10 Movies Released At The Wrong Time
9. Annihilation
Annihilation isn’t the only movie here to have been accidentally crushed under the might of a juggernaut, but it didn’t exactly help itself.
It released around the same time as Black Panther, which fully sapped any momentum it might have built. In fairness, some thought Black Panther, as a lesser known hero with few links to the wider story, might be one of Marvel’s lower grossers; in the end, it turned out to be one of their most lucrative properties.
Annihilation well and truly shot itself in the foot though, without T’Challa and Killmonger even coming into the equation. It’s a fascinating movie, a probing sci fi tale which asks existential questions of humanity; leading lady Natalie Portman is supported brilliantly by Oscar Isaac, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriquez and Jennifer Jason Leigh too.
Strange backroom dealings though saw it released in Canadian and American cinemas in February 2018 (near Black Panther), March on Netflix in Europe, South America, Africa and Oceania, then April in cinemas in China, after which Netflix would distribute it through the rest of Asia. This truly bizarre release meant limited promotion and low viewing figures.
Hopefully it will cement itself as a cult classic in the years to come.