While Hollywood has cashed in on book series after book series, it's no secret directors have failed to perfect the art of bringing popular video games to the big screen.
Unless it's a "Lara Croft" or "Resident Evil" film led by Angelina Jolie or Milla Jovovich, most game adaptations suffer from poor scripts, weak dialogue, and acting from unrecognized talent that resulted in awful reviews and box-office reception.
When "Need for Speed" comes to theaters Friday, DreamWorks hopes it can break that cycle with the help of "Breaking Bad" star Aaron Paul.
Based on the popular franchise that's turning 20 this year, the film cost an estimated $66 million to make.
Current estimates are tracking the film for a $19 million debut. That number may be tough to crack as many reviews pouring out for the adaptation aren't positive.
We’ve compiled the worst-performing video game adaptations. Movies are ranked according to monetary intake compared to its budget.
12. "Silent Hill: Revelation 3D" (2012)
Budget: $20 million
Worldwide: $52.3 million
Distributor: Open Road Films
The sequel to the 2006 adaptation received a 5% on critic aggregator Rotten Tomatoes for being a jumble of jump-scare tactics combined with weak performances. That's probably why it made about half as much as the original at the box office.
The first film’s director Christophe Gans turned down the sequel. Writer Roger Avary didn’t return after he was sentenced to a year in prison for vehicular manslaughter.
(Source: Box Office Mojo)
11. "House of the Dead" (2003)
Budget: $12 million
Worldwide: $13.8 million
Distributor: Artisan
You probably see Sega's "House of the Dead" in nearly every arcade you step foot inside. The film adaptation was considered a cheesy horror adaptation.
(Source: Box Office Mojo)
10. "Doom" (2005)
Budget: $60 million
Worldwide: $56 million
Distributor: Universal
The first-person shooter from id Software was tossed around at movie studios for a while (the rights went from Universal and Columbia Pictures to Warner Bros. before finally returning to Universal).
Reviews for director Andrzej Bartkowiak’s (“Romeo Must Die”) adaptation were pretty awful. Fans of the game were upset the film strayed from the game’s plot of a virus to an invasion of demonic creatures on Mars.
Here’s how Roger Ebert described the film:
“'Doom' is like some kid came over and is using your computer and won't let you play.”
This was also one of The Rock’s first movie roles.
(Source: Box Office Mojo)
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