Movies EVERYONE Thought Would SUCCEED But FAILED
They had the hype, the stars, the ready made audience, and the budget — but these movies still crashed and burned. This breakdown looks at Moonfall, Chaos Walking, Doolittle, Cats, Green Lantern, The Matrix Resurrections, Fantastic Beasts The Secrets of Dumbledore, and Red Notice, showing how major studios bet big on star power, popular franchises, and massive budgets… only to watch them fail.
In Moonfall in two thousand and twenty two, Roland Emmerich, the director behind Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow, had a dream setup — Patrick Wilson, Halle Berry, and a budget of one hundred and fifty million from Lionsgate. A strong trailer and pandemic recovery signs pointed to success. Instead, it made just sixty seven million worldwide, one of the decade’s biggest box office disasters.
Chaos Walking in two thousand and twenty one looked like a guaranteed franchise starter. Starring Daisy Ridley fresh off Star Wars and Tom Holland mid-Spider-Man hype, with source material from a hit young adult novel series. But years of production delays, disastrous test screenings, and costly reshoots pushed the budget to one hundred and twenty five million. The film barely hit one hundred million worldwide, vanishing from public awareness almost instantly.
Doolittle in two thousand and twenty was meant to be Robert Downey Junior’s first big post-Marvel success. Universal banked one hundred and seventy five million on it, hoping for a whimsical family hit. While Eddie Murphy’s nineties Dr Doolittle had thrived, this reboot was mauled by critics for incoherent storytelling and awkward CGI animals, losing tens of millions despite grossing two hundred and fifty million globally.
Cats in two thousand and nineteen remains a cautionary tale in adaptation misfires. With a ninety five million budget, Broadway pedigree, and an all-star cast including Taylor Swift, Idris Elba, Judi Dench, and James Corden, expectations were high. But its first trailer sparked horror over the digital fur technology, and box office returns stalled at seventy five million.
In two thousand and eleven, Green Lantern was Warner Brothers’ attempt to launch a DC Universe rival. Ryan Reynolds led the two hundred million production filled with cutting-edge CGI. It earned two hundred and twenty million worldwide — far from enough after marketing — killing franchise plans before they began.
The Matrix Resurrections in two thousand and twenty one was meant to revive one of cinema’s most iconic franchises. Instead, on a near two hundred million budget, it grossed just one hundred and fifty six million worldwide and was met with disappointment from both fans and critics.
Fantastic Beasts The Secrets of Dumbledore in two thousand and twenty two was another franchise casualty. Despite Harry Potter’s seven billion box office record, this spinoff managed only four hundred million worldwide, ending the series prematurely.
Finally, Netflix’s Red Notice in two thousand and twenty one united Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds for what was pitched as their biggest blockbuster ever. While streaming numbers were high, they mirrored the much cheaper Bird Box, and the two hundred million price tag made the return underwhelming. With little cultural impact, hopes for sequels faded fast.
From Lionsgate to Warner Brothers to Netflix, these films prove that even the safest bets in Hollywood can implode. Sometimes it is production chaos, sometimes bad timing, and sometimes, the audience just is not interested.
📌 Timestamps
00:00 Moonfall
01:55 Chaos Walkin
03:00 Doolittle
04:15 Matrix Resurrections
04:43 Cats
05:49 Green Lantern
06:42 Fantastic Beasts
07:30 Red Notice