10 Overly-Optimistic Attempts To Launch A Movie Franchise

10. Battle: Los Angeles

Had Battle: Los Angeles made the most of its central concept, it could have been a unique anthology franchise. Imagine Battle: New York, Battle: Tokyo or Battle: London, all standalone features with a cast and crew relevant to the geography, connected only the premise of alien invasion. Despite a decent box office return, poor critical reaction and budget concerns dashed any hopes of a franchise.

Instead of trying any of the interesting things that can be done with the 'boots on the ground war film with aliens' concept, Battle: LA dives headlong into as many cliches as it can find and ends up as entirely formulaic, like Michael Bay with a hangover shooting Transformers on a GoPro.

Had the movie been a qualified success, then sequels could have taken in battles from across the globe, keeping the concept fresh and giving each installment a unique feel. Instead, they took the easy way out and went for the generic 'hoorah' shoot-em-up instead.