Makinga new installment to a beloved franchiseoften feels like a surefire way for a studio to make a major profit. Thesefilmsthrive on havinga massive, pre-existing audiencewho already love the characters and stories that have been established within the universe of the franchise. Because of that, the filmmakers can often be quite confident that their latest installment in the series will attract plenty of people to the theater, securing a hefty paycheck for themselves at the end of the day.
However, a handful ofpoor performances over the years have proven that success is not always a guarantee. Every so often, a franchise gets a new installment that fails to live up to its predecessors on all accounts. These films can not only bomb with critics, but prove to be majorflops at the box office, even failing to recuperate the money that went into making them. While many major franchises seem to have one success after another, these box office flops failed to live up to high expectations set by the films that came before them.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Cast
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is the fifth entry in the Indiana Jones franchise, directed by James Mangold and starring Harrison Ford in his final portrayal of the titular character. The film will see Jones in 1969 on an adventure with his goddaughter, Helena Shaw, as they find themselves in the middle of an uneasy space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, with the former enlisting the help of former Nazis with ulterior motives.
In the world of adventure movies, few names are known quite as well as Indiana Jones. For decades, fans have loved watching the perilous missions performed by the whip-wielding hero Indiana Jones, portrayed by the ever-charismatic Harrison Ford. In 2023,fifteen years after the previous installment, the franchise was brought back to life in the form ofIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
Unfortunately, this latest adventure for Indy was not nearly as popular as the previous ones.Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destinymanaged to earn about $384 million at the box office. This may sound impressive initially, but not when compared to its hefty budget, which placed the film among the most expensive movies ever made.
Indiana Jones 5’s Franchise-Low $383M Box Office Gets Candid Reflection From Director 1 Year Later: “How Would Anything Have Made The Audience Happy”
Co-writer/director James Mangold candidly reflects on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’s mixed fan reception and franchise-low box office.
This staggering figure, paired with the massive marketing costs, led the film to actually end up losing Disney over a hundred million dollars. Possible explanations for the poor performance include the underwhelming response to the previous film,the long gap between installments, and the controversial use of de-aging technology.
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Solo: A Star Wars Story explores the early adventures of Han Solo, showcasing his beginnings and key encounters with significant characters in the Star Wars universe. Set in a backdrop of galactic turmoil, the film delves into the origins of his famed relationships and his rise as a rebellious smuggler.
It is no secret thatStar Warsis among the most iconic movie franchisesof all time. However, that does not mean that the series is without its shortcomings. In 2018, a new film was released which served as an origin story for Han Solo, one of the most beloved characters since the beginning of the franchise.
Although many devoted fans had spent many years wondering how the famed hero came to be,Solo: A Star Wars Storyfailed to attract nearly as many people as the filmmakers had originally expected. Despite working with a budget of around $300 million (not including marketing costs),Soloonly reeled in less than $400 million.
For one,Solowas released less than six months after the previousStar Warsfilm (The Last Jedi), meaning that people likely were not yet hungry enough for another installment.
When all additional costs are included, the film came well short of breaking even, markinga rare financial failure for theStar Warsuniverse. Several issues could have contributed to the underwhelming performance. For one,Solowas released less than six months after the previousStar Warsfilm (The Last Jedi), meaning that people likely were not yet hungry enough for another installment. The casting of an unknown leading actor likely didn’t help matters either.
Wonder Woman 1984
Wonder Woman 1984, set during the Cold War, follows Diana Prince as she faces a formidable opponent. When a heist exposes a perilous ancient artifact, Wonder Woman is drawn into a global conflict that endangers her extraordinary abilities and challenges her resolve to save the world.
In 2017, Patty Jenkins dazzled audiences with her groundbreaking superhero film,Wonder Woman, which proved to be a major hit with critics and audiences alike. Sadly, Jenkins was not able to replicate this level of success three years later, when the standalone sequel,Wonder Woman 1984, was released.
This subsequent film, which took place during the Cold War,left audiences feeling generally disappointed, with many finding that the film was stuffed with questionable filmmaking decisions and an overabundance of tired superhero clichés. Even on a budget of $200 million,Wonder Woman 1984only accumulated $169.6 million at the box office, solidifying its status as a massive failure for Warner Bros.
he questionable quality of the film wasn’t the sole factor responsible for its poor performance, though.Wonder Woman 1984, like many other movies, fell victim to widespread theater closures aspart ofthe Covid-19 pandemic. The film’s theatrical release was not only heavily delayed, but also derailed by the fact that it was made available to stream on HBO Max at the same time.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
A prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa is an action-adventure film that tells the origin story of the headstrong and fearless Furiosa. Set shortly after the beginning of the “end of the world,” Furiosa is kidnapped and brought before a powerful warlord, now forced to work for him. To find her way back home, Furiosa will adapt to the new harsh and arid world as she grows into the Furiosa she becomes known to be.
Mad Max: Fury Roadstunned audiences in 2015, winning six Academy Awards and being hailed as one of the greatest action movies of all time. Instead of aiming to immediately capitalize on the film’s massive success, however, the filmmakers ultimately forced viewers to wait for nearly a decade before the next installment premiered.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Sagahas a 90% rating onRotten Tomatoes.
In 2024,Furiosa: A Mad Max Sagafinally presentedthe long-awaited backstoryof one of the most captivating characters from the previous film, starring Anya Taylor-Joy in the lead role.Furiosa: A Mad Max Sagais not only the most expensive film in the franchise, but also the single most expensive film ever made in Australia.
10 Biggest Box Office Flops Of 2024
Despite a range of expectations, these movies dramatically flopped in 2024, potentially losing their studios hundreds of millions of dollars.
Needless to say, the team behind the project was very confident that it would be a massive success. Their lofty expectations were never achieved, though, as the film only made about $173.8 million atthe box office. This lackluster performance has been attributed tothe limited appeal of post-apocalyptic action films, as well as the lack of interest in a prequel.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is the follow-up to the Michael Bay-produced Ninja Turtles reboot. This time, Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael have a rematch with Shredder, who has enlisted the help of Rocksteady and Bebop, along with the alien Krang to take down his enemies. The film was released in 2016 and directed by Dave Green.
On the surface, the idea of theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesdefinitely seems like one of the more unusual phenomenons to arise in pop culture. Despite the odd premise,TMNThas blossomed into a major sensation over the years, with numerous movies, TV shows, comics, and more. However, not every project to feature the humorous heroes has been a hit.
The 2016 film,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadowsended up being a surprising flop, massively underperforming compared to its direct predecessor.Out of the Shadowsmade $245.6 million at the box office. While this is noticeably greater than its $135 million budget, the sizable marketing and distribution costs meant that the project still resulted in a huge loss for Paramount Pictures.
It is difficult to pinpoint exactly why the film flopped, but there are a handful of potential explanations. Some of these include thepoor critical response to the first film, the concurring release of other films for similar target audiences, and the diminishing popularity of the franchise at the time.
The Marvels
The Marvels follows Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, whose powers entwine with Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan and S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. As unintended consequences destabilize the universe, the trio must collaborate to navigate a new threat linked to a Kree revolutionary and an anomalous wormhole.
It is no secret that the quality of many Marvel Cinematic Universe projects has been rather inconsistent in recent years. A primary example of the wavering quality came in 2023, withThe Marvels, asequel to 2019’sCaptain Marvel. The film served as an opportunity for the studio to show a team-up between Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau, three characters from various recent MCU projects.
Unfortunately, this team-up did not end up being one that fans were particularly hungry to see.The Marvelswent on to becomeone of the biggest box office flops in recent memory, making only $200 million on a budget that was later estimated to have been as high as $378 million, not including the massive costs of marketing and distribution.
Even as the 33rd film in the MCU,The Marvelswas still the first one to ever bomb at the box office. Much of the blame for the film’s failure has been placed on the over-abundance of MCU projects in recent years, in addition to its underwhelming quality overall.
Power Rangers
Power Rangers (2017) follows five teenagers who are chosen to become the Power Rangers, tasked with protecting their town of Angel Grove and the world from an impending alien threat. As they grapple with personal challenges, they must unite to harness their newfound abilities to avert imminent destruction.
The heroic team known as thePower Rangershave been a pop culture sensation for decades now, first bursting into the mainstream in the mid-1990s.Power Rangershas resurfaced in an assortment of different forms over the years, including movies, TV shows, toys, comics, and more. Not all of these iterations have been received equally, however.
Despite the franchise’s popularity, audiences proved to be largely uninterested in a modern film reboot.
A notable standout in the 2017 feature film, simply titledPower Rangers.The film features the same characters fans had known and loved, but with an entirely new cast, offering a modern take on the colorful heroes. Despite the franchise’s popularity,audiences proved to be largely uninterested in a modern film reboot. The film had a budget of (at least) $100 million, but only managed to rake in a little over $140 million.
Combined with other costs,Power Rangersended up losing the studio a great deal of money, much to the dismay of the filmmakers. In addition to lacking the fun, campy atmosphere of previousPower Rangersprojects, the film also came with a surprising PG-13 rating, immediately eliminating much of its younger audience.
The Flash
The Flash is a DC Extended Universe film starring Ezra Miller as Barry Allen, A.K.A. The Flash. Wishing for a world where his mother still lives, Barry Allen manages to find a way to travel through time to save her. However, Barry ends up in an alternate universe where metahumans aren’t present, meaning a living General Zod arrives to conquer the planet. To save this world and return home, Barry will seek the help of two alternate reality heroes, Batman (Michael Keaton) and Supergirl (Sasha Calle).
The Marvel Cinematic Universe wasn’t the only major superhero franchise to have a massive flop in 2023. AlthoughThe Flashwas the first film in the DC Extended Universe to focus primarily on the speedy superhero, it was the thirteenth installment in the universe as a whole. To the disappointment of the fans and the filmmakers alike,The Flashdid not prove to be the exciting blockbuster hit they were hoping for.
The film earned $271.4 million at the box office, a figure that becomes rather unimpressive when compared to its massive budget of at least $200 million. AlthoughThe Flash’s performance was disappointing, it wasn’t entirely unexpected.
In the months leading up to the film’s release, more and more controversy began to pile up surrounding the film’s star, Ezra Miller, whose inclusion alone was enough to turn many potential viewers away.The Flashwas also negativelyimpacted by poor early reviews, strong competition from other superhero movies coming out at the same time, and the knowledge that the film would soon be made irrelevant due to the impending reboot of the DC Universe.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix
The team faces internal and external challenges in X-Men: Dark Phoenix, as Jean Grey transforms after absorbing a cosmic force during a space rescue mission. This newfound power tests her stability, prompting the X-Men to confront both Jean’s volatile state and alien forces seeking to exploit her abilities.
The mutant heroes known as theX-Menhave appeared in numerous comics and films over the years, but one of the most recent installments of the franchise brought the overall quality of the series into question. The 2019 feature,Dark Phoenix,serves as an origin story of sorts, exploring the adversity that Jean Grey faced on her path toward becoming the Phoenix.
Sadly,Dark Phoenixdid not end up being an origin story that many people felt they needed to see.Dark Phoenixresulted in a staggering financial loss for the studio, amounting toa deficit far exceeding $100 million dollars. The film earned $252.4 million at the box office, but this was nowhere near enough to negate its $200 million budget and hefty marketing costs.
Although there were other factors, it appears the most prominent explanation for the film’s lousy performance was simply its poor quality.Dark Phoenixwas received very poorly by both critics and audiences, leaving viewers unimpressed from every standpoint.
The Matrix Resurrections
Set sixty years after The Matrix Revolutions, The Matrix Resurrections is a sci-fi action movie that sees the return of Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne moss nearly twenty years after the release of the previous film. Neo has become a game developer who struggles to grasp reality, and his concerns are validated when a new visage of Morpheus arrives to free him from his prison - a newly created Matrix. Learning that Trinity is alive and being held prisoner, Neo will join a new rebel force to save her and confront a new, dangerous foe known as the Analyst.
The first three installments inThe Matrixfranchise all proved to be major hits, securing sizable profits for the studio time and time again. The fourth film, however, did not have as much luck.The Matrix Resurrectionscame in 2021, after nearly two decades had passed sinceThe Matrix Revolutions, the previous film in the series.
The return of Keanu Reeves to the role ofNeo may have been enticing to many sci-fi fans, but it did not prove to be enoughto revive the franchise to the original popularity it had achieved in the ’90s and early 2000s.The Matrix Resurrectionshad the largest budget of any installment of the franchise, by a fairly significant margin. Sadly, it also had the smallest amount of earnings at the box office.
Matrix Resurrections' Total Failure Is The Best Thing For The Matrix 5
The Matrix Resurrections flopped commercially, critically, and with fans, which could actually work to the benefit of the newly announced Matrix 5.
The film cost about $190 million to make, but only managed to earn a mere $159 million before ending its theatrical run. The cause of this financial failure, however, did become rather clear. The decision was made toreleaseThe Matrix Resurrectionson HBO Maxthe same weekend it entered theaters, prompting many potential viewers to stay home and watch it for free instead.
