10 More Movies That Tried To Exploit Nostalgia And Failed
5. Justice League (2017)
It seems as if all of Hollywood is on a nostalgic kick where superhero reboots and launches are concerned, and while Warner Bros. and DC have been making superhero films for decades, 2017's Justice League was meant to solidify the DC Extended Universe as a viable franchise comparable to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
To set up the film, the studio released Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and Wonder Woman, with each of those films doing relatively well, though some were considerably more panned than others. After Wonder Woman's success at the box office, it appeared as if Justice League would offer a continued improvement, but it never managed to meet expectations.
The film received generally mixed reviews from critics, and on Rotten Tomatoes, it sits at around a 40% approval rating, which isn't good. When it hit theaters and didn't wow audiences as planned, the entire focus of the DCEU was retooled, and a slew of planned projects were altered or outright canceled.
Justice League was one of the most expensive movies ever made, with a budget of $300 million coupled with a production budget that came close to that amount. When the dust settled, it made just shy of $658 million, which is a lot of money, but too little to make a profit for the studio.