...

Judge Dredd

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 08:24:46 GMT

Note : Honestly, this one had some potential. A badass character, pretty good casting choice with Stallone, a nice mood... but still it didn't work out. Mostly for 2 reasons. First, they toned down the material (bye bye badassery...) and second, where was the f*cking mask ?!? Stallone has the mask on maybe 10 minutes for the whole movie while it is one of trademark of the character... Anyway, you know the drill, financial and critical misfire = no Dredd 2...

The Phantom

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 06:00:33 GMT

Note : For some reasons, in the 90's, they focused on some of the more obsure super-heros and, as you can see on this list, most of those flicks were terrible turkeys. This one wasn't an exception and Billy Zane didn't get his own bonafide franchise....

suggested by Leo

Spawn

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 04:47:08 GMT

Note I haven't seen that one yet but come on! Maybe we have a winner here. Cool super-hero=check, cool moody poster=check, cool lead actor= let me see, who is the lead actor...Michael Jai White... Who the f*ck is that ? Ah yeah! I know, he got killed by the Joker in the Dark Knight!! What a perfomance ! Sorry, I'm just being ironic here... Anyway, Michael (or is it Michael Jai?) didn't have enough star power to pull this movie for a sequel...

Godzilla

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:04:04 GMT

Note : Ooooo... It was big and it was bad... Big budget doesn't always mean big success. Even if you include a nice open ending with little baby godzillas... It was supposed to be a trilogy but they dropped the whole thing when this flick was a flop.

The Avengers

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 06:06:55 GMT

Note : Nowadays, when you hear this title, you think of an awesome super-hero flick which has recently become the 3rd highest grossing motion picture ever made. Before that, there was another movie bearing the same title which is, arguably, the worst TV-show adaptation ever made. No doubt if it wasn't that bad and made some bucks, it would have started a new franchise but it wasn't meant to be...

suggested by Leo

Wild Wild West

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:03:44 GMT

Note : Not everything that Will Smith touches changes in gold... Even though it was obviously a potential franchise, this one didn't work out too good for him.

Battlefield Earth

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 06:36:47 GMT

Note : Not only it was a huge flop and arguably one of the worst movies ever made, the original plans called for a sequel to be produced, which would have been based on the second half of the novel by L. Ron Hubbard. These plans were scrapped due to the poor critical and public reaction to this film. Thank God for that...

suggested by Leo

Hulk

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:01:49 GMT

Note : I'm probably one of the only people on Earth who actually likes this movie... I think it is one of the most thoughtfull super-hero movies out there. But I'm maybe the only one who thinks so and it failed terribly badly.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 07:24:45 GMT

Note : The film's plot and characters are adapted from three novels in author Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey–Maturin series. It could have become a franchise since there was a total of 20 novels about Jack Aubrey's naval career. Even though Russell Crowe was rather enthousiast concerning a possible sequel, Peter Weir thought it was rather unlikely and, eventually, since it was not really successful, no sequel was made eventually.

suggested by Leo

Daredevil

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:02:06 GMT

Note : I don't think it was that bad. Actually, Daredevil is a pretty cool character and it would have been nice to see more of him. But it failed badly and Ben Affleck won't problably ever come back as a super-hero following his statement "Wearing a costume was a source of humiliation for me and something I wouldn't want to do again soon."

The Punisher

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:03:53 GMT

Note : For the 2nd time, they tried to start a franchise around The Punisher, and again, they failed gloriously ! Actually, this one did better than the 1st one. It was released in the US and made nearly four times what it cost. Eventually, a sequel was planned (well done !), but Thomas Jane eventually bowed out as it was taking too long to produce (too bad...). Personally, I couldn't care less about this movie. No loss for me !

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 02:21:13 GMT

Note : Honestly, I thought it was pretty good and they were supposed to make more movies (there are 13 books so that should be enough material) but it seems that they eventuall dropped the whole thing so we won't see Count Olaf and the Baudelaire siblings for anytime soon.

suggested by Jamie

Van Helsing

Thu, 24 May 2012 02:44:43 GMT

Note : I don't think it was that bad. I mean, of course, it is loud and dumb but I thought it was a rather fun watch. However, I'm one of the few who thought so and it was destroyed by the critics and any plan for a sequel was scrapped.

Sahara

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:03:37 GMT

Note : They hoped so bad they will get new the Indiana Jones with this... No way ! How dare they compare Matthew McConaughey with the Great Harrison Ford ?!? Anyway, it was a huge (deserved) flop with a reported $100 million dollars loss.

Superman Returns

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 08:08:08 GMT

Note : Honestly, I don't think it was that bad. Before it came out, there was a huge buzz surrounding this flick. After almost 20 years, Superman was finally back on the big screen and it was (and still is ) one of the most expensive movies ever made. Unfortunately, it was nothing great and the movie really tanked at the box-office and it was a huge blow for all the people involved (Bryan Singer, Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey) concerning their career. In 2013, Zach Snyder and Christopher Nolan will come out with a new reboot and we will see if they have more luck.

Eragon

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:01:57 GMT

Note : There was a nice open ending. That's how confident they were... But no sequel ! It is a very hated movie but I don't think it is that bad.

The Golden Compass

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:02:14 GMT

Note : Again, a nice open ending...They tried so bad to reproduce The Lord of the Rings success but it didn't work out and the sequels were cancelled. It's too bad because it had a great cast (Daniel Craig, Nicole Kidman, Eva Green, and the voice of Ian McKellen), some very nice visuals and the story was not bad at all.

The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 09:16:38 GMT

Note : Honestly, I have never heard of this flick before and it doesn't look very good. It is actually based on the novel 'The Dark is Rising' by Susan Cooper, which is part of a series of five books collectively called 'The Dark is Rising Sequence'. I guess we will never know what happened in those over books then...

suggested by Leo

The Incredible Hulk

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:01:51 GMT

Note : Once again, 5 years later, they tried again to launch a franchise around the big green guy and once again... they failed ! In spite of casting Edward Norton, one of the best actors around, it didn't become the success they hoped.

I have a theory about this. The issue is the Hulk himself. Why ? 2 reasons.

1. The audience wants Bruce Banner to become the Hulk. That's what we came for !! But Bruce Banner doesn't want to transform. So the audience wants completely the opposite of what the main character wants and it creates these 2 antagonist drives in the story which doesn't provide a fluent narration.

2. The Hulk is incontrollable and goes rampage everytime he is pissed off. He doesn't have any purpose than to destroy everything around him which sounds nicer than it actually is. At the end of the day, how can you build a story around a character who doesn't have any purpose at all ?

I like both Hulk movies but because of those 2 reasons, I don't think a Hulk movie can really be successful.

Jumper

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:02:19 GMT

Note : It had a nice concept and it was rather successful at the box-office (more than $200 million worldwide gross) but the critical reception was not enthousiast at all so we won't see any Jumper 2 for anytime soon...

Punisher: War Zone

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:03:54 GMT

Note : This is the stuff of legend !!! For the 3rd time, they tried to create a franchise around Frank Castle and, for the 3rd time, they failed so bad ! When will they finally drop this guy?!? This one had the largest budget yet at $35 million but it made only $10 million... At the 2010 Comic Con, Marvel said they planned for yet another reboot of the character. You gotta to be kidding me...

Inkheart

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 02:35:29 GMT

Note : Everytime they adapt a fantasy novel, the Hollywood producers always hope they will get the new Harry Potter. This, for example, was the first book of a trilogy but I guess we won't see the other books adapted for anytime soon. Personally, I would blame Brendan Fraser, but that's me...

Terminator: Salvation

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:02:26 GMT

Note : Honestly, I don't get why they cancelled the sequels. Christian Bale is a great actor, it looked pretty cool and it was not a failure at the box-office. And the McG argument is not valid ... Even Charlie's Angels had a sequel !

Push

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 04:52:55 GMT

Note : I finally saw that one and, honestly, I thought it was not that bad. But like 'Jumper' a year before, they obviously tried to surf on the super-hero wave but it didn't work that really good and the planned sequel(s) was cancelled.

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 04:06:22 GMT

Note : In the shadow of 'Twilight', there was another book adaptation dealing with teenagers an vampires but it was barely noticed. It's too bad since it was not bad at all but there won't be any sequels even if they provided a convenient open ending.

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 09:05:15 GMT

Note : What were they thinking?!? That we forgot what happened the first time?!? I mean, it was not as bad as the Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle but still pretty horrendous. In itself it is quite a weird achievement but not if you want to built a succesful movie franchise...

Dragonball: Evolution

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 09:06:40 GMT

Note : I was a big fan of the cartoon (Dragon ball, not Dragon Ball Z) so I eventually saw this one just out of sheer curiosity but it was so bad... It seems to be a typical example of "how-to-destroy-a-potential-movie-franchise-and-piss-off-fans-all-over-the-world"...

Solomon Kane

Thu, 24 May 2012 02:38:42 GMT

Note : Do you know what is worst than 'Van Helsing' ? A cheap ass version of 'Van Helsing! The makers intended to make two further Solomon Kane movies to complete a planned trilogy, one set primarily in Africa and the other at least partially in colonial North America but guess what?!? It never happened...

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:03:21 GMT

Note : This is such a Pirates of the Carribean-wannabe... Jake Gyllenhaal is a very nice actor and tries very hard but he is no Johnny Depp and the story is rather convoluted. It could have worked but just did not. No sequel this time, Mr Bruckheimer !

Salt

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 07:13:24 GMT

Note : Ok, it wasn't the worst movie in 2010 but, for me, it was definitely the biggest disappointment. At the end, which is completely preposterous like the rest of the movie, there is a nice open ending pointing to an obvious sequel which hopefully will never be made...

UPDATE : A sequel has been recently announced on IMDB so this entry might be removed in the future.

The Last Airbender

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:03:30 GMT

Note : Not so long ago, a movie directed by M. Night Shyamalan was patiently awaited by movie fans around the world. Those movies were... good ! Seriously ! Now, all his movies are awaited with dread (What will be the next turkey ?!?). With The Last Airbender, he was going towards a complete new direction and we hoped for the best... But unfortunately, Shyamalan decided now to destroy kids dreams aswell. Luckily, we won't be able to follow Aang adventures anytime soon...

Jonah Hex

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 09:40:56 GMT

Note : Even though Megan Fox had some success with another franchise involving some loud robots, she didn't manage to make this become another comi-book franchise. It is even considered one of the worst movies released in 2010.

suggested by Leo

I Am Number Four

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 07:13:20 GMT

Note : I haven't seen this one yet but I keep hearing it is a sort of "Twilight" version of our beloved super-hero flicks. So, it doesn't sound really promising and in spite of a nice open ending, there is no plan for a sequel.

Green Lantern

Tue, 29 May 2012 02:38:04 GMT

Note : I thought there was some good stuff in this super-hero flick but it was a huge flop and barely made any money. Strangely, they announced right away they would make a sequel. But now, we are almost 1 year later and absolutely nobody is attached to this movie so I won't think it will be made anytime soon.

Conan the Barbarian

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:19:30 GMT

Note : On one hand, to reboot such an iconic character doesn't seem to be a bad idea. But, on the other hand, how can you replace the Allmigthy Arnold Schwarzenegger?!? Of course, it is not possible and we won't hear from Conan for a couple of decades again.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 02:51:23 GMT

Note : First of all, I have to say that I really enjoyed this flick (even though I do think that the Swedish version was better). It was even one of my favorite movies that came out in 2011. Still, at this point, it is pretty obvious that part 2 and 3 won't be made and, as a result, as a franchise, it is a failure.

John Carter

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 03:01:37 GMT

Note : Even though I thought it was not bad at all, this flick was a huge flop. Disney notoriously spent around $250m and I hope for them they will get there money back. Eventually, they made some plans to make some sequels but I don't think they will go through it.

Prometheus

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 07:49:41 GMT

Note : I'm pretty sure that many people will hate me for putting this movie on this list... First of all, even though it was nothing really mindblowing, I really enjoyed it. But at this point, it has been released already for a few months and I don't hear anything about a sequel (check IMDB...) which is never a good sign. In my opinion, they won't make any sequel. I may be wrong but we'll see...

UPDATE : The sequel has finally been announced but I still don't believe it will be made.