10 Insanely Hyped Movies That Flopped HARD
1. Speed Racer
There are many reasons why Speed Racer was one of the most anticipated films of 2008. It was based on Tatsuo Yoshida's acclaimed animated series of the same name and was the Wachowskis's first directorial project since the Matrix trilogy.
Warner Bros clearly felt that combination was enough for a podium finish at the box office, based on how hard it pushed Speed Racer during its marketing campaign and the mountain of merchandise it released, but it burned up on arrival.
The critical consensus was that the film is a migraine-inducing exercise in style over substance, and little else beyond that. Financially, it was a disaster, bringing in $93.9 million worldwide on a budget reported to be around $120 million. No doubt Warner recouped some of those losses in merchandise sales, but that did little to repair the damage to the Speed Racer brand or the Wachowskis's reputation.