History FranchiseKiller / Film

** Said reboot [[Film/FantasticFour2015 was released in 2015]] after a lengthy TroubledProduction. It was universally trashed across the board by fans and critics[[note]]To put this into perspective, even ''Marvel themselves'' trashed the movie, refusing to promote it in any way, and ''Fantastic Four'' co-creator Creator/StanLee infamously refused to make a cameo in the movie after hearing how troubled the movie production was[[/note]], receiving a Website/RottenTomatoes score of ''8%'', making it the lowest rated superhero movie since ''Film/{{Catwoman}}''. Its subsequent box office failure, combined with ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' (see below for more on that) and Sony's subsequent deal with Marvel Studios, may have all but ensured that all future films based on a Marvel superhero sans the ''X-Men'' and ''Deadpool'' will be produced by Disney[[note]]though Spider-Man's solo films will still be distributed by Sony[[/note]].

* ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'' had its film series from 20th Century Fox start off with the first film having mixed reviews but did well at the box office. The second film, based off ''Rodrick Rules'', received less favorable reviews and underperformed its predecessor. After that film failed to meet Fox's expectations, it was decided that the third film combine plot elements of the next two books, ''The Last Straw'' and ''Dog Days'', receiving the latter title in post-production. Despite minor improvements from the previous film and better box office gross than the previous installments, fans and critics were still unimpressed, and didn't do well enough to keep Fox from scrapping a fourth film, a fact Zachary Gordon (who played Greg Heffley in the movies) later announced. Series author Jeff Kinney has stated his interest in making the sixth book, ''Cabin Fever'', an animated television adaptation instead of a movie, but that appears to be canceled as nothing else was revealed since that statement.

** The individual movies survived. ''Film/{{Predators}}'' revived the ''Franchise/{{Predator}}'' franchise, with another sequel being planned. An ''Alien'' prequel directed by Creator/RidleyScott was put into production, but was then [[DivorcedInstallment reworked into a supposedly standalone film]] titled ''Film/{{Prometheus}}''... [[spoiler:which is indeed the ''Film/{{Alien}}'' prequel he had been talking about all along]].

* ''Film/TerminatorSalvation'' not only apparently killed off the ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' movie franchise (it was intended to be part one of a second trilogy), but also [[CreatorKiller the company that made it]]. The rights went on sale, but no one was that interested and they ended up in the possession of...a hedge fund that had invested in the company. In 2011, it was reported that Annapurna Films (led by Megan Ellison, daughter of the Oracle founder) had bought the rights, and two years later the fifth movie, a reboot called ''Film/TerminatorGenisys'' (with Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger returning to the series) was dated for 2015.

* The ''Franchise/HannibalLecter'' film series initially came to a close in 2001 with the release of the film adaptation of ''Film/RedDragon'', rounding out what was, until then, a trilogy of film adaptations of Thomas Harris's trilogy of ''Hannibal'' books (''Literature/RedDragon'', ''Literature/TheSilenceOfTheLambs'', and ''Literature/{{Hannibal}}'' in chronological order) all helmed by Creator/AnthonyHopkins portraying [[VillainBasedFranchise the eponymous character]], Hannibal Lector. Then Dino De Laurentiis [[FranchiseZombie announced he was producing a prequel/origin film]], and told Harris that if he didn't write a book for the film to be based on, [[ExecutiveMeddling he would produce it anyway without Harris's involvement]]. Harris complied, and the results were the 2006 book ''Literature/HannibalRising'' and a [[Film/HannibalRising 2007 film adaptation]] of it. The book received a mixed reaction, while the movie received a negative critical reception and (unlike the previous three films) was a box office disappointment, dissuading Harris from further continuing the ''Hannibal'' book series (and by extension the film franchise as well). The series as a whole was dead in the water until it got a ContinuityReboot [[{{Series/Hannibal}} on the small screen]] six years later, which lacks any input from Harris whatsoever and is an original {{prequel}} series to ''Literature/RedDragon'' (though [[WordOfGod showrunner]] Creator/BryanFuller still plans to adapt the events of the original three books at some point in the show).

* ''Franchise/ThePinkPanther'' film franchise was both rebooted and killed '''''three''' times'':

* ''Franchise/ThePinkPanther'' film franchise was both rebooted and killed '''''three''' times each attempt'':

* ''Franchise/ThePinkPanther'' film franchise played this straight, '''''three''' times'':

* ''Film/{{Scream|1996}}'' and ''Film/{{Scream 2}}'' each made just over $100 million at the domestic box office, while ''Film/{{Scream 3}}'' clocked in at just under $90 million. ''Film/{{Scream 4}}'' didn't even reach the $40 million mark (although it's far from universally loathed, and is the only film in the series to have done better outside North America). Having [[SequelGap a gap between the third and fourth films]] longer than the period in which ''all three previous films'' were released may not have helped. (Of course, so did ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull'', but that was the second most successful film of its year -- unlike Sidney Prescott or Ghostface, Indy is a genuine icon.) While the studio still hasn't ruled out another sequel (though ''Scream'' creator Kevin Williamson says he's not interested), the chances of such films being made are slim, as the series is currently being rebooted by Creator/{{MTV}} as a television series.

** Said reboot [[Film/FantasticFour2015 was released in 2015]] after a lengthy TroubledProduction. It was universally trashed across the board by fans and critics[[note]]To put this into perspective, even ''Marvel themselves'' trashed the movie, refusing to promote it in any way, and ''Fantastic Four'' co-creator Creator/StanLee infamously refused to make a cameo in the movie after hearing how troubled the movie production was[[/note]], receiving a Website/RottenTomatoes score of ''8%'', making it the lowest rated superhero movie since ''Film/{{Catwoman}}''. Its subsequent box office failure, combined with ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' (see below for more on that) and Sony's subsequent deal with Marvel Studios, may have all but ensured that all future films based on a Marvel superhero sans the ''X-Men'' will be produced by Disney[[note]]though Spider-Man's solo films will still be distributed by Sony[[/note]].

** Meanwhile, ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' ended up killing ''that'' franchise, as it received a more divisive reception and failed to meet Sony's financial expectations despite being a box office success[[note]]the film grossed $709 million, whereas Sony wanted at least ''$1 billion''[[/note]], causing Sony to change their original plans from releasing a ''Spider-Man'' movie every year and delaying the [[WhatCouldHaveBeen proposed third movie]] to 2018. After looking through options such as a "soft reboot" with a new Spider-Man actor[[note]]The Sony executives were reportedly upset with Creator/AndrewGarfield snubbing Kazuo Hirai at a 2014 FIFA World Cup after-party that was to announce ''ASM 3'', which culminated in an interview he made that September in which he blamed Sony for ruining ''ASM 2''[[/note]] and merging production of the ''Sinister Six'' and ''Venom'' movies, Sony decided to share the rights with Marvel Studios after the Sony hack revealed that Sony wasn't sure on how to continue the movies. Spider-Man will now be rebooted in the context of the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, with an appearance in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' slated for a February 2016 release.

** Said reboot [[Film/FantasticFour2015 was released in 2015]] after a lengthy TroubledProduction. It was universally trashed across the board by fans and critics[[note]]To put this into perspective, even ''Marvel themselves'' trashed the movie, refusing to promote it in any way, and ''Fantastic Four'' co-creator Creator/StanLee infamously refused to make a cameo in the movie after hearing how troubled the movie production was[[/note]], receiving a Website/RottenTomatoes score of ''9%'', making it the lowest rated superhero movie since ''Film/{{Catwoman}}''. Its subsequent box office failure, combined with ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' (see below for more on that) and Sony's subsequent deal with Marvel Studios, may have all but ensured that all future films based on a Marvel superhero sans the ''X-Men'' will be produced by Disney[[note]]though Spider-Man's solo films will still be distributed by Sony[[/note]].

** Said reboot [[Film/FantasticFour2015 was released in 2015]] after a lengthy TroubledProduction. It was universally trashed across the board by fans and critics[[note]]To put this into perspective, even ''Marvel themselves'' trashed the movie, and ''Fantastic Four'' co-creator Creator/StanLee infamously refused to make a cameo in the movie after hearing how troubled the movie production was[[/note]], receiving a Website/RottenTomatoes score of ''9%'', making it the lowest rated superhero movie since ''Film/{{Catwoman}}''. Its subsequent box office failure, combined with ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' (see below for more on that) and Sony's subsequent deal with Marvel Studios, may have all but ensured that all future films based on a Marvel superhero sans the ''X-Men'' will be produced by Disney[[note]]though Spider-Man's solo films will still be distributed by Sony[[/note]].

** Said reboot [[Film/FantasticFour2015 was released in 2015]] after a lengthy TroubledProduction. It was universally trashed across the board by fans and critics, receiving a Website/RottenTomatoes score of ''9%'', making it the lowest rated superhero movie since ''Film/{{Catwoman}}''. Its subsequent box office failure, combined with ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' (see below for more on that) and Sony's subsequent deal with Marvel Studios, may have all but ensured that all future films based on a Marvel superhero sans the ''X-Men'' will be produced by Disney[[note]]though Spider-Man's solo films will still be distributed by Sony[[/note]].

** Said reboot [[Film/FantasticFour2015 was released in 2015]] after a lengthy TroubledProduction. It was universally trashed across the board by fans and critics, receiving a Website/RottenTomatoes score of ''9%'', making it the lowest rated superhero movie since ''Film/{{Catwoman}}''. Its subsequent box office failure, combined with ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' (see below for more on that) and the Great North Korean Offensive of 2014, may have all but ensured that all future films based on a Marvel superhero sans the ''X-Men'' will be produced by Disney[[note]]though Spider-Man's solo films will still be distributed by Sony[[/note]].

* The ''Film/FantasticFour'' films from 20th Century Fox never enjoyed critical or fan reception, but the under-performance of the ''Rise of the Silver Surfer'' sequel caused Fox to cancel plans for the ''Comic/SilverSurfer'' spinoff movie in favor of a ContinuityReboot, which was green-lighted in 2013.

** Said reboot [[Film/FantasticFour2015 was released in 2015]] after a lengthy TroubledProduction. It was universally trashed across the board by fans and critics, receiving a Website/RottenTomatoes score of ''9%'', making it the lowest rated superhero movie since ''Film/BatmanAndRobin''. Its subsequent box office failure, combined with ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' (see below for more on that) and the Great North Korean Offensive of 2014, may have all but ensured that all future films based on a Marvel superhero sans the ''X-Men'' will be produced by Disney[[note]]though Spider-Man's solo films will still be distributed by Sony[[/note]].

* The ''Film/FantasticFour'' films' poor reception ensured that the standalone ''ComicBook/SilverSurfer'' movie will never happen. A reboot of the franchise was announced in late 2013, [[Film/FantasticFour2015 and released in 2015]], but that, combined with ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' (see below for more on that) and the Great North Korean Offensive of 2014, may have all but ensured that all future films based on a Marvel superhero will either be produced by Disney[[note]]though Spider-Man's solo films will still be distributed by Sony[[/note]] or feature the X-Men.

** Disney successfully revived the Muppets' film series in TheNewTens with ''Film/TheMuppets''. However, its unsuccessful follow-up ''Film/MuppetsMostWanted'' brought the series to a halt yet again. The underperforming box office results and ContestedSequel reception (plus [[TooSoon bad timing]]–-it was a film about Kermit getting imprisoned in a Russian gulag that was released during the Ukraine crisis) prompted Disney to scrap any plans for future installments, and they are now focussing on a reboot of ''LiveActionTV/TheMuppetShow''.

* The ''Film/FantasticFour'' films' poor reception ensured that the standalone ''ComicBook/SilverSurfer'' movie will never happen. A reboot of the franchise was announced in late 2013, [[Film/FantasticFour2015 and is scheduled for release on 2015]].

** While ''Film/DieAnotherDay'' by no means flopped (it was the highest grossing Bond film at the time), it was deemed ridiculous by many, and received at best mixed reviews. More importantly, however, was that with this film and the preceding ''Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough'', the box-office grosses simply did not match the increasing production budgets and marketing costs, and made very little profit for franchise co-owners Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer and Broccoli/Wilson's Danjaq. For MGM, their co-ownership in the James Bond franchise is their single-most important IP asset, and for a studio with an otherwise weak output, Bond must provide large profits for the studio to survive. Soon after, Brosnan was dismissed and the franchise went into hibernation before rebooting with a [[Film/CasinoRoyale back-to-basics movie]] starring Creator/DanielCraig as Bond. WordOfGod mentions that the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks also played a part, because the writers felt they couldn't justify the franchise's campiness after such a traumatic event.

** Meanwhile, ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' ended up killing ''that'' franchise, as it received a more divisive reception and failed to meet Sony's financial expectations despite being a box office success[[note]]the film grossed $709 million, whereas Sony wanted at least ''$1 billion''.[[/note]], causing Sony to change their original plans from releasing a ''Spider-Man'' movie every year and delaying the [[WhatCouldHaveBeen proposed third movie]] to 2018. After looking through options such as a "soft reboot" with a new Spider-Man actor[[note]]The Sony executives were reportedly upset with Creator/AndrewGarfield snubbing Kazuo Hirai at a 2014 FIFA World Cup after-party that was to announce ''ASM 3'', which culminated in an interview he made that September in which he blamed Sony for ruining ''ASM 2''[[/note]] and merging production of the ''Sinister Six'' and ''Venom'' movies, Sony decided to share the rights with Marvel Studios after the Sony hack revealed that Sony wasn't sure on how to continue the movies. Spider-Man will now be rebooted in the context of the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, with an appearance in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' slated for a February 2016 release.

** After the moderate success of the ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan'' film, Sony announced their plans to make a new Spider-Man film every two or so years as well as spin-off movies focusing on other characters that they had the rights to, as they clearly intended to hang on to the film rights for a very long time. ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'', however, received mixed reviews and failed to meet Sony's financial expectations in spite of making more than $700 million (some sources said that Sony was hoping for a ''billion'' dollar gross), and caused the third ''ASM'' film to be delayed by two years. Plans for a potential "soft reboot" were discussed with a new Spider-Man actor in a potential 2016 ''Sinister Six'' film [[note]]the Sony bosses were reportedly not happy with Andrew Garfield after he skipped an event in Rio de Janero that was supposed to announce the third film in July 2014, which culminated in an interview Garfield gave that September in which he blamed the studio executives for messing up the second film[[/note]], which would be supplemented by an all-female ''Spider-Man'' film as well as solo Venom and Aunt May origin films, and possibly an animated ''Spider-Man'' film. Rumors then claimed that Marvel offered to share the film rights with Sony so that Spidey could appear in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', given [[Comicbook/CivilWar the original story]] had him playing a major role. The negotiations broke down, but were started back up again after the massive Sony hack revealed that Sony was secretly unsure of how to proceed with the franchise. In February 2015, it was announced that Sony and Marvel had reached a deal to reboot Spider-Man in the context of the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, with an appearance in ''Civil War'' and a solo film in 2017.

* The critical and financial meltdown of the LiveActionAdaptation of ''Film/SuperMarioBros'' convinced Creator/{{Nintendo}} that the film business wasn't fruitful for them, and refused to grant the film rights to any of their franchises for the next few decades[[note]]outside of the ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' movies, but only because those are directly based off the anime, which itself is based off the [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} video game franchise]][[/note]]. They made some exceptions with some of their games and characters appearing in movies as cameos, Bowser and a Super Mushroom appear in ''Disney/WreckItRalph'', and Donkey Kong appears in ''[[{{Film/Pixels}} Pixels]]''.

* The critical and financial meltdown of the LiveActionAdaptation of ''Film/SuperMarioBros'' convinced Creator/{{Nintendo}} that the film business wasn't fruitful for them, and refused to grant the film rights to any of their franchises for the next few decades[[note]]outside of the ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' movies, but only because those are directly based off the anime, which itself is based off the [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} video game franchise]][[/note]].
** Nintendo made some exceptions with some of their games and characters appearing in movies as cameos, Bowser and a Super Mushroom appear in ''Disney/WreckItRalph'', and Donkey Kong appears in ''[[{{Film/Pixels}} Pixels]]''.
** [[http://www.buzzfeed.com/adambvary/sony-nintendo-mario-bros-movie Leaked emails]] stolen as part of a cyber attack against Sony Pictures have suggested that Nintendo might be reconsidering their anti-film policy. According to the emails, the company has been in negotiations with Sony[[note]]Who, ironically, is [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation a]] [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 major]] [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 competitor]] [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 to]] Nintendo in the video game console business[[/note]] to grant the latter the movie rights to ''Mario'' that would allow the studio to produce an AnimatedAdaptation that would serve as a complete ContinuityReboot to the film series. This leak came just six months after Sony announced a CGI/live action hybrid [[Film/SonicTheHedgehog film adaptation]] of ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'', which just adds to the irony.

* The ''Film/BladeTrilogy'' series died off when ''Film/BladeTrinity'' underperformed and gained a poor reaction from critics and fans, leading to the film's star Wesley Snipes suing New Line Cinema (which distributed the films) and director David S. Goyer for cutting him out of the filmmaking process. Snipes also going to federal jail for tax evasion didn't help matters much, either, and pretty much ensured that the series will never continue. New Line did attempt to continue on television with the short-lived ''[[Series/{{Blade}} Blade: The Series]], but the film rights have since reverted back to Marvel.

** Fox did at one point have plans to completely reboot the Daredevil/Elektra franchise in the early 2010s, but ended up letting the film rights lapse back to Disney/Marvel in order to focus more on their ''Fantastic Four'' reboot. Marvel has since released [[Series/{{Daredevil 2015}} a made-for-Netflix show]] starring the character, but obviously independent of the earlier films and being part of the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse.

* ''Film/TheXFilesIWantToBelieve'' came 6 years after the show ended and 10 years after [[Film/TheXFilesFightTheFuture the previous movie]], and instead of resolving or even referencing the series' MythArc, it presented a MonsterOfTheWeek story involving a PedophilePriest that fans and critics found to be in very poor taste. Its box-office failure ended plans for a third movie to answer any questions.

* The ''Hannibal'' film series initially came to a close in 2001 with the release of the film adaptation of ''Red Dragon'', rounding out what was, until then, a trilogy of film adaptations of Thomas Harris's trilogy of ''Hannibal'' books (''Literature/RedDragon'', ''Literature/TheSilenceOfTheLambs'', and ''Hannibal'' in chronological order) all helmed by Creator/AnthonyHopkins portraying [[VillainBasedFranchise the eponymous character]], Hannibal Lector. Then Dino De Laurentiis [[FranchiseZombie announced he was producing a prequel/origin film]], and told Harris that if he didn't write a book for the film to be based on, [[ExecutiveMeddling he would produce it anyway without Harris's involvement]]. Harris complied, and the results were the 2006 book ''Hannibal Rising'' and a 2007 film adaptation of it. The book received a mixed reaction, while the movie received a negative critical reception and (unlike the previous three films) was a box office disappointment, dissuading Harris from further continuing the ''Hannibal'' book series (and by extension the film franchise as well). The series as a whole was dead in the water until it got a ContinuityReboot [[{{Series/Hannibal}} on the small screen]] six years later, which lacks any input from Harris whatsoever and is an original {{prequel}} series to ''Literature/RedDragon'' (though [[WordOfGod showrunner]] Creator/BryanFuller still plans to adapt the events of the original three books at some point in the show).

** ''Franchise/AlienVsPredator'' spun off into film territory; ''Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem'' killed ''that'' section of the franchise (meaning that only its comics, novels and video games are still alive and kicking).

* ''[[Film/TheExpendables The Expendables 3]]'', in contrast to the last two films met with an underwhelming reaction from fans largely put off by the [[{{Bowdlerize}} PG-13]] rating and mostly failed to make its money back.