10 Recent Movies That Weren't What Anyone Expected
These movies defied all of our expectations, for better or worse.
The vast majority of movies are pretty much exactly what we expect, because audiences are well aware that most audiences don't like to be surprised with something different.
This is the precise reason why most trailers give too much away, because studies have consistently shown movie studios that most moviegoers want to know exactly what they're getting for their money.
And so it's always a surprise when a new film delivers something unlike what was advertised, whether for better or worse.
And that's totally true of these 10 recent movies, which, one way or another, all turned in something quite different from what we were led to anticipate.
Perhaps the tone veered far closer to comedy, the big selling point was actually a minor part of the plot, or the trailers just completely misrepresented what the movie actually was for cynical reasons.
Regardless of whether these films were well received or not, each nevertheless left many surprised by the end result, that they hewed far away from what they'd been led to expect.
It's certainly a massive risk to market any movie this way, as evidenced by this list being populated by its fair share of box office bombs...
10. The Accountant 2
The Accountant was certainly a film that defied expectations, being marketed as a straight-up action thriller that was ultimately more of a quirky drama with action elements.
It was best remembered for Ben Affleck's autistic accountant protagonist and its surprisingly earnest attempt at neurodivergent representation in a mainstream genre film.
Most expected more of the same for The Accountant 2, then, yet the sequel marked an unexpected tonal shift, veering far more enthusiastically into bromantic comedy territory.
Sure, there's still a thriller plot to deal with - albeit a much sillier one than the original - but the meat and potatoes of the movie is the fun hangout vibe between Affleck and Jon Bernthal's sibling characters.
This time around the film seems a lot less interested in its story than having fun with the chemistry of Affleck and Bernthal, ensuring that for all its absurdity, The Accountant 2 is a way funnier movie than anyone anticipated.