10 Movies That Deceived You Into Buying A Ticket

For a movie to succeed, it can't just be great - it needs to be marketable. For this reason, film posters, trailers, and commercials are designed to appeal to the largest demographic possible.

Of course, certain embellishments are made to make every movie seem like a showstopper. Whether it's a pointless remake, a formulaic romcom, or a forgettable blockbuster, the teasers and TV spots always make it look like the be-all-and-end-all.

Hoping to make the biggest profit possible, some studios will even resort to false advertising. If a certain actor is popular, certain promotional material may focus on them, even if they're barely in the movie. If the story is unconventional, the trailer could be manipulated in a way to make it more approachable to as wide a selection of audiences as possible. Sometimes, the advertisements hide key aspects of the story, knowing they might deter consumers from purchasing tickets.

Being the devil's advocate, it's understandable why this happens. After all, producers and studio execs just want their given projects to succeed, make money, and be seen by as many people as possible.

But sometimes, when the movie advertised bares no resemblance to the finished product, paying customers have every reason to feel just a bit cheated...

It's hard to think of anyone in Hollywood who physically encapsulates the legendary Hercules more than Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. As such, it seemed like the wrestling superstar would get his moment to shine after being cast as the lead in 2014's Hercules.

And when the trailer showed the titular demi-god battling the Lernean Hydra and the three-headed wolf, Cerberus, it looked like this adaptation would give fans everything they could want from a Greek Mythology movie headed up by The Rock.

But it was all a stinking lie. Throughout the film, it's revealed that the majority of Hercules' feats were greatly exaggerated or flat-out untrue. Instead of fighting a Hydra, Herc battled soldiers wearing serpent masks. Rather than taking on a three-headed beast, Hercules fought three single-headed wolves.

Save for Hercules' immense strength, there is little evidence he is the son of Zeus, as he claims to be.

Now, there's nothing wrong with stripping away the mythical side of Hercules if the intention was to tell a more relatable and human story.

But if that's the case, why sell the movie as if viewers are going to see the mighty Hercules of legend?