15 Movies That Failed To Pay Off The Hype

Many people thought these films weren't worth boarding the hype train.

Everyone knows the pain of patiently waiting for a film that looks fantastic only to find they weren’t as great as you thought.

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Though the films on this list succeeded in stoking audiences enough to watch them, they failed to satisfy expectations once they actually did. All of them aren't necessarily bad; it's just that many people were disappointed after so much excitement went into seeing them. With that out of the way, here are 15 hyped movies that audiences hated.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

15. Snakes on a Plane

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Before it was even released, Snakes on a Plane went viral beyond comprehension thanks to its eye-catching title, ridiculous premise, and the fact that Samuel L. Jackson was starring in it. What began as a joke had evolved into an Internet phenomenon, so all eyes were on this movie when it premiered. Unsurprisingly, its reviews weren't great, and it had become a box-office disappointment despite its hype. Let's just be thankful this film allowed us to hear Jackson say his now-iconic line.

14. The Dark Tower

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As one of Stephen King's biggest stories, fans were excited to see a film adapting the story of the man in black and the gunslinger. Since it's a sprawling tale that connects all the stories in King's multiverse, The Dark Tower had the potential to start something huge on the big screen. However, this 90-minute film didn't do enough to satisfy fans or newcomers of The Dark Tower series, and it only grossed about $113 million against a $66 million budget, making it both a critical and commercial failure. Let's just hope there are other adaptations than this.

13. Godzilla (1998)

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With director Roland Emmerich fresh off the success of Independence Day, it seemed like he would make the perfect Godzilla film back in the '90s. However, all those high hopes were smashed once the film was released. Godzilla was panned for its script, acting, and Emmerich's direction in rebooting the iconic property. Many people were especially disappointed by Godzilla's design, which looked like it was trying to piggyback off Jurassic Park's T-Rex success.

12. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

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After the outstanding success of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films, fans were excited to see him adapt The Hobbit. But like the other two prequels, An Unexpected Journey was marred by lousy CGI exacerbated by the film's high frame rate. However, one thing that many people agree on is that The Hobbit should've been made into one film, as the filmmakers tried to drag out a 300-page novel into three movies that were all too long. All in all, despite the trilogy's commercial and award-winning success, the prequel trilogy failed to satisfy expectations, and it all began with the unexpected disappointment in its first film.

11. Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker

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After the negative audience reception to The Last Jedi, it seemed like J.J. Abrams and the studio chose to go back on the film's subversive setup and appeal to fans with The Rise of Skywalker. Though fans were thrilled to see the return of Emperor Palpatine, his reappearance was criticized for being sudden and poorly explained, making for half-baked fan service, along with the rest of the film. In the end, many fans and critics considered this film to be a disappointing conclusion to the Skywalker saga.

10. X-Men: The Last Stand

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Since this film was adapting the legendary "Dark Phoenix Saga," the excitement for The Last Stand was palpable. After seeing Fox successfully bring the X-Men to cinemas with its first two films, audiences were psyched to see Jean Grey rise as the Phoenix in this climactic third film. However, like the third Spider-Man film, The Last Stand was criticized for its story, which blended two different comic storylines into one underdeveloped mess. Also, killing off some major characters rubbed audiences the wrong way.

9. Alien 3

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Director David Fincher has been open about how much he despises his directorial debut. The production of Alien 3 was plagued by multiple rewrites and interference from the studio, and these struggles show in the final product. Though fans were excited to see this film following the last two Alien movies, they were immediately disappointed by its depressing tone, multiple plot holes, and the decision to kill off two of the franchise's most beloved characters, Newt and Hicks.

8. Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi

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Though critics adored Rian Johnson's Star Wars film, it did not sit well with many fans. Audiences panned the movie for its plot, its humor, and how it went against their expectations. Specifically, they despised how the film disregarded Rey's parents, killed off Snoke, and the drastic shift in Luke Skywalker's character. While all these bold decisions were part of the film's message about being open to change and not letting the past define you (a meta-commentary about the franchise itself), the audience's reaction proved they weren't ready to accept it.

7. Spider-Man 3

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After watching two wildly successful Spider-Man films from Sam Raimi, fans filled the hype train once they learned Spider-Man would face Venom in the director's third movie. Though this film was a commercial success, everyone was divided by how the film struggled to handle so many villains, which ultimately hurt the story. Many viewers were also disappointed by "Bully Maguire" and the film's overall depiction of Venom, a villain Raimi later revealed that the studio forced him to include.

6. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

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The 2000s just wasn't a good decade for George Lucas. After fumbling with his Star Wars prequels, he and Steven Spielberg failed to bring back another iconic franchise to cinemas. This sequel was criticized for its bad CGI, lackluster villains and action scenes, convoluted story, and the decision to introduce aliens into the franchise. To many, the film's quality was best summed up by the infamous "nuking the fridge" scene, as Indiana Jones took jumping the shark to a whole new level.

5. Suicide Squad

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After some pretty stellar trailers, fans were anxious to see the "world's worst heroes" come together in Suicide Squad. But the marketing for the film worked too well, as the studio tried to retool the movie to be more like its beloved "Bohemian Rhapsody" trailer following the poor reception of the much darker Batman v Superman. The film became more like a disjointed music video that tried too hard to be like Guardians of the Galaxy, which caused many people to lose faith in DC even more.

4. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

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This was the first time the world saw Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman in cinemas together, so understandably, audiences couldn't wait to see them. Despite this, Batman v Superman remains one of the most divisive blockbusters today. Many criticized Batman's murderous nature, its version of Lex Luthor, the infamous "Martha scene," and its depiction of Doomsday. Though the film has gained a cult following with the Ultimate Edition and the #ReleasetheSnyderCut movement, they still can't erase the massive disappointment left on audiences.

3. The Matrix Revolutions

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After the worldwide sensation that was The Matrix, fans were delighted to hear that the film got two more sequels. While The Matrix Reloaded was a disappointing follow-up, there was still hope for a better conclusion with Revolutions. Unfortunately, this third film turned out worse than the second, with audiences loathing its dull action sequences, an overabundance of religious symbolism, and anticlimactic conclusion to the trilogy. But we can all be glad that this ending was remedied with Resurrections.

2. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

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Star Wars had become such a massive pop-culture phenomenon that all eyes were on this prequel when it premiered at the turn of the century. Little did the fans know, they were in for a bitter surprise. While The Phantom Menace featured groundbreaking visual effects, it was still widely criticized for its emphasis on politics, the addition of midi-chlorians, and its depiction of Anakin Skywalker and Jar Jar Binks. The latter character was especially hated, and Jar Jar added to the alleged racial caricatures depicted in the film.

1. Justice League

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After Zack Snyder's divisive run in the DCEU, it seemed like Justice League was in good hands once Joss Whedon took over as director. Given his outstanding success with helming The Avengers, it looked like he was the man who would fix the DCEU. However, what audiences got was a "Frankenstein's monster" of a film that stitched Whedon and Snyder's visions into a mess of bad jokes and bad CGI. Thus, the film premiered to mixed reviews, and it failed to break even at the box office, making for one of the most disastrous blockbusters of all time.