4. Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time (2010) Budget: $200m/Total Gross: $335.1m
Video game movies have always been a notoriously tough sell at the box office and despite the pedigree of producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Mike Newell and a talented cast led by Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton and Sir Ben Kingsley,
Prince of Persia received a mixed response at best and yet another potential franchise fell by the wayside. Bruckheimer must have been hoping the movie would be viewed as a desert-set
Pirates of the Caribbean and do similarly big business. Instead, it grossed only $30.1m through opening weekend which was only good enough for #3 at the box office. Although it became (and still remains) the most successful video game adaptation in history, the numbers just weren't strong enough to warrant a sequel. Despite having a story devised by original game creator Jordan Mechner and three credited screenwriters, the movie was all style and no substance; in typical Bruckheimer fashion, character development and anything resembling an interesting story were buried under a sandstorm of (admittedly impressive) visual effects. My deepest apologies for the terrible pun. Things were hardly helped by a charisma-free turn from Gyllenhaal in the lead role and 'humor' in the form of racing ostriches. Oh, the hilarity.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is what I would call a 'Sunday afternoon movie'; it is perfectly harmless entertainment, a pleasant enough way to waste a couple of hours but completely forgettable twenty minutes after it ends. Michael Fassbender and Assassin's Creed, it's your move.