Tentpole Trauma

Coming hot off the success of Halloween and Escape From New York, director/composer John Carpenter was the ideal candidate to remake the sci fi horror classic The Thing. With Kurt Russell in the lead, the film boasted stunning effects work from Rob Bottin and was an absolute master class in suspense and paranoia — so why did the zeitgeist violently reject it during the summer of 1982? Join Sebastian, Jennifer and Troy in the Antarctic as they thaw this beloved creature feature from the ice to biopsy its unfair initial reception from audiences and critics.

Video game adaptations are often a dicey proposition but the high fantasy World of Warcraft games seemed ready-made for blockbuster cinema, and hot genre director Duncan Jones seemed a solid pick to bring it to life. Unfortunately the end result met with critical and box office indifference in the states and put plans for a Lord of the Rings level film franchise on hold — so what went wrong? Join Sebastian, Rodney and Steve as they delve deep — perhaps too deep — into the dense mythology of 2016’s Warcraft so you don’t have to.

Harrison Ford’s reign as a superstar was well underway in 1986, so the idea of re-teaming with the director of their previous hit Witness for a no expense spared adaptation of an acclaimed Paul Theroux novel seemed a solid proposition. But despite exotic locations and a strong cast that featured Helen Mirren and rising star River Phoenix, the noble venture proved a fool’s errand at the box office. Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they journey upriver to explore the fascinating financial misfire that is Peter Weir’s The Mosquito Coast.

The early aughts saw action hero Vin Diesel at the height of his fame, so the idea of re-teaming with director David Twohy for a space operatic sequel to their sci fi hit Pitch Black seemed like a license to print money. But despite big budget thrills and heavy doses of high octane Diesel, The Chronicles of Riddick failed to connect with audiences. Join Sebastian, Chris and Steve as they attempt to crack this mythologically dense and perhaps overly ambitious effort.

Coming off the surprise hit Chronicle, director Josh Trank seemed a suitable fit to deliver a fresh, youthful take on Marvel’s first family after some lackluster big screen attempts. But stories of on-set strife plagued the production, and despite a strong cast featuring Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan, the disjointed film that landed in theaters was far from fantastic and failed to flame on at the box office. Join Sebastian, Jennifer and the film’s storyboard artist Troy, as they dig through the rubble of 2015’s disastrous Fantastic Four.

A live action adaptation of the seminal 90s anime seemed like a promising proposition for a new big budget sci fi franchise. But when a white  washing controversy erupted over the casting of Scarlet Johansson in the lead, no amount of impressive visuals could save it from box office  failure. So was it deserved? Join Sebastian, Chris and Rodney as they deep dive into the heart of Rupert Sanders’ 2017 adaptation of Ghost in the Shell.

Fans of John Carpenter's cult hit Escape from New York were clamoring for more of its iconic antihero Snake Plissken, but despite the creative team and star Kurt Russell returning for another round, the 1996 sequel met with poor box office receipts and violent rejection from audiences. The campy approach and reliance on sub-par visual effects certainly didn't help matters, but is the movie really that post-apocalyptically bad? Join Jennifer and Sebastian as they hang 10 with Snake and make another attempt at Escape from L.A.

1986 was a big year for genre movies, and arguably the biggest — solely in terms of its central character — was the sequel to Dino De Laurentis’ remake of King Kong. Despite the presence of Terminator star Linda Hamilton this ape extravaganza went almost completely ignored at the box office and put the Kong franchise on ice for nearly 20 years. Join Sebastian, Jen and Troy as they attempt to kickstart the heart of the colossally absurd camp disaster that is King Kong Lives.

Following the success of 300 and Clash of the Titans studios were clamoring for mythological stories to turn into big budget tentpoles, so it stands to reason that the Gods of Egypt would vie for the box office throne. With Gerard Butler on board and visionary director Alex Proyas tapped to direct, things appeared promising for this 2016 fantasy spectacular, but instead of claiming fire from the heavens it crashed and burned with audiences and critics alike. Join Sebastian, Chris and new guest host Steve Tze as they desecrate the tombs of the Pharaohs and find golden treasure in this weird and wondrous failure.

Wait...Fight Club wasn't a hit? It's true, the re-teaming of director David Fincher and superstar Brad Pitt seemed like a no brainer back in 1999, and while the film has gone on to have a huge cultural impact, the initial box office receipts for the black comedy/thriller were no indication of its future meme generating status. Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they break the first rule and pummel the beautiful face of this highly influential and still relevant cult classic.