12 Recent Movies That Should’ve Been Much Bigger Than They Actually Were

Sometimes, unexpected factors don’t allow certain films to be as big as early predictions expected they’d be. Before the release of most films, there’s a general understanding of how it’s going to play out with audiences. Studios and audiences take into account factors such as the story of the film itself, any nostalgic elements, the cast list, and more.

Whether it’s because of the creative choices made, marketing strategies, or miscalculating audiences’ interest in the story, films that should have been more popular, were unable to be. However, it’s important to note that a lack of popularity or general interest in a film does not mean that moviegoers or critics think it is bad. It only means the films had all the qualities of a large, successful film, but that ultimately was not the case.

12 Doctor Sleep (2019)

Doctor Sleep is an adaptation of a Stephen King novel under the same name. The film’s story follows the events in the film and novel versions of The Shining. However, director Mike Flanagan’s choice to draw from both versions of The Shining story might have been Doctor Sleep‘s reason for its lack of popularity. Seeing the success of other horror films in recent years, such as It, another King novel adaptation, it was safe to assume Doctor Sleep would have comparable achievements.

While Doctor Sleep isn’t largely disliked by critics or audiences, the fan base around King’s work should have been enough to grab the attention of audiences. However, despite audiences’ interest in horror films, Doctor Sleep‘s inability to strictly follow one source material and its marketing, appearing to be a sequel to the Kubrick film, caused the film’s popularity to be less than expected.

11 Birds Of Prey (2020)

Acting as a spin-off to the 2016 film Suicide Squad, the Harley Quinn-centered Birds of Prey wasn’t as popular as some might’ve anticipated it to be. Harley Quinn teams up with other women in Gotham City and fights against the supervillain, Roman Sionis. Margot Robbie’s first portrayal of Harley was in Suicide Squad and audiences and critics alike praised her performance. However, general audiences were unaware of the titular heroic team, and the film’s R rating limited the audience size. The praise and excitement surrounding Robbie’s performance was not enough to allow Birds of Prey to be as big as it should have been.

10 Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny (2023)

As the fifth installment in the Indiana Jones series, this film follows Indiana Jones and his goddaughter, Helena. Together, they attempt to retrieve a device that’s going to be used to time travel and change the results of World War II. The character of Indiana Jones is widely recognized, with the film series spanning over 40 years, but that’s just one of Dial of Destiny‘s issues. The franchise hasn’t quite crossed over to younger audiences, minimizing the number of audience members who could’ve added to the film’s popularity. While the film acted as a goodbye to the character, it seemed many didn’t care to do so.

9 Babylon (2022)

Babylon follows the lives of differing characters within Hollywood in the 1920s. To its advantage, the film has two major stars as its leads, Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt. Babylon is also directed by Damien Chazelle, celebrated and known for his other films such as Whiplash and La La Land. Despite these factors, Babylon was a divisive film among audiences and critics. With its stars, director, and concept of commentating on an industry so massive and influential, the film still fell short and was not as big and loud as its on-screen appearance.

8 Mulan (2020)

Mulan is Disney’s live-action adaptation of their animated film. The film follows a similar plot with Mulan disguising herself as a man to fight in China’s army. Seeing as the original animated film is recognized as part of Disney’s Renaissance Era, it was expected audiences would tune in. However, that wasn’t the case as the live-action story had creative differences compared to the original. In addition, to the controversies surrounding its filming location, Mulan also made the main character superhero-like, removed the characters of Mushu and Li Shang, and removed the original songs. In all, audiences nostalgic for the 90s original weren’t supportive of the live-action movie.

7 The Fabelmans (2022)

The Fabelmans loosely follows the real events in director Steven Spielberg’s life. Spielberg had begun putting together the project years before an official screenplay was written, but opted out of making it while his parents were still alive. During its time at film festivals before its release, The Fabelmans was given much praise. The story and celebration of filmmaking as well as a few performances were noted as takeaways by festival attendees. A semi-autobiographical film about one of the most accomplished and celebrated directors seemed like a sure success among audiences. Yet, The Fabelmans wasn’t able to reach the heights it had the potential to.

6 Tenet (2020)

From director Christopher Nolan, Tenet is an action film with a complex plot including themes of time travel. The 2010 film by Nolan, Inception, also had complex themes, but instead surrounding dreams and reality – something that felt easier for audiences to digest. Aside from the complexity that turned away a large portion of audiences, Tenet was released amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Though businesses had opened back up, most moviegoers weren’t going to the theaters. Despite Nolan’s name attached as director and John David Washington and Robert Pattinson as its leads, Tenet wouldn’t be given the chance to be the movie to bring theater attendance up again.

5 Lightyear (2022)

Lightyear is a film centered around the Toy Story character Buzz Lightyear. Within the opening of Lightyear, it’s established that this is a film within a film as it’s what the Buzz Lightyear toy is based on. Taking into consideration the nostalgic elements surrounding the film, Lightyear was expected to see similar success as other films in the Toy Story series. Even though reviews from audiences and critics weren’t overwhelmingly negative, Lightyear was not as big as expected. In addition to the lack of recognizable characters and a dragged-out narrative, the idea of a Buzz Lightyear backstory didn’t feel necessary as it’d already been explored.

4 Annihilation (2018)

Annihilation is Alex Garland’s second film as director, following the successful Ex Machina in 2015. Annihilation follows the character of Lena as she joins others in the exploration of a strange zone called the “Shimmer.” Audiences familiar with Garland’s previous film knew there would be a somewhat complicated plot. Even so, during test screenings, it was decided that the film was too complicated, which led to creative conflicts. Ultimately, the film was released in theaters and followed shortly by a release on Netflix. Annihilation has found its audience, but had the film been released in theaters as Garland intended, the impact of Annihilation could have been larger.

3 Dumb Money (2023)

Dumb Money follows the GameStop stock market saga. While it’s still too close to the release of the film to determine whether it was as big as it should’ve been, there aren’t many conversations surrounding the film. The reviews are generally positive, but considering the headline-making news that trended on social media years ago, the popularity surrounding Dumb Money was expected to be bigger. However, the film is regarded as being entertaining as most audiences understand the film is not a serious re-telling of events, but rather has an entertaining approach.

2 Nightmare Alley (2021)

Directed by Guillermo del Toro, Nightmare Alley is based on the novel by William Lindsay Gresham. The film has all the elements to bring audiences in, including a star-studded cast. In fact, Nightmare Alley was praised for its cinematography and the performances of its two leads, Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett. However, moviegoers assumed the film was meant for older audiences who weren’t going to the theaters as frequently. It was also released on the same day as Spider-Man: No Way Home, a highly anticipated movie that many moviegoers were likely to watch instead.

1 In The Heights (2021)

Released during the summer, In the Heights is a musical based on the stage production about characters in Washington Heights who share their dreams of living a better life. Following the success of Hamilton, the popularity of this film should have been comparable considering both are Lin-Manuel Miranda projects. However, many were unfamiliar with the stage version and the new talent featured in the film wasn’t enough of an incentive to see the film. Though In the Heights was not as big as it should have been, it was still praised for its characters, cultural representation, and overall entertainment from the original music.