From ambitious space operas to failed superhero ventures, Netflix has burned through mountains of cash on projects that didn't pay off. Join us as we explore the streaming giant's most expensive disappointments that failed to attract viewers despite their massive budgets and star power!
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00:00Day 167 of Observation, PAC 2426 still shows no sign of leadership structure or higher brain function.
00:09Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at the biggest production investments that failed to draw a profitable audience for the streaming giant Netflix.
00:17For this list, we're only looking at films and series whose budgets were reported to the public.
00:22Is that a bot?
00:23I tried telling you, I tried waking you up, but you didn't...
00:26Do you have any idea what the state would do to me if they found a frickin' bot in my house?
00:30It is not my fault!
00:31Well, it's not my fault either. Get in the hell out of here!
00:33That's what I'm trying to do!
00:36Number 10, The Ridiculous Six.
00:39Though Adam Sandler tends to deliver lucrative trash, three major studios didn't see a promising prospect in the high-concept Western spoof, The Ridiculous Six.
00:47Saddest thing you've ever seen.
00:49It happens. Powers that be don't like to admit it, but it happens.
00:54Netflix nonetheless sank $60 million into what would be their first straight-to-streaming blockbuster.
00:59Even with it being an easier investment for viewers, the hype was quickly overtaken by backlash against the film's offensive humor, overproduction, and two-hour runtime.
01:07Anyways, any of you handsome brothers ready to go steal a big hunk of gold?
01:12With a Rotten Tomatoes score of nil, it's a shameless vehicle even by Sandler's standards.
01:17It definitely wasn't a wise vehicle for Netflix's business model of risky investments to entice new subscribers.
01:22That's very good, Barry. But I must walk this path alone.
01:26The company's four-picture deal with Happy Madison Productions would eventually be extended, but The Ridiculous Six was their first Ridiculous Dud.
01:33Number 9, The Cloverfield Paradox.
01:362008's Cloverfield delivered a cult classic creature feature for around $30 million, while the bottle thriller 10 Cloverfield Lane captivated on half that budget.
01:44They weren't as lucky as you. It's the air, Michelle. That's what happens when you get exposed.
01:50Paramount seemed to uphold such cost-effectiveness by sending the anthology into space with $45 million, before Netflix purchased distribution rights for just over that amount.
01:59However, critics felt that The Cloverfield Paradox let down its predecessors with its convoluted story and surprisingly spotty special effects.
02:07We trusted you for two years!
02:10They at least praised the strategy of highly ambiguous promos and a surprise release following the Super Bowl.
02:15That is, until the numbers showed a disappointing debut prior to the negative word of mouth.
02:19J.J. Abrams' signature stunt marketing finally backfired, with Netflix being left to eat his franchise's folly.
02:25Please, don't break up on me, baby.
02:27Number 8. Cowboy Bebop
02:32One of the greatest anime of all time deserves nothing less than a blockbuster live-action adaptation.
02:37I think it's time to blow this scene. Get everybody and the stuff together.
02:42Okay, three, two, one, let's jam.
02:44Though the budget for Netflix's Cowboy Bebop has been disputed, one can see the nine-figure estimates in the exploits of Space Bounty Hunters.
02:51In fact, the promos were slammed by fans for the artlessly overblown aesthetic.
02:55The final product was further criticized as too faithful to the source material in some places, and too divergent in others.
03:01Who are you?
03:06Just a humble bounty hunter, ma'am.
03:08Even some critics were rooting for showrunner Christopher Yost's plans to refine his personal vision for season two.
03:13Alas, with mixed reviews and plummeting viewership, Netflix shot down the high-profile venture three weeks after its premiere.
03:19Wait up! I have a job for you!
03:23A bounty!
03:24Love it or hate it, their Cowboy Bebop was an astronomical misfire.
03:28Number 7. The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance
03:31General audiences prefer their Muppets and light-hearted fare,
03:34but for those Jim Henson Company fans who turned the Dark Crystal into a cult franchise,
03:38the prequel series promised to be their Game of Thrones.
03:40It hides in the dream space.
03:44What's that?
03:45Age of Resistance spent almost $100 million to turn puppetry into a politically-charged fantasy epic with an all-star voice cast.
03:53Critics hailed the groundbreaking technical values and complex storytelling,
03:56but that was too eclectic to define a target demographic.
03:59There you are. I was afraid you got lost.
04:02You cheated.
04:04Positive word of mouth died down as Netflix spent a year assessing the worth of a second season's long, expensive production.
04:10So, in September of 2020, fans were heartbroken, though not surprised, by the cancellation of the Dark Crystal Age of Resistance.
04:17You and I are better than that.
04:24You're right.
04:25Number 6. The Last Thing He Wanted
04:27Netflix bet big on Dee Rees after she delivered an acclaimed hit with 2017's Mudbound.
04:33Unfortunately, the last thing he wanted was apparently the last thing audiences wanted.
04:37You think you're gonna get buried, Pa?
04:41You'd be surprised.
04:42Based on the novel by Joan Didion, the star-studded political thriller tries to unpack the Iran-Contra affair,
04:48alongside a journalist's paternal issues.
04:50This character arc was a notable liberty from the source material.
04:53Critics say that it ultimately rendered the film sloppy and convoluted,
04:56despite a stunning budget of $100 million.
04:59I can see you're buying into the whole package here.
05:03That was insufficient to mount promotions that could get ahead of the bad word of mouth.
05:06Ree's costly wannabe prestige project was left to die on the vine without a distinct or satisfied audience.
05:13I don't have any comment to make about that.
05:14Number 5. Triple Frontier
05:17With $150 million behind an all-star crew,
05:20Triple Frontier is a triple threat of military action, heist thriller, and jungle adventure.
05:25I've got a lawyer in St. John's who set up an offshore-shell security operation
05:29that's ready to pay out a salary and bonuses for the rest of our lives.
05:33It'll just come in like any other paycheck.
05:34It had spent nearly a decade in development hell,
05:37before Netflix granted it a limited theatrical release a week ahead of streaming.
05:41Reviews were solid, as would audience engagement have been under most circumstances.
05:44How many people do you think you've killed?
05:48What?
05:50You heard me.
05:51But 52 million streams in the second month,
05:53and a lot fewer from there,
05:54did not reflect the subscriber growth to justify the budget.
05:57Triple Frontier would be directly linked to Netflix's decision
06:00to reduce spending on prestige blockbuster productions going into the 2020s.
06:04What we are about to do is criminal.
06:06We do not have the flag on our shoulders,
06:08and no amount of b**** that we tell ourselves is going to change that.
06:11Risky blowouts aren't always as lucrative as they look in the movies.
06:14Number 4. The Get Down
06:16One can imagine the price tag on a Baz Luhrmann musical,
06:20developed for a long-form format.
06:21A coming-of-age set against the birth of hip-hop,
06:24The Get Down was actually developed by Sean Ryan before he departed amid production delays.
06:28I hand you the magic,
06:31the mystery,
06:32the opening, grasshopper.
06:34The first season, split into two parts,
06:36ultimately spent $120 million to recreate the poverty of the Bronx.
06:40Critics still had a hard time excusing the first half's expensive and extreme aesthetic.
06:45Though the reception warmed for side two,
06:47the initial hype of the project plummeted.
06:49Um, this is the Fantastic Four, plus one.
06:51Um, yeah, this is the crew.
06:53The Get Down shockingly became the first blockbuster Netflix series
06:57to be cancelled after just one season.
06:59As usual, the most overproduced rap failed to jam with audiences in the long run.
07:03We've had a lot of stores,
07:04poor,
07:05no lights in the project core.
07:07Before the loot and only five DJ crews was moving.
07:10Till people stole DJ equipment,
07:11that number's risen.
07:12Number three,
07:13Rebel Moon Saga.
07:14Zack Snyder founded a space opera franchise on a $166 million two-picture deal.
07:20He wound up hijacking promotions of Rebel Moon to promote their upcoming director's cuts.
07:24Way more brutal, it's way more, but it's also more bizarre.
07:28It's just more, uh,
07:30it's more Verhoeven-esque, I guess,
07:32if you want to think about it in those ways.
07:33Despite this,
07:34Part One, A Child of Fire,
07:36enjoyed strong viewership on Netflix,
07:38but the film was heavily panned as derivative,
07:40self-indulgent,
07:41and dramatically flat.
07:42Part Two, The Scargiver,
07:43did not get a theatrical release,
07:45and ultimately fared worse with critics and audiences.
07:48The Scargiver has come to us.
07:51But we have men on the ground.
07:55Clearly,
07:55few were eager to get two more hours of these movies.
07:57Their overhyped alternate cuts were released in 2024,
08:00to slightly better reviews,
08:02but not much audience attention.
08:03Maybe Snyder was right to get ahead of the initial backlash.
08:06Still,
08:06the reception and failed release experiment leave the franchise with an uncertain future.
08:11They should see there's no shame in our being here.
08:14To swallow their pride enough to even ask for help.
08:16That is bravery itself.
08:18Number Two,
08:19Jupiter's Legacy.
08:20Netflix should have known that inflated budgets were partly to blame for audience's superhero fatigue.
08:24They bid $200 million on the already oversaturated, subversive superhero market,
08:30with an adaptation of the Image Comics' Jupiter's Legacy.
08:33We have these powers for a reason.
08:36And with great power,
08:37comes great responsibility.
08:38Critics praised the technical aspects,
08:40but not so much the bloated, self-serious plot.
08:43After the show's hugely successful debut,
08:45prospective long-term viewership failed to justify the Herculean production costs.
08:49When we got our powers,
08:51I felt a great responsibility.
08:54Never mind the departure of showrunner Stephen S. DeKnight and several Netflix executives.
08:58Even with strong ratings,
09:00it wasn't much of a surprise when Jupiter's Legacy was cancelled after one eight-episode season.
09:04The show leaves behind its own legacy as a warning about betting that big on an exhausted brand.
09:09I could have taught you so much.
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09:28Number one,
09:29The Electric State.
09:30Did someone think that Anthony and Joe Russo were the names that made their Marvel movies
09:34an unprecedented commercial success?
09:36Nearly eight years after they bought the rights to Simon Stolenhog's sci-fi novel,
09:41The Electric State was completed for $320 million.
09:44Freedom's worth any cost.
09:47Even dying?
09:48That is one of the biggest film budgets of all time.
09:51An objectively impressive 25.2 million views in its first week wasn't impressive enough,
09:55and it went downhill as critics lambasted the film as all style and no substance, or sense.
10:01Young lady,
10:02I would not advise you to go out there at night.
10:05I really don't care about what you would advise.
10:07Word of mouth quickly diminished The Electric State's commercial prospects,
10:10if it ever stood a chance.
10:12One must question the state of both streaming and cinema
10:14after Netflix blew a monumental budget just to show they could.
10:18I don't know what you think you're trying to achieve here, Mr. Nut.
10:23What are some other would-be streaming blockbusters
10:25that wound up hidden gems or just buried?
10:27We discovered them in the comments.
10:28Each death must be physically possible,
10:30so no shark attacks while someone's on the toilet.
10:34As much as I love that idea.
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10:44See you next time!
10:53What?