Yes, it's a cliche to remark that the movie business isn't easy. If it were Hollywood would be celebrating multiple blockbusters grossing over $300 million this summer and, if you haven't been paying attention, they clearly are not. What works as a pitch, a screenplay or a development package doesn't always work on screen.
“Sex Tape” is a perfect and very recent example of a concept, stars and a director who should combine to create, at the worst, an entertaining hit. Anyone who saw the flick this weekend can tell you the film didn't live up to either expectation. Every movie is a gamble and in this case, Sony Pictures came up short. And, obviously, they aren't the only ones. This year we've seen “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit,” “Pompeii,” “Need for Speed,” “Transcendence” and “Million Dollar Arm,” among others, fail either creatively or commercially because it just didn't work out like everyone involved thought it would. That's the movie business people.
With that in mind, HitFix's movie team has pulled some notorious releases over the past few decades that worked in concept, but not execution. You may agree with some, you may disagree with others. You can find them all in the embedded gallery at the bottom of this post and let us know what you think in the comments section.