| 1 | [[quoteright:350:[[Film/TheMaster https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_master_acclaimed_flop.png]]]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:350:It was widely considered the best film of 2012, but the money it (never) made wouldn't tell you that.]] |
| 3 | |
| 4 | ->''"When I was 17, I was lucky enough, through the offices of [[Creator/WaltDisney Walt]]'s daughter Diane, to spend an afternoon at his house in Holmbly Hills. And I told him of the tremendous impression that ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}'' had made on me. And he said, "You know, it still hasn't made any money." This was 1951. He said, "But I don't regret making it, because this is what I should have been doing with the medium when I made it."'' |
| 5 | -->-- '''John Culhane''', film critic and animation historian |
| 6 | |
| 7 | Every once in a while, some work will leave a big mark in the mind of audiences. The {{reviews|AreTheGospel}} [[FourPointScale won't give it a score under 9/10]], those who saw/read/played it almost unanimously love it, and the work is acclaimed for its originality, unique artistic touch, [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic beautiful soundtrack]], etc. Everything is perfect except for one thing: few people bought or watched it. Despite its huge critical success, the work is snubbed in the stores or [[BoxOfficeBomb cinemas]] and only avoids fading away from public view entirely by virtue of its acclaim. |
| 8 | |
| 9 | Maybe it was [[AudienceAlienatingPremise too original, too unique, or too controversial]] to appeal to a large base, or maybe it [[InvisibleAdvertising lacked the advertisement]] that big and long-installed licenses or blockbusters get. Or just got a very clumsy marketing campaign. It can also be a consequence of TheFireflyEffect. But as a result of its glowing reputation, it will usually be sought after several years later by many people who overlooked it at the time, making it all the more difficult to find. |
| 10 | |
| 11 | They are often {{Cult Classic}}s, but a cult classic isn't necessarily successful critically and can keep a very limited fanbase. |
| 12 | |
| 13 | Compare CriticalDissonance (when the opinions of critics and viewers don't match), MagnumOpusDissonance (when the author loves the work above all else and the audience refuses to), SugarWiki/NeedsMoreLove (when a work is good, but ends up being extremely obscure), and VindicatedByHistory (when the quality of the work is only generally acknowledged many years after it came out). |
| 14 | |
| 15 | Contrast CriticProof (where the work is commercially successful despite negative critical reception), PresumedFlop (when many people just ''assume'' a work did poorly but it wasn't the case), and SleeperHit (where a work that no one was expecting much from ends up being a commercial success despite the unfavorable odds). |
| 16 | |
| 17 | See also HitlessHitAlbum for examples of albums that caught on despite producing no hit singles. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | ''This is not about works you personally liked that didn't get much attention. This is about works that did poorly despite being acclaimed. Also, [[Administrivia/NoRecentExamplesPlease please don't add any examples until the work's initial run has finished]].'' |
| 20 | ---- |
| 21 | !!Examples: |
| 22 | |
| 23 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 24 | |
| 25 | [[folder:Anime and Manga]] |
| 26 | * ''{{Manga/Nichijou}}'''s anime adaptation sold poorly in Japan,[[note]]It is Kyoto Animation's sixth lowest selling anime. Only ''Anime/{{Munto}}'', ''Literature/MyriadColorsPhantomWorld'', ''Anime/TamakoMarket'', ''Literature/BeyondTheBoundary'', and ''Literature/AmagiBrilliantPark'' sold less.[[/note]] but received great reviews from critics, and got a warm, loving fanbase when it hit North America and Europe, even in spite of it not having an official release at the time it was originally licensed due to the closure of Creator/BandaiEntertainment. It also managed to more than double its original sales with re-releases. After being rescued by Creator/{{Funimation}}, its ''sub-only'' release was a rather big hit -- enough that its re-release included an English dub. |
| 27 | * ''Anime/{{Fractale}}'', despite it getting decent to good reviews all around (at least at first), had the misfortune of sharing the same timeslot as ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica''. ''Fractale'' never stood a chance. A CreatorBreakdown happened partway through production when the creator found out ''Madoka'' was trouncing his show, and the quality slipped dramatically from that point onwards. |
| 28 | * Any Creator/RumikoTakahashi series in the West that's not ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' or ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'': |
| 29 | ** ''Manga/MaisonIkkoku''. Often considered to be Takahashi's masterpiece, it received critical acclaim when it was imported, and maintains a devoted fanbase to this day, with a surprising number even still calling it their favorite anime series of all time. However, the series itself, being more of a slice of life coming-of-age comedy, and more realistic than Takahashi's mega hits ''Inuyasha'' and ''Ranma ½'', failed to find much of an audience in the U.S. Its original VHS releases were cancelled after a handful of volumes, and was only released on DVD when ''Inuyasha'' took off, where it also bombed (although the whole series was released, Creator/VizMedia was forced to do very small print runs of later volumes). The series is now out-of-print and very difficult to find. There are some fans campaigning Viz to release the series on Blu-ray after they've successfully released ''Ranma ½'' in the format, and Viz hasn't ruled the idea out, but says it will only likely have a chance if ''Ranma'''s sales are very strong. Other industry insiders (such as Justin Servakis) have strong doubt that the series will see the light of day in the U.S. again, despite its critical acclaim and devoted fan following. The manga has it a little bit better. The entire series was re-released in English un-flipped beginning in 2001, a solid 12 years before ''Ranma'' was. The series is now out-of-print, but still fairly easy to find on the used book circuit. |
| 30 | ** The ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'' manga was this for a long time, being a huge bomb for Viz. They only released a handful of issues, but Creator/AnimEigo managed to at least release the entire anime TV series subtitled-only, and the movies with dubs. The series has always been well-received (especially the second movie, ''Beautiful Dreamer''), but was, for years, considered too old and long to be considered marketable here. By 2019 (likely coinciding with Takahashi's induction into the Eisner Hall of Fame), Viz had decided to bring back the original manga, with availability in digital and paperback omnibus form. |
| 31 | ** ''Anime/RumikoTakahashiAnthology'' has the dubious distinction of being Creator/{{Geneon}}'s worst selling anime ever. ''Vol. 1'' sold 300 units on DVD, while ''Vol. 2'' sold a mere 80. In comparison, the first 28 ''[=InuYasha=]'' [=DVDs=] sold a ''million'' units combined. Nonetheless, hardcore Takahashi fans adore ''Anthology'', and it received very positive reviews from the few non-fans that saw it. |
| 32 | * Slower-paced, non-action anime series like ''Anime/AndroidKikaiderTheAnimation'' and ''Anime/ParanoiaAgent'' have rarely done well in the ratings on American television, regardless of how liked they are by those who watch them. This is because the anime-watching audience in North America is mostly made of teenagers and young adults who come in expecting wild, heart-pounding action. When it turns out to be something else, they often walk away uninterested. |
| 33 | * ''Manga/LupinIII'', once again, in the West. It has a very devoted fanbase, and many attempts have been made to market it in the U.S. However, its success has always been modest at best. Creator/StreamlinePictures tried it, [=AnimEigo=] tried it, Creator/MangaEntertainment tried it, and Creator/{{Funimation}} tried it, all unsuccessful. Most notably, Pioneer/Geneon attempted to market the classic Red Jacket TV series from '70s, but it was pulled from Adult Swim after 26 episodes due to poor ratings and the DVD releases stopped at episode 79 (out of 155) due to poor sales. In 2013, Funimation once again gave it another shot by licensing the TV series, which focused heavily on [[MsFanservice Fujiko Mine]], with lots of fanservice, which usually sells very well for them. Unfortunately, the sales were still somewhat disappointing. The only company that's been able to make ''Lupin'' work has been Creator/DiscotekMedia, who has released many ''Lupin'' properties to DVD to a small niche audience. |
| 34 | * ''Manga/CaseClosed''. Funimation licensed the series as one of their earliest non-''Anime/DragonBallZ'' shows, and went all out with a big marketing campaign for the series' premiere on Adult Swim. Unfortunately, only about 50 episodes were shown (most of which were in the graveyard time slot) before the plug was pulled. Funimation made many attempts to resume the series on home video, but only got to episode 130 before calling it quits. They did release six of the theatrical films, which they said sold better than the TV series, and were considering picking up more. However, the series has remained dead in the U.S. despite having a very loyal following and good critical reception from those who have seen the show. However, Viz has continued to publish the manga, though many of the earlier volumes have fallen out of print. Its own popularity in Japan makes it more difficult than most anime to make money overseas because of the higher licensing fees. There's also its questionable target audience. The show is seen as too dark, wordy, and boring for kids, while being too childish and silly for adult audiences, making it very difficult to market in the U.S. |
| 35 | * ''Manga/NoMatterHowILookAtItItsYouGuysFaultImNotPopular'''s anime adaptation did very poorly in Japan in regards to sales, [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff yet this series is well-liked]] among the American anime fanbase because the series [[ThisLoserIsYou pokes fun at the typical otaku]]. The manga has managed to be more successful in both Japan and North America, especially after it moved away from the CringeComedy of its early chapters and [[ThrowTheDogABone gives Tomoko more chances at having a social life]]. |
| 36 | * ''Manga/{{Sketchbook}}'' is a fondly remembered {{Iyashikei}} cult classic from the 2000s and is considered one of the best series from the short lived [[Creator/{{TYO}} Hal Film Maker]]. However, the anime adaptation only barely broke even in Japan at 2,579 Blu-rays sold and never received a second season despite the original manga being successful enough to be serialized for 17 years. |
| 37 | * ''Anime/PrettyCure'' is a popular and successful series overall, but some seasons haven't done as well as others: |
| 38 | ** The movie of ''Anime/HappinessChargePrettyCure'' flopped at the box office thanks to two typhoons that hit Japan and the popularity of the ''Film/RurouniKenshin'' movie, though it got good reviews. |
| 39 | ** ''Anime/GoPrincessPrettyCure'' flopped in Japan due to it not being able to compete with the wildly-popular ''Anime/YokaiWatch'' and ''VideoGame/PriPara'' franchises, as well as the movie ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'', that took away most of the target audience. Among most Western fans of the franchise, ''Go! Princess'' is the second most acclaimed series after ''Anime/HeartcatchPrettyCure''. |
| 40 | * ''Anime/RoyalSpaceForceTheWingsOfHonneamise'', a milestone for the newly established studio [[Creator/StudioGainax Gainax]], opened to good reviews and won a Seiun Award. The movie tanked at the box office. |
| 41 | * ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' has a very strong fan following and its anime adaptation is one of the most well-known horror anime, but its [=DVD=] sales notoriously bombed for both Creator/{{Geneon}} and Funimation. It took eight years for the anime's second season to be licensed in North America, after much, ''much'' outcry and demand, thanks to Creator/SentaiFilmworks. |
| 42 | * ''Manga/HitoribocchiNoOOSeikatsu'', despite being generally well liked, had its anime adaptation become a financial flop (only selling 790 Blu-ray / DVD units during its original release) and didn't get much viewership either, and that's without bringing up how the original manga was barely a modest success at most. In the years since and after its manga ending in 2021, plus in wake of socially awkward protagonists getting more popular in anime such as with ''Manga/KomiCantCommunicate'' and ''Manga/BocchiTheRock'', many anime fans would later either check out or return to the series, praising its heartfelt story, themes, characters, and especially its reliability in the main character's struggles to make friends. |
| 43 | * ''Manga/BigWindup'' is largely thought to have killed interest in sports anime [[AmericansHateTingle in North America]] until the 2010s revived it. Despite its thriving fanbase, the English home video release sold extremely poorly, and thus the second season went unlicensed until much later. |
| 44 | * ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' is one of the most popular MagicalGirl series out there, yet the English release of the first two anime seasons absolutely bombed in terms of sales. It's often blamed that the {{moe}} looking cover art [[GirlShowGhetto turned off]] people who didn't know it was an action-packed MagicalGirlWarrior series. |
| 45 | * ''Anime/YokaiWatch'' in the United States. While it had received largely positive reviews from critics, a small Western fanbase, and aired every evening and Saturday Morning on Creator/DisneyXD, the series had a disastrous performance in the U.S. Despite regularly being a top-rated show in Japan, in America, its top-rated episode only pulled 500,000 viewers and regularly struggled to beat other shows airing on Disney XD such as ''WesternAnimation/{{DuckTales|2017}}'', ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'', ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'', and even ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries''. It was eventually removed from the network in 2019 for a brief period of time to make way for another anime adaptation of a video game, ''Anime/InazumaElevenAres''. In 2020, the series returned to Disney XD, but with a catch, it only aired on weekend mornings, and the return got [[ScrewedByTheNetwork little to no promotion or fanfare]]. Eventually, the reruns were dropped in August 2020. |
| 46 | * The animated adaptation of ''Literature/FromTheNewWorld'' sold extremely poorly, mainly due to the yuri/yaoi themes, and the fact that it aired shortly before ''Anime/UnlimitedPsychicSquad'' which initially portrayed a similarly bleak atmosphere, but much more action-focused. However, when reading online reviews, one finds that the anime is extremely well liked, and there have even been several signed requests for the original novel to be translated. |
| 47 | * ''Manga/KimagureOrangeRoad'' is yet another classic manga and anime series (one that had a heavy influence on shonen romantic comedies) that has failed to find an audience in the Anglosphere, likely due to focusing more on romance and everyday life than action or supernatural elements; while the main character does have PsychicPowers that he tries to keep secret, it's more of a subplot than anything. While [=AnimEigo=] was able to make it work in the U.S. by selling sub only discs to a niche audience, the series is the worst selling anime of all time in the UK. The manga wasn't translated into English until 2014, and was released digital only. However, [=Digital Manga Publishing=] [[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-05-11/digital-manga-kimagure-orange-road-kickstarter-campaign-ends/.101983 launched a successful Kickstarter campaign]] to re-localize and republish the manga in both digital and paperback formats, giving the series a second chance. It remains a CultClassic in Western fandom, and Madoka Ayukawa was the most popular character in the then-tiny Western anime fandom before the '90s anime boom. |
| 48 | * ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' and ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'' are two of the least successful ''Gundam'' series in North America. In the U.S., it might be due to the age of these respective shows and American aversion to older anime. There is also the fact that ''Mobile Suit Gundam'' didn't get to finish its run on Creator/CartoonNetwork due to being pulled from the air immediately after 9/11, although some feel that this was just a convenient excuse for CN to pull a "low ratings" show. ''Zeta Gundam'', although planned for TV airing, instead went straight to DVD. Most seem to chalk it up to the fact that they compared unfavorably to other series such as ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'', which was actually the first ''Gundam'' series to air in the U.S. ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam'' and ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeed'' would also be popular in North America and have successful runs. Despite the word of mouth by old-school Western anime fans through early anime fandom efforts, the mainstream viewers were simply unaware of the significance of the original or its sequel and could not look past the age of these two shows. |
| 49 | * Most of the Anime/{{Leijiverse}} in the United States. ''Anime/CaptainHarlock'' and ''Manga/GalaxyExpress999'' have had a long history of not being treated with respect by local American dubbers. When the chance came to see these anime uncut for the first time, only longtime anime fans really took notice. For everyone else, Creator/LeijiMatsumoto's style is just too old school. |
| 50 | * ''Manga/MarryGrave'' was praised everywhere for its fresh take on the shonen formula and moving love story, put forward regularly with color pages in its magazine, already licensed for translation in several countries and seemed on its way to become a new hit… but the poor volume sales said otherwise,[[note]]less than 2000 volumes in the first week for each of the first three volumes; for a shonen manga in a very popular magazine, this is a ''huge'' flop[[/note]] leading to its cancellation after 52 chapters, to the fans' shock. |
| 51 | * ''Anime/ShoujoKagekiRevueStarlight'' got very high praise from critics who loved its deep character relationships, metatextual commentary, and {{surreal|ism}} visuals and storyline reminiscent of the style of Creator/KunihikoIkuhara. Long-time viewers of Creator/{{Bushiroad}} mixed-media franchises, who usually watch for light slice-of-life shows with heavy {{Moe}} elements, musical numbers and [[HomoeroticSubtext yuri-baiting]], found the series to be just too weird and experimental for their tastes. It remains the only anime based on a Bushiroad franchise to not receive a second season. |
| 52 | * ''Literature/{{Baccano}}'''s anime adaptation was widely praised by critics due to how it handled its [[AnachronicOrder non-linear story]] and its [[CastHerd large cast]] despite its short run. The anime is also [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff especially well-loved by American anime fans]] for the same reasons, as well as its [[SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing English dub being well-regarded]] thanks to its use of various regional American accents and period-accurate slang. However, in Japan it did very poorly in TV ratings and DVD sales and thus didn't go beyond a single season. |
| 53 | * ''Literature/DirtyPair'' never sold particularly well in the U.S. despite their popularity during the first wave of anime fandom. It was enough to get an American comic book adaptation during The80s. Part of the reason for their failure to catch on may be due to the fact that the early importers of ''Dirty Pair'' were the much maligned Creator/StreamlinePictures whose philosophy caused them eschew subtitled versions of their imports that would have satisfied purists who disliked dubbed anime.[[note]]This is in the VHS years before DVD where sub and dubs were sold on separate tapes.[[/note]] The post Streamline era saw the ''Dirty Pair'' fade into near obscurity as many more female fans entered the fandom and may have been turned off by the characterizations of Kei and Yuri as cute but [[TheDitz ditzy]] and incompetent ([[FanserviceCostumes while wearing revealing uniforms]]). The incoming wave of female anime fans preferred female characters who were smart, empowered, and not objectified for male viewers. |
| 54 | * ''Anime/DoItYourself'' was relatively well received during its original airing in the Fall 2022 anime season, but with a stacked competition of highly anticipated shows airing alongside it and being [[AnimeFirst an original anime]] which didn't attract any sort of pre-existing audience, its Blu-ray sales were rather mediocre. |
| 55 | * The works of Creator/{{Tsukumizu}}, ''Manga/GirlsLastTour'' and ''Manga/ShimejiSimulation'', are considered modern classics of the 2010s and are widley praised from both critics and auidences alike, but have never been the biggest successes financially, with the former's anime adaptation in 2017 under-performing below expectations and shelving any thought of its unadapted volumes becoming animated, though its sister series seems to be performing better. |
| 56 | * ''Manga/TricksDedicatedToWitches'' garnered a lot of praise for its unique premise, but it didn't perform well in terms of sales and was cancelled after only 31 chapters. |
| 57 | * In its native Japan, the original ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'' manga won a Seiun Award for best comic and its anime adaptation was nominated for one as well, but the anime flopped and the manga only did marginally better. [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff The series did much better outside of Japan, however]]. |
| 58 | * ''Manga/RomanticKiller'' was well-received by readers, won first place in ''Shonen Jump'''s Vertical Scroll Manga Awards, and even got an anime adaptation later on, but the manga was ultimately cancelled after just under a year of serialization. Comments from creator Wataru Momose imply that this was due to poor volume sales. |
| 59 | [[/folder]] |
| 60 | |
| 61 | [[folder:Automobiles]] |
| 62 | * The Saturn Aura, launched in 2006, wasn't a huge failure, but compared to other brands in the General Motors product range at the time, it was seen as a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute to the Chevrolet Malibu. Critics such as Canadian Driver (now Autos.ca) liked it, and cars.com also gave it good reviews with its [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff more European style in contrast to Chevrolet or Pontiac at the time]], but Saturn had competition from Chevrolet and Pontiac and it was launched almost right as the Great Recession of 2007-2008 was beginning. It eventually disappeared when GM shuttered the Saturn marque in 2010, but the Buick Regal sedan was its SpiritualSuccessor [[WhatCouldHaveBeen and was meant to be a Saturn originally, incidentally]]. In Europe, [[NoExportForYou where it never got sold]], people saw it as a CaptainErsatz of the Opel Vectra (which, it ''was'' based on mechanically, and explains why it has more European styling). |
| 63 | * The Chrysler Crossfire was popular but had low sales during its run. The politics of the era and the fact it was launched during an AudienceAlienatingEra for Chrysler didn't help. |
| 64 | * The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X failed to meet sales expectations despite being very popular in automotive media such as video games and television shows, and the company Mitsubishi Motors had to [[FranchiseKiller discontinue both the regular Lancer and its Evolution line]]. |
| 65 | * The Renault Avantime was well-reviewed and liked by critics but its unconventional design led it to bomb in the market with fewer than 9000 sold, pretty disastrous for a people-carrier. Notably, it's one of the few cars that all three presenters of Clarkson-era ''Series/{{Top Gear|UK}}'' agree on as being a good car. |
| 66 | [[/folder]] |
| 67 | |
| 68 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 69 | * ''ComicBook/DeathVigil''[='=]s rating on Comic Book Roundup is consistently more than 9 out of 10 and the artist/writer gets many positive responses from fans on his deviantART page. It, however, has experienced TroubledProduction and poor pre-order and revenue numbers, so despite the acclaim, it's set to be canceled after the first story arc. |
| 70 | [[/folder]] |
| 71 | |
| 72 | [[folder:Films -- Animation]] |
| 73 | * The Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon has a number of examples. |
| 74 | ** ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'' (1940), ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}'' (1940), ''WesternAnimation/{{Bambi}}'' (1942), ''WesternAnimation/AliceInWonderland'' (1951), and ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'' (1959) are all highly acclaimed classics which failed disastrously at the box office upon their original release (though they did better in re-releases), although partly due to overblown budgets (''Sleeping Beauty'' nearly bankrupted the studio) as much as audience lack of interest. In addition, the first three were released during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, a time when Americans were too busy supporting the war effort to go to the movies (in addition, the entire European cinema market was cut off by the war). The production cost of ''Sleeping Beauty'' (an estimated $6 million) reportedly was more than twice as expensive as the production costs of the box office flop ''WesternAnimation/AliceInWonderland'' (1951), the moderate box office success of ''WesternAnimation/PeterPan'' (1953) and ''WesternAnimation/LadyAndTheTramp'' (1955). Disney invested in a new film format, the then-innovative Super Technirama 70, and some of the film prints included six-track stereophonic sound (rare for this time). Which only added to the cost. Disney also hired additional staff to work on this film, at a time when the rest of the American animation studios were laying off personnel or considering shutting down operations (due to a drop in profits and competition from television). Also controversial was the part of the budget that went to developing background animation (the film's scenery), which Walt wanted to be fully detailed in a style reminiscent of French Renaissance paintings. As Clyde Geronimi (the film's supervising director) complained: "All that beautiful detail in the trees, the bark, and all that, that's all well and good, but who the hell's going to look at that?" |
| 75 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' (2000) was very well received but performed at a subpar level at the box office, generally because of Disney's poor marketing efforts. In retrospect, it did not perform too badly, earning $169.3 million at the box office ($89.3m from the United States, and $80m internationally). It turned out a profit. But Disney still considered it disappointing, as it performed worse at the box office that most of their animated films from the 1990s. By comparison, Disney's previous animated feature, ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}'', had earned $448.2m worldwide. |
| 76 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'' (2002) is another film that had mostly positive reviews from critics, yet it became a major flop at the box office, and merchandise is scarce. Since its release, however, it has become a CultClassic. In this case, the film actually failed to earn as much as its own budget. It earned a total of $109.6 million from its worldwide box office, and the estimated budget was about $140 million. Part of the film's box-office failure was due to Disney choosing to release it during a particularly "competitive holiday season" (their words prior to the release) where the film would compete against other intended blockbusters. It was overshadowed during its debut weekend by three other films: ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'', ''Film/DieAnotherDay'', and ''Film/TheSantaClause2''. Apparently Harry Potter, James Bond, and Santa Claus had more box-office appeal than (cyborg) Long John Silver. |
| 77 | ** Disney's sequel to ''WesternAnimation/TheManyAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'', simply titled ''WesternAnimation/{{Winnie the Pooh|2011}}'' (2011) is a strange case of this in the Canon. Released to thunderous acclaim (including a 90% Website/RottenTomatoes score, which was, at the time, the highest score for any Disney Canon entry since 1994), it only made $50 million worldwide against a $30 million budget. This was most likely a result of the dubious decision to release the film simultaneously with ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Part II''. It actually performed much worse than ''Treasure Planet'' (earning about $70 million less). Some of the elements which the critics praised may explain why the audience was not interested. The film was praised (summarizing critics' quotes from Wikipedia): because it was mostly hand-drawn (at a time when hand-drawn animation was considered a relic of the past), because it felt as a nostalgic throwback to an earlier era of animation, because of its lack of "3-D animation and special effects", and because it provided "a nightmare-proof experience for even the youngest viewers" (unlike other Disney films it lacks memorable drama or horror elements). It may appeal to younger audiences, like most of the Franchise/WinnieThePooh, but it lacks elements that would draw in older kids, teenagers, and adults. |
| 78 | ** ''WesternAnimation/RayaAndTheLastDragon'' garnered mass critical praise, which sits at a 93% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with over 300 reviews, but it generally did poorly domestically and overseas both in terms of theaters and streaming. Fittingly, [[https://www.cartoonbrew.com/box-office-report/raya-and-the-last-dragon-opens-to-8-6m-domestically-40-lower-than-tom-jerry-202851.html it did do well in southeast Asia]]. Its worldwide box office total made approximately around half of its total budget. The cause of this is largely speculated to be its release date in early 2021, which was still in the midst of the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic. |
| 79 | ** ''WesternAnimation/StrangeWorld'' (2022) had positive reviews praising the visuals and LGBT representation even if the story was somewhat familiar, but given Disney paradoxically released it in 4,000 theaters during Thanksgiving [[InvisibleAdvertising while barely giving any promotion]], many people only learned of its existence on the opening weekend, leading to such low box office numbers that analysts projected as much as a $147 million loss for Disney. Opening in between both ''Film/BlackPantherWakandaForever'' and ''Film/AvatarTheWayOfWater'' also did not help matters. Still, it had high viewership upon entering Creator/DisneyPlus (albeit not as high as [[WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}} its predecessor]]), meaning it eventually did find an audience. |
| 80 | * ''WesternAnimation/TeachersPet'' (the film) from 2004. Despite poor marketing, critics loved it. |
| 81 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH'' suffered from poor marketing and competition with ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'', but was widely acclaimed for its vibrant animation and moving storyline. |
| 82 | * ''WesternAnimation/CatsDontDance''. Critics loved this film that won an Annie Award for Best Animated Film of 1997, but box office numbers were very poor. This is because Creator/WarnerBros acquired Turner Animation Studios after production was completed, and worried that the film was going to overshadow other releases they had, put it in a small number of theaters and gave it no promotion outside of toys from Subway and a few children's storybooks. The movie would later go on to being VindicatedByCable, thanks to airing several times during the early 2000s on Creator/CartoonNetwork. |
| 83 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant'' was a financial disaster due to a horrible marketing campaign on Warner Bros' part. Critics rapturously praised it, and audiences (if [[InvisibleAdvertising they were even aware it was out]]) loved it, but it ended up making just $31 million on a $50 million budget. However, it picked up a new life on DVD and has become well-known and respected, in part due to Cartoon Network [[VindicatedByCable running 24-hour blocks of it every Thanksgiving]]. |
| 84 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Frankenweenie}}'' has been acclaimed by critics and was a strong contender to win Best Animated Feature at the Oscars (it got the strongest reviews of that year's five contenders), but opened to a disappointing $11 million despite positive reception and a huge marketing campaign. The financial disappointment owes to several factors: an AudienceAlienatingPremise, the fact that it's [[NeverTrustATrailer not nearly as kid-friendly as its marketing suggested]], and the fact that it opened only ''a week'' after the more accessible {{Dueling Movie|s}} ''WesternAnimation/HotelTransylvania''. |
| 85 | * ''WesternAnimation/BatmanMaskOfThePhantasm'' was critically acclaimed, with critics and filmgoers citing the film's music, mature writing, and animation as being exceptionally strong. However, due to the decision to make it a theatrical release being rather last-minute, it didn't get much promotion and turned out to be a box-office bomb. It was much more profitable on home media later on and is still highly regarded, with some fans still considering it the best Franchise/{{Batman}} film. |
| 86 | * ''WesternAnimation/FantasticMrFox'' scored a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, and did even better with what the site describes as "Top Critics", earning only a single negative review (overall 98%). 84% of viewers on the site also said that they liked it, but the film only banked $20.9 million in the box office. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that though the film was targeted as a PG children's film, [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids much of the humor and storylines were more adult]] and perhaps also the film's unusual visual style and introspective nature. It is also a stop-motion film, which, despite a growing number of them, have typically had a harder time with families than [=2D=] animation or [=3D=] CGI. |
| 87 | * Creator/{{Pixar}}: |
| 88 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TheGoodDinosaur'' was well received like most of the studio's other works (although considered by many to be [[SoOkayItsAverage one of their weaker films]]) earning a 77% on Rotten Tomatoes, even receiving award nominations, but has the dubious honor of being their first box office flop. Despite having passed $100 million in the US, it cost double that to make, and it faced competition from the likes of ''Film/TheHungerGamesMockingjayPart2'', ''Film/{{Creed|2015}}'' and Disney's own ''Franchise/StarWars'': ''Film/TheForceAwakens'', which had the (at the time) biggest opening weekend ever. |
| 89 | ** They had another case with ''WesternAnimation/{{Onward}}'', which unlike the above actually got really good reviews (87% on Rotten Tomatoes), but had the bad luck of coming out as the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic started closing theaters worldwide, leading to a miserable box-office performance. At least an early release on Creator/DisneyPlus and VOD helped those who missed it in theaters. |
| 90 | ** ''WesternAnimation/{{Lightyear}}'' also got a relatively warm critical reception, with 75% on Rotten Tomatoes and 60 on Metacritic (although again, it was deemed a lesser work by the studio), but audiences were not as welcoming to this reinterpretation of the ''Franchise/ToyStory'' hero, which ended up only making more money than ''Onward'' and hitting Disney+ after only a month and a half in theaters. The film also faced stiff competition from ''Film/JurassicWorldDominion'' and ''Film/TopGunMaverick''. |
| 91 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirlsMovie'' got a lot of positive reviews from fans of the franchise as well as critics. However, it underperformed at the box office; not helping the fact that it was released the same year as ''Film/LikeMike'' and ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch.'' Many boys were also ashamed to go and see the movie too, and they were too afraid to admit that they liked the show, even [[https://twitter.com/CrackMcCraigen/status/1679711578260918272 during a focus test.]] Heck, even Warner Bros. never had any idea how to market the movie. |
| 92 | * Creator/DreamWorksAnimation's ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians'' received mostly positive reviews from critics, but cost $145 million to produce and only made $103.4 million at the North American box office as it came out right after ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph''. The total worldwide gross was $306.9 million, but it's considered a box-office failure for [=DreamWorks=] since the total gross did not meet the cost of production and advertisement. They ultimately lost $83 million on it. In fact, the losses forced [=DreamWorks=] to lay off over three hundred workers. |
| 93 | * Almost any film from Creator/{{Laika}} can be included. Most of their projects carry a roughly $60 million budget. ''WesternAnimation/TheBoxtrolls'' and ''WesternAnimation/ParaNorman'' underperformed domestically, and needed the worldwide box office to break even. Both were very well-received by critics though and were nominated for Academy Awards. The only Laika films to make back their budget domestically are ''WesternAnimation/CorpseBride'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Coraline}}''. |
| 94 | ** ''WesternAnimation/KuboAndTheTwoStrings'' opened to critical acclaim (97% on Website/RottenTomatoes), but it was one of the last films released during a largely underwhelming summer. It made $77.5 million worldwide against a $60 million budget, $48 million from North America. |
| 95 | ** ''WesternAnimation/MissingLink'' reached an all-time low, with a paltry $5.9 million opening weekend. It had no competition with new family films. Its final domestic gross was $16.6 million, with an additional $9.3 million overseas, for a worldwide total of $25.9 million. The film cost '''$100 million''', Laika's highest budgeted film thus far. The film then went on to win the 2020 Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature and got nominated for the Academy Awards, as the highlight of a laundry list of critical awards. |
| 96 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Ferdinand}}'', a production of Creator/BlueSkyStudios, got positive reviews and nominations for the Golden Globe and Academy Awards, but was curb-stomped by ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/TheLastJedi''. Still, it was only a flop domestically ($83.1 million), as its $110 million budget was easily recouped overseas ($206.3 million). This and the poor performance of yet another Blue Sky production, ''WesternAnimation/SpiesInDisguise'', were just some of the factors that led Disney to close down Blue Sky in 2021. |
| 97 | * ''Westernanimation/SurfsUp'' got great reviews praising the {{Mockumentary}} style and was even the first Creator/SonyPicturesAnimation Best Animated Feature nominee, but after ''Film/MarchOfThePenguins'' and ''Westernanimation/HappyFeet'' audiences were not as welcoming of another penguin movie, and the film couldn't make it facing a quite busy summer slate (it opened at a paltry #4, behind new release ''Film/OceansThirteen'' and holdovers ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd'' and ''Film/KnockedUp''). |
| 98 | * None of Creator/CartoonSaloon's films have ever made back their budget, with ''WesternAnimation/{{Wolfwalkers}}'' making a paltry $200,000 on a ten million euro budget (even though the COVID-19 pandemic also hurt its chances a lot). However, all of their films have been praised by critics and very well received by audiences, and have received found Oscar nominations for Best Animated Feature (even if they haven't won). |
| 99 | * ''WesternAnimation/SnoopyComeHome'' only managed to make a fifth of its budget during its theatrical run, [[CreatorKiller causing Cinema Center Films to go bust]] but is near-unanimously considered a classic and one of the best ''Comicstrip/{{Peanuts}}'' specials. |
| 100 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Anomalisa}}'' received fantastic reviews, with praise going to its use of Stop Motion to tell the story (when it was originally a sound play), use of sexuality without going into {{Narm}} territory, all while keeping the same signature style that made Creator/CharlieKaufman's films unique; but Creator/{{Paramount}} left the film to die by releasing it on less than 500 screens, which made it impossible for the film to make a profit. |
| 101 | * The animated adaptation of ''ComicBook/MortadeloYFilemon: Mission Implausible'' (''Mortadelo y Filemón contra Jimmy el Cachondo'') was a financial flop, only earning a measly €4.9 million and not covering the €12.5 million spent on its production. Despite this colossal flop, many fans of the franchise and critics consider this movie to not only be one the best movie of the franchise, but one of the best animated movies made in Spain of all time. |
| 102 | [[/folder]] |
| 103 | |
| 104 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 105 | * ''Film/{{Intolerance}}'' was a tremendous critical success, and is now [[VindicatedByHistory considered D.W. Griffith's masterpiece]], but its ponderous length, overly experimental cinematography, and [[AuthorTract anti-war message]] drove away audiences on the eve of the U.S.'s entry into UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. Given its inflated budget - $2.5 million, enough to build a naval cruiser at the time - it went down in history as Hollywood's first big failure. |
| 106 | * No one was yet calling it the greatest film of all time, but ''Film/CitizenKane'' opened to glowing reviews and a disastrous box office. It didn't win "Best Picture" that year, but it was nominated, and it won for "Best Screenplay". A lot of its early misfortune is due to the powerful media mogul William Randolph Hearst, whom the film was partly based on, refusing to give publicity and actively suppressing it, actually preventing cinemas from showing it. |
| 107 | * ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'' was this when it originally came out in 1939. It was well-received by critics and those who saw it. It even snagged a few Oscar nominations (winning for Best Original Song and Best Original Score). However, it lost money in its initial release and didn't begin to recoup its large budget until it was reissued a decade later. It wasn't until the 1950s, when it became a staple of television showings, that it became the classic it is today. |
| 108 | * Franchise/TheMonkees' film ''Film/{{Head}}'' was the last thing anyone expected from the group: a surreal, deliberately plotless satire of their journey through the ShowBusiness meat grinder. It failed at the box office but got a lot of good reviews, and today it's fondly remembered as an UnintentionalPeriodPiece of the psychedelic era. |
| 109 | * Most Creator/RoaldDahl adaptations: ''Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory'', ''Film/TheWitches1990'', ''Film/{{Matilda}}'', ''Film/JamesAndTheGiantPeach'', ''WesternAnimation/FantasticMrFox'', and ''Film/TheBFG'' were all flops, but were received very well. However, ''Willy Wonka'' recouped its low budget and was VindicatedByCable. ''Matilda'' and ''James'' have also developed a cult following over the years. ''Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' is the only exception, owing to a big promotional effort and much star power from the [[Creator/TimBurton director]] and cast. |
| 110 | * ''Film/TuckerTheManAndHisDream'' failed to recoup its production costs and prompted director Creator/FrancisFordCoppola to take time off from the Hollywood system. However, critics credit the film for renewing interest in Preston Tucker's cars. |
| 111 | * ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption'' did very poorly in the box office but nonetheless received glowing reviews. The Academy also recognized it and led to its {{vindicat|edByCable}}ion as everyone wanted to know what that film with quite a few Oscar nominations was. It's also the highest-rated film on Website/{{IMDB}} with a score of 9.3. |
| 112 | * ''Film/EdWood'' is one of Creator/TimBurton's most acclaimed films, even giving one of his stars an Oscar...and is the director's biggest box office failure with a mere $5.8 million domestically. |
| 113 | ** Screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski also had two biopics of 'Anti Great Men' (that some add to ''Ed Wood'' to form a trilogy) directed by Creator/MilosForman that count: ''Film/ThePeopleVsLarryFlynt'', about the founder of ''Hustler'', won two Golden Globes and had two Oscar noms, but only scored $20 million on a $35m budget. ''Film/ManOnTheMoon'', about Creator/AndyKaufman, couldn't ride Creator/JimCarrey's star power like ''Film/TheTrumanShow'', possibly helped by how in spite of the subject being a comedian, the film was bittersweet and centered around someone with [[AntiHumor less than appealing ways at attempting laughter]] -- in fact, the writers '''begged''' Universal Pictures to release it to the fall festival circuit first rather than position it as their wide Christmas release for 1999 because they knew it wasn't going to draw that big an audience right out of the gate. |
| 114 | * ''Film/WesCravensNewNightmare'' is considered one of the best ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet'' installments, known for being an early deconstruction of the slasher genre, and paving the way for ''Film/{{Scream|1996}}''. It's also the lowest grossing of them all, though it recouped its low budget twice. |
| 115 | * PJ Hogan's live-action ''Film/PeterPan'' did poorly, likely due to opening only a week after ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing'' and on the same day as ''Film/CheaperByTheDozen2003''. However, it was highly praised by critics and is regarded as one of the best ''Peter Pan'' adaptations out there. These days, it's edging close to CultClassic status. |
| 116 | * Creator/CharlieChaplin made a movie called ''Film/AWomanOfParis'' at the height of his success, a serious drama that doesn't have the Little Tramp in it. It was given high critical acclaim but it failed due to disappointed audiences upset about the notion of a Chaplin film without Chaplin. |
| 117 | * Creator/AlfonsoCuaron: |
| 118 | ** ''Film/ALittlePrincess1995'' got critical raves in May 1995. But, as Creator/RogerEbert admitted in his review, kids were hyped up for flashier SummerBlockbuster fare like ''Film/BatmanForever'' and ''Film/MightyMorphinPowerRangersTheMovie''. ''Film/{{Casper}}'' and Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Pocahontas}}'' were getting a lot of hype too, and with the GirlShowGhetto working against it on top of all that, the film died at the box office. Warner Bros. was encouraged by the positive responses from those who saw the film, to the point that they brought it back to theaters later that summer (look at the poster at its [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Little_Princess_(1995_film) Wikipedia page]]) in hopes that families would respond to the raves, but that proved completely futile. This was because ''Film/{{Babe}}'', another hit with critics, had become a SleeperHit with those families by that point. |
| 119 | ** Cuarón later had another one with ''Film/ChildrenOfMen'', also adapting a book, but this time a very bleak science fiction. Deeming it a possible awards contender (and indeed it was, scoring three Oscar noms, including Adapted Screenplay), Universal pushed it from September, when it opened internationally and also failed to perform, to December, when it was blown by more family-friendly fare such as ''Film/NightAtTheMuseum'' and ''Film/ThePursuitOfHappyness''. [[https://bombreport.com/yearly-breakdowns/2006-3/children-of-men/ Analysts added]] that the studio didn't have a clear marketing strategy and thus audience awareness was really low. |
| 120 | * ''Film/AlmostFamous'' was one of the best-reviewed films of 2000 (Roger Ebert called it the best film of that year), its script won the Oscar, and even today is considered a benchmark of making films about rock music. Financially, the film barely made half its $60 million budget (even after foreign totals, it still failed to break even), due to a [[SexSells misleading print campaign]] that put Creator/KateHudson's supporting character front and center and possibly due to handing director Creator/CameronCrowe such a large budget for a niche-appealed premise. |
| 121 | * ''Film/DonnieDarko'' was well-received, but did poorly in cinemas. This was in part due to it receiving a limited theatrical run owing to its subject matter, coming out almost immediately after 9/11. It's a definite CultClassic these days. |
| 122 | * 9/11 also screwed over ''Film/{{Bandits}}'', which came out a month later and in spite of the having big names and a light subject matter, flopped in theaters. Still, reviews were positive and the performances of Billy Bob Thornton and Cate Blanchett were nominated for some awards. |
| 123 | * Creator/MikeJudge's ''Film/{{Idiocracy}}'' was well-reviewed by critics and is widely considered a clever comedy (although Americans of a certain stripe consider it ''very'' SeriousBusiness), but due to [[InvisibleAdvertising poor marketing]], it did badly box office-wise. Limiting initial release to only 7 cities and capping out at 130 theaters hurt. |
| 124 | * ''Film/{{Rogue}}'', starring a then-unknown Creator/SamWorthington, was said by the few critics that saw it to be surprisingly good for a film about [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever a giant crocodile]] and a fine horror/adventure flick in its own right. Poor advertising and a severely scaled back theatrical release caused it to bomb. |
| 125 | * ''Film/Star80'' was very acclaimed, with special praise to Eric Roberts' performance. It also never got a wide release (the definition is 600 screens, the film topped at 500) and thus barely made money. |
| 126 | * ''Film/FlagsOfOurFathers'' was well-received when it came out in 2006, by both audiences and critics alike. Like many on this list, it even received a few award nominations but failed to make its budget back. (unlike sister project ''Film/LettersFromIwoJima'', which grossed slightly more and was significantly cheaper) |
| 127 | * ''Film/TheAssassinationOfJesseJamesByTheCowardRobertFord'' was a critical success and made nearly every Film of the Year list of that year, topping several, and was particularly praised for its lead performances, music and cinematography. It flopped and made a measly $15m, about half of its budget, and only received nominations for Best Supporting Actor and Cinematography, winning neither. It very likely failed due to its somewhat slow pace and running time (the titular event occurs about two hours in, [[EndingFatigue but continues for another half hour]]), and possibly due to its AudienceAlienatingPremise--the {{deconstruction}} of popular HollywoodHistory by [[ShownTheirWork accurately]] portraying the titular AntiHero as a cold, violent, AxCrazy sociopath rather than a brave and daring Myth/RobinHood-type. On top of that, Creator/WarnerBrothers deliberately let the film die in limited release after requesting a more action packed film when what they got was more of a slowpaced character study and couldn't do anything about it because of Creator/BradPitt's star power (who also produced the film). |
| 128 | * ''Film/TheHurtLocker'' was one of the most acclaimed films of the year... and before the Oscar victory brought it back to theatres, its total gross was $12.6 million, less than its $15m budget (it ended with $17m domestically and $49m worldwide, still the lowest-grossing Best Picture of all-time[[note]]aside from two later ones that came out during a pandemic that closed theaters everywhere: ''Film/{{Nomadland}}'', which was cheaper and thus the $32 million were profitable; and ''Film/{{CODA|2021}}'', that had a simultaneous streaming release and thus was already more than paid for with the $25 million distribution rights spent by Apple TV+, making the $2 million in theaters an afterthought[[/note]]). |
| 129 | ** ''Film/{{Detroit}}'', by [[Creator/KathrynBigelow the same director]], also fell victim to this. The film garnered massive critical acclaim and praise from audiences who saw it; but has opened at #3 at the box office amid a very underwhelming summer, making just $7 million in its opening weekend against a budget of $30m. |
| 130 | * ''Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld'' received near-universal acclaim for its unique approach. Internet buzz prior to its release predicted a blockbuster and a summer comedy champion. The film tanked next to the guy-centric ''Film/TheExpendables'' and the girl-centric ''Film/EatPrayLove'', mainly due to the film's target demographic being rather limited in comparison to the other two films. It did [[VindicatedByCable better on video]], though. |
| 131 | ** Film/LastNightInSoho was, like most of Creator/EdgarWright's work, acclaimed for its visual style and art direction. However, the film was released in 2021 while the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic was still ongoing which supressed as much as 60% of total box office revenue. This meant the film grossed $23 million worldwide on a budget of $43 million. |
| 132 | * ''Film/TheTreeOfLife'' failed to make its budget back (grossing just $12 million domestically on a $32m budget) but won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and won much acclaim from critics (even becoming a top awards contender). |
| 133 | * Creator/MartinScorsese has had its fair share of these throughout the years: |
| 134 | ** ''Film/{{Hugo}}'' won five of the eleven Academy Awards for which it was nominated, tying it with Best Picture winner ''Film/TheArtist'' for the most of 2011. And its $185.8 million gross would also have made it a net commercial success -- had its budget not clocked in at ''$170 million'' (not counting marketing nor shipping!). |
| 135 | ** ''Film/{{Silence}}'' was a decades-long passion project of his. After being released in 2016, it was critically acclaimed and made it into several top ten lists of film of the year. Unfortunately, the film was a BoxOfficeBomb, grossing less than half of its $50 million production budget. This commercial failure could be attributed due to a lack of interest in the subject matter and too many adult dramas that year. |
| 136 | ** We will likely never know if ''Film/TheIrishman'' was successful or not as Netflix doesn't release their data to the public. But given the massive budget of almost $250 million, even the nicest of estimates put the film at a loss for at least $57 million. This, however, didn't stop the film from being considered one of the best films of 2019 and getting 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. |
| 137 | ** Similarly, his next film, ''Film/KillersOfTheFlowerMoon'' was also produced by a [[Creator/AppleTVPlus streaming platform]] to generate interest in subscriptions to the service. However, unlike "The Irishman", this film did have a proper theatrical release, in which it grossed $150 million on a $200 million budget, making it a commercial failure. Whether or not the film will do better in streaming, [[VindicatedByVideo remains to be seen]]. Despite this, [[AsYouKnow as you can imagine]], the film received critical acclaim and is considered one of the best films of 2023. |
| 138 | * ''Film/{{Warrior}}'', Gavin O'Connor's ambitious sports drama, followed on the heels of similarly-themed ''Film/TheFighter'' and got strong critical reviews, especially for the lead performances. This strong point was also its undoing: the stars (Creator/TomHardy and Creator/JoelEdgerton) were still niche supporting/character actors who had not yet headlined many flicks of their own and were only gradually building a bigger reputation. The film was dropped in a September release by Lionsgate and lost money. |
| 139 | * ''Film/{{Dredd}}'' has been critically praised but failed commercially, losing its place in the top 10 within just two weeks and not recouping its modest $45 million budget. However, [[VindicatedByVideo it sold very well on DVD]] and gained a [[CultClassic rabidly devoted fanbase]] who are campaigning for a sequel. |
| 140 | * In the 2000s, Creator/AdamSandler acted in two dramatic films, ''Film/PunchDrunkLove'' and ''Film/ReignOverMe''. Critics loved the former and thought the latter was surprisingly decent (79% and 65% on Rotten Tomatoes). Unfortunately, ''Punch Drunk Love'' fell just $300k of making back its budget and ''Reign Over Me'' only barely broke even. Outside of ''Film/FunnyPeople'' (which also flopped), he wouldn't act in another drama until 2014. |
| 141 | * ''Punch Drunk Love'' is also one of many critical darlings that Creator/PaulThomasAnderson made but audiences ignored - in his whole career, only ''Film/BoogieNights'' and ''Film/ThereWillBeBlood'' managed to double their budgets at the box office. |
| 142 | ** ''Film/{{Magnolia}}'' had high remarks and a few Oscar noms, but its three hour length ([[CreatorBacklash which Anderson later agreed to be excessive]]) also hindered the box office, $48.5 million (less than half domestically) against $37 million costs. |
| 143 | ** The current page image, ''Film/TheMaster'', was the kind of film that had the makings of an awards hit: Anderson directing, a hot-button topic as its premise, and a strong cast of leads (led by Creator/JoaquinPhoenix and Creator/PhilipSeymourHoffman). But despite strong reviews and having the publicity that most films could wish to have, The Weinstein Company saw different and basically left it for dead in September (despite having had the biggest opening weekend per-theatre average ever for an R-rated film) in order to push other OscarBait titles ''Film/SilverLiningsPlaybook''. The final result failed to make its budget back and proved to be another casualty in making arthouse fare in Hollywood. |
| 144 | ** ''Film/InherentVice'' made many "best of 2014" lists... and only barely scraped the definition of a wide release, topping at 650 theaters. |
| 145 | ** ''Film/LicoricePizza'' managed to get quite an extension in screen numbers after getting a Best Picture nomination, yet the worldwide box office still fell over $10 million behind its $40 million budget. |
| 146 | * ''{{Film/Bandslam}}'' has an 80% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes but made only a little over $12 million at the box office on a $20m budget. Its disastrous advertising campaign is a legend in the industry, as many believed Summit killed its chances by pushing supporting actress Creator/VanessaHudgens front and center and positioning the title as a ''Film/HighSchoolMusical'' type of fluff tween-girl piece when it had more of a Creator/JohnHughes-type of ambition. |
| 147 | * ''Film/AllIsLost'' had serious awards buzz, a powerful lead performance by Creator/RobertRedford, an acclaimed soundtrack, and a 93% "Fresh" on Website/RottenTomatoes. But it failed to return its modest $8.5 million budget largely due to [[InvisibleAdvertising almost non-existent advertising,]] a release topping out at 400+ theaters, and distributor Lionsgate pushing most of their resources into ''Film/TheHungerGamesCatchingFire''. |
| 148 | * ''Film/MuppetsMostWanted'' received favorable reviews, but unfortunately, it barely passed $50m domestically (and $80m worldwide) for a number of reasons. It opened next to the CriticProof ''Film/{{Divergent}}'' (which got a 44% on Rotten Tomatoes vs. a 78% for ''Muppets''), which put the teenage girl demographic out of bounds for Kermit and friends; the critically acclaimed ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'' opened two weeks later, restricting the Muppets' audience even further. The film was released after a string of similarly acclaimed family films in Disney's own ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'' followed by ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie'' and March rival ''WesternAnimation/MrPeabodyAndSherman'', meaning its target audience was somewhat exhausted by the time it was released (not to mention ''Peabody'' was still taking audiences away from ''Muppets''). The release of two blockbusters in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'' (also produced under the Disney family) and ''Film/{{Noah}}'' in the two weeks following also hurt. Finally, its publicity campaign [[CripplingOverspecialization relied on social media]] ViralMarketing at the expense of traditional marketing, the latter of which proved more effective for its competition. |
| 149 | * ''Film/TrueRomance'' came just shy of a $13 million gross, and would have needed twice that to even start making a profit, but has a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and has become a cult classic in the years since. |
| 150 | * Creator/JohnWaters' ''Film/CryBaby''. It got a good reception from critics but failed to make back its $12 million budget. It's since become a cult classic, inspiring a Tony-nominated Broadway musical of the same name. |
| 151 | * ''Film/KitKittredgeAnAmericanGirl'', a film based on the eponymous American Girl character, was released to mostly positive reception, but it didn't fare well at the box office as theatres didn't want to gamble on another "doll movie" following the release of ''Film/{{Bratz}}'' (which was ''both'' a critical and [[BoxOfficeBomb commercial flop]]). |
| 152 | * ''Film/WalkHardTheDeweyCoxStory'' was reviewed as one of the much-better parody films but failed to break even at the box office. |
| 153 | * ''Film/TheHunter'': The film has a good Website/RottenTomatoes score and got nominated for almost every big award the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts had to offer that year, but it only grossed about 1.2 million dollars in theaters. |
| 154 | * ''Film/TheInsider'' was one of the best reviewed films of 1999 and an eventual awards contender. But a not that appealing subject matter for mainstream audiences (whistleblowers of the tobacco industry) made it not survive at the box office. |
| 155 | * ''Film/MidnightSpecial'', an original science fiction thriller by ''Film/TakeShelter'' and ''Film/{{Mud}}'' director Creator/JeffNichols, was highly praised by critics for its performances, huge emphasis on ShowDontTell and being able to [[GenreThrowback channel the early works of Spielberg and Carpenter]] without it seeming like a ripoff of those filmmakers. However, the film had its release date shuffled around from November 2015 to March 2016, the same month as Warner Bros.' mega-budget tentpole ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice''. As a result of WB putting all of their eggs in one basket with ''[=BVS=]'' and a slow theatrical rollout, ''Midnight Special'' wound up getting the short end of the stick, only making a little over $6 million on its $18m budget and a release that only went a little over 500 theaters. |
| 156 | * ''Film/MysteryRoad'': The film is considered a classic Australian noir and has some big name performers who give the film their all, but it didn't even make $250,000 in theaters. |
| 157 | * The Creator/KennethBranagh version of ''Hamlet'' received mostly positive acclaim and Oscar nominations, but didn't break even at the box office. Not that it had any chance, given the ''four-hour runtime'' ensured the release was never wide - the closest compromise was having some foreign countries receiving a shortened 2:30 cut. |
| 158 | * ''Film/TheNiceGuys'' received largely positive reviews when it was released in summer 2016, with many praising the performances of the leads and the direction of Creator/ShaneBlack. It regrettably didn't make much money at the box office amid competition from ''WesternAnimation/TheAngryBirdsMovie'', ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' and ''[[Film/Neighbors2014 Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising]]''. |
| 159 | * ''Film/LoganLucky'' has been widely praised by critics and audiences who have seen it, with many praising the cast's performances and the film being hailed as a great comeback for director Creator/StevenSoderbergh. Regrettably, the film only made about half of what was expected for its opening weekend amid competition from ''Film/TheHitmansBodyguard'' and ''Film/AnnabelleCreation''. |
| 160 | ** Soderbergh also had ''Film/{{Haywire}}'', a well-reviewed thriller that was ScrewedByTheNetwork (Lionsgate wanted an action flick instead, and then distribution was passed to Relativity Media, which didn't really help that much, with marketing more focused on the action and releasing during the DumpMonths) and barely recouped its $23 million budget ($18.9 million in the United States, $32.4 worldwide). |
| 161 | * The Creator/DarrenAronofsky film ''[[Film/Mother2017 mother!]]'' has opened to roundly positive reviews. However, it only made $7.5 million in its opening weekend beneath ''Film/{{It|2017}}'' and ''American Assassin''. It also earned a rare MediaNotes/CinemaScore of F from audiences, who sought out the latter films instead. The film was not helped by a very abstract and symbolic plot that may have driven potential viewers away − and also the fact that the trailers sold the film as a classic home-invasion thriller, or that Creator/JenniferLawrence had made some controversial statements that hurt her popularity with conservatives. |
| 162 | * Despite being the downright most accessible film Creator/DavidLynch ever did (as its based on a true story), an Oscar nominated performance by Creator/RichardFarnsworth, and his most acclaimed film based on pure Website/RottenTomatoes score (95%), ''Film/TheStraightStory'' only made $6.2 million of its $10m budget. The biggest reason why the film underperformed was mostly due to InvisibleAdvertising and only releasing the film in about 180 theaters in the United States. |
| 163 | * The 2017 film adaptation of ''Theatre/APortraitOfTheArtistAsFilipino'' barely broke even at the box office, earning ₱29 million despite critical acclaim. Well, considering how [[LowestCommonDenominator mainstream entries]] at the film festival like ''Gandarrapiddo: The Revenger Squad'' do appeal more to the ''masa'' than what is perceived to be too highbrow, it isn't surprising. Producer Girlie Rodis however stated that they were DoingItForTheArt as opposed to competing with those "[[RomanticComedy romcoms]]" mainstream studios [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks churn out every so often]], aiming to provide an alternative to the latter that is suitable for school educational viewings. |
| 164 | * ''Film/BladeRunner2049'' cost $150-185 million to produce (''very'' ambitious for a sequel to a film that couldn't find a following [[VindicatedByCable until it was released on home video]]) and opened to a lousy $32 million in North America, well below the openings of comparable titles ''Film/TronLegacy'' and ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad''. This was despite the film opening against little direct competition (it easily topped the weekend in its opening frame). It only barely surpassed the original film's [[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=bladerunner.htm&adjust_yr=2017&p=.htm inflation-adjusted box office total]] (though it fell short when you include the original's various re-releases), and failed to top director Creator/DenisVilleneuve's previous film ''Film/{{Arrival}}'', even though those films had lower production values and much heavier competition (''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'' and ''Film/DoctorStrange2016'', respectively). Regardless, the film retains a high critical approval rating, received an "A-" [=CinemaScore=] despite its "challenging" nature (which many box office pundits cited as a reason for its failure), and was nominated for five Oscars, winning two (in technical categories). It did not do particularly well internationally either, notably bombing in China when it opened against ''Film/{{Geostorm}}''. In an odd case, though it earned more on its opening weekend, it actually ''lost'' its first weekend in Japan to the ''Anime/KiraKiraPrecureALaMode'' film. ''2049'' eventually grossed $259.2 million worldwide, [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/blade-runner-2049-losses-could-hit-80-million-producer-alcon-1055855 making an estimated $80 million loss]]. It did raise such fears for ''Film/{{Dune|2021}}'', especially with the Creator/HBOMax availability, but the latter movie ended up successful enough to get a [[Film/DunePartTwo sequel]] made to finish the story. |
| 165 | * ''Film/{{Thoroughbreds}}'' was a cheap indie that cost less than $6 million, but it [[TheShelfOfMovieLanguishment took almost two years to finally come out]], made obvious by the fact that one of its stars, Creator/AntonYelchin, was killed in a tragic accident just two weeks after filming wrapped. The film received a positive response at Sundance but was largely overshadowed by ''Film/GetOut2017'', another thriller that unexpectedly went onto win an Oscar. It was finally released to select theaters in March 2018 to very positive reviews, but it failed to expand outside limited release and didn't even cross $3 million at the box office. Fans harbor hope that it might find a cult audience through TV and video, much like ''Film/{{Heathers}}''. |
| 166 | * ''Film/AfterDarkMySweet'': Got a whole stack full of great reviews praising it as an outstanding example of neo-FilmNoir. Roger Ebert even put it on his Great Movies List. It was totally ignored at the box office, earning back barely half of a modest $6 million budget. |
| 167 | * Back when Wrestling/DwayneJohnson was not an established actor, his film ''Film/TheRundown'' failed at making back its budget, but it gained a remarkably high 70% on Website/RottenTomatoes, infinitely better than anybody would have expected. |
| 168 | * The 2018 remake of ''Film/{{Suspiria|2018}}'' received positive reviews from critics but its $20 million budget wasn't even made back halfway. Domestic: $2,483,472. Worldwide: $7,940,485. The film opened in the midst of a very competitive October; debuting at number 25 amid competition from ''Film/Halloween2018'', ''Film/Venom2018'' and ''Film/AStarIsBorn2018''. |
| 169 | * ''Film/{{Slither}}'', Creator/JamesGunn's first film as a director and writer, was heavily praised back in 2006 for its unique blend of horror, gore, and comedy (86% Tomatometer!), yet sadly only made $12.8 million on a $15 million dollar budget. It's since become a cult classic. |
| 170 | ** Gunn would be hit even harder with this on ''Film/TheSuicideSquad''. Everyone agreed Gunn's wacky approach made for one of the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse's best movies. But being released in the middle of the Usefulnotes/Covid19Pandemic, with the U.S. also getting it simultaneously on streaming (and indeed, Creator/{{HBO Max}} viewership was huge), and the added roadblocks of an R-rating and being unable to fully distance itself from the unpopular ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'' (both of whom it shared with ''Film/BirdsOfPrey2020'', that is a lesser version of this trope as it at least made double its budget on the box office), and recouping the US$185 million budget was an unfeasible task. |
| 171 | * ''Film/TheKidWhoWouldBeKing'' had uninspiring advertisements, a release in the DumpMonths, and the terrible luck of following two bad attempts at modernizing old legends in ''Film/KingArthurLegendOfTheSword'' and ''Film/RobinHood2018''. So what a surprise it was when upon release the film gathered widespread praise (its Rotten Tomatoes score stands at 89%) - but not that it made little over half of its moderate $59 million budget, the studio anticipating a $50 million loss on the movie. |
| 172 | * Creator/MikeFlanagan's ''Film/DoctorSleep'', a sequel to Creator/StanleyKubrick’s legendary horror classic ''Film/TheShining'', was by and large seen as a worthy sequel to the original film as well as a faithful adaptation of Creator/StephenKing's [[Literature/DoctorSleep original novel]], despite its changes from the source and managed please both camps of Kubrick and King. However, the film failed to recoup its 45-55 million dollar budget, making only 31 million domestically and 72 million worldwide. As to reasons why it failed, the cause is believed to be the unfamiliarity of younger moviegoers with the source material , being a horror film released after Halloween, and the film's long running time. However, it managed to debut at a pretty healthy position in the DVD market, which even has a DirectorsCut. |
| 173 | * ''Film/BlackDynamite'' did really well in the festival circuit, even winning the Seattle International Film Festival's best picture winner that year (which beat out fellow example and eventual Best Picture Oscar winner The Hurt Locker at the same festival), but due to a relatively new distributor picking it up, it flopped in theaters, closing just short of $300k on a $2.9 million budget and closed after two weeks. Luckily the film found its eventual cult following on DVD and eventually got an animated adaptation on Adult Swim. |
| 174 | * ''Film/KillerJoe'' was seen by many critics as a great dark comedy with a career redefining performance by Creator/MatthewMcConaughey, but could only make $2 million on its $10 million dollar budget. The biggest factor in the film flopping was the film's NC-17 rating which meant most theaters refused to screen the film. |
| 175 | * ''Film/InTheHeights'' should have been a hit - it was a musical film released at a time when the genre was making bank and was based [[Theatre/InTheHeights on a musical]] written by [[Creator/LinManuelMiranda the guy who]] wrote ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}''. But the same Usefulnotes/Covid19Pandemic that delayed the film's release by a year ensured that audiences wouldn't be there in spite of very positive reviews (97% on Website/RottenTomatoes and A on Cinemascore), specially with the alternative of watching at home on Creator/HBOMax (and even then, it didn't have the massive numbers ''Hamilton'' achieved on Creator/DisneyPlus). The opening weekend was an anemic $10 million, its second weekend was a 63% drop, and the film ultimately failed to make back its $50m budget. |
| 176 | * Another HBO Max simultaneous release which tanked was ''Film/KingRichard''. It was related to two of the most famous tennis players ever, the Williams sisters, by telling their story through their father-coach - and getting Creator/WillSmith to play Richard accounted for most of the $50 million budget. Reviewers loved it, and ''King Richard'' became an award contender (even nominated for Best Picture), but opening opposite ''Film/GhostbustersAfterlife'' (and right before a slightly packed Thanksgiving slate) with a streaming option sunk its box office prospects. |
| 177 | * For all the good reviews earned by ''Film/AllTheMoneyInTheWorld'', audiences were thrown off by either the heavy subject matter involving a kidnapping or the previous involvement of Creator/KevinSpacey right when the scandal on him was revealed, no matter if the movie was partially reshot to replace him with Creator/ChristopherPlummer, leading to the final gross barely covering its budget with $57 million worldwide. |
| 178 | * ''Film/SeanceOnAWetAfternoon'' received rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic, with stars Kim Stanley and Creator/RichardAttenborough being nominated for multiple acting awards (including an Oscar nomination for Stanley and a BAFTA win for Attenborough), but it failed to make back its budget until years later, and its tepid box office performance contributed to the demise of production company Allied Film Makers. |
| 179 | * The Creator/StevenSpielberg remake of ''Film/{{West Side Story|2021}}'' has garnered wide acclaim among critics and audiences who saw it, with many declaring it to be just as great, if not better than, [[Film/WestSideStory1961 the 1961 film]]. The film also opened to just $10.5 million on a $100 million budget, and it faced both opposition from the [[UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic Omicron variant of COVID-19]] and major competition from fellow musical ''WesternAnimation/Sing2'', ''Film/TheMatrixResurrections'' (although it didn't do so good either) and biggest of all, ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'', which had the biggest December opening weekend ''ever''. |
| 180 | * One year after ''West Side Story'', Spielberg released ''Film/TheFabelmans'', a semi-autobiographical drama which reviewers highlighted as one of his greatest works. But audiences were clearly not as interested in such a prestige movie (its wide expansion to a barely qualifying 638 screens only made $13 million - while ''Film/GlassOnion'', opening in similar numbers in a limited one week window per Creator/{{Netflix}}'s marketing strategy, made $10 million more!), making it earn less than half its $40 million budget domestically and barely earning as much as its budget worldwide. |
| 181 | * Creator/RidleyScott's ''Film/TheLastDuel'' earned high marks from reviewers, but earned less than a third of its $100 million budget between being [[InvisibleAdvertising underpromoted]] (helps it was [[AudienceAlienatingPremise a hard sell anyway]], with heavy themes and a lack of crowd-pleasing elements) and coming out as the COVID-19 pandemic was keeping older crowds away, not to mention some strong competition. |
| 182 | * ''Film/{{Dark City|1998}}'' gained mostly positive reviews, including an overhwelming positive one from Creator/RogerEbert who gave a rare four stars and called it one of the greatest films he'd ever seen. However, it only made $27.2 million on a $27 million dollar budget, barely breaking even. Eventually, Ebert's glowing review and endorsement of the film led most people to give a second look and it became a cult classic over time. |
| 183 | * ''Film/TheNorthman'' was as acclaimed as Creator/RobertEggers' previous movies ''Film/TheWitch'' and ''Film/TheLighthouse''. It also cost at least five times more than those two movies combined, and so it couldn't make much money facing the blockbusters and family-friendly fare. |
| 184 | * The usually CriticProof Creator/MichaelBay only has two movies with an overall positive critical reception, but unlike ''Film/TheRock'', ''Film/{{Ambulance}}'' failed to earn much money as it stumbled upon the COVID-19 pandemic and heavy competition (particularly with ''Film/SonicTheHedgehog22022'', against whom it opened in North America). |
| 185 | * ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'' is a downplayed case: While the acclaim by critics and audiences alike led to a respectable box office take that more than doubled its budget ($415 million costing $154.6–185.1 million budget), the ''very'' expensive advertising campaign made it lose around $20 to $40 million. Still, those numbers were certainly offset by [[https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Mad-Max-Fury-Road#tab=video-sales big home video sales]], and a {{prequel}}, ''Furiosa'' was eventually greenlit. |
| 186 | * ''Film/DungeonsAndDragonsHonorAmongThieves'' only made $208 million at the box office to a $150 million budget, but it certainly wasn't because of the film itself, which was well-received by critics and garnered a highly enthusiastic reception from the casual audiences that saw it (especially ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' fans), claiming it not only surpassed [[Film/DungeonsAndDragons2000 its notoriously lackluster predecessors]], but was just a solid fantasy-comedy film that was faithful to its source material yet accessible and well-designed for general audiences. Much of the blame for its underperformance was pinned directly [[ScrewedByTheNetwork on Paramount for repeatedly delaying the film before placing it between brutal competition]] (sandwiching it between the releases of ''Film/JohnWickChapter4'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie''), with the fact that the movie made as much as it did being attributed to positive word-of-mouth. |
| 187 | * ''Film/BeauIsAfraid'': Despite generally glowing critical reviews and high praise from veteran filmmakers, the movie didn't make back a third of its budget at the box office. |
| 188 | * ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheDialOfDestiny'' (2023) opened to a mostly positive reception from both critics and audiences and was overall seen as an improvement over its [[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull predecessor]]. However, the film made $383 million on a $300 million budget, making it lose as much as $100 million when taking into account marketing costs and the film's high budget. Dooming it to suffer the same fate as another Creator/HarrisonFord-led [[Film/BladeRunner2049 sequel of an iconic franchise.]] (Both of which had high budgets and failed to generate appeal for younger moviegoers) |
| 189 | * ''Film/MissionImpossibleDeadReckoning'' (2023) opened to a highly positive reception from both critics and fans (though not as positive as its [[Film/MissionImpossibleFallout predecessor]]). Despite this, the film had the second-worst opening weekend in the series' history, and the fact that it was released a week before the "Film/{{Barb|ie 2023}}[[Film/{{Oppenheimer}} enheimer]]" phenomenon killed any chance it had of taking the lead in subsequent weeks, especially since ''Oppenheimer'' monopolized Creator/{{IMAX}} screens. The film's cost had inflated dramatically due to UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic conditions (approaching $300 million), and although it fared better overseas and made some money back on COVID insurance via Swiss insurer Chubb, it still lost around $30 million when all was taken into consideration, . |
| 190 | * ''Film/BlueBeetle2023'' was also highly affected by the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon, despite managing to beat box-office juggernaut ''Film/Barbie2023'' in its opening weekend[[note]] Albeit, Barbie was in its fourth week by then[[/note]], it was surpassed again by it the following week and due to stiff competition from ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMutantMayhem'' (coincidentally, that film also received positive reviews but barely managed to make a profit), it made only $126 million on a $104 million budget. Making it the lowest-grossing film of the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse. Unfortunate, as the film was well received by the people who saw it, especially when compared to other releases of the DCEU. Its failure at the box-office can be attributed to the film's marketing failing to distinguish it from other superhero movies, the string of DC's failures[[note]]''Film/BlackAdam2022'', ''Film/ShazamFuryOfTheGods'' and ''Film/TheFlash2023''[[/note]], the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike which prevented the cast from promoting the film and [[FireflyEffect waning interest in the DCEU]], with most audiences looking forward to the new Creator/JamesGunn-led DCU or "DC Universe". That said, both the character and actor portraying him remained after the reboot. |
| 191 | * In France, ''Film/ARoomInTown'' (1982) was highly acclaimed, but came out at the same time as ''Film/AceOfAces'', a box office juggernaut, and flopped. It got to the point where 23 critics gathered to publish an article in Telerama magazine in which they panned ''Ace of Aces'', accusing it of being "engineered for success" and of "stealing tickets" to ''A Room in Town''. Creator/JeanPaulBelmondo, who was absolutely no stranger to auteur drama films (having gained fame with the MediaNotes/FrenchNewWave) answered to them that he didn't accuse Film/JamesBond of stealing his movie tickets when ''Stavisky'' underperformed against ''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenGun'' in 1974. |
| 192 | * Canadian biopic ''Film/BlackBerry'' (2023) about the iconic phone of the same name was considered one of the best independent films of 2023 and was praised by critics all around. Despite this, the film failed to make back its relatively small budget of $5 million, with it only making $2.9 million at the box-office. |
| 193 | * ''Film/Rosewood1997'' was mostly praised by critics and audiences, and it was entered into the 47th Berlin International Film Festival, but it flopped at the box office. It's speculated this was because while it's widely agreed to be a well-made film, the subject matter is pretty dark and potentially put off a lot of potential viewers at the time of its release. Creator/WarnerBros didn't do much to help the movie's chances either, including giving ''Rosewood'' a relatively small theatrical release in [[DumpMonths February]] and providing [[InvisibleAdvertising little in the way of marketing]]. |
| 194 | [[/folder]] |
| 195 | |
| 196 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 197 | * ''Literature/TheCuckoosCalling'' was this at first. Upon release, it got critical praise, but only sold a few copies. When the author's [[Creator/JKRowling real identity]] was revealed, however, it received a lot more attention. But it was only a flop compared to Harry Potter's sales numbers - and frankly, what isn't - since ''Cuckoo'' did in fact sell ''more copies'' in its first two months than ''Philosopher's Stone'' did in the same time. |
| 198 | * Early in his career, Creator/GeorgeRRMartin wrote a fantasy-murder mystery novel inspired by the rock of TheSixties, the occult, underground comix, and ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''. It was a passion project called ''Literature/TheArmageddonRag''. While the critics loved it, it flopped so hard that it scared Martin out of the literary industry for almost half a decade. |
| 199 | * ''Literature/TheEmptyBoxAndZerothMaria'' is regarded by critics and hardcore light novel fans as one of if not the best light novel to ever be written. However, it remained obscure outside of devoted fans--none of the Japanese volumes broke 30,000 sales, and the first English volume took ''two years'' to make it to 1,000, with Amazon stats showing the final volume selling a pathetic ''10 print copies'' in its first month of release. |
| 200 | * ''Literature/AlderaminOnTheSky'' suffered from this in its native Japan; it was the ''only'' novel to appear in the critic-voted list of the top 10 light novels of the 2010-2019 decade in the magazine ''Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!'' that never showed up on any year-end bestsellers list as well. Critics loved its aspirations of being a sweeping war epic, while fans found its geopolitical drama [[UncertainAudience hard to reconcile]] with its equal focus on a {{Showy Invincible|hero}} StockLightNovelHero and his group of equally quirky, superpowered friends, and found its views on political and military leadership to be {{Anvilicious}}. In contrast, outside Japan, the books and anime flew under the radar from beginning to end with both fans and critics. |
| 201 | * ''Literature/BottomTierCharacterTomozaki'' made the ''Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!'' critics' top 10 list ''five years in a row'', and the anime adaptation was viewed in much the same way: word-of-mouth from positive critical reviews on both sides of the Pacific caused it to grow a small and dedicated fanbase. However, none of the praise translated into great BD sales: none of the volumes sold above 800 and the series found itself squarely in the [[{{Pun}} bottom]] of the sales chart. |
| 202 | [[/folder]] |
| 203 | |
| 204 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 205 | * ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' was loved by viewers, but got canceled after eleven episodes due to [[ExecutiveMeddling FOX screwing with it]]. A letter campaign led to a [[TheMovie movie]] {{sequel}}, ''Film/{{Serenity}}'', which was just as acclaimed... and bombed just as much due to incoherent advertising. After that though, the series got a long healthy life of spin-offs and DVD releases. |
| 206 | * The miniseries ''[[UsefulNotes/MartinLutherKingJr King]]'' was nominated for nine Emmy awards and won much acclaim for its star Paul Winfield but was a rating disaster when first aired.[[note]]The first part finished dead last in the weekly ratings.[[/note]] |
| 207 | * The Fox show ''Series/TwentyFour'' started this way at first, possibly because it came on so soon after 9/11 and no one really wanted to see a show like that in the wake of a real terrorist attack. However, word of mouth eventually made it a popular series. |
| 208 | * ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' consistently garnered just enough audience to keep it afloat, but barely managed to raise itself above the bottom of the rating ladder for three straight seasons. It was a critical darling from the word "Go", and its core fanbase is rabid. Seven years following cancellation, fan demand got a fourth season made for mid-2013. The ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' episode "With Friends Like Steve's" lampshaded this when Francine compares Steve's boredom with Stan to America's reaction to ''Arrested Development'': "It doesn't mean you're bad, it just means he's not interested in you." |
| 209 | * ''Series/TheWire'' was virtually ignored on its first broadcast, but its reputation among television commentators as one of the best shows ever made has become something of a meme. |
| 210 | * ''Series/FreaksAndGeeks'' only lasted one season. It was beloved by those who saw it from the beginning. TV critics were so engaged with it they often ranked it highly in their "best of the 00s" lists, with only 12 of its 18 episodes airing in that decade. |
| 211 | * ''Series/DontTrustTheBInApartment23'' was loved by people who actually watched it. But between poor production choices, bad scheduling, and low ratings, the series never took off and was canceled halfway through its second season, with its last episodes being released solely on DVD and later on Netflix. |
| 212 | * ''Series/PoliceSquad'': Its flop was because it couldn't be watched casually. [[ViewersAreGoldfish Viewers had to pay active attention to catch the jokes]]. Keep in mind it aired in 1982 when the VCR was still a luxury item, so it was a yeoman's effort to get the references. In addition, the producers were actually grateful the network canceled them so soon: they felt they were running out of material as it was and weren't confident they could manage a full season. |
| 213 | * ''Series/Awake2012'' suffered truly abysmal ratings, even for NBC, but was endlessly praised by TV critics, and unlike earlier shows with similar ratings in its time slot, aired its entire season. |
| 214 | * ''Series/MySoCalledLife'' was critically acclaimed and is remembered for poignantly capturing the zeitgeist of teenagers in TheNineties, but didn't last past a season. |
| 215 | * ''Series/{{Community}}'' is beloved by its fans, and was also perpetually on the verge of a cancellation throughout its entire run. Lack of promotion and [[ScrewedByTheNetwork scheduling shenanigans by the network]] certainly didn't help, and [[TroubledProduction behind-the-scenes conflict]] between Creator/ChevyChase and Creator/DanHarmon (which resulted in an entire season [[OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight produced without Harmon]] which [[CanonDiscontinuity most fans would prefer to forget]]) didn't help either, but more than anything, the show is simply a niche product whose humor tended to be more challenging than lighter, more accessible fare. |
| 216 | * HBO's ''Series/{{Enlightened}}'' earned ''terrible'' ratings, averaging less than half a million viewers for each of its respective seasons. Despite this, its second season was universally praised as one of the greatest pieces of television in 2013 (with the AV Club even naming it the best show of the year, over the final season of ''Series/BreakingBad''). |
| 217 | * After [=VT4=] renamed itself to [[MediaNotes/FlemishTVStations VIER]], two shows of their library won the 2014 critical award ''De HA! Van Humo'': |
| 218 | ** The satirical news show ''De Ideale wereld''. Critics have given it lots of awards, but it had very low rating numbers (around 200.000). The fact that the television network that airs it airs it late at night may have something to do with that, aside from the fact that it is not the traditional fare of that network. Over the years it however got increasing viewership and peaked at 400.000. |
| 219 | ** ''2013'' is one of the lowest viewed and most obscure things the network put out, but it tied in with the above for the award. The people themselves were really glad to have the award because the show had a really low viewership. |
| 220 | * ''Series/PartyOfFive'' was never a rating hit, and was canceled after its first season, only to be UnCanceled when it was the surprise winner of the Golden Globe for Best Drama. It had its loyal fans, was a critical favorite, and it lasted a decent six seasons, but the show peaked at #56 in the ratings. In 1995, TV Guide named it "The best show you're not watching." It went on to have an unsuccessful spinoff and is currently best known for launching the careers of Creator/NeveCampbell, Creator/LaceyChabert, and Creator/JenniferLoveHewitt. |
| 221 | * ''Series/AmericanDreams'' was a critical favorite with a loyal fan following. However, it was never a rating hit, was ScrewedByTheNetwork, and was canceled after its third season, not resolving its story, with the last four episodes supposedly requiring product placement to even get produced. Fans organized a campaign to help change NBC's mind but to no avail. A 12-minute epilogue ''was'' quickly put together, but it wasn't screened until 2013. |
| 222 | * ''Series/HillStreetBlues'' received plenty of critical acclaim and loads of awards during its original run, and today it is widely considered ''the'' best CopShow of its era, and a huge influence on ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'' and ''Series/TheWire''. At the same time, it consistently received mediocre-to-poor overall ratings during its original run. It still ran for an impressive seven seasons, though not really due to the goodwill of network executives. The audience it ''did'' get consisted to a great extent of young, affluent professionals -- i.e., ''exactly'' the type of people advertisers wanted to reach. |
| 223 | * Spanish crime drama ''Series/ElCaso'' was adored by critics and developed a relatively small but devoted fanbase. It got ScrewedByTheNetwork, with TVE scheduling it on an overly competitive Tuesday night timeslot and refusing to move it despite its poor ratings performance. The series got shut down after one season, with right-wing TVE execs allegedly feeling uncomfortable about the show being set in the 1960s Spain. |
| 224 | * ''Series/MrRobot'': You'd never know it from the critical acclaim, but the show had surprisingly low ratings. The ratings for Season 2 dipped substantially below one million viewers per episode, putting it well behind other USA Network shows as ''Chrisley Knows Best''. |
| 225 | * ''Series/MobCity'' was [[Creator/FrankDarabont Frank Darabont's]] next TV show after his [[TroubledProduction contentious]] stint as showrunner for the first two seasons of ''Series/TheWalkingDead''. It aired six episodes and despite receiving positive reviews for being a beautiful (if somewhat familiar) love letter to the FilmNoir's of the past, it did poorly on ratings and was not picked up for a second season (likely due to the fact that it had to compete with [[Series/BoardwalkEmpire another TV show that was also about gangsters of the past]]). |
| 226 | ->"Mob City was a chance. It didn’t draw the audience, but I’d do it again tomorrow." |
| 227 | -->-- Michael Wright, Former Chief of TNT |
| 228 | * ''Series/CrazyExGirlfriend'' received acclaim from both critics and audiences in addition to a large number of awards, but finished ''dead last'' in Network TV ratings for two years in a row. In fact, one of the reasons it managed to last for so long was because it kept winning award after award, and CW thought it would strengthen its own reputation by having such an acclaimed show in its schedule, though it couldn't keep at it forever, so when Season 4 was confirmed, it was also confirmed it'd be the show's last. |
| 229 | * ''Series/{{Girls}}'' was beloved by critics but got abysmally low ratings for much of its run (averaging less than a million viewers per episode). |
| 230 | * ''Series/PushingDaisies'' was praised by critics from the moment it first aired, with its pilot episode singled out as one of the best of the 2007-08 television season. Despite the acclaim, the ratings for its first season never really stabilized before it ended abruptly as a result of the 2007 writers' strike. When the show came back for its second season 10 months later, the critics still loved the show, but the ratings for the premiere were very low and never recovered, resulting in the show's cancellation. |
| 231 | * ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' generally has two metrics that measure a season's success: The ratings and the [[MerchandiseDriven toy sales]]. So a season that does well in the former, but not the latter will generally be considered this. |
| 232 | ** ''Series/MiraiSentaiTimeranger'' is commonly regarded as a classic among older fans. But among the target demographic of children, the show didn't do quite as well, owing to things from the [[DarkerAndEdgier incredibly dark story]] to the theme song being difficult to sing along to. As a result, the toy sales for the show were among the worst in the series' 40+ year run, despite the ratings being generally good. Strangely, the series immediately after ''Timeranger'', ''Series/HyakujuuSentaiGaoranger'', ended up being the exact opposite, with its toy sales being so huge it practically influenced the series' direction for the next ten years. |
| 233 | ** ''Series/KaitouSentaiLupinrangerVsKeisatsuSentaiPatranger'' ended up generating a lot of ratings and social media buzz during its run, and was far better received than its predecessor, ''Series/UchuSentaiKyuranger''. It was even nominated for a Galaxy Award. But merch-wise, the show was a complete and utter bomb, generating sales figures that weren't far away from the above mentioned ''Timeranger'', and caused some panic about the future of the brand itself. |
| 234 | * ''Series/TheTraceyUllmanShow'' received fairly mediocre ratings throughout its run despite critical acclaim, partly due to it being on the then just-launched FOX network and partly due constant timeslot changes. However, it did prove successful enough to get a SpinOff... [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons that became one of the most popular television shows of all time,]] providing a rather extreme example of MorePopularSpinOff. |
| 235 | * ''Series/ForLife'' was one of the lowest rated shows on ABC in its premiere season (for context, the two scripted shows that performed worse than it were ending anyways, while better performing shows such as ''The Baker and the Beauty'', ''Single Parents'', and ''Emergence'' were cancelled), but its positive reception led to a second season renewal. This season had even worse ratings, leading to its cancellation. |
| 236 | * ''Series/ZoeysExtraordinaryPlaylist'' was also one of the lowest rated NBC shows in its debut season, but it still had a passionate fan base, which convinced NBC to renew it for a second season. While the first few episodes of Season 2 performed better, ratings dropped during the second half of the season, leading to its cancellation. Many thought that NBC would move it to Peacock, ala ''Series/APBio'', but that didn't happen. |
| 237 | * ''Series/{{Hannibal}}'' struggled to find an audience on its weeknight slots on Creator/{{NBC}}, likely due to its [[{{Gorn}} disturbing, and simultaneously eye-catching, depictions of violence]], which would have been shocking even on premium cable channels, and its [[WorldOfSymbolism extremely intellectual and philosophical themes]]. This led to it only lasting three seasons out of a planned seven before its premature cancellation. The very qualities that alienated the network's target audience were the very things that got it praised by critics as one of the riskiest and most ambitious series ever put on network television. It was consistently listed as one of the best shows on television for each of the three years that it aired, as well as arguably the [[PragmaticAdaptation definitive depiction]] of the greater [[Franchise/HannibalLecter Hannibal mythos]] among its small, but extremely dedicated fanbase and even longtime fans of the novels and movies as well. |
| 238 | * ''Series/{{Action}}'' was highly acclaimed for its vicious TakeThat to the entertainment industry and Jay Mohr's performance as the VillainProtagonist Peter Dragon. But because of content issues (this being the very first show on basic cable to earn a TV-MA rating) and low ratings, Fox canned the show a few episodes before the shows finale and aired the remainder of the show on sister network FX. It also became a GenreKiller for TV-MA shows on basic cable, very rarely have the Big Four networks aired a show with that rating (such as the aforementioned ''Hannibal.'') |
| 239 | * ''Comicbook/TheTick'' had a [[WesternAnimation/TheTick somewhat successful Saturday morning cartoon]] at FOX that inspired the network to attempt [[Series/TheTick2001 a live-action series]] that aired in the early 2000s; critics loved it, but audiences didn't respond as well and it got canceled after the eighth episode of nine aired. Unfortunately, history would repeat itself when Creator/AmazonPrime decided to reboot [[Series/TheTick2016 The Tick again]]. Once again, the show was positively received but was cancelled after only two seasons likely due to low viewership which made it unprofitable, with Amazon declining to renew it for a third season. Subsequent attempts by both fans and Series' creator Ben Edlund to find the show a new home have also failed. |
| 240 | * ''Series/Players2022'' received solid reviews from critics and had warm audience reception ([[MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales including by fans of esports]] that the series was [[{{Mockumentary}} mockumenting]]), [[InvisibleAdvertising but suffered from practically nonexistent marketing]], with neither Paramount (the series' producer) nor Riot Games (the creators of ''Franchise/LeagueOfLegends'', whose esports scene was the subject of the series) doing anything to hint at the show's existence. Just a year after the show premiered as a ''Creator/ParamountPlus'' original, it was then pulled from service before being put on [=YouTube=] for free, [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes only to be pulled off there too]]. |
| 241 | [[/folder]] |
| 242 | |
| 243 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 244 | * Many "SacredCow albums" from TheSixties and TheSeventies that frequently enter the list of best albums ever are this, when not PraisingShowsYouDontWatch. An outstanding example is ''Music/TheVelvetUndergroundAndNico'', which initially only sold approximately 30,000 copies -- but, as put by Music/BrianEno, "everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band." |
| 245 | * Music/NickDrake had people who heard his albums at the time loving them, but he sold a fairly small amount of original copies because of his hatred of live performances and doing promotion, plus a lack of singles. His popularity has exploded thanks to word of mouth on the internet, and original vinyl copies continue to appreciate in value even though there are numerous reissues now which preserve the original mastering and sound quality. |
| 246 | * Music/ElvisCostello's ''Imperial Bedroom'' is considered one of his best, but all of its singles flopped. |
| 247 | * Music/TheRoots: Except for their 1993 debut and 2004's ''The Tipping Point'', just about every one of their albums has garnered rave reviews from both critics and fans, not to mention numerous Grammy nominations. And yet, thus far, the only album they've released that has achieved Platinum certification is 1999's ''Things Fall Apart'', and even that took nearly ''fourteen years'' after release to reach that milestone. Meanwhile, except for 2002's ''Phrenology'', none of their other albums have even reached Gold certification yet. |
| 248 | * Singer/songwriter Music/NicoleAtkins. Her 2007 debut ''Neptune City'' was heavily acclaimed by music critics, with some even predicting she would become the "next big thing" in pop. But [[ExecutiveMeddling an unexpected delay in the album's release]] along with its resulting underpromotion by her then-label Columbia Records quickly [[ScrewedByTheNetwork doomed]] the album to low sales (it didn't even chart on the Billboard 200) and almost complete neglect by End of Year lists despite how well reviewed it was. The following years were equally unkind to Atkins: her backing band "The Black Sea" left her in 2009. She released two more studio albums that were well received by critics but performed poorly sales-wise. And in 2012, her home city of Neptune, New Jersey was hit by Hurricane Sandy. |
| 249 | * Music/BigStar's first two records, ''#1 Record'' and ''Radio City'', were both acclaimed and respected by critics when they were released, but their label (Ardent Records, which was owned by Stax Records) having difficulties in marketing the band and distribution problems with Columbia Records in 1974 meant that their records did not sell well. Their catalog was later VindicatedByHistory after being cited by several influential bands as one of the pioneers of both PowerPop and AlternativeRock. |
| 250 | * The album ''Resurrection'' by the rapper Music/{{Common}}.[[note]]Known at the time as "Common Sense".[[/note]] Upon release in late 1994, the album was praised by critics for its thoughtful lyrics and mellow-yet-jazzy style of hip hop. Unfortunately, while the album is widely considered to be an underground classic among rap and hip hop fans (even being listed as one of ''The Source'''s "100 Best Rap Albums" in 1998), it sold very poorly. It debuted at #179 on the Billboard 200 and then immediately dropped off the charts. Nonetheless, its influence on underground hip hop (most notably The Roots - who, coincidentally, are also listed on this page) is undeniable. |
| 251 | * Music/VanMorrison's ''Astral Weeks'' is widely regarded as his best, but sold a small number of copies when it came out. On the other hand, it has continued to sell steadily ever since its release, and it has never been out of print. One reviewer, Andrew Ford, commented, "''Astral Weeks'' will sell as many copies this year as it did in 1968 and has every year in-between". It finally went gold in 2001. |
| 252 | * Music/BeastieBoys followed up their bestselling debut, ''Licensed to Ill'', with ''Music/PaulsBoutique'', a psychedelic showcase of the group's rhymes backed by a mountain of samples compiled by The Dust Brothers. ''Paul's Boutique'' [[NewSoundAlbum contrasted]] with the frat-bro attitude of ''Licensed to Ill'', which the Beasties [[CreatorBacklash immediately denounced]]. As a result, ''Paul's Boutique'', while getting good reviews, was a commercial failure when it was released. However, it set the tone for the group's later work, which enjoyed more success. Eventually, the album began to be regarded as [[VindicatedByHistory a rap masterpiece]]. |
| 253 | * Music/TheSmashingPumpkins' ''Music/{{Adore}}'' was highly acclaimed by critics from the day of its release, but its sales were disappointing by the band's standards (as of May 2005, it had only sold 1.1 million copies in the U.S.). It seems to be a case of being VindicatedByHistory as Pitchfork has commented that the album is cited as "underrated" so often that this can no longer be the case. |
| 254 | * Music/CarlyRaeJepsen's ''Emotion'' gained acclaim from music critics and achieved high ratings on even the [[{{Hipster}} stuffiest]] music websites. Unfortunately, despite its positive reception, the album stalled out at #16 on the Billboard 200 and sold less than her debut album, which [[http://noisey.vice.com/blog/why-did-carly-rae-jepsens-emotion-flop-commercially music outlets were quick to notice]]. |
| 255 | * Music/RichardThompson, whose virtuoso playing and incisive songwriting is both acclaimed by critics and highly influential on fellow musicians, but whose albums seldom trouble the charts. At his invariably sold-out concerts he often announces a medley of his greatest hits, then stands in silence for a minute or two. He's been called "the best guitarist nobody's ever heard of"; he was ranked 69 in Magazine/RollingStone 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. |
| 256 | * Music/AvengedSevenfold's 2016 album ''Music/TheStage'' has been considered one of their best albums by critics and is also quite beloved among fans. It's also their album that sold the most poorly ([[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness save for the first one]]), in part because album sales have fallen off a cliff since their last release in 2013 thanks to the rise of streaming services, in part due to its more experimental nature compared to their previous outings, and in part because they released the album [[InvisibleAdvertising almost completely by surprise after announcing a fake release date.]] The members noted that half a year after the release, there were still people who weren't even aware that a new album was out. |
| 257 | * Music/AugieMarch: It wasn't until ''Moo, You Bloody Choir'' (2006) and its breakout hit "One Crowded Hour" that the band experienced real commercial success, but their first two albums and the two [=EPs=] that preceded them were beloved by those who had heard them. |
| 258 | * Music/MagicDirt: See Music/AugieMarch; although their music couldn't be more different, change the album and song titles to ''What Are Rock Stars Doing Today'' (2005) and "Dirty Jeans" respectively and the above entry just as accurately describes Magic Dirt's early career trajectory. |
| 259 | * Despite commonly being cited as ''the'' greatest Hip-Hop album and considered a prime case of FirstInstallmentWins, Music/{{Nas}}'s ''Music/{{Illmatic}}'' sold poorly. It reached #12 on Billboard's Top 200, took two years to reach gold status, seven years to go platinum, and didn't go multiplatinum until 2019, ''twenty-five years after the album dropped''. |
| 260 | * Music/{{Paramore}}'s 2017 album ''After Laughter'' was met with a lot of critical praise, even by some higher-brow music publications, for [[NewSoundAlbum their new sonic direction]] heavily inspired by [[GenreThrowback the new-wave and synth-pop of the [='80s=]]], but it also became their worst-selling LP. |
| 261 | * Music/{{Gorillaz}} faced an odd situation of this during their "Phase 3" period built around their 2010 album ''Music/PlasticBeach''. In terms of raw numbers, the album was as much a commercial hit as a critical one, but despite topping album charts, the band didn't recoup that much financially because their ambitions at the time were that enormous and that costly -- already deep within intricate, lore-building, but high-budget music videos and a very expensive world tour, EMI (the band's label at the time, who was already on the verge of financial collapse) couldn't continue justifying the project, [[CutShort and thus much of the saga was abruptly canned]]. Combined with further CreativeDifferences between the group's founders, the band ended up in a lengthy hiatus before they could justify another Gorillaz album. |
| 262 | -->'''[[https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/qa-damon-albarn-on-the-future-of-blur-his-first-ever-solo-album-and-why-he-doesnt-hate-oasis-anymore-248120/ Damon Albarn]]''': I toured around the world, played massive venues all around the world. I made about 20 pounds by the end of it, ''(laughs)'' so I won’t be going on another of those. It was incredible fun, I loved doing it, but economically it was an absolute fucking disaster. |
| 263 | * Despite being widely regarded as Music/TalkingHeads' greatest album and one of the best albums ever made by both fans and critics, ''Music/RemainInLight'' sold fairly poorly compared to the rest of the band's output (even if it charted higher than the albums before it and eventually went gold); Chris Frantz went as far as calling it their worst-selling album. Music/DavidByrne elaborated on this, stating that program directors considered it "too black for white radio and too white for black radio." Still, that didn't stop the album from being advertised as among the first CD titles for the initial Western launch of the format in 1983, as even then the album had a towering critical reputation. |
| 264 | * Despite being highly acclaimed by American critics and commercially successful in the band's native Japan, both ''Music/{{Multiplies}}''[[note]]specifically a composite of ''Music/SolidStateSurvivor'' and the Japanese ''×∞Multiplies''[[/note]] and ''Music/{{BGM}}'' by Music/YellowMagicOrchestra severely undersold in the US compared to [[Music/YellowMagicOrchestraAlbum the group's debut release]], with the latter not even charting; Creator/AAndMRecords dropped the band as a result. |
| 265 | * The British experimental rock band Disco Inferno has been widely acclaimed by critics for their unique sound that combined electronics, samplers, and post-rock, and their albums and [=EPs=] have been placed on countless lists...yet they barely ever sold a record in their heyday. In fact, they currently have ''more'' ratings on Website/RateYourMusic than monthly listeners on Spotify, the latter number of which doesn't even scratch 5,000. |
| 266 | * Music/{{Blur}}'s ''Modern Life is Rubbish'' received far more positive reviews than their debut album, ''Leisure'', and was essentially the TropeMaker for the {{Britpop}} movement. However, it underperformed commercially, peaking at #15 on the UK Album Charts (compared to Leisure's #7) and reportedly only selling around 40,000 copies in the UK upon release, and was a total flop in America. However, they were able to bounce back with the enormously successful ''Music/{{Parklife}}'', which got even better reviews and had the sales to back it up. |
| 267 | [[/folder]] |
| 268 | |
| 269 | [[folder:Pinball]] |
| 270 | * ''Pinball/{{Indianapolis 500}}'' is considered to be one of Creator/DennisNordman's best games, with fast action, exciting artwork, stirring music, and lighthearted humor. It consistently ranks in the top 50 of many "best pinball games of all time" lists. However, it was released during the decline of arcade pinball in TheNineties, and ended up being Creator/WilliamsElectronics' second-worst-selling game of 1995. |
| 271 | * Sister game ''Pinball/{{Congo}}'' fared worse; although it offers a good variety of satisfying shots and challenging gameplay, it was also saddled with lackluster art, a tie-in to a [[Film/{{Congo}} badly received movie,]] and the aforementioned decline in arcade gaming. It was Creator/WilliamsElectronics' ''worst''-selling game of 1995, though it is often ranked higher than ''Pinball/{{Indianapolis 500}}'' in players' lists. |
| 272 | * ''Pinball/PinballMagic'' is widely considered to be a respectable debut game from Creator/{{Capcom}}'s newly-formed pinball division, but Capcom's small market share all but doomed it to obscurity, and only 1,200 tables were ever made. Worse, while the game is praised by most, it still struggles to escape from the shadow of the {{Dueling Game|s}} ''Pinball/TheatreOfMagic''. |
| 273 | * Another Creator/{{Capcom}} example: ''Pinball/BigBangBar'' was garnering critical acclaim as soon as the first test games hit the streets, with many predicting it to be the company's BreakthroughHit. Unfortunately, Capcom closed their pinball division before the game was released, and only [[NetworkToTheRescue the intervention of Gene Cunningham and Illinois Pinball Inc.]] saved it from total obscurity with a production run of 191 tables. |
| 274 | * Look at some top 50 lists for pinball, and you will see a number of them from the late '90s: ''Pinball/MedievalMadness'', ''Pinball/CactusCanyon'', ''Pinball/MonsterBash'', ''Pinball/NoGoodGofers'', and sometimes ''Pinball/NBAFastbreak''. These machines only had production runs of about 1,000 (compare to the 4,000 to 10,000 copies most other non-boutique releases get, with breakout successes reaching 15,000 or more). This is because pinball was on a nosedive in public popularity, with few people interested in playing pinball and even fewer operators, proportionally speaking, who wanted to buy these machines. Although pinball would receive a revival in the 2010s, pinball was largely seen as passé during the late '90s, and with repeated financial failures of these highly-acclaimed machines, Williams and Bally would both stop making pinball machines in 1999. |
| 275 | * ''Jolly Park'' is the top-rated pinball machine designed in Spain, but its manufacturer, Spinball SA, was on its deathbed when production began due to a series of flops of less-well-received machines. Spinball did not have the resources to do anything other than manufacturing about 250 of these machines, then go bankrupt. This includes any sort of promotion, becoming a victim of InvisibleAdvertising by necessity. As a result, very few people had heard of it, even among pinball fans in Spain. It was rediscovered many years later when they started appearing at pinball shows in Europe and North America, and the presence of one creates lines to go play it due to its near-legendary status among some. |
| 276 | [[/folder]] |
| 277 | |
| 278 | [[folder:Theatre]] |
| 279 | * ''Theatre/TheGoldenApple'' was well-reviewed when it was first produced in 1954, and in retrospect, is often hailed as a refreshingly original work of musical theatre. The original production closed in a few months and the show has only been infrequently produced since. The original cast recording ruthlessly abridged the score to fit on a single LP, yet it took until 2015 for the show to receive a more complete recording. |
| 280 | * The original 1957 production of Music/LeonardBernstein's ''Literature/{{Candide}}'' closed after running for a mere 73 performances on Broadway. The cast album it produced sold much better. Later rewrites and revivals have done better. |
| 281 | * Creator/StephenSondheim has been known to have a case of these with the best example being the original run of {{Theatre/Follies}} losing everything. |
| 282 | * Creator/AndrewLloydWebber has a history of these. ''Theatre/ByJeeves'', the 1990s rework of his 1970s box office bomb ''Jeeves'', was well-regarded and had a good run in smaller theatres, but its Broadway run ended after 73 performances - due in no small part to its opening less than a month after 9/11. His adaptation of ''Film/SunsetBoulevard'' performed well at the box office and earned the Tony for Best Musical[[note]]albeit without competition[[/note]], but was torpedoed by an overpriced monster of a set and multiple high-profile lawsuits by leading ladies Lloyd Webber had dismissed. %% His family name is Lloyd Webber, not Webber. |
| 283 | * ''Theatre/SideShow'' was another show that Critics loved, but audiences stayed away, however it has done very well outside of Broadway, the most famous production starred disabled actors. |
| 284 | * There is a musical version of ''Film/TheBakersWife'' with a Score by Creator/StephenSchwartz, it failed to arrive on Broadway, however a Highlight LP Recording and the song "Meadowlark" meant the show finally opened officially in London. However it failed to attract an audience, despite praise from the critics, the almost 3-hour runtime failed to help, there is now a slimmer version performed. |
| 285 | |
| 286 | [[/folder]] |
| 287 | |
| 288 | [[folder:Toys]] |
| 289 | * ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}: Alternators'' was a consistent darling of the fanbase throughout its run and reviewed well among toy collectors. However, due to faulty distribution, lack of supporting media, and high production costs, Hasbro considered it a moderate failure at best, with slow sales, major gaps between releases, and a relaunch to try to refresh the brand in the eyes of retailers (though it managed to continue in some form for five years due to its passionate following). |
| 290 | * ''Toys/{{Xevoz}}'' was overlooked when the line debuted, despite favorable reviews and strong fan reaction. The prices of the toys have remained high on the secondary market even years after its cancellation. |
| 291 | [[/folder]] |
| 292 | |
| 293 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 294 | * ''VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar'' is fondly remembered by fans as one of the most memorable titles in the ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' series, on par with the best-selling ''VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies''. However, being released at the very end of the Platform/PlayStation2 life cycle and with the Platform/PlayStation3 already replacing it, impacted the game's sales negatively, making it the lowest-selling title of the [=PS2=] installments at under 1 million copies sold (in fact, under a third of ''[=AC04=]''[='s=]). |
| 295 | * ''VideoGame/AlanWake'' was warmly regarded by critics and audiences, but it had the misfortune of being released on the same week in 2010 as ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'', completely eclipsing it in attention and sales. ''Alan Wake'' would ''eventually'' become a moderate success through word of mouth and gradual CultClassic status, but its initial underperformance (especially relative to [[TroubledProduction its notoriously extended development]]) was enough for Creator/{{Microsoft}} (Creator/RemedyEntertainment's publisher at the time) to can the plans for a sequel in favor of newer projects. It took until 2021 -- after their much more lucrative titles ''VideoGame/QuantumBreak'' and ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'' (the latter being a [[StealthSequel stealth]]-{{Crossover}} with the ''Alan Wake'' universe) as well as Remedy securing the IP rights from Microsoft -- for ''VideoGame/AlanWakeII'' to finally be announced for (and ultimately released in) 2023. |
| 296 | * ''All-Pro Football [=2K8=]'' was Creator/TakeTwoInteractive's final attempt at making an American football game, after the NFL gave their exclusive license to EA. The game was widely praised for its realistic engine, team customization, and playing as retired NFL legends, but the game sold rather poorly. Modders have kept the game and its servers alive, and ''[=2K8=]'' is now considered one of the greatest football games of all time. |
| 297 | * ''VideoGame/AzraelsTear'', a 3D adventure game with some action, had interesting characters and a good story that made you do some serious thinking, not just because of the puzzles, but also because it's increasingly apparent the ImmortalityInducer that everyone is after has some very bad side effects, and not all of the characters are what they seem. It also had pretty good music. The critics liked it, too. But its graphics engine was a bit on the slow side, and it had the great misfortune of being released ''the very same week'' as ''{{VideoGame/Quake}}'', which was much anticipated, had fantastic graphics performance, and was quite addictive. |
| 298 | * ''VideoGame/{{BattleZone|1998}}'' (the 1998 FPS/RTS version) was loved by videogame magazine critics, but failed to make an impression in the marketplace. The sequel, ''Battlezone II: Combat Commander'', likewise failed to sell, though it was received less warmly partly because its SceneryPorn was the cause of [[ObviousBeta poor performance]] and partly because the gameplay was slowed down in favor of more [[GenreShift RTS elements]]. |
| 299 | * ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil'' was met with glowing reviews, some even comparing it to ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'', and relatively high marks all around. It didn't do so well. It got to the point where free copies of the game were being packaged with cheese. [[http://www.destructoid.com/oh-canada-beyond-good-evil-is-a-cheese-pack-in-122277.phtml Yes, really.]] |
| 300 | * ''VideoGame/{{Blur}}'' was a game that received high marks for approaching VehicularCombat kart racing games with a DarkerAndEdgier feeling and more skill-based style of gameplay. Unfortunately, it sold poorly thanks to a combination of factors, including an ad campaign that took aim at ''VideoGame/MarioKart'' but only made itself look immature, as well as being released within the same week as rival games ''VideoGame/ModNationRacers'' and ''VideoGame/SplitSecond2010''. Its low sales ended with Creator/BizarreCreations being shut down: many of its employees migrated to ''[[VideoGame/{{Forza}} Forza Horizon]]'' developer Creator/PlaygroundGames, while lead designer Gareth Wilson went to work on ''[[VideoGame/SegaSuperstars Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed]]'' with Sumo Digital. |
| 301 | * ''VideoGame/BurningRangers'', another Saturn exclusive. It was released when the console was nearing its end in America and Europe. While it was a success in Japan, it was a commercial failure in other countries. American or European copies usually go close to $1,000 on eBay, while Japanese copies can be found for about $40-50 as of 2022. |
| 302 | * Due to very poor marketing, ''VideoGame/ColdFear'' was largely unheard of by gamers, and most who did hear about it were very quick to dismiss it as a rip off of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4''. However, those who played it ''loved it'', and many say it's as good or better than ''[=RE4=]''. |
| 303 | * ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'' didn't sell as well as hoped, due to its [[AnimationAgeGhetto "M-rated cutesy platformer"]] schtick , Nintendo [[InvisibleAdvertising only advertising it at late nights and in adult magazines]], some retailers refusing to carry the title, and being one of the very last releases on the Platform/Nintendo64. Despite all these factors, it received critical acclaim and a cult following regardless, and would receive both a remake in ''Conker: Live & Reloaded'' and a port in the ''Rare Replay'' compilation. |
| 304 | * ''Cornerstone'', Creator/{{Infocom}}'s attempt to enter the business-software market, generally got good reviews, but sold very poorly, in part because of a general economic-downturn at the time of release. |
| 305 | * ''VideoGame/DJHero'' was unsurprisingly unsuccessful, due to coming out at the worst possible time: the "plastic controller RhythmGame" fad was on the way out, but the early [[TheNewTens New Tens]] resurgence of electronic music hadn't arrived yet. Coupled with the game's difficulty curve and costing twice the price of a standard retail game due to the turntable controller, nobody was shocked when the game's sales weren't up to snuff. Despite this, the game was well-received by the people who did play it, praising the unique remixes the game incorporated and how original it was in the stagnating genre. |
| 306 | * ''VideoGame/DragonQuestX'' was well-received, but it has become the lowest selling ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' game in Japan by a wide margin, taking three years to sell a million copies in a series normally so popular that its release days are practically national holidays. What also didn't help the game was that due to its implied failure in Japan, it never was considered for localization, and [[ExecutiveMeddling was even saddled with an IP block and later had its offline trial removed.]] |
| 307 | * ''VideoGame/DrMuto'' got generally favorable reception and is generally considered to be a fun platformer. Yet despite being on the three top sixth-generation consoles, the game failed to sell well due to Creator/MidwayGames not doing much in terms of promotion. Not long after the game was released, Midway shut down its developer Midway Games West, formerly Creator/{{Atari}}'s arcade division, effectively putting the coffin in the ground for the original Atari. |
| 308 | * ''VideoGame/EliteBeatAgents'': Praised by critics for its tight, challenging, and unique gameplay and amazing atmosphere, it even won [=GameSpot=]'s Platform/NintendoDS Game of the Year award in 2006, beating out front-runners like ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros'', but failed commercially because it was perhaps just a little too weird for most gamers' tastes (not to mention that said atmosphere let to a ''very'' jarring case of SurpriseDifficulty). This has, unfortunately, effectively quashed any hopes of an official sequel ever being released in the West. Oddly enough, considering the game was a CulturalTranslation of the Japan-only [[MediaNotes/ImportGaming import favorite]] ''VideoGame/OsuTatakaeOuendan'', ''EBA'' was itself [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff a big import success in Japan]]. |
| 309 | * ''VideoGame/EnslavedOdysseyToTheWest'' received positive reviews, but sold poorly. |
| 310 | * ''VideoGame/FreeSpace 2'', to the point where it was a GenreKiller -- because if a game that well-received still couldn't sell the genre, what could? |
| 311 | * Up until the [[SleeperHit surprisingly great sales]] of the thirteenth game in the ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series, ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Awakening]]'' for the [[Platform/Nintendo3DS 3DS]], ''every single game'' in the series of TurnBasedStrategy games since the series' debut all the way back in [[LongRunners 1990]] was an acclaimed flop. Despite the praise the games received, none of them ever managed to crack even a million sales. Out of all the pre-''Awakening'' games, the most blatant example was ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776''. The game was released in 1999... at the very end of the [[Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem Super Famicom's]] life, meaning that it sold terribly -- it was the worst-selling game to date in fact. Reviews on the other hand praised the game highly with all-around good scores. |
| 312 | * ''VideoGame/{{Gladius}}'' was universally praised at release; it was even called the best Xbox game nobody played. |
| 313 | * ''VideoGame/GoneHome'' [[ZigZaggingTrope went back and forth]] on this after release. The game was a massive critical darling and enjoyed an early burst of strong sales when positive reviews came out, but once the heavy CriticalDissonance surrounding the game set in it rapidly vanished from charts and seemed destined to have mediocre lifetime sales. However, this appears to not have come to pass as it picked up momentum again during multiple rounds of Steam sales (the game's short runtime and relatively high price was one of the major factors fuelling the backlash). |
| 314 | * ''VideoGame/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2021'' got mostly positive reviews from both critics and general audiences, somewhat surprisingly considering the [[TaintedByThePreview very lukewarm reception to the marketing]], as well as the critical and commercial failure of the studio's previous superhero game, ''VideoGame/MarvelsAvengers''. However, Creator/SquareEnix declared the game another commercial failure in February of 2022, and the failure of both games likely played a big role in them selling off Eidos-Montréal and all their other Western studios in May. |
| 315 | * ''VideoGame/Hitman2016'' was a critical smash, a hit with loyal ''Franchise/{{Hitman}}'' fans, [[WinBackTheCrowd a very welcome bounceback]] following Creator/IOInteractive's divisive ''VideoGame/HitmanAbsolution''... and it apparently performed so poorly that IOI was dropped by Creator/SquareEnix and was left almost completely broke. Much blame was pinned on the game's highly-touted [[EpisodicGame episodic model]] confusing and alienating potential buyers, so when IOI was able to [[NetworkToTheRescue strike up a partnership with Warner Bros.]] to independently develop and publish their next planned "season" in the form of ''VideoGame/Hitman2'' (and then later ''VideoGame/Hitman3''), they completely ditched the format, and in continuing to make critically-beloved games, they've since received proper financial returns that fully saved them from near-bankruptcy. In case of ''Hitman 3'', which is self-published, they ''made back its development costs in just a week!'' |
| 316 | * ''VideoGame/{{ICO}}''. Good thing it got an UpdatedRerelease, because the Platform/PlayStation2 original is now unobtainable (not at a reasonable price anyway). |
| 317 | * Most people into {{Visual Novel}}s can tell you about Creator/KotaroUchikoshi's wildly acclaimed ''VisualNovel/ZeroEscape'' trilogy. Far fewer can do the same about his previous work, the ''VisualNovel/{{Infinity}}'' series, which receives the same level of acclaim from the extremely low number of people who ''know'' about it. |
| 318 | * ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'' sold far less than ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' and any of Creator/BioWare's later original [=IPs=], despite some heavy praise from reviews. |
| 319 | * ''VideoGame/JetSetRadio'', a [[GenreBusting platform-rollerblading-graffiti]] game for the Dreamcast, was extremely well-received and won several awards but didn't sell well even among games for the unsuccessful platform. The game fared much better with an HD re-release on contemporary consoles. ''Jet Set Radio Future'' for Xbox suffered the same fate, even when it was packaged with the system. |
| 320 | * ''VideoGame/KingdomOfParadise'', despite gorgeous graphics and relatively high ratings by critics, faced underwhelming sales. It remains a hidden gem in the world of gaming. |
| 321 | * ''VideoGame/KlonoaDoorToPhantomile'' for the Platform/PlayStation received glowing reviews from critics but bombed at retail for being mistaken as a kiddy. The game would go on to become a cult classic, fetching over $60 on eBay at its peak. Same went for its EvenBetterSequel ''VideoGame/Klonoa2LunateasVeil''. History repeated itself with the Wii remake, which Namco hoped would sell greatly and regain interest in the franchise, especially since most Wii owners like cutesy games, but the remake sold poorly too, and the planned ''Klonoa 2'' remake wouldn't materialize until the ''Klonoa Reverie Collection'' 14 years later. |
| 322 | * ''VideoGame/KyaDarkLineage'' got some pretty good reviews, but for most people, not that many knew about it. For those who got it, it's a shame it's widely unknown. Doesn't help either that it ended on a cliffhanger. |
| 323 | * ''VideoGame/TheLastExpress'' received high praise for its writing, character development, and intricate-yet-flexible storyline, but the game only sold 100,000 copies, 1 million short of breaking even. This was mostly due to [[Creator/BroderbundSoftware Brøderbund]] not marketing the game at all, part of which was probably because Brøderbund's entire marketing staff had quit a month before the game's release. |
| 324 | * ''VideoGame/TheLegendaryStarfy'' in America. It got very good reviews and has a dedicated following, but sold poorly. In Japan, it sold better, but not as well as the prior four [[NoExportForYou Japan-exclusive]] ''Starfy'' titles, resulting in the attempt to bring the franchise worldwide becoming the [[FranchiseKiller last game in the series]]. |
| 325 | * Creator/AlLowe noted that, due to rampant piracy, strategy guides for ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry1InTheLandOfTheLoungeLizards'' outsold the actual game twenty times over. |
| 326 | * ''VideoGame/LittleKingsStory'' for the Wii received critical acclaim, many reviewers considering it to be on the same level of quality as some of Nintendo's first-party titles, yet nearly nobody bought it. The kiddy presentation hurt, despite the game being quite dark in places. The developers seem to have realized this, because the remake for Platform/PlayStationVita uses a typical RPG/anime art style. |
| 327 | * The ''VideoGame/LittleTailBronx'' series is joined at the hip with this trope: |
| 328 | ** ''VideoGame/TailConcerto'' is a fun, cute, and light-hearted platformer for the [=PlayStation=], but it sadly didn't get much attention when it was released. However, does have a following, which was enough for the developers to make a CreatorDrivenSuccessor with a SharedUniverse, namely ''VideoGame/SolatoroboRedTheHunter'', a game which people viewed as a major improvement in story, presentation and gameplay… that ''also'' suffered from obscurity thanks to selling only about as well as its predecessor. Most fans point to Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment for mishandling these games and failing to properly advertise them, only for Bandai themselves to cite these poor sales as reasons not to finance the series in the first place. |
| 329 | ** Following the financial woes plaguing the prior two games, Creator/CyberConnect2 chose to self-publish ''VideoGame/FugaMelodiesOfSteel'', which went on to become one of the highest-rated games in the company's history, but evidently only made back about 30% of its ''development'' costs within its first three months despite this critical acclaim. [=CyberConnect2=] has thus urged people on Twitter to continue supporting the game so that they can keep making original passion projects like ''Fuga''. Things do seem to be slowly getting better for the series, however, as the game had managed to [[https://twitter.com/Fuga_CC2_en/status/1618458708870139905 reach over 150,000 downloads]] by January 2023, a year and half after its initial release in July 2021. That number had [[https://twitter.com/Fuga_CC2_en/status/1656529452422266880 doubled to 200,000]] by the time [[VideoGame/FugaMelodiesOfSteel2 the sequel]] released almost half a year later in May 2023, and as of August that same year, both games have [[https://twitter.com/Fuga_CC2_en/status/1685840795461718016 sold a combined total of 300,000]]. |
| 330 | * ''VideoGame/LiveALive'' received praise for its ambitious scope, dramatic story, and innovative gameplay, but only sold 270,000 copies during its lifetime (which some attribute to it being a young, unproven title coming out amid a flood of better-known series), and it never left Japan--though an English FanTranslation exists. However, it remained enough of a cult hit that it was eventually RemadeForTheExport in 2022 for the Platform/NintendoSwitch. |
| 331 | * The ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' series is sometimes said to be one of Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s "Big Three" alongside ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]]'' and ''[[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Zelda]]'', due to having similar high critical acclaim and influence as a TropeCodifier (in ''Metroid''[='=]s case, for the {{Metroidvania}} genre) in the gaming industry. However, despite being one of the company's longest-running franchises, it is also one of its weakest, with only a third of the games in the series surpassing one million copies sold. The installment that got hit the most with this was ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime2Echoes'', [[http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/01/14/prime-outperforms-echoes whose launch sales got dwarfed by its predecessor]] thanks to, among other reasons, being released the same month as ''VideoGame/{{Halo 2}}''. That said, most of the games aren’t outright flops and, at the very least, make back their budget. |
| 332 | * ''VideoGame/AMindForeverVoyaging'': This is one of Infocom's most ambitious projects and one of the rare ventures into serious storytelling that actually revolves around a plot instead of just gameplay and puzzle solving. It was critically acclaimed for its sociopolitical commentary and worldbuilding. However, it was just not as popular as the more humor based, often MoonLogic[[note]]This was before moon logic and [[SolveTheSoupCans Soup Can]] puzzles had fallen out of favor with game players[[/note]] puzzle games such as ''Planetfall'', ''Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy'', and the ''Zork'' games. The game's liberal and anti-Reagan stance also alienated some gamers. |
| 333 | * ''VideoGame/MoonBaseCommander'' received fairly positive reviews, but flopped terribly upon its release and won IGN's "Best Game No-One Played" award in 2002. It has somewhat of a small following, if not simply for the fact that it was made by Creator/HumongousEntertainment. |
| 334 | * ''VideoGame/TheNeverhood'' was (and still is) widely regarded as a fun and intriguing game with a [[StopMotion unique animation style]], with many people only really complaining about the [[MoonLogicPuzzle difficult puzzles.]] However, it was released around the time adventure games were going out of style. |
| 335 | * ''VideoGame/{{Obsidian}}'' was a unique, surreal spin on ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'' which launched with $2 million spent on advertising, Music/ThomasDolby was hired to write its soundtrack, and was lauded by many critics on release. But it sold only 80,000 units and eventually caused its creator, Rocket Science [[CreatorKiller to go bankrupt and fold not long after]]. It's notable that the game's demo consisted of a very small area with an {{Unwinnable}} puzzle and a slideshow, nothing more, which may have been one cause of the game's failure. Despite all this, the game has gained a minor cult following in the adventure genre. |
| 336 | * ''VideoGame/OddworldStrangersWrath'' was acclaimed for its unique take on the FirstPersonShooter and story, and was considered the best ''Oddworld'' game in the series since ''Abe's Exoddus''. However, the game sold incredibly poorly due to InvisibleAdvertising and was even a CreatorKiller for a while until Oddworld Inhabitants bounced back in the 2010s. Since then, it's sold much better in its HD remaster on digital platforms. |
| 337 | * ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'' had no advertising, and was released for the Platform/PlayStation2 right when [[Platform/PlayStation3 its successor]] hit the market, both factors causing it (and ''VideoGame/GodHand'') to sell so badly that they led to the dissolution of its original development team. The game is considered one of the best that the [=PS2=] had to offer. The game eventually found its audience with a successful port to the Platform/{{Wii}}, resulting in [[VideoGame/{{Okamiden}} a sequel]] and the HD remaster treatment. |
| 338 | * The ''VideoGame/PanzerDragoon'' series, especially its RPG outing, ''Panzer Dragoon Saga''. Being released on the doomed-from-creation Platform/SegaSaturn (which has proven nigh-impossible to emulate) sent it straight into obscurity, despite being considered a tour de force of 3D gameplay and storytelling at the time. |
| 339 | * ''VideoGame/{{Perimeter}}''. While the game had pretty good reviews, it flopped spectacularly... and yet for some reason, both an ExpansionPack and a sequel were created. |
| 340 | * ''VideoGame/Persona3DancingInMoonlight''. In Japan, it fell off the charts after one week, and most of its sales were part of bundles with ''VideoGame/Persona5DancingInStarlight'' or ''VideoGame/Persona4DancingAllNight'' -- ''VideoGame/Persona3'' had been 12 years old at the time of the dancing game's release. Despite this, it's liked among ''Persona 3'' fans for its entertaining rhythm gameplay, great visuals, and funny voice-acted cutscenes. |
| 341 | * ''VideoGame/MegaManPoweredUp'' received solid reviews and a loyal fandom for being an excellent remake of ''VideoGame/MegaMan1'', with an [[SuperDeformed adorable artstyle]] and boatloads of content that raised hopes that it would be the first in a series of future ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' remakes. Unfortunately, due to whatever reason -- most citing how it just wasn't appealing to [[Platform/PlayStationPortable PSP]] audiences, as well as how the console itself had an infamously rocky start -- it sold very poorly, putting those plans to rest for good. |
| 342 | * Creator/PlatinumGames: |
| 343 | ** ''VideoGame/{{MadWorld}}'' was loved by critics, but had terrible sales. It heavily pushed itself as being a violent, M-rated game exclusive to Platform/{{Wii}}, a console that owed its success to being accessible to casual and family audiences. The dissonance put it on people's radars, with MoralGuardians raising a stink about it, but none of that "bad" press translated to substantial sales. |
| 344 | ** ''VideoGame/{{Vanquish}}''. Critics loved it, but the game itself slipped right under the radar. [[InvisibleAdvertising The game sneaked onto store shelves without any promotion or fanfare]], so hardly anyone knew about it until it was released for PSN's games on-demand in 2013. |
| 345 | ** ''VideoGame/TheWonderful101'' also had this problem: reviews were generally positive, but it sold poorly in Japan and even worse in the rest of the world. Nintendo published the game, but [[InvisibleAdvertising only marketed it online]], and being exclusive to the failing Platform/{{Wii U}} didn't help. Platinum would later launch a Website/{{Kickstarter}} in order to self-publish the game on the Nintendo Switch, [=PlayStation=] 4, and PC, but that remaster sold ''even worse'' at retail, due to the same lack of advertising and most fans securing their copies through the Kickstarter campaign. |
| 346 | ** ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' was praised for its originality, style, and excellent gameplay, but sold below Sega and Platinum's expectations. The former passed on funding and publishing a sequel as a result, but Creator/{{Nintendo}} [[NetworkToTheRescue swooped in to do so themselves]]. ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta 2}}'' gathered multiple perfect scores, but sold even fewer copies thanks to, again, being a Platform/{{Wii U}} exclusive. However, Nintendo was satisfied regardless and stuck by the series, porting both games to the Platform/NintendoSwitch (where it sold far better), funding [[VideoGame/Bayonetta3 a third game]], and then funding production of [[VideoGame/BayonettaOriginsCerezaAndTheLostDemon a spin-off title]] before that third game even released. |
| 347 | * ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' made very little money, despite being named one of the greatest role-playing games of all time by multiple review organizations. After being re-released by Website/GOGDotCom, it [[VindicatedByCable took the top position]] in their bestselling list and doesn't tend to stray far from it. |
| 348 | * ''VideoGame/PocketCardJockey'' is a horse-racing solitaire game from Game Freak, the creators of ''Pokémon''. It combines the two into a surprisingly deep package with near-endless replayability. It hit it off very well with many critics and fans, but garnered little attention due to poor advertising from Nintendo, being weird, and being released during a news drought for Game Freak's own ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'', causing irritated ''Pokémon'' fans to bash the game [[ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontWatch despite having never played it]]. |
| 349 | * ''VideoGame/PokkenTournament'' was a hit among its target demographics of older ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' fans and fighting game players, but had one major issue: its initial 2015 release in Japanese arcades was very unprofitable. Skilled players could net an hour of play from a single token, meaning that arcade owners didn't see the value of keeping the machines around. The 2016 Wii U version made up the difference and became a top seller, helped by an UpdatedRerelease on the Platform/NintendoSwitch in 2017. |
| 350 | * ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'' series producer Mizuki Hosoyamada was given the keys to the franchise after 2005's ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoFever2'' fell well short of the expectations Sega had for its sales, according to an interview for ''[[VideoGame/PuyoPuyo2 Sega Ages Puyo Puyo Tsu]]''. Most who have played ''Fever 2'' hold it in good regard for being greatly improved in numerous aspects compared to the original ''Fever'' - in particular, it's got a larger story mode and its writing and worldbuilding are done better. |
| 351 | * ''VideoGame/RaymanOrigins'' and its sequel ''VideoGame/RaymanLegends'' were universally praised, but while the games were profitable, they didn't meet publisher Ubisoft's sales expectations, probably due to the fact that ExecutiveMeddling resulted in them releasing at the same time as more heavily marketed and high profile releases: ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' and ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'', respectively. |
| 352 | * While on Capcom and [=GameCube=] exclusivity, the remake of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil1'' was, and still is, widely praised as one of the best games in the series and one of the greatest SurvivalHorror games of all time, and its prequel ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil0'' was [[ContestedSequel more divisive among fans]] yet still got good reviews, but both games underperformed due to their exclusivity to the struggling [=GameCube=]. Together, their commercial disappointments led Capcom to take the series in a more action-heavy direction with ''[=RE4=]''. Only with an UpdatedRerelease for the remake in 2015 and for ''[=RE0=]'' in 2016 did both games get the attention they deserved. |
| 353 | * The ''VideoGame/RhythmHeaven'' franchise has always been a critical favorite for its tight gameplay and quirky charm; the games are also strong sellers in Japan, due to the name recognition of series creator Tsunku♂ and successful advertising campaigns with Japanese celebrities. ''Rhythm Heaven'' for the Nintendo DS sold well overseas thanks to the success of the Touch Generations line and ads featuring Music/{{Beyonce}}. But ''Rhythm Heaven Fever'' and ''Rhythm Heaven Megamix'' flopped outside of Japan, despite being for the money-printing Wii and 3DS, respectively. ''Fever''[='=]s underwhelming performance is attributed to its marketing and reduced price, which made it look like a MediaNotes/{{shovelware}} minigame collection on a system that was already flooded with them. Some parts of the game became [[MemeticMutation memetic]], but memes do not sell a game. ''Megamix'', meanwhile, suffered from a NoBudget localization and InvisibleAdvertising--it was quietly released in North America as an eShop exclusive--aside from having the same image problems as ''Fever''. |
| 354 | * ''VideoGame/Shantae2002'' sold poorly due to being one of the last games released on the Platform/GameBoyColor, coming out a year after Platform/GameBoyAdvance had come out, but was well-received by both critics and players. The developers would eventually garner the funds needed to make a sequel, ''VideoGame/ShantaeRiskysRevenge'', but it also suffered a similar fate due to being a Platform/DSiWare exclusive, a platform best known for stripped-down versions of full-retail releases and MediaNotes/{{shovelware}}, and releasing at the end of system's life as well. It wouldn't be until the third game, ''[[VideoGame/ShantaeAndThePiratesCurse Pirate's Curse]]'', that the series found greater financial success. The prior two games would also see greater sales thanks to a bevy of rereleases on several platforms. |
| 355 | * ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}''. While the first one sold okay, the sequel didn't. This is mainly because Creator/{{Sega}} released it as an Xbox exclusive outside of Japan and Europe since video game developers ended production on Dreamcast games in America at this time. Most Xbox owners only cared about shooters and sports games, and ''Shenmue 2'' was neither of those, thus the sequel suffered from horrible sales, and it ended on an unresolved cliffhanger that was never resolved due to Yu Suzuki leaving Sega, and Sega not having enough of a budget to make a third game due to losing so much money on both games. Suzuki had to rely on Kickstarter to get the third game off the ground. |
| 356 | * ''VideoGame/ShogoMobileArmorDivision'' generally received warm, if not glowing, reviews when it was released. Despite this and a fair amount of marketing promotion, the game sold poorly and became a StillbornFranchise. |
| 357 | * ''VideoGame/SleepingDogs2012'' was met with lukewarm sales, taking a year to reach one million after extreme discounts, but it was a hit among critics. Most who hadn't played it saw it as ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' set in Hong Kong. However, sales weren't so bad for Creator/SquareEnix to rule out a potential sequel. |
| 358 | * Most of Creator/{{Suda51}}'s non-licensed games have dedicated followings and are admired for their audacity. However, only one of his games, ''VideoGame/LollipopChainsaw'', was profitable and sold over 1 million units. A mix of AudienceAlienatingPremise and quirkiness make his games seem unapproachable to many in both the West and Suda's own native Japan. ''VideoGame/{{Killer7}}'' was the first game from Suda to be exported overseas, but it sold poorly due to its unorthodox gameplay and story. ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'' was adored by critics, but lacked in sales - 40,000 in Japan, and 208,000 in America. Preceding ''VideoGame/{{Madworld}}'', it was an M-rated Wii exclusive and came under fire from MoralGuardians. Despite lackluster sales, it ended up getting a sizable cult following and a [[VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle sequel]] and was later ported to the [=PS3=] in hopes that it would sell better there (it didn't). |
| 359 | * ''VideoGame/SuikodenII'', the EvenBetterSequel to the first ''Suikoden'', was also a bomb, but certainly not for lack of quality; it is considered by many who have played it to be one of the best [=RPGs=] ever. Rather, it came at the worst possible time: the week before one of gaming history's most anticipated sequels, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'', not to mention the Platform/SegaDreamcast launch. After ''Final Fantasy VII'' had stylistically redefined the genre with its big-budget, cinematic [=3D=] visuals just two years earlier, ''Suikoden II'' keeping the isometric [=2D=] graphics of its predecessor caused it to look extremely outdated by comparison, as practically every other major RPG was making the VideoGame3DLeap. The game did become a CultClassic within the next couple of years and would fetch massive sums on [=eBay=]. The game was finally re-released in December 2014 on PSN, after years of fan requests. |
| 360 | * Not even ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' is immune to having a flop every now and then: |
| 361 | * Steam's refund policy that allows players to refund games if they have less than 2 hours of playtime leads to some indie games meeting this fate. One such game is ''Summer of '58'', a horror game from Russian developer Emika Games. While the game generally received favorable reviews, because of its short runtime many people refunded the game ''after finishing it'', even some who left positive reviews! As a result, Emika made little money from the game, if any, throwing a wrench into their future development plans. |
| 362 | ** Despite abundant marketing, strong reviews, and the established credibility of Mario as Nintendo's mascot, ''VideoGame/PaperMario64'' saw its sales severely impeded by a combination of its late release date (at the start of the 2000s, when the Platform/NintendoGameCube was just around the corner) and [[ToughActToFollow the large shadow cast over it by]] ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG''. The greater success of [[VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor its sequel]] brought the first ''Paper Mario'' into [[VindicatedByHistory belated cult classic status]], and until the Virtual Console re-released it digitally, secondhand copies of ''Paper Mario'' remained at their original selling price of US$50 or higher. |
| 363 | ** While ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory'' is the highest seller of any ''Mario'' RPG, with 4.5 milion copies, its Platform/Nintendo3DS remake, ''Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey'', is the second-worst selling ''Mario'' game of all-time despite generally pulling in the same critical praise as the original game, with sales on par with games for the Virtual Boy, and even though its sales for the West are unknown, it only sold 340.000 copies in Japan, an even worse total than the previous remake, which also had low sales itself, with about a half milion copies sold and terrible sales in Japan. The abysmal sales had a knock-on effect on Creator/AlphaDream, who [[CreatorKiller filed for bankruptcy]] nine months after the game's release due to the poor sales of it and some of its other 3DS games falling to offset the massive amount of debt the studio was accruing, with below average sales and increasing costs of production. The game's failure in particular can be attributed to it releasing way too late into the lifespan of the Nintendo 3DS (two years after the Platform/NintendoSwitch was released), in addition to the original DS version already being playable on the handheld due to backwards compatibility, giving little incentive to pay extra for the remake's marginal improvements. |
| 364 | * ''VideoGame/SpyroSeasonOfIce'', ''VideoGame/Spyro2SeasonOfFlame'', and ''VideoGame/SpyroAttackOfTheRhynocs'' were praised by critics, but sold poorly due to being Nintendo-exclusive titles from a formerly Sony-exclusive series, and being released around the time of the abysmal ''VideoGame/SpyroEnterTheDragonfly'', which scared many away from the other games. |
| 365 | * ''VideoGame/TadpoleTreble'' is an indie rhythm platformer about the musical misadventures of a young tadpole. After being Kickstarted with $34,250, it released in 2016 after 4 years of development, and scored a 90 on Metacritic. Yet it only has a little over 200 reviews on Steam, half of those being posted within the first week of release. Note that Steam is the main place to get ''Tadpole Treble'' for the PC -- even the low-bass toad sung so! Unfortunately, a lot of people simply don't want to play a rhythm game starring a tadpole. |
| 366 | * Creator/TakeTwoInteractive had two in 2012: ''VideoGame/MaxPayne3'', which after a strong start in spite of [[VideoGame/DiabloIII very stiff competition]], had slow sales, but eventually broke out to be an undisputed financial success; and ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'', that was lauded for its dark plot and innovative narrative that downright offered [[DeconstructionGame a deconstructive look at shooter games]], something that certainly was [[AudienceAlienatingPremise a hard sell for regular gamers]] (it hurts that the message of the game is "stop playing", which fans sometimes mention when talking about the game [[TooBleakStoppedCaring given how bleak it gets]]), while ignoring its intended audience in [[NeverTrustATrailer the advertising (which looked like a normal military shooter to trick people into thinking it was)]] due to hoping word of mouth would kick in. It didn't until far later than they hoped. |
| 367 | * Several of Tim Schafer's games: |
| 368 | ** ''VideoGame/GrimFandango'' was extremely well-received critically, even managing to win several awards despite having some pretty stiff competition in 1998.[[note]]This includes ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'', ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', ''VideoGame/HalfLife'', and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime''.[[/note]] However, the game [[CriticalDissonance didn't sell well]], becoming the first Creator/LucasArts game to lose money, and marking the company's shift away from the genre. It later received an UpdatedRerelease on modern consoles, including a PC version, and became VindicatedByHistory. |
| 369 | ** ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'' was critically acclaimed when it was first released in 2005, but very few gamers bought it. However, it was beloved enough to get a port to PC/Mac/Linux. Then Double Fine's deal with the publisher Majesco expired, and the studio was able to publish a slightly UpdatedRerelease of the game through digital platforms such as Platform/{{Steam}}. This allowed it to become VindicatedByCable: according to Double Fine's own sales numbers, ''Psychonauts'' sold just shy of 1.7 million copies as of 2016, and about 1.2 million of these sales happened after the expiration of the publishing deal. Its re-releases turned enough of a profit to partially fund the sequel, ''VideoGame/Psychonauts2''. |
| 370 | ** ''VideoGame/BrutalLegend'' got great reviews but poor sales. The game’s advertising, which portrayed it as a straight-up third-person action game when it makes a GenreShift to a RealTimeStrategy after the first few hours, also hurt. |
| 371 | * ''VideoGame/Titanfall2'' received near-unanimous critical acclaim, a warm reception from the series' fanbase after a coldly received beta, and a multiplatform launch after [[VideoGame/{{Titanfall}} the first game's]] Xbox console exclusivity. Despite this, it ultimately [[http://www.pcgamer.com/ea-share-price-dips-in-response-to-analyst-predicting-substantially-disappointing-titanfall-2-sales/ sold only a little over half of the sales of the first game.]] Many believe that publisher EA's decision to launch the game only a week after their own highly hyped multiplayer shooter, ''VideoGame/Battlefield1'', in a gambit to launch two shooters against Activison's next ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'', only ended up causing the bigger ''Battlefield 1'' to dwarf the game's presence. That said, the game [[ColbertBump saw a player count increase]] following the release of the spin-off Battle Royale game ''VideoGame/ApexLegends''. |
| 372 | * ''VideoGame/TotalAnnihilationKingdoms'' is considered as one of the best RTS games next to its predecessor ''VideoGame/TotalAnnihilation'', even though it didn't sell much. |
| 373 | * While one would expect a {{crossover}} between the wildly successful ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' and ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' franchises to be a smash, ''VideoGame/TokyoMirageSessionsFE'' ended up performing well below expectations, even considering the overall failure of the Platform/WiiU. This can mostly be attributed to an UncertainAudience: ''Shin Megami Tensei'' fans expecting an UrbanFantasy and ''Fire Emblem'' fans expecting a HeroicFantasy were put off by a story that was neither, instead leaning into an aesthetic inspired by MagicalGirl and IdolSinger anime. The inherently Japanese setting and lack of dubbing also failed to attract a casual audience overseas. Critics and curious players found a surprisingly in-depth story and combat system, but not even an UpdatedRerelease on the Platform/NintendoSwitch could breathe a second life into the game's sales, with the combined sales of both versions thought to not surpass 500,000 copies. |
| 374 | * ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfile'' was an initial stateside flop due to it being a late-era [=PlayStation=] release, receiving a meager marketing push from Enix, and just being too unique for its own good. It did gain a following, and similar to ''Suikoden II'' above, become valuable on the aftermarket, but thankfully it received a port on the Platform/PlayStationPortable and two follow-ups. |
| 375 | * ''VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe'' was part of the "Capcom Five" of intended Platform/NintendoGameCube exclusives -- alongside ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'', which was a runaway hit even if it sold more on the Platform/PlayStation2; the aforementioned ''VideoGame/{{Killer7}}''; ''VideoGame/PN03'', which got mediocre reception; and the ultimately canceled ''Dead Phoenix''. Widely praised for its stylish cel-shaded look and creative beat-'em-up gameplay, it ultimately moved less than 500,000 copies worldwide, even when it got ported to the [=PS2=] with the added bonus of being able to play as [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry Dante]]. The director still said that, while ''Viewtiful Joe'' sold less than expected, the low budget made it moderately successful, enough to get sequels and for Joe himself to enter ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom''. |
| 376 | * Though ''VideoGame/WarioWareDIY'' received very good reviews and developed [[CultClassic a solid cult following]] among aspiring game designers, it was a commercial failure: in Japan, its sales were the lowest the series saw up to that point by a significant margin, and it did even worse in western countries, becoming a perennial bargain-bin filler. This is usually blamed on it being an AudienceAlienatingPremise. The complexity of the editor and small number of prebuilt games made it difficult to appeal to the series' usual pick-up-and-play audience, while the otherwise limited mechanics (games are only a few seconds in length, and they can only register simple touch screen inputs) put off those expecting a more in-depth experience. |
| 377 | * The ''Franchise/YokaiWatch'' franchise may be the fastest contemporary example in Japan of how easily [[CashCowFranchise monumental successes]] can lead to terrible failures, especially when expanding internationally. The most apparent reasons for its lack of success overseas are ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'''s tight grasp on the {{mons}} genre outside of Japan and that non-Japanese players [[AudienceAlienatingPremise wouldn't know or relate to the concept]] of {{youkai}}. |
| 378 | ** Despite near-universal praise from critics and those who played it, as well as a substantial marketing push from Nintendo's American and European branches (as part of their general partnership with Creator/Level5 at the time), the original ''VideoGame/YokaiWatch'' game saw middling sales in North America, [[AmericansHateTingle in stark contrast]] to Japan. Thankfully, though, the game [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff did much better in Europe]]. |
| 379 | ** The same fate would befall ''VideoGame/YokaiWatch2''. Not only did the game had to contend with the ''Pokémon'' series receiving an astronomic boost in popularity globally thanks to ''VideoGame/PokemonGo'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'', but it also released on the same day as the far more high-profile ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' . |
| 380 | ** ''VideoGame/YokaiWatch3'' earned the highest review scores for the series in the US from both critics and audiences alike. It also sold only 4,000 copies [[https://medium.com/shinkansen-retrogaming/why-did-yo-kai-watch-failed-in-north-america-628360e29c8d at best]] in the US, not helped by the games being released at the tail end of the 3DS's lifecycle. This caused it to have a much smaller print run than the first two games, making it hard to find outside the 3DS eShop or [[CrackIsCheaper paying absurd online resale prices]]. The game's poor reception is one of the factors (along with the disappointing overseas performance of ''VideoGame/TheSnackWorld'' and the impact of the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic) that caused Level-5 to withdraw from the US market for three years. |
| 381 | ** Despite launching at number 1 in Japan, and receiving critical praise for the graphics, gameplay, and story, ''VideoGame/YokaiWatch4'' on the Platform/NintendoSwitch had the worst domestic sales in the series, only selling 200,000 copies. It was also released mere months before ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'', which would sell eight times that in Japan alone, and nearly 30 times that in the rest of the world. The game received an UpdatedRerelease for the [=PlayStation=] 4 that ultimately shared the same fate. |
| 382 | * ''VideoGame/ZackAndWikiQuestForBarbarosTreasure'' was beloved by critics and fans alike for playing to the strengths of the Wii's motion controls and clever (and ''[[NintendoHard hard]]'') puzzles. However, between poor marketing and the AnimationAgeGhetto, it tanked. |
| 383 | [[/folder]] |
| 384 | |
| 385 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 386 | * The ''[[Creator/BobChipman Big Picture]]'' episode [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRvcbeeGH2Y "The Numbers"]] is about this trope, and how it leads to studios making [[StrictlyFormula safe, formulaic movies]] pandering to the LowestCommonDenominator. Specifically, it describes how Creator/{{Universal}} experiencing a number of these, particularly ''Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld'' (which suffered the added indignity of getting squashed at the box office by ''Film/TheExpendables'', a film that Bob hated), caused them to fling Creator/GuillermoDelToro's adaptation of ''Literature/AtTheMountainsOfMadness'' into DevelopmentHell and commission more sequels to ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious2001'', one of their few bright spots at the time. |
| 387 | -->"When great movies fail at the box office, other movies will suffer because of it." |
| 388 | * Even if ''Webanimation/GenLock'' got good reviews and was liked by the Creator/RoosterTeeth fandom, it was a costly [[TroubledProduction and difficult]] production that needed to attract new paying costumers (it was exclusive for RT's premium service FIRST), and that was not the case. While the show found a new audience when airing on Toonami (and arguably increased the audience sufficiently to justify a second season being greenlit for HBO Max), it was a case of too little, too late, and the losses are probably related to a series of layoffs in the company. |
| 389 | [[/folder]] |
| 390 | |
| 391 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 392 | * ''WesternAnimation/SymBionicTitan'' was beloved by critics and fans on the Internet, but lasted only 20 episodes. The most often-used reason is because of a lack of toy companies willing to make merchandise for it. The real reason is more complicated: It was pitched to toy companies ''with a female protagonist'', which made toy companies hesitant as female action figures sell much worse than their male counterparts; this wouldn't be so big of a problem (considering other shows remain on the air with little to no merchandise) if it weren't for ''Sym-Bionic Titan'''s [[{{Pun}} titanic]] budget. It got good ratings, but not enough to turn a profit without the extra push the merchandise would've given it. |
| 393 | * ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' gained a massive and loyal fanbase for [[SurrealHumor weirdness]] and BlackComedy such as hadn't been seen on Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} since ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'', and it sold large amounts of merchandise (particularly to the Hot Topic crowd). But ratings didn't justify the high cost of the animation (which was heavily computer-aided) and it was axed ''during'' its second season - work on the second half of season 2 was suddenly halted mid-production. However, the series has been [[VindicatedByReruns Vindicated By DVD]], and merchandise ''still'' sells at a healthy rate. The series was eventually continued in the form of comic books and a movie, ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZimEnterTheFlorpus'', which was released on Netflix. |
| 394 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Robotomy}}'' was well-loved by fans, but Creator/CartoonNetwork couldn't justify the production costs due to ''all of their overseas channels refusing to air it'' (because of its extremely violent and crude content). The channel decided to barely market it as a result, and it ran for only ten eleven-minute episodes (making it the very shortest CN original cartoon), as they wouldn't be able to recoup costs even if it was a success. |
| 395 | * Creator/CartoonNetwork's WesternAnimation/DCNation block. The set-up of two anchor shows interspersed with various shorts and mini-specials about [=DC=] was highly praised for its immersion and uniqueness, but only [[WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo one of the four featured shows]] received any promotion, with the other three all axed because, despite strong fanbases, good writing, and the recognition of the DC name and roster of characters, their merchandising didn't turn a profit (or, in the case of ''WesternAnimation/GreenLanternTheAnimatedSeries'', exist at all). |
| 396 | * Despite having a large adult fanbase, ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' did not sell enough merchandise or appeal to the target demographic enough to warrant more than two seasons. It was replaced by ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble'' which allegedly sells tons of merchandise but is widely hated by fans of the previous series and fans of the movies that it so poorly mimics. Adding insult to injury, it's since been shown that at the time of its cancellation, ''Earth's Mighties Heroes'' was consistently one of the highest-rated shows on Disney XD. |
| 397 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'' was hyped and received much acclaim for its animation, writing, voice acting and action. However, Cartoon Network didn't pay much attention to that, more to the toys by Bandai, which were not selling as well as they hoped. Although a move from Friday night to Saturday morning helped in ratings and Bandai was eager to continue with selling the toys, the series ended after 26 episodes, despite being planned to have 65 episodes, and it was taken over by a more marketable replacement, ''WesternAnimation/LegendsOfChima''. |
| 398 | * ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers'' received some genuine praise for its darker, more mature stories but alas it appealed more to teens and 20-something college-age sci-fi fans than it did to the toy happy little boys who were the main target demographic and did much better overseas ([[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff especially Germany]]) than in America, which is said to have doomed it to merely being a CultClassic. |
| 399 | * ''WesternAnimation/PhantomInvestigators'' received critical praise and was the highest-rated Saturday morning cartoon in its 11:30 AM timeslot each time it aired. However, when ratings slipped with young boys but grew with young girls, Kids' WB canceled the show after only six of its thirteen episodes had aired as they didn't want to lose their status as the highest-rated Saturday morning block with young boys. |
| 400 | * While ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' got positive reviews (minus the SophomoreSlump), it never managed to do well in traditional viewership numbers past its first season. The second season was moved to Friday night from Saturday morning. Its ratings tanked after the move but it continued to do well on Nick's website and other digital platforms. Eventually, it was outright pulled from the live schedule and moved online. |
| 401 | * ''WesternAnimation/TucaAndBertie'' got a 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and won an Annie Award, but was canceled after only one season on Creator/{{Netflix}} due to low ratings and poor marketing. Still, the outcry over its cancellation was loud enough for Creator/AdultSwim to [[NetworkToTheRescue come in]] and [[UnCancelled uncancel]] it for a second season. |
| 402 | * ''WesternAnimation/TronUprising'' was well received by critics and Tron fans alike, in particular, for its beautiful blend of 2D and CGI animation (even winning an Emmy for it). And unlike most examples here, it was even given a [[AdoredByTheNetwork proper timeslot]] on Disney XD. Despite all of this, the show simply failed to attract general audiences as it did poorly on ratings. So much so, that its final epiosdes were [[ScrewedByTheNetwork moved to a midnight timeslot on Mondays]]. While technically never cancelled, only one season of Tron: Uprising has been made since 2013. |
| 403 | * ''WesternAnimation/DaveTheBarbarian'' was critically acclaimed and is widely considered to be one of the funniest Creator/DisneyChannel shows ever made...but it suffered from low ratings and was suddenly cancelled after just one season. |
| 404 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}'' suffered from low ratings during its run (''especially'' during its final season, when it was [[ScrewedByTheNetwork burned off in an early-morning slot]]) due to being broadcast on Creator/USANetwork, which didn't have many viewers. Critics and viewers, on the other hand, ''loved'' it and the show is fondly remembered as an underrated gem. |
| 405 | [[/folder]] |
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