10 Overly-Optimistic Attempts To Launch A Movie Franchise

John Carter was a always a risky proposition; after decades in development hell, Disney handed $263 million to a director that had never worked in live-action before, backed by a muddled marketing campaign that wasn't sure how to sell the movie, a title that is beyond generic, all anchored by an untried leading man with an acting range that went from A to almost B.

Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars is regarded as one of the first major science fiction works ever written, and also one of the most seminal. However, by the time a live-action adaptation hit theaters 100 years after it was first published, it had exerted such an influence over the genre that it seemed derivative and formulaic to audiences experiencing the story for the first time.

While the movie boasts strong visuals, impressive world building and an endearing old-fashioned charm, the exorbitant budget meant that it had to crack $600 million worldwide just to break even, and couldn't even manage half of that. Instead of launching a new epic sci-fi franchise, Disney were left with one of the costliest box office bombs of all time.