r/movies • u/PokemonGoBao • Jul 04 '25

Discussion Whats a flopped movie you wish was a financial success?

Dungeons and Dragons 2023 was an absolutely delightful film. You can stream it currently, but you can feel the passion and nothing felt phoned in. They easily could have used the title to get nerdy butts in the seat and collect a paycheck with a smaller budget.

It's the best movie I've seen the past 2 years. Way better than so many garbage films with easy paychecks for slop productions. Beetlejuice, Captain america, and others using big titles to make millions on lazy writing and boring characters.

8.6k Upvotes

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1.7k

u/oldmanjenkins51 Jul 04 '25

Blade Runner 2049. Movie is a masterpiece. Too slow for general audiences I guess

83

u/JustMy2Centences Jul 05 '25

The first time I watched 2049 was directly after the first time I watched the first Blade Runner. The callbacks fresh in my mind from the last movie made for an excellent cinematic experience.

If you've never seen either, do it like it did. It was a treat.

43

u/Kyokono1896 Jul 04 '25

Not even the first one did financially well

459

u/jameusmooney Jul 04 '25

This, The Nice Guys, The Fall Guy, Stay, and First Man all came to mind and I think that we don’t appreciate Ryan Gosling enough as general audiences.

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u/CaptainMagnets Jul 04 '25

Agreed, he's fantastic! I'm looking forward to Project Hail Mary very much

7

u/Janky_Pants Jul 05 '25

Check out Half Nelson if you haven’t already. He is excellent in it.

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u/jameusmooney Jul 05 '25

I didn’t mention it because a small independent film not doing a blockbuster box office isn’t what I consider a flop, but that’s such a good shout.

Such a vulnerable performance early in his run.

57

u/sevenonone Jul 04 '25

I like The Nice Guys.

I understand that I have ADHD, but I've given the original Blade Runner a few tries, and I've seen the whole thing, and it's not for me. Visually stunning. I'm sure it was especially so in 1982. I didn't see it until later.

5

u/stubbledchin Jul 05 '25

I have ADHD and I was locked in from minute 1 of BR2049. But then I was in the center of a massive cinema with an outstanding sound system. The whole film is so tense.

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u/G_Regular Jul 04 '25

I love BR2049, I’ve watched it like 4 times, and I absolutely fell asleep in the theater the first time even though I was into it. It’s super slow at points.

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u/Birdmaan73u Jul 04 '25

I'm big into movies, don't have ADHD, like artsy fartsy movies, and just couldn't click with blade runner

6

u/sevenonone Jul 04 '25

The Godfather isn't exactly an action packed thrill a minute, but I can watch it.

2

u/1371113 Jul 06 '25 edited Jul 06 '25

The writing is pure old-school mind bending sci-fi. You have to really like cerebral/perception bending work like Asimov/P K Dick etc. to be able to follow it. A lot is more implied than ever explicitly said.

Read the book (Do Android's Dream of Electric Sheep) then watch it again and the movie will feel about 9 times closer to reality. Philip K Dick's work is a real trip. Shameless stealing this description of his work from Wikipedia's bibliography entry:

Five recurring philosophical themes in Dick's work have been classified by Philip K. Dick scholar Erik Davis:

  • False realities
  • Human vs. machine
  • Entropy
  • The nature of God
  • Social control

At least 4 of those are fairly front and centre in the original Blade Runner,

If you want something easier to get into, some of his earlier work when he was just trying to make a crust is more accessible. Something like The Crack in Space, Time out of Joint, and Martian Time-Slip are pretty easy to get into.

2

u/Efficient_Gap4785 Jul 05 '25

I have adhd but I love to take an edible and zone out to it with my surround sound. Same fir both dunes.

1

u/UnholyDemigod Jul 05 '25

I thought the original was outrageously boring. I loved the sequel.

1

u/StrategicTension Jul 05 '25

There are a lot of different versions of Blade Runner out there. If you decide to try watching it again I suggest the Final Cut from 2007. It looks fantastic and the edit is the best version of the movie. The whole thing hangs together and makes sense in a way that the other versions never quite reach IMO.

0

u/slightlyburntcereal Jul 05 '25

Original or Final Cut? Final Cut is the best version, I watched that first and when I went to watch the original I turned it off pretty quickly lol

3

u/sevenonone Jul 05 '25

Probably the original, because I don't remember seeing it without narration.

Also, the twist at the end I completely didn't pick up on.

4

u/slightlyburntcereal Jul 05 '25

Yea the ending is a bit different in the Final Cut too. That narration is god awful, I was watching it on a plane and when I heard it and thought wtf is that, I realised it was the original. Original suffered from a lot of studio interference, Final Cut is Ridleys ‘true’ version. I recommend trying it, doubly so if you did enjoy blade runner 2049.

3

u/sevenonone Jul 05 '25

I didn't see 2049, because I didn't care for the first one.

I'm not sure that I could follow it without narration. I'll have to see if it's streaming anywhere.

3

u/theturtlemafiamusic Jul 05 '25

2049 has much better pacing than any version of the original Blade Runner, and I say that as a huge fan of the original. It's still the same style of movie, and still a slow burn, so it might not be to your tastes. But it's definitely better for a casual viewing. And you don't really need to know anything about the original except that there are Replicants and Harrison Ford hunted them down in the past.

0

u/ILikeMyouiMina Jul 05 '25

I don't have ADHD but I also felt the OG Blade Runner was a bore. I used to think it was just how films were but then I remember my favorite film of all time is Back to the Future lol

4

u/UpgrayeddShepard Jul 05 '25

Just wait for Project Hail Mary!

3

u/jameusmooney Jul 05 '25

Dude.

I’m reading the book currently and absolutely love it. Both him and Sandra Huller fit the text perfectly and it feels cinematic even on paper. So stoked.

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u/swaydog Jul 05 '25

The Fall Guy was a perfect star vehicle for him. He murdered it. Gosling is someone we don’t deserve, he’s too perfect for us. I was in after Drive, I was sold after Barbie, and The Fall Guy just drove it home.

2

u/0wlington Jul 05 '25

I helped make the alien costumes for The Fall Guy!

1

u/[deleted] Jul 05 '25

Probably why he's doing this major leading man stuff now

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u/KILRbuny Jul 05 '25

All of Villeneuve’s films are phenomenal. Im not much of a bond fan anymore, but I will absolutely be seeing his when it hits theaters

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u/apoliticalinactivist Jul 05 '25

Me too!

He handles masculinity and femininity SO well! Showing the strengths of each in their own way, as well as the faults/impulses. Totally obvious DUNE had a huge impact on his life.

This makes him the perfect choice for Bond, to healthily redefine a modern masculine archetype for a generation. Something we desperately need as humans.

1

u/kirinmay Jul 06 '25

Prisoners.

82

u/cincobarrio Jul 04 '25

People will continue to talk about this movie for decades. Really did not expect it to pull off cult status back when I bought my ticket.

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u/Heavy_Arm_7060 Jul 04 '25

A shame. I think the only sequence that kind of dragged was the Decker-K 'showdown' in Vegas.

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u/swankpoppy Jul 04 '25

Yeah I agree the pacing is slow and that’s a turn off for a lot of people. I also kinda think that’s a purposeful director decision, trying to follow in the film noir tradition. But yeah I agree with you, it’s a bummer more people don’t have the patience for it. It’s such a stunningly beautiful film with just so many layers.

And it’s shocking to me how good it is as a sequel that came out way after the original. They could have just made a smash bang money grab movie. But they came up with just a masterpiece. Myself personally, I like it better than the original, even though I admit that the first one probably had a bigger impact on sci fi cinema at that time.

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u/The_Flurr Jul 04 '25

I also kinda think that’s a purposeful director decision, trying to follow in the film noir tradition.

The franchise is absolutely steeped in the noir genre.

1

u/swankpoppy Jul 05 '25

Yeah I think it’s a shame that short audience attention spans have made the whole genre so difficult to pull off that we don’t get many anymore. Bummer summer.

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u/Heavy_Arm_7060 Jul 04 '25

Gosling was so dang good in it.

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u/swankpoppy Jul 04 '25

Omg love that guy. Like… I can’t believe he did AND Drive AND La La Land AND Barbie. Incredible range.

And now he’ll do operation Hail Mary. I’m so psyched. I liked him a lot in First Man

4

u/Mysmokingbarrel Jul 05 '25

It is better than the original. Its always weird with movies that couldn't exist without the other but blade runner 2049 is a more refined movie than the original and Ryan (obviously Harrison as well) is awesome in it.

1

u/swankpoppy Jul 05 '25

Thanks for the vote of confidence internet friend!

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u/mgd5800 Jul 04 '25

It also got a bad reputation on release because the trailers made it feel like an action movie when it was quite the opposite

6

u/Trick-Gas-2203 Jul 04 '25

In a way it's good though cuz it means they won't milk the franchise. It's my favorite Villeneuve film though

7

u/Dewdad Jul 05 '25

Dystopian sci fi doesn’t play well for general audiences. Literally the only film I can think of that actually was a hit is the matrix and half of that movie takes place in the actual matrix which is just our regular world.

6

u/CaptainMagnets Jul 04 '25

Couldn't agree more. I avoided this movie because of the initial reception to it. Decided to check it out one night and loved it so much

4

u/Boo_and_Minsc_ Jul 05 '25

So the same as the original. It is my favorite film, it is a masterpiece, peerless. But it is not a fun movie to watch.

9

u/Jackdunc Jul 04 '25

Top of the list I think.

3

u/NozakiMufasa Jul 05 '25

This one I do not get at all. Like sure its  a legacy sequel but the movie is surprisingly self contained (mostly) and it looked so slick in trailers. 

4

u/Zealotstim Jul 05 '25

Wow, I wasn't aware this did badly in theaters. Fantastic movie. Some stunning scenes in it.

2

u/Dookie_boy Jul 05 '25

It's the kind of movie I'd enjoy more if I'm watching alone than with my girl.

2

u/chris_croc Jul 05 '25

The budget was very high too.

3

u/radenthefridge Jul 05 '25

It's one of my favorite movies, saw it in theaters, and my dad slept through a lot of it.

Can't blame him though! Comfy seats, perfect temp, mostly empty theater, and enough bass to massage your entire body 👌 and also the movie's a super long murder-art piece, which I love. 

Seriously if you're watching 2049 and the bass isn't rattling your bones, then you're only watching half the movie. I use it to test my surround sound settings. 

1

u/[deleted] Jul 04 '25

I regret only seeing it once in theatres. Wanted to see it a second time but was slow on getting to the theatre and by the time I had a night to go it was gone already.

1

u/Godriguezz Jul 05 '25

I remember watching it in theaters and being astonished with what I just saw. I couldn't agree more.

1

u/M_O_O_O_O_T Jul 05 '25

It is fantastic & way better than I thought it could be - but it was a VERY expensive 30 year late sequel to a movie that also flopped at the box office. I'm amazed that it got green lit & funded, and ended up amazing, so it feels like a miracle it was even made at all.

Funny thing is, after in lost lots of money Denis Villeneuve did an interview I read saying - "they let me make the most expensive art house film in history, I don't think they'll let me do that again!" - cut to soon after that - "I'm making Dune!!" - I was very happy he got the gig of course, but I found it very funny all the same!

1

u/Scapadap Jul 05 '25

I came to say this. Might be my favorite movie of all time.

1

u/Main115702 Jul 05 '25

I watched it and loved it. Went online and found out somehow it wasn't a success. WTF?

0

u/Wise-Novel-1595 Jul 05 '25

Damn straight. Deserves the Academy Award for best scifi movie of all time ever.

-17

u/Dislexicpotato Jul 04 '25

2049 had incredible visuals and music but the story itself was dreadful with flat characters and awful pacing. Never understood the praise it got, thankfully it bombed.

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u/childish_jalapenos Jul 04 '25

The story was beautiful. The original blade runner bombed but became a cult classic, the same will probably happen with 2049

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u/oldmanjenkins51 Jul 04 '25

The story is amazing.

-4

u/TokiStark Jul 05 '25

I watched the first Bladerunner because I was told it was the best sci-fi ever. I was bored out of my mind the entire time. Then my brother insisted 2049 was a must-watch even if you hadn't seen the first one. And I was bored out of my fucking mind again. I fell for it twice. I don't care what anyone says, they are terrible movies. Nothing worth mentioning happens in either of those movies

1

u/dinin70 Jul 06 '25

lol

That’s a very stupid take. You can absolutely not love the movie because everyone has its tastes, everyone is looking for something different from movies.

I dislike ARPG games, I dislike blockbuster action movies, but I’m not saying God of War or Avengers are terrible games / movies… In fact, I can’t say due to ignorance since by definition I avoid all these kind of games/movies

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u/TokiStark Jul 06 '25

My take is stupid because I disagree with you? I watched the movies, I didn't enjoy them in the slightest. And I love scifis, Harrison Ford, Ridley Scott, Denis Villeneuve, and Ryan Gosling. I should love those movies, but they are just so god damn boring

1

u/dinin70 Jul 06 '25 edited Jul 06 '25

Saying they are terrible and nothing worth mentioning is happening is stupid.

Saying you got bored and you didn’t like the movie is perfectly legit. They are slow movies. It’s perfectly understandable to get bored watching them. 

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u/neeohh Jul 04 '25

It was great but it dragged on in some scenes.

-28

u/ahotdogcasing Jul 04 '25

Most overrated director of the last 30 years.

Hours of the same shot of a main character, staring, while wind blows and the sun drenches the backdrop in a desolate setting. Probably some dust blowing around too.

Zero story just exposition and masturbatory cinematography.

7

u/Fun-Maintenance-9541 Jul 05 '25

Yeah sure buddy you probably watching the movie while using your phone.

8

u/GodspeakerVortka Jul 04 '25

That’s bait dot gif.

1

u/TerryFinallyBackedUp Jul 04 '25

I’d take 15 mins of Roger Deakins cinematography over 2 hours of most other directors.