12 Movies That Were Dead On Arrival
11. Dolittle
The 2020 reimagining of the animal-conversant physician was not a film anyone was clamouring for, but with a sizable budget and a veritable all star cast, the studio evidently bet big that audiences would be charmed by a CGI heavy Robert Downey Jr fantasy adventure.
The panic is palpable in the production of this high profile flop. After disastrous early test screenings, it was decided that reshoots were necessary, and with that came a whole lot of new personnel. Lego Movie co-director Chris McKay was hired to inject some life and humour into the film, along with Seth Rogen, but neither could stick with the project for long. Downey Jr seemed to go into business for himself, adopting a baffling Welsh accent which no one on set had the weight to challenge.
The finished product was less a family movie than a straightforward kids only proposition, with a fixation on crass gags and a leaden pacing that will seriously test the patience of parents. No one involved seemed to want to stand behind the film, but once you’ve sunk that kind of cash, you don’t have much choice.