10 "Doomed" Upcoming Movies That Might Actually Succeed
2. Borderlands
It can't be understated just how much negative publicity has swirled around Eli Roth's adaptation of the hit video game series Borderlands.
From Kevin Hart's controversial casting as Roland to the fact that it underwent extensive reshoots in 2023 due to poor test screenings, these reshoots were conducted by Tim Miller (Deadpool) rather than Roth, and original writer Craig Mazin had his name removed from the project, all evidence pointed to a flaming, runaway trainwreck of a production.
Nobody was expecting much when the first trailer dropped, then, but the general online response was one of mildly pleasant surprise.
Sure, it looks like it's cribbing quite blatantly from the Guardians of the Galaxy/Suicide Squad quippy team-up playbook, but the cast interaction seems better than expected, and it's largely captured the look and feel of the game world.
Plus, even if reviews don't turn out well, there's a solid possibility Borderlands pulls a Five Nights at Freddy's and turns a healthy profit at the box office.
In the very least, there's a little more optimism about Borderlands' possibility of success now than a few months ago, where most had already written it off completely.