Some of these Hollywood movies have finished production but failed to hit theaters. What are the movies? Check out the reviews below.
Every year, Hollywood produces various types of movies that fans look forward to. However, not all movies that have completed the production stage make it to theaters for various reasons.
Some Hollywood movies have actually finished production but failed to air, why do you think?
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10 Hollywood Movies that Failed to Hit Theaters
1. Superman Lives
So far, Warner Bros has spent around US$30 million in the initial production of the Superman Lives movie before canceling it.
In fact, Tim Burton had agreed to direct the movie. Although Nicolas Cage had also agreed to play the role of Superman, the movie was never completed due to budget issues.
Warner Bros needs a minimum of US$200 million (Rp3.1 trillion) to realize Superman Lives.
2. Broadway Brawler
In 1997, Bruce Willis agreed to be cast in Disney’s Broadway Brawler. His role was that of a former hockey player who falls in love.
After about three weeks of production, Willis was reportedly dissatisfied with the progress of the project. As a result, the movie was never completed and Disney was furious with Willis.
However, Willis’ deal to appear in three more Disney films at a lower salary led to huge success with films like Armageddon, The Sixth Sense, and The Kid.
3. Batgirl
Originally, Warner Bros planned to launch a series of live-action DC movies, including Batgirl, on the HBO Max streaming platform. However, after Discovery acquired Warner Bros, the plan underwent a drastic change.
The Batgirl movie featuring Leslie Grace as the Caped Crusader was fully produced and edited into a rough version before being canceled. Hollywood sometimes has secrets that are hard to crack, even by the best detectives in the world.
4. The Day the Clown Cried
In 1972, there was a movie that was planned to be released under the title The Day the Clown Cried, but it ended up failing.
The movie stars Jerry Lewis and is set in an internment camp in Germany during World War II. In this movie, Lewis plays a scary clown.
Actually, The Day the Clown Cried had funding problems from the start. Jerry Lewis admitted that he financed most of the movie himself. However, this was not the main reason why the movie was canceled.
The movie’s scriptwriter, Joan O’Brien, admitted that she did not agree with the changes Lewis made to the script. Lewis wanted to make the clown character more sympathetic rather than creepy. As a result of this difference of opinion, the movie was never completed and eventually failed to air.
5. All-Star Weekend
Jamie Foxx’s first movie as a director is supposed to be a comedy and set in basketball.
All-Star Weekend tells the story of two truckers who manage to win tickets to the NBA All-Star Game. But unfortunately, they get involved in an illegal race to reach the game.
Although the movie was filmed in the fall of 2016, All-Star Weekend was never released. Foxx revealed that the movie was shelved due to the controversy sparked by Robert Downey Jr.’s role as a Mexican man.
6. Scoob! Holiday Haunt
The 2020 CGI animated Scooby-Doo movie was supposed to be released exclusively on HBO Max. However, when the new Warner Bros. took over, they decided to put the project on hold rather than release it online.
As a result, the movie Scoob! Holiday Haunt was never released even though it was reportedly completed.
7. The Fantastic Four
If you thought that Fantastic Four (2005) was the first movie about the superhero group consisting of Reed Richards, Susan Strom, Jonathan Storm, and Benjamin Grimm, then you were wrong.
Actually, in 1994, there was almost a similar live action film, but unfortunately the film never aired.
The film entitled Fantastic Four has actually done various promotions, ranging from announcing release dates to almost airing in theaters. In fact, the cast has also appeared at Comic-Con.
But unfortunately, this Marvel superhero movie never aired. Reportedly, studios Neue Constantin Film and New Horizons chose not to release it. They just want to hold the rights to the Fantastic Four characters so they can make more movies in the future.
8. 10 Things I Hate About Life
Although the title is similar to 10 Things I Hate About You, the two movies are not related at all. Production on the movie, which Gil Junger produced, stopped after two months of filming.
The reasons for the cancellation ranged from changes in the production company to the pregnancy of lead actress Evan Rachel Wood.
Later, there was a legal dispute between Wood and the producers of this movie after the cancellation of 10 Things I Hate About Life.
9. Dark Blood
The premise of Dark Blood is very interesting to watch. The story follows a young man named The Boy who believes that the end of the world is near.
After losing his wife to radiation poisoning from a nuclear weapons test, he lives alone in the desert. However, problems arose when the lead actor, River Phoenix, suddenly died during filming.
As a result, the movie was stalled and unfinished. Nonetheless, director George Sluizer believes that the film is 80 percent complete.
Although the film was initially unreleasable, Sluizer did not give up. He made some minor changes so that some scenes could be enjoyed by the audience. In 2012, an incomplete version of the movie was finally released.
10. It’s All True
It’s All True is another unfinished project of Orson Welles. While producing The Magnificent Ambersons, Welles was appointed ambassador to Latin America.
He was asked to make a movie that depicted and honored the culture of the region. However, a change in leadership at RKO studios led to a cut of It’s All True being shelved and the budget revised.
This was because the new regime didn’t like Welles much and was reluctant to give him more funding.
Those are some Hollywood movies that failed to hit theaters even though they finished production. Which movie probably should have made it to theaters?
