Following theTwilightfranchise’s success, many others attempted to follow in its footsteps, with one mid-2010s film (that is trending on Netflix, as of the writing of this article) failing to do so.All fiveTwilightmovies are adaptations of Stephenie Meyer’s book series of the same name. They took the world by storm after the first film’s premiere in 2008, becoming a cultural phenomenon as many argued over Team Edward versus Team Jacob and eagerly anticipated the next release.Twilighthelped popularize the supernatural romance genre and significantly influenced many books, TV shows, and movies,including one 2016 film.
Netflix is adapting Stephenie Meyer’s 2020Twilightcompanion bookMidnight Suninto an animated series. It will be a retelling ofTwilightfrom Edward’s perspective instead of Bella’s.
Aside from its cultural impact,Twilightlaunched numerous actors' careers. Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner all rose to fame due to their involvement in theTwilightfilms. So, it’s easy to see why many wanted to replicate the franchise’s success. Some were more fortunate than others (likeThe Hunger GamesandDivergent). However,one movie in particular was supposed to be the nextTwilightuntil it bombed at the box officeand received an overwhelming amount of negative reviews.
Fallen’s Fantasy Premise Set It Up As A New Twilight Replacement Series
Fallen & Twilight Have Many Similarities
Fallen, a 2016 romantic fantasy drama, shares many things in common withTwilight, leading some to believe that it would follow in the dominant franchise’s footsteps.Fallenadapts Lauren Kate’s 2009 novel of the same namefor the big screen. The book, which spawned five sequels, is quite popular, which is why it had the potential to becomethe nextTwilight. Unfortunately, that plan never came to fruition as the series' sequels were never adapted into films.
LikeTwilight,Fallenrevolves around a teenager joining a new school.There, she meets a handsome, mysterious boy she can’t help but feel drawn to. Lucinda “Luce” Price, who is similar to Bella Swan, is sent to Sword & Cross Reform School as punishment after she is accused of murdering someone. Meanwhile, Daniel Grigori is Edward Cullen’s counterpart, but he’s not a vampire. Still, asFallengoes on, more details about Daniel’s past and identity are revealed, and they’re as complex as Edward’s.
Given thatfive more books remain in Kate’s series afterFallen,the film was evidently meant to start a movie franchise, similar toTwilight.Fallenpremiered four yearsafterTwilightendedand could’ve easily become its replacement. Instead, it epically flopped.
Fallen’s Negative Critical Response & Box Office Failure Explained
The Film Bombed At The Box Office
Fallenwas a big swing and miss due to its poor performance in theaters and negative reviews. According toThe Direct,the 2016 romantic fantasy drama only grossed $2.5 million at the worldwide box office,mostly because of its unfortunate reception (it has a 7 percent Rotten Tomatoes score). Critics called it unoriginal,accused the movie of copyingTwilight, and pointed out the lack of chemistry between the actors.Fallen’s distribution company also seemingly didn’t market the film properly. As a result, not many were compelled to go to the theaters to seeFallen.
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$711 million
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$698.5 million
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$712.2 million
49%
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$848.5 million
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Twilightalso received mixed to negative reviews from critics. However, all five movies had exceptional box office performances, with the last one,The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, grossing the most money with $848.5 million. It could stand to have unfavorable criticism. Overall,Twilightis one ofthe highest-grossing film series ever,earning over $3 billion.It would be difficult for any movie to live up to that expectation, especially one with bad reviews and a poor (or lack thereof) marketing strategy.
Will Fallen 2 Ever Happen?
A Sequel Was In Development
As mentioned above, there are six books in theFallenbook series. So, the plan was likely to adapt all of them — even a sequel was reportedly in development in 2014, two years before the first movie premiered. Due toFallen’s critical and commercial failure, though, nothing came of these plans.A TV adaptation of the first novel debuted in 2024on the Brazilian streaming service Globoplay, but even that isn’t confirmed to continue after its first season. After all this time, fans shouldn’t hold their breaths for aFallensequel, despite its recent success on Netflix.
Twilight’s TV Remake Can Be Better Than The Movie, But It’s Doomed To Repeat The Worst Edward & Bella Mistake
The animated Twilight TV show is on its way to being better than the movie, but also to repeat the most controversial Edward and Bella mistake.
