Hellboy is here, and it’s a total disaster. There are a lot of factors behind the failure of the superhero movie reboot. Let’s break down why it bombed at the box office and see if we can nail down just what exactly went so wrong with Hellboy 2019.
The critics have spoken, and they weren’t pleased. But most damning for the Hellboy franchise’s future prospects is the fact that this version of Big Red didn’t make any money at all.
According to Box Office Mojo, the opening weekend for Hellboy brought in considerably less than even studio Lionsgate’s lowest expectations. While the studio hoped for at least a $17 million take to start things off for the movie’s theatrical run, Hellboy instead brought back only $12 million from more than 3,300 theaters, earning a third place at the domestic box office during its debut.
All that against a budget that’s been reported to be at least $50 million. In other words, it looks like everyone who backed this project is about to lose their money.
Clearly, the world wasn’t on fire with anticipation for a new, rebooted Hellboy movie. But not many predicted it would turn out this bad. As reviews rolled in over the movie’s opening weekend, Hellboy’s Rotten Tomatoes score hovered near the single digits, eventually reaching a 15% rating with roughly 150 reviews.
Naturally, the reactions are full of punny alley-oops. The movie is like a personal h***, or at least the tenth circle of one. It’s a h*** of a headache and a hellish experience. It both came from and can go to… you get it. The point is, people hated this movie. One of the more understated disses came from the Associated Press review.
One of the biggest problems the new Hellboy failed to overcome is many fans’ continuing allegiance to the original two movies directed by Guillermo del Toro. Long before this new version of the franchise was being worked on, del Toro and original Hellboy Ron Perlman were ready and willing to step up for a third act. But over the course of the next decade, hopes for that reunion ever happening slowly faded, with producers steering the property toward a reboot instead. Keep watching the video to see why Hellboy was doomed from the start.
#Hellboy #Hellboy2019
Doomed to disappoint | 0:15
Abysmal reviews | 0:54
Suffer by comparison | 1:41
Ready, set, fight | 2:43
Overstuffed, yet undercooked | 3:39
Dammit to H*** | 4:37