20 Film Franchises That Were Cancelled After One Movie

10. Stormbreaker

Flash Gordon
MGM

In 2000, Anthony Horowitz published a teen spy novel called Stormbreaker, which became so successful, it spawned a dozen sequels. With Hollywood always on the lookout for a potential franchise, MGM green-lit an adaptation of the first novel in 2006. To ensure the story was adapted accurately, Horowitz himself penned the screenplay and readied the script for the sequel, which was based on his second book, Point Blanc.

Even though the books have a devoted fanbase, the film was considered corny and unoriginal. It only managed to scrape a pitiful $27 million at the box office, making it one of the most unsuccessful action films of all time.

Although Horowitz is proud of his work, he believes the film tanked because his books "do not translate well on screen". Having said that, Point Blanc was adapted into an Amazon tv series in 2020, and was met with positive reviews.

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James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows