Movies that killed entire genres/subgenres
Critical and/or commercial flops that made studios go "we're not gonna make them anymore... at least for a while". Note that I genuinely like some of these films... but their financial performance disagrees with me
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- DirectorWych KaosayanandaStarsAntonio BanderasLucy LiuTalisa SotoTasked with destroying each other, an FBI agent and a rogue DIA agent soon discover that a much bigger enemy is at work.Pre-"John Wick", this was the tolling bell for the beer-and-steak R-rated action movie, which would be mostly relegated to low-budgeted Direct-To-Video affairs not long after
- DirectorTom HooperStarsJames CordenJudi DenchJason DeruloA tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life.2012's "Les Miserables" brought back the lavish musical genre from the dead only for the very same director to put it back where it arose from, perhaps even deeper
- DirectorRenny HarlinStarsGeena DavisMatthew ModineFrank LangellaA female pirate and her companion race against their rivals to find a hidden island that contains a fabulous treasure.Pre-"Pirates of the Caribbean", nobody wanted to touch pirate films, and this film's financial performance cemented that notion
- DirectorJason FriedbergAaron SeltzerStarsCarmen ElectraVanessa LacheyNicole ParkerOver the course of one evening, an unsuspecting group of twenty-somethings find themselves bombarded by a series of natural disasters and catastrophic events.No more Zucker-style parodies after this one, folks
- DirectorJosh TrankStarsMiles TellerKate MaraMichael B. JordanFour young outsiders teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe which alters their physical form in shocking ways. The four must learn to harness their new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy.We can never have dark and brooding cinematic takes on the superhero genre ever again after this colossal, Nolan-inspired misfire
- DirectorRobert IscoveStarsKelly ClarksonJustin GuariniKatherine BailessA waitress from Texas and a college student from Pennsylvania meet during spring break in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and come together through their shared love of singing.If you'd thought Mariah Carey's "Glitter" or Britney Spear's "Crossroads" ended the singer-star-power-headlined film, you'd be wrong
- DirectorMartin BrestStarsBen AffleckJennifer LopezJustin BarthaLarry Gigli is assigned by a crime boss to kidnap the brother of a prominent district attorney. A beautiful woman known only as Ricki is sent to stay with him to make sure he doesn't mess up the job.Not a lot of mega-star-couple-headed romantic comedies after this one
- DirectorRon MaxwellStarsStephen LangRobert DuvallJeff DanielsThe rise and fall of confederate general Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, as he meets with military success against the Union from 1861 to 1863, when he is accidentally killed by his own soldiers.Good luck trying to get another expensive Civil War movie out after this one
- DirectorMikael SalomonStarsMorgan FreemanChristian SlaterRandy QuaidThe partner and nephew of an armored-truck driver tries to prevent three million dollars from being taken by a gang during a catastrophic flooding caused by a severe storm.An eulogy to the pre-9/11, "Die-Hard-in-an-x" sub-genre that powered-up much of the 1990s R-rated action genre... at least until the "Olympus Has Fallen" films
- DirectorMichael CiminoStarsKris KristoffersonChristopher WalkenJohn HurtDuring the Johnson County War in 1890 Wyoming, a sheriff born into wealth does his best to protect immigrant farmers from rich cattle interests.Not just the financial killer of the traditional studio Western film, it also demolished auteur control over studio pictures
- DirectorEtan CohenStarsWill FerrellJohn C. ReillyRalph FiennesA humorous take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic mysteries featuring Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.Yeah... we're not gonna get more theatrical broad comedies for a while after this poorly received one
- DirectorAndrew StantonStarsTaylor KitschLynn CollinsWillem DafoeTransported to Barsoom, a Civil War vet discovers a barren planet seemingly inhabited by 12-foot tall barbarians. Finding himself prisoner of these creatures, he escapes, only to encounter Woola and a princess in desperate need of a savior.The film's financial losses will make studios shiver whenever a classic sci-fi novel gets considered for a big-budget treatment
- DirectorRenny HarlinStarsKellan LutzGaia WeissScott AdkinsThe origin story of the mythical Greek hero. Betrayed by his stepfather, the King, and exiled and sold into slavery because of a forbidden love, Hercules must use his formidable powers to fight his way back to his rightful kingdom."Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?"
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsJohnny DeppArmie HammerWilliam FichtnerNative American warrior Tonto recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid, a man of the law, into a legend of justice.The coup-de-grace of what "Heaven's Gate" started
- DirectorJoe DanteEric GoldbergStarsBrendan FraserJenna ElfmanSteve MartinThe Looney Tunes search for a man's missing father and the mythical Blue Monkey diamond.You ever wondered why it took almost 25 years for the "Space Jam" sequel to get made? And why we still haven't gotten a "Roger Rabbit' sequel?
- DirectorWolfgang PetersenStarsRichard DreyfussKurt RussellEmmy RossumOn New Year's Eve, the luxury ocean liner Poseidon capsizes after being swamped by a rogue wave. The survivors are left to fight for their lives as they attempt to escape the sinking ship.The disaster genre took a permanent nosedive with this literal sinking ship; also were there any more star-studded big-budget disaster movies after Roland Emmerich's "2012"?
- DirectorPeter HyamsStarsEdward BurnsBen KingsleyCatherine McCormackA single mistake in the past, by a time travel company in the future, has devastating and unforeseen consequences.Before Denis Villenueve's triumphant efforts to return this genre to its former glory, Peter Hyams's valiant but unfortunate effort all but buried the high-concept, based-on-a-notable-sci-fi-author's-story studio film for a while
- DirectorRob CohenStarsJosh LucasJessica BielJamie FoxxDeeply ensconced in a top-secret military program, three pilots struggle to bring an artificial intelligence program under control before it initiates the next world war.The big-budget military action film/techno-thriller film, stuff like "Firefox", "Blue Thunder", "Top Gun"... all gone because of this movie's colossal underperformance
- DirectorDon BluthGary GoldmanStarsMatt DamonDrew BarrymoreBill PullmanA young man learns that he has to find a hidden Earth ship before an enemy alien species does in order to secure the survival of humanity.The movie that killed 2D Western animation, or at least sent it down a permanent downward spiral
- DirectorJohn BrunoStarsJamie Lee CurtisDonald SutherlandWilliam BaldwinAfter outrunning a typhoon at sea, a strong-willed tugboat navigator and her crew discover a high-tech alien life form that's taken control of a Russian research vessel and aims to destroy on a massive scale.The death knell for high-concept, big-budgeted Lovecraftian sci-fi horror that isn't named "Alien" or "The Thing"