8 Times Audiences Were Blamed For Movies That Failed

Underrated war drama Brothers came out in 2009, and starred Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal as siblings dealing with the enormous physical and emotional ramifications of Maguire's service in Afghanistan.

As you'd expect from a film like this, it's heavy stuff, hardly the typical mainstream fare that attracts the big box-office bucks. Even if it was full of action and explosions, war films don't tend to make a lot of money anyway, outside of a few rare examples.

All this in mind, Brothers was always going to be a tough sell, and that proved to be the case. It grossed $43 million worldwide on a $26 million budget, and despite decent reviews, was an underwhelming result for the studio.

Seemingly aware that his film would struggle to pull in moviegoers, director Jim Sheridan had already readied himself for a flop before the movie even debuted. Speaking to SFGate in November 2009 (Brothers opened in December), Sheridan - when asked if he thought that people would go and see the film - hit out at American audiences, stating that their lack of knowledge about the situation in Afghanistan would make them unlikely to venture to the cinema:

"I think the American people just don't think there is a war on, so why should they have to go to a movie about something that doesn't exist? Their state of denial is hard to overcome."

While Sheridan was right to brace himself for a financial disappointment, attacking audiences on the eve of his movie's debut probably wasn't the smartest play.