Hollywood's top 2024 films are mostly sequels, but a significant number of franchise films did less at the box office in 2024 than their previous counterparts. The tug of war between expectation and reality defines the film industry, especially its business side. For viewers, a film's ability to live up to its hype is often the biggest determining factor in the viewing experience. Disappointing films thus become major points of contention because even something acceptable like Star Wars: The Phantom Menace receives unbridled hate if it is too exaggerated before it is seen.
Despite the continued trend of Hollywood releasing sequels and the general lack of creativity found in big blockbusters these days, the summer 2024 box office has seen a rebound. The pleasantly surprising good releases that met expectations and even exceeded them managed to rescue a victory for the cinemas. In fact, over the last 10 years, in an ocean of disappointing films, films that exceed expectations managed to reinvent people's expectations in total and also held the box office numbers of most major studios.
10
Bee (2018)
A refreshing change of pace from the Transformers franchise
While his films are responsible for developing enthusiasm among fans for live-action films based on the famous animated toys and shows, Michael Bay is unfortunately also responsible for killing all interest in the franchise when it ended. Transformers. There was heart and soul to the first film, which had a sense of adventure and exploration driving the story that had more to do than just prepare viewers for each successive big explosion and elaborate fight sequence of unnecessarily large proportions. But for The Last Knightonly the explosions remained, and they were accompanied by breaches.
Even though it was directed by someone else, featuring a new cast and revisiting a past plot, practically a prequel to the franchise until then, there was little interest in Bee. So when the film turned out to be a small-scale, almost slice-of-life action comedy that focused more on the characters' emotional arcs than setting up spectacular action set pieces, everyone was pleasantly surprised. Bee introduces a character-driven narrative to the blockbuster franchise and it's the perfect rhythm break before returning to the main plot with Rise of the Beasts.
9
Game Night (2018)
A surprising modern classic for the comedy genre
There was no National Lamp films since the 2015 prequel Vacation starring Ed Helms. Despite its comedic talents and many cameos, the script is simply too weak to make viewers care or to recreate the vibe that the National Lamp the films have gained so many fans over the years. So, when the directors of Vacation came back with an adventure comedy, no one was prepared for it to be this good! Game night is a permanent fixture on every list of good movies with low expectations.
The balance between slapstick comedy, mystery, action and drama is as perfect as the balance between the set of characters in relation to their relevance and impact on the plot of Game night. With a similar premise to David Fincher The gametakes the elements of a sinister mystery and features unexpected action sequences and a set of unforgettable jokes which creates a chaotic mix of energy. The actors' enthusiasm for committing to their parts creates a compelling emotional thread that completes the characterization at the climax.
8
Blockers (2018)
A Rare Modern R-Rated Comedy
R-rated comedies peaked in the 2000s. Hangover franchise and films like Project Xevery remaining crude joke on the planet seemed to have been made three times. The emphasis on political correctness that began to increase in the mid-2010s caused the genre to disappear. This has led to the rise of action comedies like the reboot Salto Street duology, but the typical comedy focused on innuendo and misunderstandings of inappropriate circumstances became reserved exclusively for sitcom programs. So everyone assumed Blockers it would either be a retread of older comedy tropes or it would be too tasteless to be enjoyed.
If a American Pie film were made today, it would be Blockers.
Instead, it's an innuendo-filled, sex-positive comedy that somehow strikes the perfect balance between slapstick jokes and emotional drama. The storyline involving the queer character and her supportive father is the perfect demonstration of how focusing on politically correct narratives doesn't inherently kill the potential for comedy. If a American Pie film were made today, it would be Blockers. In a sea of failed comedies or comedies that blend into other genres, it maintains the generic structure of a full comedy and uses typical elements to drive the characterization that makes the story so compelling.
7
Happy Death Day (2017)
Impeccably balances multiple genres
Since then Groundhog Day popularized the genre, there have been attempts to make cool time loop movies every year. The concept of a protagonist repeating the same day until he learns a valuable lesson is appealing. But it is not easy to create premises that make it convincing beyond the basic structure and, in this case, it becomes a poor remake of Groundhog Day. Happy death day adds the horror and comedy genres to the mix to create a chaotic, moving, terrifying and hilarious rollercoaster of emotions.
Jessica Rothe is captivating as the protagonist who goes through a lot of character development as she tries to prevent gruesome murders before her time runs out. Happy death day It is still an absolute surprise and a hidden gem because no one expects it to balance comedy, drama, horror and science fiction so well. That's it a refreshing view of the time loop who opened the way for Palm Springs to be successful in 2020.
6
John Wick (2014)
Revived the action thriller genre
Action thrillers became formulaic exercises in mind-checking unbelievable choreography, disregard for the laws of physics, and large-scale explosions, served up with a heavy side of CGI that distracted from the basic, repetitive nature of the plot. And then Keanu Reeves donned a suit to avenge his dog's murder. One of the film's characters who helped reshape genre expectations, the titular protagonist of John Wick is a smooth gentleman of few words who ruthlessly kills anyone in his path.
The idea of murderous violence over a dog may not be boring, but apart from Keanu Reeves, John Wick it didn't have enough USP until after the film's release, when word of mouth gave it the reputation it deserved. It surpassed all expectations and reintroduced the world to quality action cinema, devoid of CGI, shaky cameras and irrational stunts. Wick is simply incredibly competent. He has limited stamina, gets injured and even needs to take breaks. His willpower and tenacity make him so dangerous. The characterization reclaimed the action hero from the gravity-defying stuntman.
5
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
A surprisingly refreshing and fun action comedy
Fans of the tabletop RPG are naturally skeptical of any material that attempts to represent the experience of playing Dungeons & Dragons. Different The Legend of Vox Machinawhich is based on a real-life game, although with adjustments that don't always please the most dedicated fans, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves it has not been confirmed to be based on real games. But John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein deliver an emotionally tender, adventurous, chaotic, action-packed, funny, and magical experience for all viewers, regardless of their previous experience with the game.
It perfectly captures the mix of comedy, heroism, and tragedy that accompanies any real-life Dungeons and Dragons game.
Although some inaccuracies are naturally present, some are rooted in the artistic freedom necessary to craft the character-based narrative, Honor among thieves surprisingly gets a lot of things right about Dungeons and Dragons. The visual effects and fight choreography flesh out the lived-in world, which engages viewers with its lore and fantastical design. It perfectly captures the mix of comedy, heroism, and tragedy that accompanies any real-life Dungeons and Dragons game, telling a story with a lot of heart and also full of hilarious situations.
4
Poison (2018)
A unique blend of the comedy and superhero genres
In case of Poisonword of mouth killed the hype as quickly as the marketing campaign created it. Sony's insistence that Poison it would be the darkest, grittiest superhero movie to ever create false expectations in viewers. That, and people's hope for a better, preferably darker, version of Venom, since Topher Grace gave one of the worst superhero movie performances of all time as the character of Spider-Man 3, ruined Poisonperception.
However, Poison is a hilarious comedy disguised as an antihero story. It's an exaggerated interpretation of the lethal protector, which involves Brock and Venom fighting like a married couple. The bromance between them is so impeccable that if the film ended with the main plot it would have been better. However, it is a poorly evaluated film and if it weren't for the opposite expectations established by bad marketing, Poison it would be appreciated for the revisionist film that it is. THE balance between bloody and ironic comedy he does Poison more fun than expected.
3
The LEGO Batman Movie (2017)
A bizarre reinterpretation of Batman that works
The LEGO Movie (2014) achieved something unique that viewers naturally believed could not be repeated with better results. It features silly jokes that would elicit more groans than laughs on a normal day, absurdity that borders more on convenience than surrealism, and silly characterization that conceptually seems to be in direct conflict with the depth of the message the film conveys. . However, these elements create an inexplicable mix that shouldn't work on paper to create a comedy classic for the ages. 3 years later, with more nonsense, they repeated it with Batman, and made one of the best LEGO movies!
The film versions of Batman, especially the live-action ones, are known for being brooding, violent, bland, and silent. Will Arnett's LEGO Batman talks all the time, makes more dark jokes than screens in his batcave, is still quite violent and often uses comedy as a deflection mechanism. He is the antithesis of how the audiovisual media interpreted the comic book character, but deep down he represents Batman better, at least, than Zack Snyder's version of Ben Affleck. He represents the same values, but it is exaggeratedand the mix creates one of the best Batman films of all time.
2
Saw X (2023)
An unexpectedly brilliant installment in the franchise
THE Mountain range The films began to grow the moment they began to rely on elaborate retcons of Jigsaw's death scene and its aftermath, rather than focusing on the characterization of the victims caught in Jigsaw's fascinating traps. The ingenuity of the traps will keep viewers coming back, but in the ninth film, no one expected a convincing film Mountain range film no more. It was then revealed that Tobin Bell would return as Jigsaw, which caused controversy, leaving fans split down the middle, with some expecting a refreshing entry, others still skeptical.
Not only does Saw exceed all expectations, it might just be the best of the Mountain range films since Mountain range. Jigsaw's return had a clear impact on the narrative, mainly because Saw is a prequel, and the pacing issues of the previous entries don't bother I saw X. It's still full of shocking but well-spaced revelations, and the film takes this time to personalize the characters' conflicts, which also inspires fear in viewers. Most importantly, the traps are more than cruel and, for any Mountain range fan, Saw It's the most welcome break.
1
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
An unexpectedly moving social drama
Kaiju films are generally horror films, sometimes with science fiction elements and often involving an emotional arc centered on the protagonists. However, the formula overloaded the cinematic space and, when Godzilla minus one was announced, no one expected it to be anything more than another festival of destruction. The Japanese perspective is obviously attractive because Hollywood misunderstood Godzilla in its blockbusters, but even so, the hype wasn't real until the film's release and critics couldn't stop praising it. Godzilla minus one.
Godzilla Minus One uses Godzilla's presence in the metaphorical sense in which the monster was first perceived. The Oscar-winning visual effects team transformed Godzilla into a living, breathing monster that represents the devastation of nuclear holocaust and brings out people's primal survival instincts. Using the emotionally affecting techniques common to horror films, Godzilla minus one it says the story of popular heroism that creates a collectivist society that questions a corrupt government and prioritizes the survival of the community. It's unexpectedly moving and exceeds all genre expectations set by Hollywood Kaiju films.