This 2018 film was supposed to replace The Hunger Games, but it became one of cinema’s biggest box office bombs

The 2018 film, Mortal Engineshad the potential to become the next Hunger Gamesbut it ended up being one of the biggest box office failures. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Philip Reeve, Mortal Engines takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where cities are on wheels. With Hera Hilma and Robert Sheehan leading the cast of Mortal EnginesThe film showed great promise, but failed to win over the public and critics.

Following The Hunger Games‘ Conclusion In 2015, there was a race to find the next young adult franchise that could replicate its success. Mortal Engines It was supposed to be this franchise, but it was released too late. Despite its impressive visual effects and world-building, Mortal Engines received mixed reviews. When the film premiered, only grossed $7.5 million domestically in its opening weekend (through Mojo Box Office).

Mortal Engines had the potential to replace The Hunger Games as a film franchise

Mortal Engines wasn’t as successful as The Hunger Games

When The Hunger Games premiered in 2012 and made Jennifer Lawrence a superstar, paved the way for dystopian YA films. Mortal Engines had all the necessary elements to replace The Hunger Games as the next blockbuster YA fantasy film franchise. As The Hunger Games, Mortal Engines It was based on a successful book. It also had a strong female protagonist and an interesting dystopian world.

Despite its potential, Mortal Engines failed to replicate The Hunger Games‘success. So far, There was only one film adaptation of the Mortal Engines bookswhile everyone The Hunger Games books and the prequel have been adapted for the big screen. Other YA films, such as Divergent and The maze runner who were about to replace The Hunger Games suffered a similar fate. But at least they achieved a level of success that Mortal Engines failed to achieve.

Why Mortal Engines was a critical and commercial failure

Mortal Engines was not popular with critics and audiences

Mortal Engines was one of the most anticipated films of 2018, but ended up being a critical and commercial failure. Directed by Christian Rivers, Mortal Engines It received mixed reviews from critics, mainly because it lacked emotional depth and was slow-paced. Mortal Engines was also criticized because it used elements from other films such as Mad Max and Star Warswhich made him lose his identity.

Mortal Engines had an estimated production budget of US$100 million, but only grossed US$83 million at the box office, putting it at a loss (via Mojo Box Office). Several factors explained why Mortal Engines It was a box office bomb. While The Hunger Games It paved the way for YA dystopian fantasy films, but it also created a problem for other films in the genre. The Hunger Games had set the bar so high that most YA fantasy films simply couldn’t live up to its hype and popularity. The fact that Mortal Engines It had disappointing reviews also didn’t help its box office chances.

Although the Mortal Engines the books were successful, they did not have a large enough fan base to make a film adaptation a commercial success. Next, The deadly engines the film made major changes to the book, which didn’t make some fans of Philip Reeve’s novel happy. Another reason that contributed to Mortal Engines‘failure’ is the month it was released. Mortal Engines premiered in the US on December 14, 2018, the same day as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Aquaman was also released in the same month as Mortal Enginesmaking it even harder for the film to find an audience.

Sources: Mojo Box Office