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The two years of the pandemic saw Hollywood desperately trying to revive its economy. The creative impetus behind big production houses, indie films, and standalone producers was getting tested in 2022.
As with every industry, the cine industry saw some surprise flops and hits. Unexpectedly, movies featuring big stars faced poor business at the box office while not-so-well-known actors brought in the moolah.
This article lists and analyzes five movies that failed at the box office, bringing forth an analysis that will involve the actors, the budget, and the total amount each of the films made. Moreover, a list of five movies that did exceptionally well in 2022 will also be included in this listicle.
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Amsterdam, Moonfall, and 3 other Hollywood movies that didn’t do well in 2022
1) Amsterdam
Released on October 7, 2022, an impressive star cast of some of the best actors in Hollywood could not save Amsterdam from its sad tumble. Director David O Russel, of Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle fame, returned to the big screen after a seven-year hiatus.
The other movie, a cartoon feature called Lyle, Lyle Crocodile released on the same weekend, was no competition for Robert De Niro, Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, Taylor Swift, Zoe Saldana, and many more famous faces in Amsterdam.
With a budget of more than $80 million, the movie garnered a maximum of $31 million globally. Critics felt the flick was too boring and clumsy, while some viewer's felt the director’s controversial reputation preceded the film.
2) The 355
This female lead ensemble from Universal Studios was a victim of the wrong time of release, along with other drawbacks. The flick was theatrically released in the US on January 7, 2022, and featured an impressive cast of Penélope Cruz, Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, Diane Kruger, and Fan Bingbing.
The 355 had mediocre action and a clichéd storyline. Moreover, the release time hurt its business since that was the time for the rise of the Omicron variant. Moreover, the other movie released during this time was the immensely popular Spider-Man: No Way Home, whose success overshadowed The 355.
With a total global business of less than $28 million, this Hollywood movie does not reach anywhere close to the production budget of $75 million. Besides, the bad reviews suggest that the direction wasted the talents of this incredible cast.
3) The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
Here is a Hollywood movie that saw Nicholas Cage playing himself, providing a factor that should have been a huge draw for his fans. Sadly, that didn’t happen despite so many Cage memes on the internet. Following its release on April 22, 2022, the $30 million budget movie could gather somewhere between $26-$29 million.
With a delightful premiere and positive reviews, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent was meant to do well on screen. Both Cage and Pedro Pascal are good actors, and their onscreen bromance looked good, yet it failed to pull in enough ticket-buying.
Two reasons can be analyzed for the movie’s failure. One is that comedies are losing attraction for theatre-goers who would prefer to stream them rather than pay for tickets. The other reason is that the Hollywood movie shared the weekend with Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert's incredibly hit movie, Everything Everywhere All at Once.
4) Moonfall
Targeted as a sci-fi movie with action and conspiracy twists, Moonfall fell flatly upon its release. The storyline of saving the Earth from a plunging moon is both unconvincing and ridiculous. The critics found the presentation boring, confusing, and not worthy of the effort put in.
A huge budget of about $146 million and a paltry return of $65 million make Lionsgate production a big loser here. The interesting star cast of Halle Berry and Michael Peña could not save this Hollywood movie from vanishing from cinema screens.
5) Backlight
It is clear that Liam Neeson and his cool actions are not enough to please movie-watchers who are spoilt for choice now. Since the success of Taken in 2009, Neeson has come up with various similar action movies with neither overwhelming success nor failure.
However, things have changed during the pandemic times. With enough materials available for streaming during those two years, it takes a really impressive story, spell-binding action, and real emotional connection to rope in ticket-buyers. A lot of these were missing in Backlight.
Cool, smart, and handsome Liam Neeson seems to have outlived his category of Hollywood action moves since this movie could not gain a global return of $16 million when its budget was $43 million. Moreover, it harvested an 8% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and 4 other movies that were a huge success
1) Avatar: The Way of Water
Though James Cameron's Avatar (2009) was way more popular than its sequel, the CGI in Avatar: The Way of Water is dream-like. This fantasy movie has pleased fans with several other elements of storytelling, including emotional connections, family values, environmental, social issues, and many more.
Released in December 2022, it garnered more than a whopping $955 million from all sources. Suffice to say, it is movies like these that keep the huge economic cycle of Hollywood running.
2) Top Gun: Maverick
It is unbelievable that even after so many decades since the first Top Gun movie, Tom Cruise still manages to deliver. Released on May 27, 2022, the Joseph Kosinki-directed movie continues along the same lines of storytelling, action, and presentation as the first film.
Top Gun: Maverick has its own kind of action and a specific kind of fan-following in Hollywood. It didn’t experiment too much out of its genre and succeeded in hooking viewers’ interests. In addition, the film grossed more than $1 billion, which is a staggering amount.
3) Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
After Boseman’s tragic demise, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was supposed to be a tribute to the great actor. It was also an experiment of sorts to see if fans would like the idea of Wakanda under a new chief. Surprisingly, Hollywood movie fans happily accepted the movie.
It was rewarding to watch Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Angela Bassett, and Tenoch Huerta enact their roles with aplomb. Taking this MCU franchise forward, the movie made almost $803 million.
4) Everything Everywhere All at Once
Here is an unexpected entrant into the Hollywood hits list. This light-hearted action comedy, which also falls in the sci-fi category, takes viewers by surprise, leaving a lasting impression and forcing people to think even after the credits rolled out.
Seasoned actors like Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Lee Curtis, James Hong, Stephanie Hsu, and more made the movie both entertaining and thought-provoking. Released in the US on March 25, 2022, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert's Everything Everywhere All at Once is a clear winner with box-office earnings of $100 million.
5) Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
This animation calls for contented sighs from not just fairy tale-loving kids but also adults who love a well-presented story. Antonio Banderas’s voice does justice to the swash-buckling Puss in Boots, along with Salma Hayek and Florence Pugh. The sentiment of living the last of the nine lives while embarking on adventures is something the fans can relate to.
The franchise came up with this sequel after a gap of a decade. However, it was worth the wait. The movie reaped almost $58 million, making it one of the most successful Hollywood films in the cartoon category.
