2018 Box Office Busts

[Immortal Weapon]

I am just noticing this thread

So to be clear this not a good film but part of its failure is a critics hatch job. This is just a meh/average film but every critic seem ready blast with their best Young Adult films insults and trash it based on the genre. I don't feel too sorry because this mismarketed film but anything looking close to a young adult film will get brutal harsh reviews and the film wasn't that bad just generically average. Which brings us to today and Mortal Engines which is probably feeling some of that young adult/dystopian future backlash.

But more importantly who picked the date for Mortal Engines? Who went let us put this up against Aquaman, Bumblebee, Mary Poppins and Holiday/Christmas movies. I don't think it would be successful overall with another date but no way it had chance against this competition. Stuff like this underrated art form like Venom was put on the the perfect time from release and had like two or three weeks with nothing to really compete against it. Props for Battle Angel Alita for going "nah I am going to pass on this on massacre" put me up against Happy death day 2 and bunch of comedies or kid movies.

Whoever gave Mortal Engines it's date likely banked on Peter Jackson's name to sell it.

[Scott Taylor]

My dark horse for worst film of December is Vice. Its a $60 million budget and is a politically depressing movie opening on Christmas day. Brilliant!

[regnak]

With that opening the competition for Mortal Engines won’t matter that much. If it was doing well then competition could cripple it. But it is basically DOA.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

My dark horse for worst film of December is Vice. Its a $60 million budget and is a politically depressing movie opening on Christmas day. Brilliant!

Vice is basically about getting Oscar nods with it. It wouldn't shock me if they know the film won't do well and its about getting Bale an Oscar nomination.

[Zero Hunter]

I think Mortal Engines was going to be a hard sell no matter what. It is just a very weird looking movie. Maybe if they had opened it in that dead zone in early November when nothing else really came out they might have done better and got a few good weeks at the box office, but trying to go head to head with all big December releases was suicide from the start.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Vice is basically about getting Oscar nods with it. It wouldn't shock me if they know the film won't do well and its about getting Bale an Oscar nomination.

Agreed. Films like Vice are all about the Oscars, not box office victories which rarely happen anyway. Hell, I might check it out after I see Aquaman.

[Kirby101]

I disagree about Vice. It was made because Adam McKay wanted to make it. He has numerous big hits, but he also did The Big Short, about the 2008 financial collapse, which was actually a hit. Sometimes film makers make movies because they want to, not because they sit around and talk about getting an Oscar. I am sure this is a funny and scathing bio of Dick Cheney.

[Kirby101]

I think Mortal Engines was going to be a hard sell no matter what. It is just a very weird looking movie. Maybe if they had opened it in that dead zone in early November when nothing else really came out they might have done better and got a few good weeks at the box office, but trying to go head to head with all big December releases was suicide from the start.

From what I have heard, it is just not very good.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

The new Steve Carrell drama, Welcome To Marwen was DOA at the box office, racking up barely $2.5 million in its opening weekend (against a near $40 million dollar budget), WELL behind Aquaman, Bumblebee, Mary Poppins Returns and Spider-Man: Welcome To The Spider-Verse.

[LoganAlpha30X33]

I'm going to guess that those listed partially did better because they were all well known movies or attached to well know movies or franchises rather than being by themselves and most probably not even sure what Marwen is even about...

[jetengine]

The new Steve Carrell drama, Welcome To Marwen was DOA at the box office, racking up barely $2.5 million in its opening weekend (against a near $40 million dollar budget), WELL behind Aquaman, Bumblebee, Mary Poppins Returns and Spider-Man: Welcome To The Spider-Verse.

Marven is also an Oscar movie.

[titanfan]

Marwen has to be a throwaway movie—there is no way that anyone who possibly watched it could think it could be an Oscar contender. If they did—they are really out of touch.

[Kirby101]

Marewan is by Robert Zimekis, this is not a throw away or Oscar-bait, whatever that is. It just seems to be a missfire by an A List director.

[jetengine]

Marwen has to be a throwaway movie—there is no way that anyone who possibly watched it could think it could be an Oscar contender. If they did—they are really out of touch.

I've only seen the trailer but its a quirky take on a WW2 Vet dealing with his trauma at being beaten by a gang. That seems pretty Oscar Bait to me just less stereotypical about it.

[Killerbee911]

Holy crap Universal released Welcome to Marwen and Mortal Instruments...I would feel bad for them but then I remember they have the Hulks and Namor solo rights tied up