While 2015 was a year filled with memorable movies (such as Ex Machina and Sicario), it also had its fair share of disappointing flicks. And we are not talking just from the perspective of the box office success - there were movies which made quite a few bucks, but on a paper-thin story.
On the other hand, there were also movies which benefited from huge budgets (even when compared to the most successful superhero flicks) and tremendous marketing efforts, but which still failed to deliver (both with the critics and at the box office).
This list is all about these movies - which were either disappointments to the fans, either huge flops. So we can say from the start that this is a purely subjective list, without any order to it (except for the chronological one).
Also, don't take our word for granted - watch these movies (if you haven't done that already) and you will say the same thing. While 2015 was filled with record-breaking flicks, it also had its duds.
Mortdecai (January 23)
It's good to see that, from time to time, Johnny Depp can actually act (Black Mass). And we say that because the rest of the time he stars only in subpar movies nobody sees (as Ricky Gervais said, not even Johnny Depp watches Johnny Depp movies).
What is Mortdecai all about? Well, it's about an art dealer/thief/detective who is tasked with finding a stolen painting. A pretty basic scenario, right? Well, maybe that was the problem, besides the wooden acting (from the entire cast), the poor direction, the laughable script, and so on. On a quite modest budget of just $60 million, Mortdecai managed to make just $47 million worldwide.
The critics haven't gone too easy on the movie as well, Mortdecai scoring just 13% on Rotten Tomatoes (which is even lower than 50 Shades of Grey). What's going on, Johnny? Why can't you make good movies any longer?
We guess he is a bit tired. We guess he says that it can still work with the Pirates and post-pirates quirkiness. Well, it doesn't - and Black Mass proves it. Unfortunately, another Pirates movie is on its way, as well as a sequel to the terrible-terrible Alice in Wonderland.
The Seventh Son (February 6)
How can a movie starring Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore fail so hard? Call it The Seventh Son, make it all about magic and poor CGI, place it sometime in the medieval times (or some similar mythical period), and throw the project to an unknown director. Pretty interesting? Not so much.
Seventh Son benefited from a respectable budget of $95 million (without marketing, of course), which brought in $114 million worldwide and some of the worst reviews of the year. Even the critics who actually didn't mock the movie said that Seventh Son is best enjoyed when having no brain at all.
And the fault doesn't lay just with the director and the cheesy script. Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore delivered the hammiest performances in their entire careers. This was a movie which couldn't be enjoyed, from the beginning until the very end.
So what went wrong? Everything - from the common tropes to the mediocre CGI and to the performances, Seventh Son was a total bust.
Jupiter Ascending (February 6)
When the first Matrix appeared, the Wachowski siblings were said to be the most creative directors in Hollywood. Several movies later, people are wondering why studios back them up still. Jupiter Ascending is their latest big screen endeavor (and hopefully their last), one which doesn't make any sense from the beginning until the end.
To think that they wanted this to be the beginning of a new trilogy"¦
Jupiter Ascending is a flop on all levels. The critics trashed it (calling it pleasing to the eye, but nothing else) and made $183 million worldwide on a budget of $176 million. And it is a wonder how it failed to deliver, since it stars some of the biggest names of the moment: Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, Sean Bean, and Eddie Redmayne.
Maybe the audiences saw behind all the flash of the trailers that there was no actual story behind them"¦ Maybe having Tatum as a half-dog alien didn't go well with the ladies. Maybe having Sean Bean survive was the biggest letdown"¦
50 Shades of Grey (February 13)
For this one, we only need to say that it is based on Twilight fan fiction - and not the better kind of fan fiction. 50 Shades of Grey is literally the rock-bottom for both literature and film. The plot revolves around a rather clumsy and inexperienced literature student, who has her life changed by a handsome and peculiar billionaire.
And while the names seem to be taken straight out of some porn production (Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey), the movie itself is far from bringing that kind of satisfaction. So why did people went to see it? We have no clue - we can certainly say that it wasn't for the eroticism or for the kinky stuff. Even if it is R-rated, it is still very tame.
It made $570 million worldwide on a budget of just $40 million - and this is simply mindboggling. The critics didn't find it as interesting as the book (which says a lot), there was no word of mouth, and the names aren't the ones which usually attract audiences.
50 Shades of Grey is the kind of production which defies reason. And it is also the kind of movie which has sequels in place, even before it is released.
Chappie (March 6)
The trailers for Chappie got people excited - they reminded the audiences that Neil Blomkamp was the young director they should have kept their eyes on.
It stared Sharlto Copley (who did a terrific job in District 9), as well as Hugh Jackman and Sigourney Weaver.
What went wrong? Well, the trailers were very misleading, since the movie wasn't all about the birth of a friendly AI. Instead, it was all about what the military would do in such cases. And we have had our fair share of movies revolving around this plot.
The movie managed to double its $49 million budget, but the critics destroyed it. For good reason, since most of the ideas presented in it are incomplete. In other words, just like with Elysium, the director didn't find the right path, the right balance between visual style, pace and ideas.
Furious 7 (April 3)
Furious 7 is one of the unexpected winners of 2015. The franchise itself is not an original one and has long departed from its initial premise - illegal car racing. Since its first outing, it has changed into a poor man's Ocean's Eleven on wheels.
But there is a reason behind its success - it is simple entertainment for the masses, without too convoluted plots (and when there are twists, you can see them coming from a mile away).
So what if it made $1.5 billion at the worldwide box office? This is the kind of movie that is so over the top that the viewer cannot suspend his disbelief.
Of course, there is another reason as well - the death of one of the main stars urged the fans to flock and see it.
And they went, multiple times.
Magic Mike XXL (July 1)
Channing Tatum is one of the actors who made a career for themselves only by looking good. We don't deny that he has some acting abilities, but they are just the secondary reason why he got so many jobs so far.
2012's Magic Mike was a huge success and not just with the ladies. Its story was one with which many have emphasized, regardless of the gender. So, obviously, the sequel followed. But the thing is that the story didn't need one - the studio, however, wanted to make more money. And it made.
But there is no real development of the characters, while the plot feels more than muddy at times. This is the sort of movie where you simply go and see beautiful men stripping and dancing. Some might say that the finale is worth the while - we don't.
Pixels (July 24)
Pixels had a great idea behind it - arcade game monsters invading the world. The problem was that Adam Sandler produced and starred in it (to add insult to the injury, Kevin James is the president of the US).
However, unlike Sandler's most recent endeavors, Pixels actually made a splash at the box office, tripling its budget.
The critics, on the other hand, literally destroyed it, calling it a comedy without any funny lines. Others said that the characters have no actual distinctive traits, while others said that maybe the aliens should have won - after all, one cannot root for a country who elects Trump Kevin James as president.
And this wasn't even the worst Sandler offense of the year.
The Fantastic Four (August 7)
Come on - you are also fooled by the first trailer into believing that Fox finally managed to find the correct formula for this comic book property.
Josh Trank directed one of the best small-budget superhero flicks, which was all about the characters and not about the special effects. Having him on board for Fantastic Four seemed like a good idea - it wasn't and, by the second trailer, everybody realized that.
Fantastic Four didn't make in its entire run the money made by respectable blockbusters in their first weekend (Ant-Man included). The first part of the movie was actually all right - what followed was a complete mess.
It was simply a waste of time and talent (given the names involved). But something good came out of it - Fox renounced the plans to make a sequel, thus paving the way for a deal with Marvel (yeah, this is wishful thinking at this stage).
Pan (October 9)
Another flop, Pan didn't even get its budget back after its entire run. Marketed as a prequel for Peter Pan and as an origin story for Hook, the movie lacked the magic supposed to attract the audiences. And it wasn't because of the lack of talent in front and behind the camera.
Apparently, the studios still believe that they can make big bucks just by overusing CGI in well-known stories (it worked for Alice in Wonderland, didn't it?).
And another problem (which appears with quite a few productions) is trying to humanize the villain - why did Hook need an origin story? Do we want to emphasize with one of the most well-known baddies of all time?
Sadly, this isn't the last time when a big studio tries to put a new twist on an old tale. Will see what happens next, with Emma Watson's Beauty and the Beast.
The Last Witch Hunter (October 23)
This is a movie we have been expected for quite a while - Vin Diesel, riding high and mighty after the success of Furious 7, teased some of the most interesting pieces of concept art.
And, quite frankly, the first official pics with him from The Last Witch Hunter hinted that he can actually act (we caught a glimpse of this ability in the first trailer as well).
It wasn't so. Just like The Seventh Son, The Last Witch Hunter is a confusing mess of a movie who takes its self very seriously. With another lead actor, maybe this would have been better - but Vin Diesel is an actor who made a career with his muscles. He isn't the type who can convey subtle emotions.
On top of this, the CGI was also poorly executed - and when you have a flick about malevolent witches, you need at least good special effects.
The Ridiculous 6 (December 11)
This is the second Adam Sandler entry on the list - The Ridiculous 6 is a Netflix produced flick, a western comedy which sees 6 brothers reunited in their search for their kidnapped brother.
If you want to see how a 0% Rotten Tomatoes rated comedy looks like, then this is it. After a while, just like Sandler and his costars, you will also be realizing that you don't have to bother any longer.
Point Break (December 25)
There couldn't be a worse release date for this remake than the 25th of December. Living aside the fact that it was released on Christmas Day (when nobody is interested in a remake of a so-and-so action movie), Point Break also had to fight with the behemoth called Star Wars.
Literally, it stars only second tier actors, who have to make up for the lack of a story (which was missing from the first place, if we may say that). And how do they do that? By simply going over the top.
And while it was fun seeing Vin Diesel jump between two towers with a car, you can only see one movie of this kind per year.
Unfortunately for Point Break, it was the second of its kind in 2015. And, if you can believe that, Keanu Reeves is a much better actor than whatshisname from the remake.
