MovieChat Forums > Dark Phoenix (2019) Discussion > I always thought X-Men had a large enoug...

I always thought X-Men had a large enough built-in fanbase...

posted 5 years ago by PotatoWithEyes (131)
5 replies | jump to latest

that would guarantee any X-Men movie would get at least $100 million domestically. I guess I was wrong...did anyone else think this? I mean prior to this, every X-Men movie was #1 its opening weekend. This time, it lost to a sequel to a mediocre kids movie?

To say this is the lowest-grossing X-Men movie doesn't even indicate how badly this bombed. It won't even make half of what the previous lowest-grossing entry (2013's The Wolverine) made domestically. Overseas, it is ahead of the very first X-Men movie, but that was almost two decades ago. It's going nowhere near Apocalypse's overseas gross.

[–] bozo_500 (12219) 5 years ago

similar thing happened to Star Trek TNG (coincidentally with its 4th movie for the 'new' cast after lots with the previous cast). they started off ok and then had a great 2nd movie but then the 3rd one wasnt great and so when ppl found out the 4th was another dud it was DOA and RIPd the franchise (until 2009 when it came back bigger than ever - which will probably happened with XMen in MCU in a few years)

and yes in comparison to Apocalypse, DP wont even equal what that made in its opening wkend domestically. and wont get near previous lowest worldwide X1 (296m ww but that was in 2000!!)

[–] PotatoWithEyes (131) 5 years ago

Star Trek Nemesis sounds like an apt comparison. Another film in a long-running franchise that lost its opening weekend to a movie that didn't even have much buzz (Maid in Manhattan or Secret Life of Pets 2...not sure which is more embarrassing) and probably was hurt some by the lukewarm reception to the previous film. Though I think Nemesis also had the problem of a four-year lapse since the last movie...people had forgotten about Star Trek: TNG by then. There was only a two-year gap between the other TNG movies.

[–] bozo_500 (12219) 5 years ago

Yes that's true. Also Nemesis came out near to LOTR, Potter and Bond which made it look quite pathetic in comparison (abit like Dark Phoenix coming out shortly after the ultimate event of Endgame which made it look an absolute nonevent/cheap knock off in comparison - the MCUs 4th team up/finale as well )

Actually similar happened to the new Trek. after Star Wars came back and (with Beyond inbetween TFA and Rogue 1) Trek seemed like abit of a nonevent/knock off of Wars and no longer cool

[–] jekporkins (1924) 5 years ago

That's a great comparison there. Fans saw the burnout on the wall with Star Trek: Insurrection. Same with X-Men fans when they saw Apocalypse.

It's the fourth movie to feature Fassbender, McAvoy, Hoult, and Lawrence as the leads. They should have either taken them out completely or put them in the way background and tried to bump up the next round of X-Men. In Apocalypse, Lawrence was sleepwalking through her role and it was pretty obvious she didn't want to be there, and Fassbender wasn't far behind.

However, the cast they put together for Apocalypse and Pheonix was mediocre at best, especially with Cyclops and Jean. They also had unfocused character arcs, and nobody stepped up to lead the next stage of movies like Hugh Jackman.

It was clear to me that they had run the X-Men as far as they could with Future Past. They should have just focused on solo movies or rebooted. Instead, we got whatever the heck these last two movies were.

[–] HarlemEagle42 (16175) 5 years ago

Nope. Even the fans saw this as garbage. Well, except for one :).