The Most Disappointing Movies of 2024, Ranked

2024 has certainly had its standout films. Whether you wanted the best horror or great action movies, there was no shortage of cinema for fans to be gleeful about. Yet, with every year also comes a fair share of disappointment; some are predicted to fail beforehand, while others land in the theaters with the best intentions, only to flop to the frustration of those looking forward to them. A few of these movies even fared well at the box office or on streaming but left a lingering bad taste.

These 10 movies were disappointments in one way or another. We will review each film and discuss how it falls short of expectations. We will also include where you can stream them (if available) in case you want to experience them for yourself and draw your own conclusions.

10

Trap

Cooper (Josh Hartnett) and his teenage daughter, Riley, attend a pop concert for Lady Raven, with whom Riley is obsessed. However, when Cooper notices that police have surrounded the building, he becomes paranoid, thinking that they are closing in on him, threatening to expose his dark secret to his family. As the concert continues, Cooper infiltrates the staff, causes chaos, and plots ways to avoid being caught.

M. Night Shyamalan’s Mediocre Thriller

Don’t get us wrong, M. Night Shyamalan knows how to entertain an audience, with Trap having a decent box office showing, earning $82.7 million off a $30 million budget. Still, the director’s movies have become a hit-or-miss affair, and Trap is one of his more underwhelming offerings. While it avoids a twist ending, it seems Shyamalan has become over-reliant on having a ‘hook,’ as without it, Trap falls into an ill-conceived thriller with too many plot holes to count. The acting is pretty painful, and the ending borders on neglectful stupidity.

With every new movie from M. Night Shyamalan, there is hope for a return to form (could we get another Signs or The Sixth Sense). While he impresses from time to time with features like Split, Trap shows that the director has settled into the groove of enjoyable movies that fall short of their intended potential. You can stream Trap on Max.

9

Megalopolis

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Set in an alternate 21st-century New York City (renamed “New Rome”), Megalopolis follows a visionary architect, Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), who aims to transform the city into a utopia. He comes up against Mayor Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), looking to build only for his own gain. Yet, this opposition brings Cesar to meet Julia (Nathalie Emmanuel), and together, the two learn they can stop time to help them win the battle to shape “New Rome” for the better.

A Swing and a Miss for One of the Greats

Francis Ford Coppola’s influence on film is undeniable and integral in shaping the modern landscape of cinema. That said, even masters of cinema can get things wrong. While the auteur has been defensive of his project and questioned the negative reviews, the truth is that Megalopolis is arguably his messiest, most amateurish film to date. While Coppola claimed it was panned due to challenging the conventional norms of cinema, many pointed to the ugly visual direction, lack of character development, and meandering plot as to why Megalopolis became a box-office failure.

8

Argylle

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Reclusive author Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) has seen worldwide success with her spy novel series featuring a character named Aubrey Argyle (Henry Cavill). While facing writer’s block, Elly gets some unusual inspiration when she is swept up in a real-life espionage event. After being rescued by spy Aiden Wilde (Sam Rockwell), Elly learns that her stories predict real-life events. Elly becomes entwined in a world of her own making, with the lines between reality and fiction blurring. Argylle would perform poorly at the box office, bringing in $96.1 million worldwide off a $200 million budget, but became a streaming hit.

Falling Short of the ‘Kingsman’ Franchise

The Kingsman films have garnered a dedicated fanbase, and for that franchise to continue to grow with a fresh coat of paint and an all-star cast had many excited at the prospect of what could be. Unfortunately, Argylle only presented the Kingsman franchise at its most hollow, convoluted, and tedious. The drawing power of the cast, like Henry Cavill and Sam Rockwell, was underutilized and underdeveloped in their roles. What should have been an action-packed epic adventure ended up being a muddled mess of a film. You can stream Argylle on Apple TV+.

7

The Watchers

A young artist, Mina, finds herself stranded in a forest in Western Ireland. Here, she finds a refuge, a bunker known as “The Coop” that houses other wayward travelers. Yet, the group is forced every night to ‘perform’ for entities, watching them through the mirror, performing mundane tasks to their delight. The members of “The Coop” live under a strict code, and as Mina begins to break the rules to find freedom, the creatures outside turn violent. The Watchers would bring in $33 million at the box office, only slightly over its budget of $30 million.

Strong Start, Steady Decline

The Watchers, Ishana Shyamalan’s debut film, piqued the interest of many horror fans. The initial trailer showed an intriguing premise and a dark, brooding atmosphere, with Dakota Fanning in the lead. While Dakota Fanning is excellent here, the movie would end up falling apart in the second half, becoming one of the most disappointing horror movies of 2024. It is a case of wasted potential and a reliance on a gimmick to make the film seem more profound than it is. This should not be a career-ender for Ishana Shyamalan, but her next feature will be approached with some trepidation until she finds a more consistent voice and does not try to adapt her father’s style heavily. Stream The Watchers on Max.

6

Uglies

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Set in a Dystopian future where kids at the age of 16 are allowed to join the upper echelons of society through cosmetic surgery that makes them beautiful, Uglies explores the moral issues of a society based on appearance. Following Tally Youngblood, who is nearing her opportunity to become ‘pretty,’ the young girl begins to have doubts as she learns of the downfalls of the surgery, both physically and mentally, from her friends going through the process. Uglies was based on the popular YA novel series of the same name by Scott Westerfeld.

A Far Cry From the Source Material

Uglies had unlimited potential, coming from a popular book series and touching on socially relevant issues in today’s image-focused culture. However, not only did the adaptation fail to capture a modicum of the novel’s depth, but the movie was stripped of context and vastly underdeveloped its characters. Visually, the movie impresses, but that is about as far as Uglies succeeds. Those unfamiliar with the novels will still find a feature that feels rushed and ill-conceived. Originally planned as a franchise, it may be better for Uglies to be a one-and-done for Netflix; there are many better YA dystopian movies to enjoy. You can stream Uglies on Netflix.

5

The Crow

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A young couple, Eric (Bill Skarsgård) and Shelly (FKA twigs), are murdered by a vicious criminal, Vincent Roeg (Danny Huston), setting off a chain of events that would see the rise of a hero known as The Crow. Eric is resurrected by the god Kronos and given the task of getting revenge for Shelly before being able to find rest in the afterlife. The movie is a remake of the 1994 cult hit starring Brandon Lee. In theaters, The Crow made $24 million worldwide against a production budget of $50 million.

Some Films Should Not Be Remade

Those growing up goth started the early warnings with this one. The original was an icon grounded in the subculture and rooted in its rise from indie gem to beloved classic. The Crow never needed a big Hollywood budget and re-imagining. Still, the pairing of Bill Skarsgard with FKA Twigs and a dark gothic atmosphere held a modicum of early intrigue and had those willing to be proven wrong on release. Yet, the result was worse than first imagined. It failed to offer an interesting take on The Crow or tap into nostalgia and was a tedious mess that may have killed the hero from ever appearing on the screen again. You can rent The Crow on YouTube, Prime Video, or Apple TV.

4

Borderlands

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Infamous bounty hunter Lilith (Cate Blanchett) returns to her home planet of Pandora to rescue Tiny Tina, the daughter of a corporate magnate who has asked Lilith for help. Yet, when Lilith discovers Tina and learns that she is the key to a greater power and is being forced by her father into servitude, the bounty hunter and a ragtag group of outlaws help to save the young girl from a dark fate. Borderlands would make a measly $31 million against a budget of $113 million, marking one of the biggest box-office disappointments of the era.

One of the Greatest Flops of the 2020s

This one was like watching a car crash in slow motion. The moment it hit the theaters, Borderlands suffered a slow death unlike any seen in some time. Borderlands failed to capture both fans of the game franchise and new eyes to the comedic, dystopian world of Borderlands. Fans of the game franchise certainly deserved more, but the script here was painfully bad and full of meta jokes that did not land; lots of those ‘hello fellow kids’ vibes. To have such a large budget, a great cast, and a unique visual world, falling so short of any hopes fans have, makes Borderlands one of the biggest disappointments of the 2020s and a painful lesson for those behind the project. You can stream Borderlands on Starz.

3

Unfrosted

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Set in the early 1960s, Unfrosted tells the story of Bob Cabana, who recounts the origins of Pop-Tarts to a young runaway in a diner. Set against the real-life rivalry between Kellogg’s and Post, the movie takes inspiration from many real-life figures of the era to create a very loose retelling of how the famous breakfast treat came to be. Jerry Seinfeld, who also wrote and directed the film, stars as Bob Cabana and is joined by a massive cast of who’s who in the comedy industry today.

An Anachronistic Comedy Failure

With the addition of Seinfeld to Netflix, which cost $500 million to purchase, moving on with more projects with Jerry Seinfeld seemed inevitable. The idea of the iconic comedian covering the history of Pop-Tarts (what’s the deal with Pop-Tarts anyway?) was a pretty exciting prospect, especially with such a phenomenal supporting cast. So when many tuned in, they were surprised that Unfrosted was painfully unfunny throughout. None of the humor lands, and it feels dated without touching on the nostalgia of those who grew up with the comedian. You can stream Unfrosted on Netflix.

2

Y2K

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Socially awkward teenager Eli (Jaeden Martell) is trying to prepare for the year 2000 alongside his best friends Danny (Julian Dennison) and Laura (Rachel Zegler). Aware of the warning of Y2K, they decide to throw a massive party, thinking that the supposed collapse of society is not going to happen. Yet, their New Year’s bash turns into a nightmare when all the world’s tech becomes sentient and begins hunting people.

Banking on Nostalgia Without Delivering Quality

Rachel Zegler has become far removed from being the cinema darling she was at first, with the actor now creating a divide thanks to her comments on politics being scrutinized by online commentators. Yet, to blame the failure of Y2K on her is disingenuous, as the film itself was subpar. The movie is too caught up in ‘do you remember moments’ and is not nearly close enough to being the quirky comedy it first presented as.

Moreover, the story here is a muddled mess backed by uninspiring characters. For carrying the stamp of approval from A24, it may be the worst film by the production company; its embarrassing box-office showing, only averaging under $400 per theater by its second week, shows how indifferent audiences were. You can rent Y2K on Amazon Prime or Apple TV+.

1

Joker: Folie à Deux

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Taking place two years after the violent acts that shook Gotham to its core after Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) assassinated Murray Franklin on live TV, Joker: Folie à Deux sees the murderer housed in Arkham and on trial. It is here his lawyer, Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener), starts to get familiar with Fleck and decides to argue that he suffers from dissociative identity disorder. Yet Fleck’s meeting with fellow inmate, Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga), feeds his Joker alter ego and jeopardizes his case. While bringing in $206.4 million at the box office, it fell short of the $450 million needed to break even.

A Vastly Different Direction for Joker

Disappointing or divisive? There is an argument to be made for both, as Joker: Folie à Deux still saw accolades from various outlets, and John Waters even named it one of the best films of 2024. Yet, it is hard to deny there was a resounding disappointment from the majority of the fandom around this one; whether it be the one infamous scene with Joker being ‘mistreated’ in prison or the musical elements, most felt it was a far cry from the original to the point of being insulting towards the audience. With how successful the first film by Todd Phillips was, it is no surprise that when this one hit the theaters, it came with a lot of presuppositions and almost seemed guaranteed to disappoint. You can stream Joker: Folie à Deux on Max.