Top 30 FAILED Movie Franchises

#30: Beautiful Creatures (2013)

In the middle of the great, paranormal YA craze of the 2010s, Warner Bros. scrounged up a soapy book about witches in the hopes of finding the next Twilight. Only, this coven was the opposite of spell-binding. A solid cast couldnt save Beautiful Creatures from its cliche, trope-ridden narrative, and the movie failed to enchant either audiences or critics. Its even worse when you realize Warner Bros. was banking hard on this becoming a franchise. Theyd purchased the film rights to all four books in the series before the first film even hit theaters. But, after Beautiful Creatures completely bombed at the box-office, those plans were shelved just like an unfinished book.

#29: Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)

1994s Speed is a brilliant thriller centered around a simple, yet effective gimmick: if the bus falls below 50 miles-per-hour, it goes boom. Its not the kind of concept that lends itself to follow-ups. But, that sure didnt stop 20th Century Fox, whose hubris demanded a sequel. Thats how we got Cruise Control, a snoozefest thats as uninspired as its name. It doesnt even have Keanu Reeves! Theres just no world where trading a high-speed bus for a plodding boat is a good idea. But, then again, theres also no world where a sequel to Speed works, anyways. This is one film that shouldve just stayed a standalone.

#28: Tomb Raider (2018)

Forget a sequel. This movie effectively ended a whole potential universe! Thats not to say 2018s Tomb Raider is awful, though. Despite the tired origin story, Alicia Vikander legitimized the gritty tone, and the movie did just well-enough for the studio to consider a whole shared universe of video game characters. Unfortunately, consider is as far as they got. The Tomb Raider sequel was hit by delay after delay until, eventually, the rights to the franchise expired altogether, effectively ending the grand, cinematic crossover. Its a shame the planned follow-up never materialized since, more than a lot of other one-offs, this franchise had real potential.

#27: Planet of the Apes (2001)

Tim Burton needs no introduction. His style is so recognizable, a Planet of the Apes film directed by him practically writes itself. For better or for worse. While full of Burtons wit and some cutting-edge prosthetics, this 2001 reboot suffered from a muddled story and a lot of questionable plot beats. Like, Ape-Braham Lincoln? Really? The movie did fine enough at the box-office, but audiences werent exactly bananas for it. The mixed reception didnt inspire much confidence in a direct sequel. So, Fox took their money, waited a decade, and rebooted it with the much more mainstream Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Sorry, Tim!

#26: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

Say what you will, but this sequel did not lack ambition. In fact, Sony had grand plans of springboarding this movie into not just more Spidey-films, but a whole slew of spinoffs, too. However, in trying to establish half a dozen new characters and storylines, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 became a complicated web of unfinished ideas. You had Harry Osborns descent into villainy, Electros origin story, Rhino running amok, Gwens fate, and the mystery of Peters parents all crammed into one, scattered two hour film. It was too much, and Spideys webs buckled under the pressure. In an ironic twist of fate, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 didnt start the franchise - it ended it.

#25: The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)

Another day, another YA franchise thrown to the werewolves. This one couldve been big, too. The Mortal Instruments series practically flew off bookshelves in the early 2010s. But, hardly any of those readers paid to see the feature film in theaters. You cant really blame them, though. The film is a lousy mess that reduces the source material into a lame, melodramatic copycat. Like every other young adult romance, The Mortal Instruments had a long line of books to adapt into future movies. But, following the poor returns of the first installment, none of them ever made it to the big screen.

#24: The Fantastic Beasts Series (2016-22)

Harry Potters magical films are a staple in the hearts of many. Fantastic Beasts? Not so much. Based on a supplementary field manual, the proposed five-part franchise felt like a cash-grab from day one. To make matters worse, the first Fantastic Beasts film debuted as one of the lowest-grossing Wizard World films, ever. The actual record was later stolen by its sequel, which was then overtaken yet again by the third installment. Seeing the writing on the wall, Warner Bros. embarrassingly cancelled the Fantastic Beasts series after just three of its planned five parts were released. Theres no spell in all of Hogwarts to save face after something like that.

#23: Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) & Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013)

The whole point of adapting a popular novel is you have a built-in audience, and a proven story to pull from. Percys big-screen adventures bafflingly ignored both. Fans of the books have ridiculed the Lightning Thief movie for years over the fact that it plays more like a Cliffnotes version than an actual adaptation. The sequel, Sea of Monsters, falls into the exact same pitfalls. The reputation was so bad, a good chunk of the fanbase practically cheered when the rest of the film series was canned. Thankfully, theres a happy ending to this story, with Percy fans getting the adaptation they deserved with the live-action Disney+ series.

#22: Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)

Good special effects can only you get you so far, a lesson Valerian had to learn the hard way. The beloved source material felt dated and cliche by the time it hit screens in 2017. As a result, audiences stayed far away, eventually forcing the film into the sad category of massive box-office bomb. The French comics had a whole slew of storylines future installments could pull from, and considering the quasi-cliffhanger of the first film, that was clearly the intent. But, if the poor audience reception didnt squash hopes of a sequel, the truly awful box-office definitely did.

#21: The Divergent Series: Allegiant (2016)

No, you arent counting wrong. Theres three Divergent novels, and three live-action films. The issue is the movies dont actually adapt the full books. Very obviously following in the footsteps of Harry Potter and Twilight, the overconfident Lionsgate decided to split the final Divergent book into two films. Except, they only made one. Allegiant royally flopped with audiences, critics, and at the box-office, leaving no choice but to cancel the fourth and final film. Its not every day you see such an obvious example of Hollywood succumbing to its own hubris. But, hopefully the suits took that as a lesson to never, ever expect a sequel.

#20: Mortal Engines (2018)

With Lord of the Rings writers Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens penning the script for this adaptation; and many of that trilogys cast and crew returning, things seemed promising at first for Mortal Engines. The film looked to emulate the success of other young adult series following young female protagonists through a post-apocalyptic world. However, this was no Hunger Games. The films massive scope may have been too much for first-time director and longtime Jackson collaborator Christian Rivers. While the films ruined landscape and predator cities looked incredible thanks to Weta Digitals special effects, it also came with an insane budget. Its abysmal opening and even worse hold led it to losing an estimated $175 million dollars, dooming any sequel plans.

#19: Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

Of all the commercial products solely designed to manipulate the male gender, Battle: Los Angeles is one of the most blatant. The film is overstuffed with everything macho, including the American military, lethal aliens, explosions, video game action sequences, and Michelle Rodriguez as a tough soldier. Maybe this would be cool if there was something of substance backing it all up, but Battle: Los Angeles has about as much nutritional value as a certain Michael Bay franchise. Unlike Transformers, though, this film lost the battle and the war with audiences.

#18: Madame Web (2024)

Sonys desire to emulate the success of the MCU led them to create a number of superhero films with whatever rights they held, including the ill-fated Madame Web. Cassandra Webb, an elderly clairvoyant with a visual disability and paralysis in her legs, was pulled from the Spider-Man fringes to the center stage. She was reimagined as a young EMT, which already snips a lot of the characters intrigue. Dakota Johnson was joined by Sydney Sweeney trying her best, and a constantly redubbed Tahar Rahim, along with Adam Scott as a shoehorned in Uncle Ben. The plot pulled from parts of Spider-Mans lore that are forgotten, despised, or both. And while it did promise multiple Spider-Women, they wouldnt receive their powers or costumes in this film. Or any other for that matter.

#17: The A-Team (2010)

An A-Team movie had been in development since the mid '90s. By the time the film finally came out in 2010, it was too little too late. While not a colossal flop, modern moviegoers were borderline uninterested in seeing a screen adaptation of an '80s series starring Oskar Schindler, Phil from The Hangover, that one guy from District 9, and Not Mr. T. It's fitting that the A-Team never has a Plan B since director Joe Carnahan announced that a sequel won't be happening.

#16: Speed Racer (2008)

Following the success of the Matrix trilogy, people were excited to see what the Wachowskis would do next. The answer was Speed Racer, a film that had been in developmental hell since the early 90s, though the filmmakers did make it truly their own. Speed Racer emulated the anime on which it was based with its bright colors and over-the-top characters. Its plot about grit and determination triumphing over corporate machinations and evil capitalists was surprisingly earnest. And people hated it. Overwhelmingly negative critical reviews and an abysmal box office return killed a planned sequel. Over the years however, the film has earned a much deserved reappraisal, frequently hailed as an underrated masterpiece.

#15: I Am Number Four (2011)

One of several teen romance films that desperately wanted to be the next Twilight, I Am Number Four tells another story of an attractive outsider who falls for an ordinary girl in a quiet town. The only difference is that the protagonist is a sexy, brooding alien with no personality instead of a sexy, brooding vampire with no personality. Granted, I Am Number Four has a few more action set pieces likely included in the hopes that theyd attract a wider audience. But in the end the film didn't attract much of anyone.

#14: Van Helsing (2004)

Just as he did with The Mummy, Stephen Sommers brought many of Universals classic monsters to life in this re-imagining of Draculas greatest foe. With characters like Frankenstein's monster, Mr. Hyde, the Wolfman, and of course Dracula himself, sequels, potential spin offs, and even a TV show were expected. Universal was so confident that the studio paid to keep the sets and began developing a follow-up before Van Helsing even opened. However, many monster movie fans were unhappy with the transformation of the older stoic Abraham Van Helsing into the action hero Gabriel Van Helsing with his gadgets and quippy dialogue. Despite Hugh Jackmans best efforts and some moderate success at the box office, the awful reception drove a stake through the planned sequels heart.

#13: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)

A franchise based on a video game can be a risky proposition. While in recent years some have found success, many more would-be franchises sputtered and died before ever getting a sequel script. Such was the case with Disneys Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, with studio heads referring to it as their next Pirates of the Caribbean. On the surface, the similarities a swashbuckling historical adventure based on popular IP seemed clear. However the parallels were surface-level at best and it failed to duplicate the success of Pirates. Critics werent fond of the film and rightly criticized it for its whitewashing while video game fans thought it deviated too much from the game on which it was based.

#12: Lemony Snickets a Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)

To be fair, A Series of Unfortunate Events was a fun adaptation. It captured the darkly whimsical spirit of Lemony Snicket's books and Jim Carrey was born to play Count Olaf. With thirteen novels in the series, though, there was simply too much material to squeeze into one or even several films. As a result, A Series of Unfortunate Events felt a bit rushed, while failing to attract an enduring audience. Luckily, the TV series developed by Netflix had better luck in that regard.

#11: The Lone Ranger (2013)

Still desperate to recreate the success of the Pirates franchise, Disney reunited the star, director, producer, and writers of the original trilogy for The Lone Ranger. Like those films it also carried a massive price tag, with an estimated budget of $225-250 million dollars even after budgetary concerns were raised by Disney, which caused production delays. Hopes that the budget would be recouped at the box office were destroyed when it opened against Despicable Me 2, which, despite being made for a third of The Lone Rangers budget, made triple that weekend. It fared no better critically and wasnt helped by the controversy surrounding Johnny Depp playing a Comanche warrior.

#10: The Golden Compass (2007)

From a technical standpoint, The Golden Compass had all the right tools to bring Philip Pullman's celebrated novel to life. The film even won an Oscar for its jaw-dropping special effects. But, as beautiful as the film looked, the story's complex themes regarding religion and freewill were lost in the midst of all the visual eye candy. Fans of the books were disappointed, those who never read the book were just confused, and director Chris Weitz has practically disowned the film, which he claimed was ruined due to the studio's involvement.

#9: Power Rangers (2017)

While not a totally horrendous bomb, Power Rangers severely underperformed at the box office with the film barely turning a profit. Similarly, while its reviews weren't overly negative, they weren't particularly good either, splitting critics down the middle. So why is a mild disappointment middling film even here? Its because of the overwhelming confidence that Lionsgate would get not just another movie but at least five more! It was revealed that the film was meant to be the first in an arc that could span six to eight movies, with much being held back for the potential sequels. For instance, fan favorite green ranger Tommy Oliver, who was teased in a post credits scene that would ultimately go nowhere.

#8: Eragon (2006)

Adaptations of Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings were huge financial successes in the early 2000s. Therefore, another adaptation of a popular fantasy book series seemed like a no-brainer and Eragon got the green light. Plans were in place to shoot the second and third installments back-to-back after what director Stefen Fangmeier assumed would be a highly successful first project. The planned trilogy would never come to fruition, however, as fans of the book were united with critics in their disdain for the film. Despite it crashing and burning, fans remained passionate with the release of further books, petitioning for a rebooted TV series. Those prayers have seemingly been answered with a show reportedly in the works for Disney+.

#7: John Carter (2011)

Disney's lucky that they've produced some of the biggest franchises of all time because the company has also gambled away countless millions on some of the biggest bombs - like John Carter. This space adventure tried nothing new, borrowing elements from Pirates of the Caribbean, Avatar, Thor, and every other popular blockbuster in recent memory. It's kind of ironic that a film based on a revolutionary sci-fi novel and directed by the brilliant Andrew Stanton would amount to such a mundane and uninspired waste of time, not to mention money.

#6: Warcraft (2016)

Legendary Pictures truly swung for the fences when deciding to adapt one of the biggest video game franchises of all time in Warcraft. They did this by hiring acclaimed and at-the-time upcoming director Duncan Jones, giving the film a massive budget to fully realize the fantasy world of Azeroth. All involved expected the adaptation to birth a long running fantasy series. While the end result undoubtedly looked spectacular, it was a hollow spectacle. The script left much to be desired and was torn apart by critics. Its massive budget and marketing campaign meant that, despite a healthy take at the box office, it failed to be profitable.

#5: Dragonball Evolution (2009)

Dragon Ball has existed for decades through multiple iterations and mediums, and was incredibly popular in Japan, the US, and the world over. So, to studio execs in the late aughts, it was ripe for an incredible and long-spanning live-action franchise. Hollywood wisely decided to adapt the beloved manga and anime with an eye on making multiple entries for years to come. However, they not-so-wisely decided to deviate heavily from the source material, turning the cherished series into a generic action flick. Perhaps worst of all was the casting of Justin Chatwin as Goku. A few years after its catastrophic release, series creator Akira Toriyama described the movie as bland and something he could not call Dragon Ball.

#4: Green Lantern (2011)

In an age of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and The Dark Knight trilogy, Green Lantern came off like a multi-million dollar afterschool special. Although the cast was blameless for the most part, the effects were CGI overkill, the villains were literally cartoon characters, and the plot never took off. Fortunately, it at least looks like DC is trying to get their act together with Nathan Fillion newly cast as the new Green Lantern, an actor who seems perfect for the role after so many years of voicing the character. We can only hope the writing will be stronger this time around.

#3: Fantastic Four (2015)

Marvels first family have always had a rocky relationship (no pun intended) with film adaptations. After some moderate success in the 2000s, Fox decided to give the franchise a gritty reboot when they brought in director Josh Trank. Problems arose from the start with bickering over the script during pre-production and a number of complaints aimed at Tranks behavior during filming. Allegedly, he and star Miles Teller almost even got into a fistfight on set. Problems were compounded by massive reshoots, leading to a film where actors facial hair and obvious wigs varied between scenes. Upon release, the film was widely panned and considered one of the worst superhero films ever made with its announced sequels release date quietly removed from Foxs schedule.

#2: The Last Airbender (2010)

Seeing how Avatar: The Last Airbender was pretty much perfect to begin with, M. Night Shyamalan had no reason to make a live-action cliff notes film adaptation. Given how phenomenal the animated series remains, though, shouldn't some of that greatness have worked its way into The Last Airbender? Nope! Instead, Shyamalan messed with core elements, while stripping the story of any humor, heart, or magic and said, Isn't my version so much better, you guys? Fans around the world responded with a resounding, no, bringing this new Avatar Cycle to an end before it even started.

#1: Universals Dark Universe (2017)

Plans for an entire slate of interconnected monster films, including Bride of Frankenstein and The Invisible Man, with the first to be released The Mummy, were announced as an attempt for Universal to get into the cinematic universe trend. On paper, it made sense with their monster movies of the 1930s to the 50s serving as the original cinematic universe. The official Dark Universe Twitter account even posted a (heavily photoshopped) picture with the announced leads of the films. Upon release, The Mummy contained a number of Easter Eggs and teases for future films and had Russell Crowe as a Nick Fury-esce Mr. Hyde. After the films disastrous opening, any future projects were delayed and then outright canceled, killing the cinematic universe before it ever lived.

Which never-to-be film franchise do you think was the biggest mistake? Let us know in the comments below!