10 Movies Released At The Wrong Time
4. The X-Files: I Want To Believe
The X-Files second movie was a little bit of a strange one, even by The X-Files’ standards.
The first movie came out midway between Seasons 5 & 6, developing the mythology without really pushing the plot forward too much. Basically, watching it filled in some blanks but if you missed it you could continue the TV show without any real negative effects.
However, the second movie came out after the series had ended, and opted for a Monster Of The Week storyline instead of anything about the alien invasion. This made it feel a little superfluous in any case, but the release window ensured it got buried.
It was originally slated for 2001, to come out naturally after the series finale. However, it was hit with several delays and didn’t come out until the summer of 2008. As mentioned with Sin City 2 though, a delayed release isn’t enough to qualify a movie as having released at the wrong time. However, The X-Files made the boneheaded move of holding off for seven years, only to release the same weekend as The Dark Knight.
Predictably, the caped crusader absolutely destroyed it at the box office, with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson both blaming Batman.