History ScrewedByTheNetwork / Film

* ''DazedAndConfused'' flopped in its initial release largely because of two bad decisions by Gramercy Pictures: releasing it in late September (when much of its potential audience was heading back to school), and promoting it as a [[StonerFlick Stoner Comedy]], which wasn't quite accurate.

[[folder:Universal Pictures]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Postal}}'', Uwe Boll's film based on the video game, was originally scheduled to be released in 2007, then pushed back to 2008. Three days prior to the U.S. premiere date, its theatrical run was reduced from 1,500 screens to 21. In addition, it was opened against ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull''. To say it was buried at the theatre is a gross understatement.
** It should be noted that, due to a mixtures of Boll's reputations as a terrible filmmaker, and (even more significantly)the nature of the film (it opens with a parody of 9/11), its highly unlikely that ANYONE could have done ANYTHING to save this film. To put what happened in perspective: Boll tried to put his OWN MONEY up to rent additional theatres in New York so he could get a few more showings...the theatres refused to let him.

* ''Film/CirqueDuSoleilWorldsAway'' is a good example of boneheaded thinking when it comes to releasing a niche production (a ThreeDMovie compilation of Cirque live show highlights brought together by an ExcusePlot). Paramount [[http://www.reviewjournal.com/mike-weatherford/less-more-terry-fator-mirage released it during the crowded Christmas 2012 period]] and [[InvisibleAdvertising didn't give it a big ad push]] -- though, given the film's no-star cast, they may not have known ''how'' to promote it beyond a trailer, poster, and a TV spot or two. To make matters worse, it only managed ''two showings per day'' on the 800-or-so screens it reached in North America, as it was forced to share space with other films. Paramount may have sacrificed exposure for ''Worlds Away'' in an effort to keep ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians'' -- a far more expensive family film that they were distributing for DreamworksAnimation and had surprised the industry with its box-office underperformance -- on screens through the season. And to their credit, they did manage wide exposure for ''Worlds Away'''s DVD release the following spring.

* ''Film/CirqueDuSoleilWorldsAway'' is a good example of boneheaded thinking when it comes to releasing a niche production (a ThreeDMovie compiling highlights from Cirque's non-touring Las Vegas productions via an ExcusePlot). Cirque [[http://www.reviewjournal.com/mike-weatherford/less-more-terry-fator-mirage shot for a Christmas Day, 2012 release date]] figuring that there weren't many family-oriented movies coming out that day (its main competition in that regard was ''Parental Guidance''). But due to the ''overall'' crush of star-driven releases for the holiday, Paramount only got this on about 800 screens in North America and didn't give it a big ad push. To make matters worse, those screens were shared with other movies -- it only managed ''two showings per day!'' Keeping in mind that Paramount was distributing the far more expensive but underperforming ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians'' at the time, it's possible that they sacrificed exposure for the Cirque film in favor of propping up the animated feature. Paramount did give ''Worlds Away'' a good push on the DVD market afterward.

* ''Film/CirqueDuSoleilWorldsAway'' is a good example of boneheaded thinking when it comes to releasing a niche production (a ThreeDMovie compiling highlights from Cirque's non-touring Las Vegas productions via an ExcusePlot). Cirque [[http://www.reviewjournal.com/mike-weatherford/less-more-terry-fator-mirage shot for a Christmas Day, 2012 release date]] figuring that there weren't many family-oriented movies coming out that day (its main competition in that regard was ''Parental Guidance''). But due to the ''overall'' crush of star-driven releases for the holiday, Paramount only got this on about 800 screens in North America and didn't give it a big ad push. To make matters worse, those screens were shared with other movies -- it only managed ''two showings per day!'' Keeping in mind that Paramount was distributing the far more expensive but underperforming ''RiseOfTheGuardians'' at the time, it's possible that they sacrificed exposure for the Cirque film in favor of propping up the animated feature. Paramount did give ''Worlds Away'' a good push on the DVD market afterward.

* TerryJones' [[Literature/{{TheWindintheWillows}} Wind in the Willows]]'' barely got a theatrical release by Disney in the States after its poor box office in the UK. This was despite the ''New York Times''' glowing review and ''Variety'' lashing out against the distributors for burying a terrific film. [[http://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/showbiz/life-times-monty-pythons-terry-1843865 According to Jones:]]

* DimensionFilms does this more then any other film company - they chopped 20 minutes off of ''TheCrowCityOfAngels'', (most of which were character development scenes and very important plot points) then they released ''TheCrowSalvation'' DirectToVideo after poor test screenings, they cut the planned 2000+ screen wide release of ''Equilibrium'' down to less than 300 screens because the film was already in profit from international distribution deals and spending money on additional prints or advertising might have ruined those profits, they shelved films like ''Texas Rangers'' and ''My Boss's Daughter'' for over a year with little explanation. Some films, like ''Venom'' and ''DOA: Dead Or Alive'' were barely advertised at all and given a very limited release. And releasing ''Film/{{Scream 4}}'' during the Easter period while all the others were kept for winter (and notably giving it little publicity outside North America - tellingly, this was the only film of the series where none of the cast did any British promotion, although HaydenPanettiere did go to Germany for that purpose)? Bad move.

* ''CirqueDuSoleilWorldsAway'' is a good example of boneheaded thinking when it comes to releasing a niche production (a ThreeDMovie compiling highlights from Cirque's non-touring Las Vegas productions via an ExcusePlot). Cirque [[http://www.reviewjournal.com/mike-weatherford/less-more-terry-fator-mirage shot for a Christmas Day, 2012 release date]] figuring that there weren't many family-oriented movies coming out that day (its main competition in that regard was ''Parental Guidance''). But due to the ''overall'' crush of star-driven releases for the holiday, Paramount only got this on about 800 screens in North America and didn't give it a big ad push. To make matters worse, those screens were shared with other movies -- it only managed ''two showings per day!'' Keeping in mind that Paramount was distributing the far more expensive but underperforming ''RiseOfTheGuardians'' at the time, it's possible that they sacrificed exposure for the Cirque film in favor of propping up the animated feature. Paramount did give ''Worlds Away'' a good push on the DVD market afterward.

* ''CirqueDuSoleilWorldsAway'' is a good example of boneheaded thinking when it comes to releasing a niche production (a ThreeDMovie compiling highlights from Cirque's non-touring Las Vegas productions via an ExcusePlot). Cirque [[http://www.reviewjournal.com/mike-weatherford/less-more-terry-fator-mirage shot for a Christmas Day, 2012 release date]] figuring that there weren't many family-oriented movies coming out that day (its main competition in that regard was ''Parental Guidance''). But due to the ''overall'' crush of star-driven releases for the holiday, Paramount only got this on about 800 screens in North America and didn't give it a big ad push. To make matters worse, those screens were shared with other movies -- it only managed ''two showings per day'' -- and ''TheHobbitAnUnexpectedJourney'' ate up most of the [=IMAX=] screens it could have used. Keeping in mind that Paramount was distributing the far more expensive but underperforming ''RiseOfTheGuardians'' at the time, it's possible that they sacrificed exposure for the Cirque film in favor of propping up the animated feature. Paramount did give ''Worlds Away'' a good push on the DVD market afterward.

* Paramount's next stunt was postponing ''Film/GIJoeRetaliation'' to March 2013 (after TWO SuperBowl spots no less) when its plum July 4, 2012 weekend release date was only a month away, for two reasons: 3-D conversion (to earn more money) and re-shoots to give Channing Tatum more screentime (while it might lead to CharacterDevelopment, it is cashing in on a rising star's name). [[TaintedByThePreview Fans did not take this well to say the least.]] The studio got what it gave for this decision -- since ''Retaliation'' was their one self-produced tentpole movie for summer 2012 (''The Avengers'' and ''Madagascar 3'' being distribution-only efforts [[hottip:*:and in the Avengers case, Disney did all the work; Paramount was only chose to distribute it due to ExecutiveMeddling to ensure the ChannelHop]] they wouldn't see the bulk of the grosses on), [[LaserGuidedKarma it effectively left them with a hitless summer]].

* Disney released the remake of ''Disney/WinnieThePooh'' on the same weekend of the final ''Film/HarryPotter''. The reason for Disney's bleak outlook on the film was actually due to its disappointing international numbers (where it flopped against ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}'' and ''Film/{{Hop}}'') and because other ''Pooh'' movies haven't fared well theatrically, but did nicely on DVD. The box-office failure of the movie caused Disney to close their theatrical 2D animation studios for good.

* Paramount ''then'' screwed over ''Film/GIJoeRetaliation'' by postponing it until March 2013 (after TWO SuperBowl spots no less) when its plum July 4 weekend release date was only a month away, for just two reasons: 3-D conversion (to earn more money) and re-shoots to give Channing Tatum more screentime (while it might lead to CharacterDevelopment, cashing in a rising star's name). [[TaintedByThePreview Fans have NOT taken this well to say the least.]] The studio got what it gave for this decision -- since ''Retaliation'' was their one self-produced tentpole movie for summer 2012 (''The Avengers'' and ''Madagascar 3'' being distribution-only efforts [[hottip:*:and in the Avengers case, Disney did all the work; Paramount was only chose to distribute it due to ExecutiveMeddling to ensure the ChannelHop]] they wouldn't see the bulk of the grosses on), [[LaserGuidedKarma it effectively left them with a hitless summer]].

* Paramount did the same thing to ''Film/TheAdventuresOfTintin'' in the U.S. by choosing to open the film on the same day as the expansion of another Paramount title, ''Film/MissionImpossibleGhostProtocol''. While ''Mission: Impossible'' got trailers months in advance, a large IMAX push, heavily-promoted advance screenings and deluxe treatment by Paramount, ''Tintin'' was treated as an afterthought (granted, the character and his comics never caught on in the United States) with a light marketing push, limited awareness, and the cancellation of IMAX evening showings. All despite having none other than Creator/StevenSpielberg as director and the premiere of the trailer for ''Film/TheHobbit'' on select prints. As a result, ''Tintin'' was outgrossed on opening day by the third ''Film/AlvinAndTheChipmunks'' film. The good news here was that the international release was ''considerably'' more successful.
* Paramount ''then'' screwed over ''Film/GIJoeRetaliation'' by postponing it until March 2013 (after TWO SuperBowl spots no less) when its plum July 4 weekend release date was only a month away, for just two reasons: 3-D conversion (to earn more money) and re-shoots to give Channing Tatum more screentime (while it might lead to CharacterDevelopment, cashing in a rising star's name). [[TaintedByThePreview Fans have NOT taken this well to say the least.]] The studio got what it gave for this decision -- since ''Retaliation'' was their one self-produced tentpole movie for summer 2012 (''The Avengers'' and ''Madagascar 3'' being distribution-only efforts [[hottip:*:and in the Avengers case, Disney did all the work; Paramount's logo appears instead due to ExecutiveMeddling to ensure the ChannelHop]] they wouldn't see the bulk of the grosses on), [[LaserGuidedKarma it effectively left them with a hitless summer]].

* Disney released the remake of ''Disney/WinnieThePooh'' on the same weekend of the final ''Film/HarryPotter'', leading some to suspect that its poor showing would give them further reason to shelve 2D animation films for good.
** It probably won't kill 2-D animation since it had a low budget (only $30 million, compared to ''Disney/{{Tangled}}'' and its $260 million budget) and will more than likely break even on DVD. The reason for Disney's bleak outlook on the film was actually due to its disappointing international numbers (where it flopped against ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}'' and ''Film/{{Hop}}'') and because other ''Pooh'' movies haven't fared well theatrically (but did nicely on DVD).

* Warner Bros. greenlit ''ThePowerpuffGirls Movie'' in 2000 and budgeted it at $25 million. It was completed at $10 million (leaving the other $15 mil for Warners to sit on) and was released--despite ''heavy'' promotion on Cartoon Network--the same day that ''Men in Black II'' premiered in North America. It probably didn't help that WB's first live-action ''ScoobyDoo'' movie had been a hit with kids a few months prior, since it may have been occupying the studio's attention.

** ''BabylonAD'': taken away from the director, heavily re-edited and released with limited marketing to poor numbers (the director and star later disowned the film).

** The WeinsteinCompany does this a lot in general, they screwed over the Music/MileyCyrus film ''So Undercover'' by pushing it back several times since it was completed in 2010, finally it got a release date of October, 5th 2012, unfortunately it will be a limited run in only 600 theaters, which is significantly less then most of the company's other theatrical films have gotten.

* The indie horror film ''Film/AllTheBoysLoveMandyLane'' got screwed out of an American release when the WeinsteinCompany, which had spent three million dollars for the rights to it, suddenly canceled its planned 2007 release after seeing the disappointing box office returns of ''Film/{{Grindhouse}}'' and other horror films early that year. They sold the rights to Senator Entertainment US, which has since gone out of business, leaving the film in limbo. To this day, it has not seen the light of day in America outside of bootlegs and festival screenings, and until somebody takes care of the legal mess the film is in, it's unlikely that it ever will. Fortunately, this tale has a BittersweetEnding — the film ''was'' [[ShortRunInPeru released in Britain]], where it made back its budget two-and-a-half times over.

[[folder:Columbia Pictures]]

[[folder:Dimension Films]]

[[folder:Screen Gems]]
* ''Film/AttackTheBlock'' was dumped into just 11 markets with almost no advertising by Screen Gems despite having mostly excellent test screenings and word-of-mouth. Supposedly, Screen Gems wanted to build ''Film/ParanormalActivity''-esque hype on the film but their choices of theatres was completely random and entire markets were shut completely out on the film. There was also no website that listed when theatres would be getting the film.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Weinstein Company]]
* The indie horror film ''Film/AllTheBoysLoveMandyLane'' got screwed out of an American release when the WeinsteinCompany, which had spent three million dollars for the rights to it, suddenly canceled its planned 2007 release after seeing the disappointing box office returns of ''Film/{{Grindhouse}}'' and other horror films early that year. They sold the rights to Senator Entertainment US, which has since gone out of business, leaving the film in limbo. To this day, it has not seen the light of day in America outside of bootlegs and festival screenings, and until somebody takes care of the legal mess the film is in, it's unlikely that it ever will. Fortunately, this tale has a BittersweetEnding — the film ''was'' [[ShortRunInPeru released in Britain]], where it made back its budget two-and-a-half times over.
** The WeinsteinCompany does this a lot in general, they screwed over the Music/MileyCyrus film ''So Undercover'' by pushing it back several times since it was completed in 2010, finally it got a release date of October, 5th 2012, unfortunately it will be a limited run in only 600 theaters, which is significantly less then most of the company's other theatrical films have gotten.
[[/folder]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Planet 51}}'' was released on the same weekend as ''Literature/{{Twilight}} Saga: New Moon'', and only made 12 million dollars.
* The ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' movie was given [[InvisibleAdvertising exactly no publicity]], as the studio threw its muscle behind ''BarbWire''. Yes, a film based on a series about mocking B movies was shafted so the studio could advertise a glorified B movie. Can you say "irony"? (specially when both movies tanked, but [[http://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?view=main&yr=1996&wknd=16&sort=avg&order=DESC&p=.htm MST3K actually had an active crowd]])

* Creator/TerryGilliam's ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen'' is a rather infamous example of this. It was greenlit by Columbia Pictures, then under the management of eccentric British producer David Putnam, who wanted to make Columbia the anti-Hollywood of the Hollywood studios and flopped miserably. Columbia cleaned house and hired new management who didn't care about the remaining Putnam films, so ''Munchausen'' -- which had a TroubledProduction, sadly typical for a Gilliam film, resulting in a $46 million budget to make back -- was dumped into 117 North American theaters with next to no publicity. It made only $8 million in the end. It still managed a few Academy Award nominations for its technical strengths and did well with critics; today it's considered one of Gilliam's best films.
* The 1992 slapstick comedy ''Film/BrainDonors'' (a modern-day Three Stooges-meets-The Marx Brothers film starring John Turturro) was originally produced by [[Film/{{Airplane}} David and Jerry Zucker]] as ''Lame Ducks'' for Paramount. However, when the Zuckers left for another studio, Paramount scrapped the planned publicity campaign, changed the title, and withdrew the film after its initial screenings. It sank into obscurity and has since developed a cult following due to the VHS/DVD releases.
* The indie horror film ''Film/AllTheBoysLoveMandyLane'' got screwed out of an American release when the WeinsteinCompany, which had spent three million dollars for the rights to it, suddenly canceled its planned 2007 release after seeing the disappointing box office returns of ''Film/{{Grindhouse}}'' and other horror films early that year. They sold the rights to Senator Entertainment US, which has since gone out of business, leaving the film in limbo. To this day, it has not seen the light of day in America outside of bootlegs and festival screenings, and until somebody takes care of the legal mess the film is in, it's unlikely that it ever will. Fortunately, this tale has a BittersweetEnding — the film ''was'' [[ShortRunInPeru released in Britain]], where it made back its budget two-and-a-half times over.
** The WeinsteinCompany does this a lot in general, they screwed over the Music/MileyCyrus film ''So Undercover'' by pushing it back several times since it was completed in 2010, finally it got a release date of October, 5th 2012, unfortunately it will be a limited run in only 600 theaters, which is significantly less then most of the company's other theatrical films have gotten.

* Here is one infamous example not from Fox: ''[[Film/MissionImpossible Mission: Impossible II]]'' was taken away from Director JohnWoo and was heavily re-edited as studio executives were skeptical on the elements of the film. It believed that Woo had been locked out from the editing room to prevent him from interfering with their progress.

* Disney released the remake of ''Disney/WinnieThePooh'' on the same weekend of the final ''Film/HarryPotter'', leading some to suspect that its poor showing would give them further reason to shelve 2D animation films for good.
** It probably won't kill 2-D animation since it had a low budget (only $30 million, compared to ''Disney/{{Tangled}}'' and its $260 million budget) and will more than likely break even on DVD. The reason for Disney's bleak outlook on the film was actually due to its disappointing international numbers (where it flopped against ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}'' and ''Film/{{Hop}}'') and because other ''Pooh'' movies haven't fared well theatrically (but did nicely on DVD).
* ''Film/AttackTheBlock'' was dumped into just 11 markets with almost no advertising by Screen Gems despite having mostly excellent test screenings and word-of-mouth. Supposedly, Screen Gems wanted to build ''Film/ParanormalActivity''-esque hype on the film but their choices of theatres was completely random and entire markets were shut completely out on the film. There was also no website that listed when theatres would be getting the film.
* ''Film/TrickRTreat'' was supposed to come out in theaters October 2007. It got dropped from Creator/WarnerBros' schedule, with the guesses being either Warner didn't want it to compete against ''Saw IV'', or they were upset with Michael Dougherty for the poor box office on ''Film/SupermanReturns''. It eventually got put out on DVD in October 2009.
* ''VideoGame/{{Postal}}'', Uwe Boll's film based on the video game, was originally scheduled to be released in 2007, then pushed back to 2008. Three days prior to the U. S. premiere date, its theatrical run was reduced from 1,500 screens to 21. In addition, it was opened against ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull''. To say it was buried at the theatre is a gross understatement.
* Paramount did this to ''Film/{{Hugo}}'' after picking the film from Columbia (due to the film's producer/co-financer wanting to open the film on Thanksgiving and Columbia wanting ''WesternAnimation/ArthurChristmas'' for that spot). Examples include: mismarketing the film as either a comedy or an ''Film/{{Inception}}''-style thriller, barely marketing the film before the release, reducing the film's theatre count from 3,000 theatres to just 1,200 a week before opening and choosing to go with a quiet expansion rather than spreading awareness. Not even the film's massive critical acclaim and awards nominations and wins helped Paramount change their minds.
* Paramount did the same thing to ''Film/TheAdventuresOfTintin'' in the U.S. by choosing to open the film on the same day as the expansion of another Paramount title, ''Film/MissionImpossibleGhostProtocol''. While ''Mission: Impossible'' got trailers months in advance, a large IMAX push, heavily-promoted advance screenings and deluxe treatment by Paramount, ''Tintin'' was treated as an afterthought (granted, the character and his comics never caught on in the United States) with a light marketing push, limited awareness, and the cancellation of IMAX evening showings. All despite having none other than Creator/StevenSpielberg as director and the premiere of the trailer for ''Film/TheHobbit'' on select prints. As a result, ''Tintin'' was outgrossed on opening day by the third ''Film/AlvinAndTheChipmunks'' film. The good news here was that the international release was ''considerably'' more successful.
* Paramount ''then'' screwed over ''Film/GIJoeRetaliation'' by postponing it until March 2013 (after TWO SuperBowl spots no less) when its plum July 4 weekend release date was only a month away, for just two reasons: 3-D conversion (to earn more money) and re-shoots to give Channing Tatum more screentime (while it might lead to CharacterDevelopment, cashing in a rising star's name). [[TaintedByThePreview Fans have NOT taken this well to say the least.]] The studio got what it gave for this decision -- since ''Retaliation'' was their one self-produced tentpole movie for summer 2012 (''The Avengers'' and ''Madagascar 3'' being distribution-only efforts [[hottip:*:and in the Avengers case, Disney did all the work; Paramount's logo appears instead due to ExecutiveMeddling to ensure the ChannelHop]] they wouldn't see the bulk of the grosses on), [[LaserGuidedKarma it effectively left them with a hitless summer]].
* Happened with ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant''. When ''QuestForCamelot'' was a failure, Warner Brothers studio assumed it was because traditional animation was dead and not because the movie had many flaws. As a result, WB barely advertised ''The Iron Giant'' and dumped it on an August weekend...and thanks to the sleeper smash of ''TheSixthSense'' opening the same day, the extreme critical praise ''Iron Giant'' received (a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes) didn't help it garner moviegoers. It did get slightly better treatment for the first video release, but the damage was done and it took a few years to become an outright CultClassic.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Planet 51}}'' was released on the same weekend as ''Literature/{{Twilight}} Saga: New Moon'', and only made 12 million dollars.

* The ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' movie was given [[InvisibleAdvertising exactly no publicity]], as the studio threw its muscle behind ''BarbWire''. Yes, a film based on a series about mocking B movies was shafted so the studio could advertise a glorified B movie. Can you say "irony"? (specially when both movies tanked, but [[http://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?view=main&yr=1996&wknd=16&sort=avg&order=DESC&p=.htm MST3K actually had an active crowd]])
* Warner Bros. greenlit ''ThePowerpuffGirls Movie'' in 2000 and budgeted it at $25 million. It was completed at $10 million (leaving the other $15 mil for Warners to sit on) and was released--despite ''heavy'' promotion on Cartoon Network--the same day that ''Men in Black II'' premiered in North America. It probably didn't help that WB's first live-action ''ScoobyDoo'' movie had been a hit with kids a few months prior, since it may have been occupying the studio's attention.
* The Sam Peckinpah western ''Major Dundee'' was taken out of the eccentric director's hands after a troubled shoot, before certain crucial scenes could be filmed, and released with a score he didn't like and missing what key character focused footage had been shot. A 2005 re-cut of the film provided a new score and restored what lost footage could be found.

* Happened to DavidLynch with his 1984 film adaptation of ''Film/{{Dune}}''. It was such a negative experience that he actually turned down the chance to do a director's cut years later and had his name taken off the extended version that was made without him.

* Warner Bros. greenlit ''ThePowerpuffGirls Movie'' in 2000 and budgeted it at $25 million. It was completed at $10 million (leaving the other $15 mil for Warners to sit on) and was released--despite ''heavy'' promotion on Cartoon Network--the same day that ''Men in Black II'' and ''Star Wars: The Phantom Menace'' premiered. It didn't help that WB's first live-action ''ScoobyDoo'' movie had been a hit with kids, occupying the studio's attention.

----

* Warner Bros. greenlit ''ThePowerpuffGirls Movie'' in 2000 and budgeted it at $25 million. It was completed at $10 million (leaving the other $15 mil for Warners to sit on) and was released--despite ''heavy'' promotion on Cartoon Network--the same day that ''Men in Black II'' premiered. It didn't help that WB's first live-action ''ScoobyDoo'' movie had been a hit with kids, occupying the studio's attention.

* DimensionFilms does this more then any other film company - they chopped 20 minutes off of ''TheCrowCityOfAngels'', (most of which were character development scenes and very important plot points) then they released ''TheCrowSalvation'' DirectToVideo after poor test screenings, they cut the planned 2000+ screen wide release of ''Equilibrium'' down to less than 300 screens because the film was already in profit from international distribution deals and spending money on additional prints or advertising might have ruined those profits, they shelved films like ''Texas Rangers'' and ''My Boss's Daughter'' for over a year with little explanation. Some films, like ''Venom'' and ''DOA: Dead Or Alive'' were barely advertised at all and given a very limited release. And releasing ''[[Film/{{Scream}} Scream 4]]'' during the Easter period while all the others were kept for winter (and notably giving it little publicity outside North America - tellingly, this was the only film of the series where none of the cast did any British promotion, although HaydenPanettiere did go to Germany for that purpose)? Bad move.

* Paramount did the same thing to ''Film/TheAdventuresOfTintin'' in the U.S. by choosing to open the film on the same day as the expansion of another Paramount title, ''[[Film/MissionImpossible Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol]]''. While ''Mission: Impossible'' got trailers months in advance, a large IMAX push, heavily-promoted advance screenings and deluxe treatment by Paramount, ''Tintin'' was treated as an afterthought (granted, the character and his comics never caught on in the United States) with a light marketing push, limited awareness, and the cancellation of IMAX evening showings. All despite having none other than Creator/StevenSpielberg as director and the premiere of the trailer for ''Film/TheHobbit'' on select prints. As a result, ''Tintin'' was outgrossed on opening day by the third ''Film/AlvinAndTheChipmunks'' film. The good news here was that the international release was ''considerably'' more successful.
* Paramount ''then'' screwed over ''GIJoeRetaliation'' by postponing it until March 2013 (after TWO SuperBowl spots no less) when its plum July 4 weekend release date was only a month away, for just two reasons: 3-D conversion (to earn more money) and re-shoots to give Channing Tatum more screentime (while it might lead to CharacterDevelopment, cashing in a rising star's name). [[TaintedByThePreview Fans have NOT taken this well to say the least.]] The studio got what it gave for this decision -- since ''Retaliation'' was their one self-produced tentpole movie for summer 2012 (''The Avengers'' and ''Madagascar 3'' being distribution-only efforts [[hottip:*:and in the Avengers case, Disney did all the work; Paramount's logo appears instead due to ExecutiveMeddling to ensure the ChannelHop]] they wouldn't see the bulk of the grosses on), [[LaserGuidedKarma it effectively left them with a hitless summer]].

* Frequently happened to OrsonWelles on the films he directed (example: ''TouchOfEvil'').
* Happened to DavidLynch with his 1984 film adaptation of ''{{Dune}}''. It was such a negative experience that he actually turned down the chance to do a director's cut years later and had his name taken off the extended version that was made without him.

* Paramount ''then'' screwed over ''G.I. Joe Retaliation'' by postponing it until March 2013 (after TWO Super Bowl spots no less) when its plum July 4 weekend release date was only a month away; not only that, it's also getting re-shoots to give Channing Tatum more screentime and a 3-D conversion. Fans have NOT taken this well to say the least. The studio got what it gave for this decision -- since ''Retaliation'' was their one self-produced tentpole movie for summer 2012 (''The Avengers'' and ''Madagascar 3'' being distribution-only efforts they wouldn't see the bulk of the grosses on), [[LaserGuidedKarma it effectively left them with a hitless summer]].

* The ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' movie was given exactly no publicity, as the studio threw its muscle behind ''BarbWire''. Yes, a film based on a series about mocking B movies was shafted so the studio could advertise a glorified B movie. Can you say "irony"?

* Frequently happened to Orson Welles on the films he directed (example: ''Touch of Evil'').
* Happened to David Lynch with his 1984 film adaptation of ''Dune''. It was such a negative experience that he actually turned down the chance to do a director's cut years later and had his name taken off the extended version that was made without him.

* Paramount ''then'' screwed over ''G.I. Joe Retaliation'' by postponing it until March 2013 (after TWO Super Bowl spots no less) when its plum July 4 weekend release date was only a month away; not only that, it's also getting re-shoots to give Channing Tatum more screentime and a 3-D conversion. Fans have NOT taken this well to say the least. The studio got what it gave for this decision -- since ''Retaliation'' was their one self-produced tentpole movie for summer 2012 (''The Avengers'' and ''Madagascar 3'' being distribution-only efforts they wouldn't see the bulk of the grosses on), it effectively left them with a hitless summer.

* Paramount also did the same thing to ''Film/TheAdventuresOfTintin'' in the US by choosing to open the film on the same day as the expansion of ''[[Film/MissionImpossible Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol]]''. While ''Mission: Impossible'' got trailers months in advance, a large IMAX push, heavily-promoted advance screenings and deluxe treatment by Paramount, ''Tintin'' was treated as an afterthought with a light marketing push, limited awareness and Paramount having IMAX cancel evening showings on their screens. All despite having none other than Creator/StevenSpielberg as the film's director and the premiere of the trailer for ''Film/TheHobbit'' on select prints. As a result, the film got outgrossed on opening day by the third ''Film/AlvinAndTheChipmunks'' (which has been considered a flop by many box office pundits). Plus, Tintin was never very popular in the states as it is.
* Paramount ''then'' screwed over ''G.I. Joe Retaliation'' by postponing it until March 2013 (after TWO Superbowl spots no less) when its July 4 weekend release date was only a month away; not only that, it's also getting re-shoots to give Channing Tatum more screentime and a 3-D conversion. Fans have NOT taken this well to say the least. The studio got what it gave for this decision -- ''Retaliation'' was their one self-produced tentpole movie for summer 2012 (''The Avengers'' and ''Madagascar 3'' being distribution-only efforts they wouldn't see the bulk of the grosses on), and they had nothing to fill the hole this move left behind, leading to a sad end-of-season tally for the studio.