12 Movies In 2016 That Should Have Flopped (But Didn't)
How talking hotdogs, R-rated comedy and a foul-mouthed superhero became this year’s biggest hits.
Certain movies this year were pretty much destined to do well. Captain America: Civil War and Finding Dory were both huge successes each earning critical acclaim and grossing over $1 billion, bolstered by the popularity of their franchises alongside major studio backing and big budgets. Even films that weren’t so critically lauded like Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad managed to rake in hefty profits. So, kid-friendly ratings and superheroes were clearly as winning a formula this year as they have proved in the past.
But there’s been a good few surprise hits this year too. Movies that despite potential setbacks like relatively small budgets, R-rated content and not so seemingly profitable concepts have achieved critical or commercial success, sometimes both.
In that sense, 2016 has truly been the year of the movie underdog: a year in which we’ve seen indie neo-Westerns, foul-mouthed anti-superheroes and talking food become unlikely heroes of film.
12. Central Intelligence
When trailers for the Kevin Hart and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson fronted Central Intelligence first emerged it didn’t look seem like the film would any awards for originality, looking like just a run-of-the-mill, madcap buddy-cop movie. But somehow, the film went on to gross an impressive $217 million on a budget of $50 million and though reviews were mixed, it does what it says on the tin – doesn’t demand too much of its audience and even offers a few laughs along the way.
Maybe its success can be partly attributed to the dearth of good movies during this summer’s disappointing blockbuster season, but then that would be to discredit stars Hart and Johnson who have great chemistry and do a great job at playing against type with their characters. It’s not an excellent movie by any stretch of the imagination but it’s a decent enough comedy if you don’t think too deeply about it, and apparently just what many moviegoers wanted to see this summer.