Blockbusters That Deserved To Flop

[Guest John Hancock]

Today, MSN have released a list of films that did INCREDIBLY well, but, as films, on their own merit, without P.R., or book deals, or being sequals, or have a big star, deserved to flop. There list was;

 

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

The Da Vinci Code

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Marley And Me

High School Musical 3

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Clash of the Titans

Wild Hogs

Scooby Doo

Sex and the City 2

Cheaper By The Dozen

Rush Hour 3

Men In Black 2

Star War: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace

The Waterboy

 

Seems a pretty solid list to me, but what do you think? Are thereany films you'd add to the list, and, conversely, are there any you'd take off of it.

[Guest Anime Otaku]

Rush Hour 3 was pretty good and I LOVED The Waterboy, Men In Black 2 was okay, weaker than the original but not awful, though I didn't think it was much of a success anyway.

[Guest Phil]

I thought Wild Hogs was brilliant, sure it's success depended on the four main leads, but I think it's unfair to have it in that list.

[Guest Beefhead]

OK Waterboy doesn't make much sense to be on this list, as what previous merits was it going from Adam Sandler wasn't even that big of a star yet. Wild Hogs was enjoyable, I thought. Men in Black 2 was far better then the turd that was MIB.

[DC 536]

Today, MSN have released a list of films that did INCREDIBLY well, but, as films, on their own merit, without P.R., or book deals, or being sequals, or have a big star, deserved to flop.

So, in essence, they deserved to flop because they weren't little indy films that were headlined by no-name "actors" from the Canadian wilderness?

 

I mean, as an example, The Godfather II falls into all of these categories. It was a sequel, it was sourced from a novel, it had a big PR campaign (for the time) and had big stars in the main roles. Another example is The Dark Knight, which also falls into all four categories.

 

I know you're only the messenger, J-Rock, so this isn't aimed at you (hence why I removed your name from the quote); can anyone say why these movies deserved to flop? Because they're mainstream movies that weren't 5-star classics? Because they weren't aimed at the demographic you belong to?

 

On the flip side, another movie that did really well was Inglourious Basterds, but a lot of people felt it was overrated or downright horrible. If they said Tarantino's film deserved to flop, would they be right?

Edited August 19, 2010 by DC

[BRM 220]

Cheaper by the Dozen did well?

 

Watched Clash of the Titans the other week and yeah that should of flopped.

 

 

Watched The Da Vinci Code before I read the book and it was OK. Put it against Angels and Demons though and it just comes across as a cluster**** of a film.

 

I know you're only the messenger' date=' J-Rock, so this isn't aimed at you (hence why I removed your name from the quote); can anyone say why these movies deserved to flop? Because they were mainstream movies weren't 5-star classics? Because they weren't aimed at the demographic you belong to?[/quote']

 

Because as pieces of cinema, they're a a bit crap???

Edited August 19, 2010 by BRM

[DC 536]

Because as pieces of cinema, they're a a bit crap???

But shitloads of people enjoyed them and felt they were good/great movies, so it's not as cut-and-dry as that.

[Guest Jimmy Redman]

Thats why we're having the thread, I think. To discuss the merits of the list.

[etz 78]

So, I'll take them point by point then, shall I?

 

Agree

 

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

 

A movie adaption of a second rate book. There are many books at least a thousand times more worthy of a movie in the vampire fiction genre.

 

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

 

I haven't seen it, and as an 80's kid, that says a lot. Then again, I thought the 1st one was over-rated.

 

Marley And Me

 

Was this huge? If it was, I suspect it's because of it's wide appeal. It's a movie that almost everyone can sit through, apparently. I haven't seen it so I can't really comment except to say it's not my kind of movie.

 

High School Musical 3

 

I'd dump HSM1 and 2 in the same category, really. Grease, they are not.

 

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

 

Indy should have stayed gone. I think South Park got it right when they showed the Indiana character being raped by Lucas and Spielberg.

 

Scooby Doo

 

Much as it pains me, despite Sarah Michelle Gellar, this movie was mhe..

 

Cheaper By The Dozen

 

Ok, yeah totally deserved to fail.

 

Rush Hour 3

 

One too many Rush Hours, I think.

 

Sex and the City 2

 

A sequel to a movie based on a good tv show. The problem is translating what made the TV great to a movie screen, and that's rare.

 

 

Disagree

 

Wild Hogs

 

Oh, come on. Any movie with those four guys in the lead is never going to fail. Besides, it's a bunch of older guys acting like teenagers, which is always a likely hit.

 

Men In Black 2

 

That has to be a joke, right?

 

Star War: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace

 

Overhyped by the media more that the PR, I thought. It was ok, not on par with the franchise, but I actually watched the whole thing, so it wasn't that bad. And it's Star Wars, so it was never going to fail, no matter how much it "deserved" to.

 

The Waterboy

 

I hate most Sandler films, so I can't comment, but I don't think it was actually a bad movie.

 

The Da Vinci Code

 

Actually, this wasn't that bad. I didn't expect much, and it was better than it had any right to be coming from a book that long. But then I usually lower my expectations of films adapted from books, since the books is almost always better.

 

Clash of the Titans

 

Well, it's a remake of a well loved movie. Did it deserve to fail? I don't know, but I don't think it was that bad. At least, from what people have said. I haven't seen it myself.

 

 

And if we're looking for additions of films that did incredibly well despite being undeserving, I have to nominate Titanic. That should have sunk like it's namesake. Far too long, far too little a disaster movie and far too much a romantic tragedy. Bouyed up solely by all the 14 year old girls on the planet seeing it at least 350 times each (this is an exaggeration...), much like that Twilight drivel.

Edited August 20, 2010 by etz

[Guest Dante Spears]

Phantom Menace (midiclorians, Jar-Jar and Jake Lloyd notwithstanding) actually FELT like a Star wars film. If you're gonna attack one attack 2 or 3 when Lucas abandoned all good story telling for crappy CGI and laughable angst. THEY deserved to fail

[Guest SuperKick Kid]

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

 

Yes Yes Yes and even more Yes

[Guest Saz]

Phantom Menace was such a pile of stinking poo, there is a short of them watching the film at the first screening and the look on their faces is priceless. Basically Lucas admits he's f*cked it up but it's too late to do anything about it as the deadline is in a few days.

 

Independence Day, a film about how America is so cool and kick ass and everyone else is a bit sh*t really any one with a bit of common sense would have turned away, but it had Will, Bill and 'splosions!

[Maxximus 353]

America is so cool and kick ass and everyone else is a bit sh*t really(...)

 

QFT.

[Guest Twig]

It takes a big man to admit that, Saz. :P

[Guest Jimmy Redman]

Independence Day was f*cking AWESOME. Stop the hatin'.

[Guest John Hancock]

I too liked Independance Day. It wasn't exactly the Godfather, but it was a bit of fun, and I can over look silly Hollywood patriotism when it's got a good film behind it.

[Maxximus 353]

I saw Independence Day in the theater with friends. One of those friends cried when Bill Pullman gave his little war speech.

This guy stands about six foot and weighs 240 some odd pounds.

He played on a state championship High School football team, had a full ride schollorship to a Big 10 school and had been in the Navy for a while.

In other words, he was a big tough guy.

 

I lol'd at him.

 

The movie itself was alright. I just cant stand Jeff Goldblum. He is incapable of playing a character as anything other than Jeff Goldblum.

[ShaolinHandLock 73]

Independence Day was f*cking AWESOME. Stop the hatin'.

 

This woman/man/thingy speaks the truth.

[DC 536]

The movie itself was alright. I just cant stand Jeff Goldblum. He is incapable of playing a character as anything other than Jeff Goldblum.

Didn't do John Wayne or Clint Eastwood any harm. ;)

[Maxximus 353]

They weren't Jewish.