The 2020s have seen a lot of great movies thus far, but not every one of them has sustained the hype.
It’s commonplace for a movie to receive plenty of buzz upon release and especially during award season, but there are so many movies that cannot meet that hype. Sometimes a film bombs from the get-go, while others would receive critical acclaim before dying off.
Unsurprisingly, some of these movies have all but disappeared from pop culture. They’re not necessarily overrated, as they have their fans. They are, however, definitely overhyped as they’ve failed to make a lasting impact on moviegoers as time goes on.
So let’s discuss some of the decade’s most overhyped movies thus far, whether they were complete duds or have become all but forgotten after their initial success.
Don’t Worry Darling
The rumors and buzz about Don’t Worry Darling‘s press tour felt like it received more excitement and attention than the actual movie itself.
Despite an interesting premise that could be seen as a modern take on The Stepford Wives, Don’t Worry Darling tries too hard to deliver a meaningful, thought-provoking film without making an effort to win over audiences.
The Matrix Resurrections
Speaking of delivering a meaningful, thought-provoking experience, you could argue that The Matrix Resurrections took the opposite approach and tried a little too hard.
The film isn’t afraid to go super meta, utilizing nostalgia to win fans over. Instead, it fails to understand what made The Matrix so great. There’s too much dialogue and commentary and not enough action.
Wicked
I’m not sure who made the decision to split the movie into two parts. Whoever did arguably killed any momentum this movie had.
The Broadway musical is a major success; there’s no denying that. However, you could watch as all the hype and buzz around Wicked died out between the release of the two films. Combining the story into one movie would have been a much better decision.
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The Avatar Sequels
Despite an over a decade-long wait between 2009’s Avatar and its first sequel, 2022’s The Way of Water, the Avatar movies continue to gross billions at the box office despite their bloated runtimes.
Yet despite that box office success, it feels like these movies have come and gone without much fanfare. There’s no denying that they’re cinematic spectacles, but I can’t help but feel like many will view these as a footnote on James Cameron’s career.
Longlegs
Nic Cage plays a creepy serial killer? That alone was enough to get people interested in checking out the 2024 horror film.
However, there’s nothing here to keep the movie relevant. The horror genre has enjoyed a lot of success as of late, thanks in part to films like Smile and Weapons. Longlegs falls short in comparison. It’s a shame, because there’s so much wasted potential. Instead, the movie is perfectly content to fall into that Netflix trap of explaining what’s happening through far too much expositionary dialogue.
Elvis
Austin Butler looked the part, Tom Hanks is Tom Hanks, and there’s no denying that a Baz Luhrmann film has style.
Elvis had a lot of momentum going into its release, but to say it just completely fell flat is a massive understatement.
Priscilla
That wasn’t the only Elvis-related film to get overhyped heading into release before failing to deliver.
Sofia Coppola’s 2023 biographical drama Priscilla, which wasn’t afraid to showcase the dark side of the relationship between Elvis and Priscilla Presley, was a certified box office bomb despite positive reviews and a strong performance from Cailee Spaeny.
Wonder Woman 1984
The first Wonder Woman movie was an enjoyable film that proved D.C. Comics could hang with Marvel! Alas, the same cannot be said about the sequel.
Wonder Woman 1984 is a gigantic mess, and all signs point to the terrible performance of its lead, Gal Gadot.
The Brutalist
It’s only fitting that Adrian Brody’s acceptance speech for Best Actor wouldn’t end, because that’s what watching The Brutalist felt like.
I’m not saying that every movie needs constant action; Oppenheimer is proof that you can fill a movie with lots of dialogue and still make it entertaining. Instead, The Brutalist commits the biggest cardinal sin of all movies: being boring.
Anora
I’m not sure what the Academy was thinking by making Anora the film with the most wins at the 97th Academy Awards. There were so many better movies in 2024.
It’s not a bad movie, and Mikey Madison was certainly deserving of winning Best Actress, even if I thought it should have gone to Demi Moore. The best movie of the year, though? Give me a break.
Emilia Perez
At least Anora was a good movie, though. Emilia Perez, the film that somehow gained the most nominations that year, with 13, feels like a fever dream.
I’ve yet to meet a single person who sincerely enjoyed this film, but that didn’t stop award season from building a momentum train that thankfully came to a screeching halt.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things
There’s so much star power behind Charlie Kaufman’s (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) 2020 film, but I can’t help that its timing killed any momentum for it.
Releasing in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was released in select theaters before arriving on Netflix. Despite positive reviews, it was met with little to no fanfare by moviegoers.
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