10 Horror Movies That Flopped Hard In 2022
2. Firestarter
Firestarter is the remake of Mark L. Lester's 1984 film adaptation of the well-known Stephen King book. Although both adaptations depart from the original story, they both revolve around a father and daughter who run away from the government agency that gave them their extraordinary powers.
This time, Zac Efron plays telekinetic father Andy McGee, and Ryan Kiera Armstrong plays his pyrokinetic daughter Charlie.
The movie was released on Peacock and in theaters at the same time, which makes analyzing its performance in a conventional sense more difficult. Although with an estimated $12 million production budget, it would not have reached theatrical goals with only $14 million in global box office receipts.
Firestarter also garnered a shockingly negative reception from critics, who cited its lackluster special effects, unimpressive acting, and problems with editing and pace that make viewers wonder if it was tampered with during post-production.
It appears that Firestarter was destined for failure in the end. King's books are notoriously difficult to adapt for film because of their length and narrative design. The comparatively low budget hindered the potential magnificence of the movie's climax because the special effects simply couldn’t deliver.