Top 6 blockbusters that are a disappointment

Will Smith and Barry Sonnenfeld’s first collaboration, Men in Black (1997), was a surprise hit grossing over $500 million worldwide. Teaming up again for an adaptation of the 1960s television series Wild Wild West, audiences and critics were anticipating another success. However, with the film straying far from the original, Robert Conrad refused a cameo and costly reshoots to inject more humour after test audiences were confused by the tone, put the project in doubt. Yet with Smith and Sonnenfeld’s track record audiences were still hopeful of an entertaining movie. Hopes were dashed, earning a disappointing $222.1 million and suffering a slaying by critics, the film performed well at the Golden Raspberries picking up five awards including Worst Picture, Worst Director and Worst Screenplay.

The first two Superman films were developed alongside each other with Richard Donner in the director’s chair for both. During production on Superman (1978), Donner and the producers didn’t see eye to eye which eventually culminated in his departure midway through it’s sequel. Richard Lester was brought in to replace him and finish the film. Superman II’s (1980) success spawned the inevitable third film in the franchise with Lester returning. Angry at the treatment of Donner, Gene Hackman refused to reprise his role as Lex Luthor and criticism from Margot Kidder saw her role as Lois Lane reduced. The tone changed to campy and comedic, with Richard Pryor oddly cast as one of the villains. Audiences around the world groaned in disappointment wondering if it could get any worse. Then Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) came along.

Universal’s iconic character The Mummy was rebooted in 1999 and was a surprise hit, grossing over $400 million worldwide. Of course a sequel was never in doubt. Writer/director Stephen Sommers and the original cast returned and was supplemented with an increase in budget, Universal were clearly optimistic. Unfortunately, in contrast to the original we were left with a weak plot that focused on action sequences and unimpressive visual effects. WWE legend Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson played a small role helping the film beat it’s predecessors earnings, encouraging a spin off, but it wasn’t a patch on the original.

When Independence Day opened in 1996, it was one of the greatest sci-fi action films of all time. Roland Emmerich’s visual effects spectacle grossed over $800 million worldwide, becoming the highest grossing film of that year. Determined to give us bigger and better, two years later he directed an American adaptation of Japan’s most famous scaly character, Godzilla. To build hype he produced one of the best teaser trailers at a cost of $600,000, but fans were not happy about the monsters redesign. The film itself was met with an overall negative reception. Still, the box office boomed and it won two awards…at the razzies, for ‘Worst Remake or Sequel’.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is the ultimate action movie star. A string of hits from the late 80s to early 90s include Predator (1987), Total Recall (1990) and Terminator 2 (1991). In 1993 when it was announced he would be starring in an action comedy satirising the genre and himself, anticipation was high with it’s unique premise and leading man mocking himself. John McTiernan, Arnie’s director on Predator was taking the helm and Lethal Weapon (1987) scribe Shane Black was on script rewrite duties. With such a talented team you’d wonder how it could possibly fail. Yet fail it did, opening at number 2 behind Sleepless in Seattle and losing $26 million. Not even advertising on the side of a rocket launched into space could save this one.