9 Upcoming Movies Studios Have No Confidence In

5. Artemis Fowl

The Movie

A long-gestating adaptation of the first two novels in Eoin Colfer's beloved fantasy series, starring newcomer Ferdia Shaw as the titular protagonist, with supporting work from Josh Gad and Judi Dench. Kenneth Branagh directs.

What's Wrong?

It's at least clear to see what Disney was thinking here, because with more than 25 million books sold, the Artemis Fowl franchise has been ripe for a movie adaptation for quite some time.

And yet, with the movie due to release in less than four months, engagement with both the series' fans and casuals alike is virtually non-existent.

Between the unremarkable trailers and mounting evidence that the film has softened the edges of its anti-hero, this increasingly feels like a movie ultimately made for nobody, and Disney's lacklustre marketing suggests they know it better than anyone.

Industry analysts have already been projecting Artemis Fowl, which is budgeted at $135 million, to be Disney's big live-action bomb of 2019, effectively becoming this year's A Wrinkle in Time.

Given that this is a world-famous brand and the marketing has been curiously on the quiet side, Disney surely knows what's up, and they're probably sending it out to die after they've already hoovered up billions of dollars in profit from Avengers: Endgame, Aladdin, Toy Story 4 and The Lion King.