Top 10 Failed Attempts at Cinematic Universes
Top 10 Cinematic Universes That Flopped
If there’s one bad thing we can say about the MCU, it’s that it led to this. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 cinematic universes that flopped. For this list, we’ll be looking at studios’ least successful attempts to create shared cinematic universes.
#10: The X-Men Origins Universe
The “X-Men” franchise, for all its successes, got messy on more than one occasion. One of Fox’s biggest missteps came when it first tried to expand towards a larger universe. 2009’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” explored the popular mutant’s backstory before he joined the famous team of heroes. It was part of a planned series that would focus on individual mutants, and a Magneto origin story was meant to be next. Unfortunately, “Wolverine” was met with such contempt that the idea was scrapped altogether. Bits of this canceled project were eventually explored in “X-Men: First Class.” Honestly, considering “Wolverine” featured a bland story, lackluster CGI, and a muted Deadpool, we can’t say we’re surprised the idea didn’t get far.
#9: Men in Black/Jump Street
This is a bit of a weird one as both franchises are more or less successful. But their proposed shared universe never got much further than the planning stages. After “22 Jump Street” proved to be a hit, Sony expressed interest in making a third movie that crossed over with the “Men in Black” world. Schmidt and Jenko discovering the secret organization would’ve been comedic gold and could’ve simultaneously served to reboot the “MiB” series. “Alice Through the Looking Glass” director James Bobin even signed on to direct, proving that this got further than the concept stage. Sadly, Sony seemingly couldn’t make the conflicting tones come together cohesively. “Men in Black” still got a spin-off, but a far more forgettable one.
#8: Hood
Get ready to hear us talk about Sony a lot. In 2014, the studio purchased a cinematic universe pitch based on Robin Hood and his merry men. The pitch, simply titled “Hood,” reportedly cost Sony $1 million. In addition to a movie focusing on the hero, the pitch included stand-alone ideas for Little John, Friar Tuck, and Will Scarlett. So far, none of these have been made and it appears less likely every time another studio revisits Sherwood Forest. Lionsgate released a “Robin Hood” movie in 2018, which bombed. Disney will also be remaking their own version of “Robin Hood” soon. And Sony itself is currently developing a gritty spin-off focusing on Maid Marian after Robin Hood dies. This shared universe is DOA.
#7: The Valiant Cinematic Universe
It may be too early to declare this one dead, but it’s not off to a good start. 2020’s “Bloodshot” was a financial failure and poorly received by critics. Of course, the fact that its release coincided with a pandemic certainly didn’t help. Regardless, “Bloodshot” was meant to begin a cinematic universe for other characters from Valiant Comics to step into. Sony initially planned at least five films. But the second movie, “Harbinger,” was purchased by Paramount in late 2019. Whether or not “Harbinger” will be a part of “Bloodshot” or begin its own universe is unknown. But with one of the biggest shared universes in comics, behind only Marvel and DC, it would be a shame if the VCU went so quietly.
#6: Alien vs. Predator
Before the current trend of shared universes, 20th Century Fox attempted to blend their two alien franchises together. The first “AvP”, brought to us by Paul W. S. Anderson in 2004, was undone by forgettable human characters and bland action. Unfortunately, it made enough money to warrant a sequel. 2007’s “Requiem” basically rehashed the action of the previous instalment, just with more gore and a worse script. It barely made its budget back in the US, disappointing Fox. When Ridley Scott decided to revisit “Alien,” he wisely chose to keep the Predators out of it. And while neither property has truly returned to form, both are arguably better off.
#5: Ghostbusters
The 2016 reboot of “Ghostbusters” was meant to be a fresh start, unconnected to the original movies. And Sony had big plans for it. Before release, a sequel was planned, and there were also rumors about a male-centric film starring Channing Tatum and Chris Pratt, with “Avengers: Endgame” directors Joe and Anthony Russo at the helm. Then there were the ideas for animated TV series and films. However, “Ghostbusters” was poorly received, and underperformed at the box office. The upcoming “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” from Jason Reitman proves that Sony refuses to let this franchise die; but the film will be connected to the original movies, not the 2016 reboot.
#4: King Arthur
Tales from Camelot have been retold too many times to count. When Warner Bros. revisited Arthur’s origin yet again with director Guy Ritchie in 2017, there was talk of bringing all the Knights of the Round Table into the fold. Solo films for the origins of Lancelot and Merlin were discussed, though producer and co-writer Lionel Wigram stated they would’ve liked to reinvent each character. However, discussions are about as far as things went. Guy Ritchie’s flashy, modern style didn’t mesh well with Arthur’s world. This led to not only poor reviews, but also incredibly poor ticket sales. “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” couldn’t make its budget back, let alone launch a cinematic universe. Good thing Warner Bros. didn't get ahead of themselves!
#3: The Dark Tower
Adapting Stephen King’s epic fantasy series, which itself is connected to most of the author’s other works, was always going to be difficult. But Sony could’ve done much better than this. Featuring elements from several books, this 2017 flop was almost universally panned for being a boring mess. It naturally left things open for a sequel, although Sony wanted to expand to TV as well. The plan was for a TV series to focus on the origins of the Gunslinger, with the show itself also receiving spin-offs. However, “The Dark Tower” performed abysmally. A TV series was still going to move ahead with Amazon Prime, but they passed on the pilot in January 2020. For now, this literary world will be staying on the pages.
#2: “The Amazing Spider-Man” Universe
Sony has tried and failed with so many cinematic universes that we’re beginning to feel bad for them. In order to compete with “The Avengers,” they announced in 2013 that they would be launching their own superpowered cinematic universe centered around “The Amazing Spider-Man” movies. A five-person writing team was created to oversee the direction of the universe. Projects like two “Amazing Spider-Man” sequels and “Venom” were greenlit, as was “The Sinister Six,” which was teased at the end of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2.” However, the sequel was a box office low for Spider-Man and critical response wasn’t much kinder. Since then, Spider-Man has been brought into the MCU, while Sony is trying their hands at another Spider-Verse with “Venom” and the upcoming “Morbius.”
#1: The Dark Universe
Technically, Universal had the first shared cinematic universe. Sadly, the studio can’t seem to recapture that magic. Universal first tried to launch a shared world with 2014’s poorly received “Dracula Untold” . But what came next failed far more spectacularly. 2017’s “The Mummy” tanked hard with critics and audiences, forcing Universal to cancel their plans. They’d originally intended to reboot a slew of classic monster movies, and had Bill Condon set to direct “Bride of Frankenstein.” But the studio’s hubris was its very expensive downfall. On the up side, at least the cancellation of the Dark Universe left us with a good “Invisible Man” movie!