History Main / PresumedFlop

* The Platform/GameGear is often remembered, alongside the Platform/AtariLynx and the [[Platform/TurboGrafx16 TurboExpress]], as a complete flop that failed to dent the Platform/GameBoy's massive success.[[note]]Though calling the [=TurboExpress=] a flop isn't quite accurate as it wasn't really intended to compete with the Game Boy and Lynx, it was a portable TG-16 that was marketed as a niche product for the wealthy. After all, the Platform/{{SNES}} outsold the Platform/NeoGeo AES by a roughly 40 to 1 margin but no one would call the AES a flop. And given the low development cost (games were already in stores and the hardware was already in the TG-16, it just needed to be repackaged and given a screen) and high price point ($250 or about $'''575''' in 2024 dollars) it was quite profitable, with 1.5 million units sold worldwide. For what it's worth it outsold its closest competitor in the [[Platform/SegaGenesis Genesis]] Nomad (though the Nomad was released just as the TG-16 got the axe) by a half million units[[/note]] While's it's true that the Game Gear's success was dwarfed by its competitor, it still managed to sell 10 million units and was a modest hit for Creator/{{Sega}}.

* ''Film/Ted2'' is commonly seen as Creator/SethMacfarlane's second directorial failure after ''Film/AMillionWaysToDieInTheWest'' as it failed to capture both the critical and commercial success of its [[''{{Film/Ted}}'' predecessor]]. Its also (as of 2024), the last film to be directed by Macfarlane as he seems to now focus entirely on his Television Shows. Macfarlane himself has poked fun at how [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VQWMqzs5SA&pp=ygUQZmFtaWx5IGd1eSB0ZWQgMg%3D%3D Ted 2 underperformed]]. This all implies that "Ted 2" was a flop, and while it wasn't the success Macfarlane or the studio were expecting, it was still very profittable, grossing $215.9 million on a $68 million budget. And it seems this was enough for ''Creator/{{Peacock}}'' to greenlight a [[Series/Ted2024 prequel series]] which was received much more positively.

* ''Film/Ted2'' is commonly seen as Creator/SethMacfarlane's second directorial failure after ''Film/AMillionWaysToDieInTheWest'' as it failed to capture both the critical and commercial success of its [[''Film/Ted'' predecessor]]. Its also (as of 2024), the last film to be directed by Macfarlane as he seems to now focus entirely on his Television Shows. Macfarlane himself has poked fun at how [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VQWMqzs5SA&pp=ygUQZmFtaWx5IGd1eSB0ZWQgMg%3D%3D Ted 2 underperformed]]. This all implies that "Ted 2" was a flop, and while it wasn't the success Macfarlane or the studio were expecting, it was still very profittable, grossing $215.9 million on a $68 million budget. And it seems this was enough for ''Creator/{{Peacock}}'' to greenlight a [[Series/Ted2024 prequel series]] which was received much more positively.

* ''Film/Ted2'' is commonly seen as Creator/SethMacfarlane's second directorial failure after ''Film/AMillionWaysToDieInTheWest'' as it failed to capture both the critical and commercial success of its [[Film/Ted predecessor]]. Its also (as of 2024), the last film to be directed by Macfarlane as he seems to now focus entirely on his Television Shows. Macfarlane himself has poked fun at how [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VQWMqzs5SA&pp=ygUQZmFtaWx5IGd1eSB0ZWQgMg%3D%3D Ted 2 underperformed]]. This all implies that Ted 2 was a flop, and while it wasn't the success Macfarlane or the studio were expecting, it was still very profittable, grossing $215.9 million on a $68 million budget. And it seems this was enough for Creator/Peacock to greenlight a [[Series/Ted2024 prequel series]] which was received much more positively.

* ''Film/ValleyOfTheDolls'', similar to ''Mommie Dearest'' is often lumped in with other films that got reputations as unintentional comedies and flopped at the Box Office. However, despite the critical thrashing, it was Paramount's highest grossing film that year. Only only a $5 million budget, it grossed $44 million! It's often touted as a StarDerailingRole for actresses Creator/PattyDuke and Creator/BarbaraParkins, but the former still won several Emmy awards after and saw a career downturn more due to health problems, and the latter actively turned down other roles in favour of a more reclusive existence (as she was now financially stable thanks to ''Peyton Place'').

* ''VideoGame/StarWarsBattlefrontII2017'' had a [[OvershadowedByControversy massive controversy]] at the time of its release regarding its monetized loot boxes which leads people to think that the game sold poorly. And while it didn't meet the planned sales expectations of [[Creator/ElectronicArts EA]] (who were expecting 10 million copies sold but only 9 million were sold). Because Creator/{{DICE}} actually fixed the loot box issue and added continuous updates, the game is now much better recieved at its current state. With it being one of the best-selling Star Wars games of all time. In addition, thanks to a [[UpdatedReRelease Re-release]] made to coincide with the release of "Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker", some estimates even put it higher than the much better recieved ''VideoGame/StarWarsJediFallenOrder''.

* ''VideoGame/LANoire'' is believed to be a flop by some due to its lengthy development cycle and to AccentuateTheNegative regarding its developer Team Bondi's mismanagement, its contentious relationship with publisher Creator/RockstarGames as well as poor working conditions and mistreatment by the lead designer. Despite all of this, the game sold quite well. Shipping four million units in its first month alone and its sales only seem small when compared to the gargantuan sales of the other games published by Rockstar (VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV and VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption). However, the problematic development cycle mean that the planned SpiritualSuccessor "Whore of the Orient" will likely never come out.

* ''VideoGame/StarWarsBattlefrontII2017'' had a [[OvershadowedByControversy massive controversy]] at the time of its release regarding its monetized loot boxes which leads people to think that the game sold poorly. And while it didn't meet the planned sales expectations of [[Creator/ElectronicArts EA]] (who were expecting 10 million copies sold but only 9 million were sold). Because Creator/{{DICE}} actually fixed the loot box issue and added continuous updates, the game is now much better recieved at its current state. With it being one of the best-selling Star Wars games of all time, some estimates even put it higher than the much better recieved ''VideoGame/StarWarsJediFallenOrder''.

* The Platform/GameGear is often remembered, alongside the Platform/AtariLynx and the [[Platform/TurboGrafx16 TurboExpress]], as a complete flop that failed to dent the Platform/GameBoy's massive success. While's it's true that the Game Gear's success was dwarfed by its competitor, it still managed to sell 10 million units and was a modest hit for Creator/{{Sega}}.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'' is considered one of Pixar's most divisive films, especially riding on the heels of the embarrassing reception of ''WesternAnimation/Cars2''. At the time, it was not only one of the highest grossing animated films of 2012, but it also garnered several awards, including an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward and a UsefulNotes/{{BAFTA}}.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'' is notably for being the only Disney cartoon to get a UsefulNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward nomination -- cementing its reputation as the animation studio's biggest failure of the decade. However, despite the bafflement caused by some MisaimedMarketing hiding the movie's darker themes, it still made over $300 million. In fact, the Razzie nom was exactly "Worst Movie to Gross Over $100 Million", a quantity ''Hunchback'' barely scraped domestically, and which follow-up ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'' ended up a million short.

* ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'' is a ContestedSequel and lumped as a failure alongside the other ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' movies that followed it. And yet while it didn't make the huge numbers of ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'', ''[=T3=]'' is the only of that movie's follow-ups that didn't emerge as a BoxOfficeBomb, $433M on a $170-187M budget. (''Film/TerminatorGenisys'' made $7M more and cost less, but had the issue of failing domestically -- just $89M, while ''[=T3=]'' managed $150M with [[UsefulNotes/RestrictedRating higher content ratings]].)

* 1983's ''Film/StayingAlive'', the sequel to the 1977 smash hit ''Film/SaturdayNightFever'', is regarded as a movie that bombed horribly and derailed Creator/JohnTravolta's career until a [[CareerResurrection resurgence]] in the 1990s. Critics at the time and today regard it as a tacky, embarrassing cash-in, with absolutely none of the heart or gritty realism of its predecessor, although they admit the dancing sequences are just as well-done, if not more so. But it was not a financial failure at all: it made $65M on a $22M budget.

* ''WesternAnimation/Elemental2023'' found itself sandwiched between two superhero movies (''Film/TheFlash2023'' and ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManAcrossTheSpiderVerse'') which made its box-office prospects low to begin with. The film's opening weekend of $29.5 million was the second-lowest in Pixar's history (only higher than [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory1 Toy Story's]] opening weekend of $26 million which adjusted to inflation is actually $56 million and sold far more tickets). This led to several news outlets to label ''Elemental'' as a flop with Variety going so far as to write that there was "no hope of recouping its $200 million production budget domestically". Surprisingly, the film made a massive comeback internationally, making a total of $494 million worldwide. The film performed particularly well in South Korea, which makes sense given Director's Peter Sohn Korean-American background which helped the film resonate with Korean audiences. It did so well internationally that it even managed to surpass ''Across the Spider-Verse's'' international box-office. [[note]] ''Across the Spider-Verse'' kept its lead in the domestic market though. [[/note]]

* The 1980 Music/NeilDiamond-fronted remake of ''Film/TheJazzSinger'' made back more than double its budget, but the film's TroubledProduction, including a delayed gestation period and the original director getting fired midway through production, then the original female lead quitting shortly thereafter, bloated its budget, so (much like ''Film/{{Popeye}}'') the producers publicly wrote it off as a financial disappointment. It also unfairly got lumped in with other 1980 NonActorVehicle musicals (''Film/CantStopTheMusic'', ''Film/OneTrickPony'') that ''were'' genuine [[BoxOfficeBomb Box Office Bombs]].

* The 1980 ''Film/{{Popeye}}'' film is remembered as a flop, despite making three times its budget. This might be due to its mixed reviews, Creator/RobinWilliams' distaste for the film's production, and the fact that Creator/{{Disney}} wrote it off as one publicly.

* ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' is often brought up as an example of an anime [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff that tanked in its home country but became a huge success overseas]]. Except while it didn't have the lasting staying power the series would have in the West, ''Bebop'' was very well-received in Japan. In fact, it was the best-selling anime on home video in 1998; only two series sold more in that year (''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' and the original ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam''), both of which were from previous years. While the initial broadcast run was CutShort, this was due to the show’s violent content running afoul of censors rather than poor ratings, and it would receive a full run on satellite television a few months later. The misconception likely stems from lumping it together with fellow {{space western}}s ''Anime/OutlawStar'' and ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'', which premiered the same year and ''are'' examples of that trope.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Horizon}}'' series has developed a reputation as a [[AlwaysSecondBest perennial runner-up]] due to ''[[VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn Zero Dawn]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/HorizonForbiddenWest Forbidden West]]'' [[DuelingWorks releasing alongside]] ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' and ''VideoGame/EldenRing'' respectively, with both games being heavily overshadowed in the public consciousness by their hotly anticipated rivals. Even so, they were still massively successful, with both even outselling their rivals in terms of initial sales in the UK. ''Zero Dawn'' in particular was the best-selling new IP on the Platform/PlayStation4 at the time of release, and as of 2023 has managed to move over 24 million copies worldwide, making it ''the best-selling [[Creator/SonyInteractiveEntertainment PlayStation]] first-party game of all time.''

* The ''VideoGame/{{Horizon}}'' series has developed a reputation as a [[AlwaysSecondBest perennial runner-up]] due to ''[[VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn Zero Dawn]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/HorizonForbiddenWest Forbidden West]]'' [[DuelingWorks releasing alongside]] ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' and ''VideoGame/EldenRing'' respectively, with both games being heavily overshadowed in the public consciousness by their hotly anticipated rivals. Even so, they were still massively successful, with both even outselling their rivals in terms of initial sales in the UK. ''Zero Dawn'' in particular was the best-selling new IP on the Platform/PlayStation4 at the time of release, and as of 2023 has managed to move over 24 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling [[Creator/SonyInteractiveEntertainment PlayStation]] first-party game of all time.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Horizon}}'' series has developed a reputation as a [[AlwaysSecondBest perennial runner-up]] due to ''[[VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn Zero Dawn]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/HorizonForbiddenWest Forbidden West]]'' [[DuelingWorks releasing alongside]] ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' and ''VideoGame/EldenRing'' respectively, with both games being heavily overshadowed in the public consciousness by their hotly anticipated rivals. Even so, they were still massively successful, with both even outselling their rivals in terms of initial sales in the UK. ''Zero Dawn'' in particular was the best-selling new IP on the Platform/PlayStation4 at the time of release, and as of 2023 has managed to move over 24 million copies worldwide, making it "the best-selling [[Creator/SonyInteractiveEntertainment PlayStation]] first-party game".

* "VideoGame/StarWarsBattlefrontII2017" had a [[OvershadowedByControversy massive controversy]] at the time of its release regarding its monetized loot boxes which leads people to think that the game sold poorly. And while it didn't meet the planned sales expectations of [[Creator/ElectronicArts EA]] (who were expecting 10 million copies sold but only 9 million copies were sold). Because Creator/{{DICE}} actually fixed the loot box issue and added continuous updates, the game is now much better recieved at its current state. With it being one of the best-selling Star Wars games of all time, some estimates even put it higher than the much better recieved VideoGame/StarWarsJediFallenOrder.

* The Platform/PlayStationPortable, at least in the west. Despite many people ragging on Creator/SonyInteractiveEntertainment's failure with handheld devices as a result of the [[Platform/PlayStationVita [=PlayStation=] Vita's]] own failure, the PSP actually sold pretty decently overall - worldwide sales of the console have it at around '''76 million units''' sold overall, around the same as the Platform/Nintendo3DS did years later and just a few million under the Platform/GameBoyAdvance. Not to mention that it did have a pretty decent library of games, namely with ''VideoGame/CrisisCoreFinalFantasyVII'', various ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' titles, ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'', ''VideoGame/GodOfWarChainsOfOlympus'', ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoLibertyCityStories Liberty City Stories]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCityStories Vice City Stories]]'' all being [[KillerApp system-sellers]] for the PSP. So why is it generally overlooked when people bring up Sony's failure with handhelds? Because it had the misfortune as being released in the same generation as the Platform/NintendoDS, which sold a whopping '''154 million units''', became the bestselling handheld console of all time as well as the second-bestselling console in general after Sony's own Platform/PlayStation2, and also had exclusive games from franchises like ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' and ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' on it in addition to the [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros usual]] [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda lineup]] [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} of Nintendo]] [[Franchise/AnimalCrossing regulars]], as well as '''many''' casual-friendly franchises like ''VideoGame/{{Nintendogs}}'', ''VideoGame/BrainAge'', ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'', and ''VideoGame/AceAttorney'' that resulted in the Nintendo DS having much more broader market appeal than the PSP did. Even the PSP's main system-sellers in Japan, the ''Monster Hunter'' games, were countered by the Nintendo DS getting ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIX'' as an exclusive, as ''Franchise/DragonQuest'' is just as popular in Japan as ''Monster Hunter'', if not more so.

* ''Series/Supergirl2015'' suffered massively from AndYouThoughtItWouldFail, due to an unflattering trailer and a lot of controversy surrounding its pro-feminist messaging, as well as starring a comic book character who had struggled to find a footing in the last two decades. When it was revealed that CBS were unwilling to renew it for a second season, many assumed it was because the show had been a huge failure, not helped by its subsequent ChannelHop to Creator/TheCW, who had gained a negative reputation for the content they produce and especially regarding their superhero fanfare. However, it actually had ''really decent'' ratings on CBS, being ''the'' most watched superhero show at the time it aired (with an average of 9.81 million per episode, it was ''considerably'' higher than the ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'' franchise it was adopted by when it moved to the CW). The reason CBS chose not to renew ''Supergirl'' wasn't due to its lack of success, but rather the sheer expense of the show (costing around $3 million an episode), and the move to The CW was owed to the desire for a cheaper production studio.

* For a region-specific example, it's often claimed that ''Film/BlackPanther2018'', despite excellent business worldwide, [[AmericansHateTingle flopped in China]], going in line with the tendency for films with prominent black characters to underperform there. It actually did quite well: it managed the fourth-highest debut for a superhero film in the country, and its review scores according to film sites were in the "above-average" range. Certainly not the mega-hit it was in its native country, but far from a flop--though the film's promotion seemingly going out of its way to hide the fact that it had black characters in it may have contributed to the idea that it did a lot worse. [[note]] Even this seems to have been over-exaggerated as well, as it could be entirely possible that foreign marketing knew that Creator/ChadwickBoseman was not well-known outside of the US and instead decided to focus its marketing on the character of Black Panther itself which was already introduced in Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar. But that alone can be [[ValuesDissonance debated.]]

* The ''VideoGame/{{Horizon}}'' series has developed a reputation as a [[AlwaysSecondBest perennial runner-up]] due to ''[[VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn Zero Dawn]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/HorizonForbiddenWest Forbidden West]]'' [[DuelingWorks releasing alongside]] ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' and ''VideoGame/EldenRing'' respectively, with both games being heavily overshadowed in the public consciousness by their hotly anticipated rivals. Even so, they were still massively successful, with both even outselling their rivals in terms of initial sales in the UK. ''Zero Dawn'' in particular was the best-selling new IP on the Platform/PlayStation4 at the time of release, and as of 2023 has managed to move over 24 million copies worldwide, making it {{the best-selling [[Creator/SonyInteractiveEntertainment PlayStation]] first-party game}}.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Horizon}}'' series has developed a reputation as a [[AlwaysSecondBest perennial runner-up]] due to ''[[VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn Zero Dawn]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/HorizonForbiddenWest Forbidden West]]'' [[DuelingWorks releasing alongside]] ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' and ''VideoGame/EldenRing'' respectively, with both games being heavily overshadowed in the public consciousness by their hotly anticipated rivals. Even so, they were still massively successful, with both even outselling their rivals in terms of initial sales in the UK. ''Zero Dawn'' in particular was the best-selling new IP on the PlayStation4 at the time of release, and as of 2023 has managed to move over 24 million copies worldwide, making it {{the best-selling [[Creator/SonyInteractiveEntertainment PlayStation]] first-party game}}.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Horizon}}'' series has developed a reputation as a [[AlwaysSecondBest perennial runner-up]] due to ''[[VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn Zero Dawn]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/HorizonForbiddenWest Forbidden West]]'' [[DuelingWorks releasing alongside]] ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' and ''VideoGame/EldenRing'' respectively, with both games being heavily overshadowed in the public consciousness by their hotly anticipated rivals. Even so, they were still massively successful, with both even outselling their rivals in terms of initial sales in the UK. ''Zero Dawn'' in particular was the best-selling new IP on the PlayStation4 at the time of release, and as of 2023 has managed to move over 24 million copies worldwide, making it "the best-selling [[Creator/SonyInteractiveEntertainment PlayStation]] first-party game".

* The ''VideoGame/{{Horizon}}'' series has developed a reputation as a [[AlwaysSecondBest perennial runner-up]] due to ''[[VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn Zero Dawn]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/HorizonForbiddenWest Forbidden West]]'' [[DuelingWorks releasing alongside]] ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' and ''VideoGame/EldenRing'' respectively, with both games being heavily overshadowed in the public consciousness by their hotly anticipated rivals. Even so, they were still massively successful, with both even outselling their rivals in terms of initial sales in the UK. ''Zero Dawn'' in particular was the best-selling new IP on the Platform/PlayStation4 at the time of release, and as of 2023 has managed to move over 24 million copies worldwide, making it [[the best-selling PlayStation first-party game]].