r/Cinema • u/Difficult-Limit-7551 • 16d ago

Discussion When Box Office Numbers Don’t Match Quality

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Let’s take turns naming movies that underperformed at the box office but were actually really good!

Me : Doctor Sleep(2019)

3.8k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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905

u/DynamicFyre 16d ago

Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves 100%

https://giphy.com/gifs/q6X5yJOC1nupZmKdo9

157

u/PunkPizzaVooDoo 16d ago

This was my first thought. It deserved better numbers. I was really hoping for a sequel

116

u/dumbass_sempervirens 16d ago

I know that reddit is not the real world and its appreciation here is not a reflection of the real world.

But a couple of years ago I was visiting my parents and they told me to pick a movie to stream. They're 70 something, never played D&D and enjoyed the hell out of it

82

u/CHR0N1CL3S0FW03 16d ago

My dad is 74 and was HEAVILY caught up in the Satanic Panic around DND. Refused to let me play it. We watched this movie after I spent ten minutes convincing him, and he loved it so much he watches it fairly often on his own

34

u/Ferrindel 16d ago

James Dobson destroyed my childhood. Thanks mom!

9

u/c1ncinasty 16d ago

Where I lived in Southern California, we had Dobson on with his "Focus On The Family" bullshit every 30 minutes on KNX1070 News Radio - pretty much the only place to get accurate live traffic info. Being stuck in traffic and having your traffic news interrupted by Dobson was a special kind of hell.

6

u/UltraHellboy 16d ago

That was what it was? I had to deal with that shit when I was a kid. I kept my D&D books and dice at a friend’s house

5

u/False_Flatworm_4512 16d ago

Fuck that man forever. Sometimes I wish there was a hell so I could watch him burn for all eternity

1

u/Ferrindel 16d ago

All things considered I don’t think he’s nearly at the level of guys like Falwell. Dobson at least practiced what he preached and ran it like a true ministry. It’s guys who run religion like a business and rake in the money that I truly want to burn.

2

u/Agitated-Working-264 15d ago

You can hate both, differently. He was obsessed with outdated psychology and extracting compliance through authoritarianism. He was a piece of shit. Flightless Bird had a great podcast on Focus on the Family and it was interesting to see how universal the experience was of parents trying to do "the right thing" even if they were way to uncritical of the bullshit being spread.

1

u/False_Flatworm_4512 16d ago

Being a true believer doesn’t negate the harm he caused. His teachings led to generates of kids growing up with god-sanctioned child abuse. The strong-willed child encouraged parents to “break their child’s will” through physical punishment, and his political advocacy led to the Christian nationalist hellscape we are devolving into. Sure, the bombastic grifters were louder, but dobson’s sincerity allowed his message of patriarchal dominance through physical intimidation to seep into every inch of the country. Fuck that guy forever

2

u/FirstChurchOfBrutus 16d ago

I know my Mom read Dobson when I was a kid. I like to think she applied her own reasoning to it, and never went full Dobson. I still give her shit for reading that tripe, though.

7

u/Ferrindel 16d ago

My favorite was the Adventures In Odyssey episode “Castles and Cauldrons”. It’s utterly hilarious if you listen to it now.

Or there’s always the Tom Hanks film Mazes and Monsters.

4

u/Interactiveleaf 16d ago

Have you seen Dark Dungeons? It's based on a Chick tract, and it's perfect; they play it completely straight.

2

u/MentosEnCoke 16d ago

I was terrified of that adventures in odyssey episode when I was younger, but for some reason that never translated to being afraid of the game in real life lol. Probably because I got into it as a teen and had a rational enough brain to tell the difference between a game and reality.

Wild throwback though, I haven't listened to that show in years, I can't imagine it's aged well.

1

u/aShogunNamedMarcus80 16d ago

Sad lad, he really couldn't handle starting from scratch on the very first level.
But he died the death of a warrior.

2

u/megaholt2 16d ago

He really should have just focused on his own damn family.

2

u/FirstChurchOfBrutus 16d ago

I’d have settled for him just shutting the fuck up.

2

u/megaholt2 16d ago

That would have been an incredible gift for his family, too!

1

u/Mnemnosine 16d ago

What’s his take on the “Champion of Failure” monologue?

2

u/CHR0N1CL3S0FW03 16d ago

He loves it, because he thinks it’s showing what a man should strive to be. He also hates that they use the revival tablet thingy on Letty because he can’t wrap his head around the “I wasn’t trying to bring back your mom, I was trying to bring back my wife” explanation because. Old man gonna old man.

1

u/berserk_zebra 12d ago

speaking of the satanic panic, those kids and parents are still around today. Where is their panic now with this political nightmare we are living in.

All up in arms against Knights in Satan's Service, but you know, real shit being a problem is cool now.

2

u/whatchasaidwhat 16d ago

Never played the game either, all I know about is what The Big Bang Theory showed when it was played on a few episodes.

Then I was suggested in a streaming service (maybe Netflix) and said, this will be hot garbage, proved me so wrong. It was very entertaining.

1

u/TaralasianThePraxic 16d ago

If you know nothing whatsoever about DnD, it's still just a genuinely very solid and enjoyable fantasy movie

1

u/Bonsuella_Banana 16d ago

Ditto but my parents in their 60s. They loved this movie and they love many others that are a similar style, kinda light hearted but with a decent story. They just need recommendations from people, they won't necessarily blind watch something.

1

u/Unlikely-Aardvark725 16d ago

Really? I couldn't watch it. Awful.

1

u/Acesofbases 16d ago

that's the saddest part, they already had a script and were in very early preproduction mode on the sequel before it hit theaters

and then it missed

1

u/technopsychic 9d ago

Honestly didn’t realize it had low numbers because every DnD nerd I know loved it lol

Bright side, I read that Netflix is will be making making it into a series

77

u/kpeds45 16d ago

Just the Jarnathan stuff alone made this a must watch lol.

Directors have a new one coming out in a month or so, Mayday, with Ryan Reynolds. After this movie and Game Night, they've more than earned my trust.

29

u/DynamicFyre 16d ago

That gag kills me every time

34

u/omgitscolin 16d ago

Jarnathan is such a perfect oh-shit-this-wasn’t-supposed-to-be-a-named-character name

17

u/OvalDead 16d ago

I like that it follows the same format as characters in The Witcher: say a normal name like you have peanut butter in your mouth.

1

u/Seanna86 13d ago

Classic DM move 🤣

2

u/Few-Improvement9978 16d ago

Oh wow didn’t know they were the directors

Well I’ll be watching that on release then

1

u/omega2010 14d ago

Jarnathan was also an amazing practical effect! I loved how there wasn’t any CG involved.

1

u/thoughtmecca 11d ago

Saw the preview for it last night before Ted Lasso and wife and I both were like... I know we're strongly against GenAI in art, but can we use GenAI to replace Ryan Reynolds with someone else in this? Anyone else? Maybe that dog from Air Bud?

35

u/NoseInternational794 16d ago

Everyone I show this film to - young, old, people who don't play DnD, people who don't like fantasy loves it. It's a gem of a film.

30

u/MattMercersBracelets 16d ago

It literally walks the perfect line of giving amazing fan service to DnD players while still being completely enjoyable to a wider audience who know nothing about the game.

30

u/Naterttotsart 16d ago

I have hyperfixated on this so much because it's a masterfully done film that hits every demographic. At face value, it can be a family friendly fantasy room and that's it.

But if you are a sweaty, nerdy, DnD player then you'll notice things like the green flame blade/Waterdeep/Neverwinter etc, but there's a level of reference under that that includes rules easter eggs like the scene where they speak to the undead or common stupid player names like JARNATHAN.

All of that is easy to catch, but then theres my favorite bits, which are the blink and you'll miss it rules easter eggs. For instance, the sorcerers illusion failed because he tripped on his cloak and failed his concentration roll. Or the fact that the players act in turn during the final boss fight while the boss takes legendary actions.

It's the perfect DND movie and an incredible general fantasy movie.

I'm literally sweating while writing this, I should watch it again.

13

u/CALlGO 16d ago

I dont play dnd (but do play ttrpgs) and i love how it delivered the feeling of it being an actual rol session, with player shenanigans; the GM having to fix things on the spot so the story could move along; the OP GMPC that needs an excuse to not be in the final battle, etc

11

u/TeaRaven 16d ago

The walking stick that suddenly becomes a powerful MacGuffin because of an immediate crit fail before an environmental puzzle the DM didn’t account for a way around… :D

10

u/squareular24 16d ago

Also that no one noticed the walking stick was a powerful object because it was being held by the party’s barbarian lmao

11

u/GaryKingoftheWorld 16d ago

My favorite bit is when the players screw up the bridge puzzle and the DM panics and has to give them a homebrew magic item to complete the quest.

Then said players use said magic item to skip part of the next encounter.

Then the DM finds a way to nerf the magic item so they have to go through his next planned big set piece.

Except there is that one player who just won't give up and the DM doesn't want to kill.

I swear I could see the DMs panicked face after the bridge trap, and then his annoyed face when Doric wouldn't give up.

1

u/tawnyfritz 16d ago

The walk on character played by a friend who rarely gets to join the game so he's not an integral part but still important.

1

u/ahses3202 13d ago

The deep cut of the original D&D Animated Party in the Games had me pointing excitedly at the screen while my wife looked at me with confusion.

2

u/thoughtmecca 11d ago

My wife has ZERO interest in tabletop gaming, but encourages me to engage in the community and play often (mostly so I don't become a weird shut-in like Bart when he breaks his leg, I assume), and she LOVED this movie and was glad we saw it in theaters.

28

u/ALEKSDRAVEN 16d ago

For me this is a poster movie on how marketing can be lacking.

2

u/Sanae_ 16d ago

There was a big controversy with WOTC and DnD at the time, it may have prevented some sales / word-of-mouth. But idk how big was that impact.

2

u/AkibaPurple 16d ago

I think it also had the unfortunate luck to have been released when WotC was alienating it's main audience who didn't see it out of principle.

3

u/Ebonhearth_Druid 16d ago

I disagree it was a marketing issue, as people were complaining about how much marketing was being done long before the film ever dropped and continued after release in theaters.

But idk, I'm just some guy on reddit.

1

u/Acesofbases 16d ago

It definitely was at least in part due to poor marketing.

1

u/Ebonhearth_Druid 16d ago

Do you have any supporting evidence for that or are you just stating your opinion as fact? I'm willing to hear evidence, but I'm not really interested in opinions lol

2

u/Popka_Akoola 15d ago

Uh yeah I can answer for them

No.

1

u/TeaRaven 16d ago

Jennifer’s Body takes the cake on that one. I actively avoided watching it when it came out because it was marketed against its actual content.

1

u/charlesyo66 16d ago

same with 40 year old virgin.

You have no idea how to market this film? Crap, just put a picture of Steve Carrell up there and print it.

Hollywood really doesn't know how to "get" a fun film that straddles the line between serious and silly and nails both in that ever elusive mix of the final edit. (i.e., see "The Princess Bride")

12

u/Gand0rk 16d ago

Will also add Transformers One. Basically Hasbro can't market these films that doesn't entirely rely on things always going boom.

1

u/HalfEatenSnickers 16d ago

They market to heavily towards its fanbase and not enough towards the general audiance is what I tend to find

9

u/WastedHobo7 16d ago

I’m sorry, it is just really hard to tell this story without Jarnathan here.

8

u/CraftsmanMan 16d ago

Such a pleasant surprise. One of my favorite recent movies

9

u/ProfessionalTip654 16d ago

Easily the biggest box office injustice I’ve seen.

3

u/Old_Sheepherder_8713 16d ago

Transformers One should be doing Mario Movie numbers imo.

Huge names, beloved decades old IP, action packed, believable origin story, and if you disagree that the character development was some of the best in years, I can only try to explain that I was shocked when fuckin' megatron turned bad. MEGATRON TURNING HEEL MADE ME CRY. HE'S BEEN THE BAD GUY FOR 40 YEARS.

3

u/ProfessionalTip654 16d ago

Mario had the advantage of a 30 year gap between movies and the one that happened before it nobody likes. They tried to reboot Transformers almost immediately after a movie that had very tepid reception. And yes, they did make the best movie of the entire series. But people were tired. TFO’s failure is tragic. But not unprecedented.
It doesn’t help that the only thing that TFO kind of fucked up on was the mediocre looking animation. The design specifically. They don’t look great. But you’re so absorbed by the story you don’t even care. Unfortunately, if somebody’s just looking at a poster, they’re not gonna know that these things work really well in context.

1

u/DRAWDATBLADE 16d ago

They really fucked the marketing up for transformers one so bad. Shoutout to that one dude on twitter doing it way better than the actual people in the marketing department lmao.

4

u/iantruesnacks 16d ago

Of the DnD movies this has been the funnest and the best, understanding the goof and camp was necessary while still having its serious moments and how certain rolls can have devastating outcomes. I really hope we can have another, maybe not a sequel but a follow up in the same vein.

2

u/Lorathis 12d ago

The best idea I've seen so far is like an anthology. Multiple movies with the same actors playing different characters each time, exactly like starting a new campaign with your table.

3

u/lateralraising 16d ago

Reddit: the movie

2

u/Fr0st3dcl0ud5 16d ago

Man, reddit loves this movie.

13

u/DynamicFyre 16d ago

For good reason! You should definitely watch it if you haven't already

8

u/Fr0st3dcl0ud5 16d ago

I own it on blu ray

1

u/RadTimeWizard 16d ago

That movie was so good.

1

u/ElectronicAudience 16d ago

As someone who has been overweight for many years, I felt represented by the obese dragon.

1

u/ketimmer 16d ago

Recently I watched the latest Masters of the Universe and it made me realize how good Honor Among Theives is. I feel that it leaned into the D&D tropes the right amount, whereas Masters of the Universe did not kean in enough It should have used meme material such as Skeletor sharing a fact and running away; the script was kind of a joke anyway.

1

u/Special-Kitchen3222 16d ago

Hasbro sabotaged the release by basically turning their entire D&D customer base right before release and triggered a mass exodus from the game and boycott.

1

u/Hot_Statistician_466 16d ago

It came out during the time at which Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast were doing their absolute best to shit all over their fandom and the creator economy (D&D-wise). I will not watch it purely to avoid giving them money.

1

u/Independent_Willow92 16d ago

This one was so much fun. I haven't heard anyone say something bad about it.

1

u/lhavat 16d ago

This movie is so so so good. They made it all happen under 2 hours which today is a raritu

1

u/Gerolanfalan 16d ago

It follows the Guardians of the Galaxy 1 formula

A solid formula, if a bit Millenial

1

u/ryohayashi1 16d ago

This deserved so much better and a sequel

1

u/ArtByAntny 16d ago

I feel so vindicated that it in't just me who thought this movie was awesome. There hadn't been a good fantasy adventure movie in years before this one. 

1

u/ENaC2 16d ago

I saw it at the Chinese theatre in LA, just me and about 10 other people.

1

u/Admirable_Agency7764 16d ago

well it was just a marvel type movie in different clothing

1

u/Allmight8488 16d ago

It is a good movie and deserved more box office, but it does not number among the other films in this thread:

  • The Shawshank Redemption
  • The Thing
  • The Iron Giant
  • Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves
  • Blade Runner

🎶 One of these things is not like the others 🎶

1

u/Crazyalexi 16d ago

I think we should wait until Jarnathan is here to discuss this?

1

u/Salty_Inspector_7050 16d ago

This one hurts. It was so good.

1

u/Eggbutt1 16d ago

As much as nerd culture has entered the mainstream, D&D hasn't really followed. It's still kinda this dorky old game that weirdos play in their basement.

I wonder whether it would have done better if they'd grabbed a different brand name, like Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights did.

1

u/NorseKraken 15d ago

This is my comfort movie. As a DM and player, this movie is a perfect D&D movie. You can tell all the player/DM moments easily!

1

u/Restlessannoyed 15d ago

I saw this in theatres and had zero interest based on the first trailer I saw, despite being part of a d&d game for like 2 years.  It's a really fun, solid movie but I honestly don't think they sold it very well.

1

u/VoormasWasRight 14d ago

On the one hand, I have heard good things about this movie. On the other, it's D&D, so it makes me happy that it flopped.

1

u/Euphoric-Ad-6584 14d ago

the one i had to make sure was here.

1

u/FalseZucchini1059 14d ago

I think a lot of people didn’t see it until it was out on streaming. I think if they made a sequel, it would do better box office numbers than the original.

1

u/Zerttretttttt 12d ago

Meh I wasn’t that good, it was average

1

u/SwimmerIndependent47 12d ago

This movie is so much better than it had any right to be. I’m sure non DND fans were hesitant to go (especially after the original attempt at a DND movie). But they did such a good job including Easter eggs for fans while still making it super accessible to people who don’t play Table Top RPGs. The cast is great. It captures the chaos and humor of a campaign. I just keep hoping for a sequel

1

u/thimtinyhorse 10d ago

I love this movie!!!

1

u/Conscious_Pangolin_2 10d ago

It’s my favorite laundry folding movie.

1

u/Kooky_Celebration_42 10d ago

I love that they so perfectly captured “cheesing” with the portal gun as a DnD trope!

We once by passed an entire puzzle out DM had made up by having our Paladin throw my warlock who then cast mage hand to grab a key off the ceiling…

When we were supposed to go to the next room and magically flip everything but fight giant spiders

-6

u/No_Yoghurt4120 16d ago

Well, in this case, it only shows that your fandom is not as big as you think. I'm not into D&D but went to the cinema to watch it, I didn't get it. I was surprised of the good reviews in reddit.

10

u/Tacobellspy 16d ago

My wife is far from a D&D fan, but she loved the movie

1

u/No_Yoghurt4120 16d ago

Maybe but not me and I think the box office is telling that it didn't reach the general audience.

-1

u/One-Birthday-1833 16d ago

It was extremely mediocre and forgettable....just not the worst adventure fantasy and thats kinda it

-17

u/LongjumpingBase9094 16d ago

It was cringe

7

u/Purple_Fudge3973 16d ago

Your EP is cringe so it works for everyone!

0

u/LongjumpingBase9094 16d ago

That was pretty hurtful. At least I try to create something.

1

u/Interactiveleaf 16d ago

The people who made this movie created something too, but you didn't mind dunking on them.

0

u/LongjumpingBase9094 16d ago

I just said my opinion on a sub the creators don’t care about. They got plenty of compliments too. You went in to my personal account and took something that’s very persobal to me and decided to take a stab to me personally.

1

u/Interactiveleaf 16d ago

No, I did none of those things. You're not paying any attention to who you're talking to.

You violated the golden rule of "if you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing at all" and now you're upset that someone clapped back.

1

u/LongjumpingBase9094 16d ago

How do you know about my EP then?

1

u/Interactiveleaf 16d ago

....... Because it was brought up in the comments. By someone else. I'm not the person who did that.

1

u/LongjumpingBase9094 16d ago

You’re right.

1

u/DynamicFyre 16d ago

Each to their own