In defense of box office flops like 'Joker: Folie à Deux' and 'Megalopolis'

By Matthew Frank | The Ankler

Published Oct 17, 2024 5:00 AM

A man in a dark suit wearing sunglasses poses with a white woman in the black dress against the backdrop of poster that says "Joker" with a man in clown makeup.

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Topline:

After Joker: Folie à Deux and Megalopolis flopped at the box office, pundits were quick to excoriate their filmmakers and studios for the big swings they took. But big swings — which often end up flopping — are at the foundation of what the film industry needs to survive.

Why it matters: The only path toward the next big thing is a healthy stream of failures to get there. Hollywood has been overly reliant on IP and sequel fare in the film industry, and the way to get out of that cycle is to take risks on new ideas. When the big successes eventually hit, they end up paying for all those flops anyways.

Director flop artists: Every great filmmaker has had flops. Steven Spielberg made Hook. James Cameron made The Abyss. Flops are essential for great directors to get to the good stuff, and without the space to make flops, filmmakers can become overly conservative.

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The failure business: The lessons that emerge from these flops is that more creative people need to be empowered to try different things. The industry was convinced that video games could never be adapted into successful movies until The Super Mario Bros. Movie. It believed that superhero movies were a pipe dream until Disney acquired Marvel and made dozens of megahits.

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This story is published in partnership with The Ankler, a paid subscription publication about the entertainment industry.