With director Olivia Wilde recently opening up about the controversy surrounding her film Don't Worry Darling, it isn't unusual for a movie to lead to frayed nerves behind the scenes. Directors have such a personal connection to their work that they tend to take it personally when something doesn't work out.
Whether they apologized for the content of the film like in Gods of Egypt or were just distraught about how things turned out like in Dune, it isn't unusual for filmmakers to apologize for their flops. There have been plenty of bad movies in the past, but only the very worst had directors going on record to say they were sorry.
Shanghai Fortress (2019)
Though it mostly passed Western audiences by, the China-produced epic Shanghai Fortress was dropped on Netflix to a tepid response at best. Though it had all the trapping of a potential hit from the burgeoning movie superpower, the lackluster writing failed to move the needle, and it wasn't true to its popular source material.
In response to the movie's demise, director Teng Huatao took to social media to express his regrets. "Hopes for Chinese sci-fi were dashed," he wrote. "As the director, I have ultimate responsibility for this. I am very sorry" (via The Hollywood Reporter). Having a multi-million dollar project on one's shoulders is difficult enough, but the movie's failure was doubly felt because of what it meant for the country's film industry.
Gods Of Egypt (2016)
Usually, a bad movie is lambasted for its poor writing or direction, but the ill-advised action film Gods of Egypt was offensive on top of being poorly made. Set in a fictionalized version of Ancient Egypt, the choice to use a largely white cast of actors was met with anger from the public at large.
Director Alex Proyas issued a somewhat bland apology for the film when saying "I sincerely apologize to those who are offended by the decisions we made" (via CNN). However, it was left up to the management at Lionsgate to address most of the uproar. While the film did accurately portray the gods of Ancient Egyptian myth, it utterly failed to represent the people of that nation.
Mallrats (1995)
Coming hot on the heels of Kevin Smith's indie sensation Clerks, the follow-up film Mallrats was largely rejected by audiences who viewed it as juvenile. Rushed into production just less than a year after the first film, Mallrats featured a duo of slackers who waste their days at the local mall.
It has since been accepted as one of Kevin Smith's most rewatchable movies, but the director himself wasn't too fond of it when it first came out. Speaking in retrospect, the director said, "Critics s--- on it. It died at the box office and it’s gone within a week. I was the whipping boy, the sophomore slump of the year. All of that stuff. So, for years, I referred to Mallrats jokingly and jokingly apologized for it" (via Entertainment Weekly). Like audiences, Smith has changed his tune on the flick after spending years trying to make amends for it.
Batman & Robin (1997)
The caped crusader has faired relatively well in the cinema, but Batman & Robin often sticks out as one of Batman's biggest movie blunders. Pushing the comic book tone to the extreme, the movie featured the duo fighting off a host of cheesy villains spouting noxious one-liners.
Director Joel Schumacher took a lot of flack for his two Batman flicks following the success of Tim Burton's duology, but it wasn't until recently that he finally spoke out. Laying it all on the line, Schumacher said, "I want to apologize to every fan that was disappointed because I think I owe them that" (via CNN). Schumacher took full responsibility, and fortunately, the lone stinker didn't tarnish Batman's reputation in movie history.
Fear And Desire (1953)
Stanley Kubrick might be one of the best directors of all time, but that didn't mean everything he touched turned to gold. Fear and Desire was Kubrick's feature directorial debut, and sported a stern antiwar message that showed inklings of the genius that he would one day become.
The auteur spent the rest of his life actively trying to discourage anyone from seeing the film, going so far as to say, "It's not a film I remember with any pride" (via Mental Floss). Ever the perfectionist, Kubrick's greatest apology for the so-called "failed experiment" was his ardent attempts to suppress it.
Elysium (2013)
Tentpole sci-fi movies are a huge risk that is either sink or swim, and the 2013 bomb Elysium sunk in so many ways. Making lofty commentary about class through its futuristic narrative, the Matt Damon-led epic mostly left audiences scratching their heads when it was all over.
Director Neill Blomkamp has never been one to push the blame off on someone else, saying, "I just didn't make a good enough film is what it is" (via Collider). Though Blomkamp's refreshingly honest approach to his own film is commendable, his other failed works like Chappie proved he didn't learn his lesson with half-baked sci-fi stories.
Dune (1984)
Though Frank Herbert's seminal work Dune has gotten a second cinematic go-around in recent years, David Lynch's abortive attempt to adapt the story was all fans had to latch onto for years. Attempting to capture the epic story in one film, the 1980s Dune was a rushed mess that jumbled its ideas.
David Lynch is known for his unique brand of surrealist film, and the big-budget blockbuster was not something he was prepared to handle. Speaking of his experience, the director said, "I started selling out, and it's a sad, sad, pathetic, ridiculous story" (via Esquire). Regrets aren't something that Lynch is known for, but Dune is one of the few projects he obviously wishes he didn't make.
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Brilliantly bringing the wall-crawler to life on the big screen, the first two Spider-Man movies from Sam Raimi are generally accepted as some of the best superhero movies of all time. However, Spider-Man 3 had an overstuffed plot and silly tone that frustrated long-time fans.
Raimi shared the audience's disappointment. "It's a movie that just didn't work very well," the Evil Dead director said. "I think that was my mistake" (via Vulture). Raimi has always been very vocal about the quality, or lack thereof, of his projects, and it is a quality that is sorely missed in the era of directors who are expected to toe the company line when working on massive franchises.
Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom (1984)
Before the shocking failure that was Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the biggest disappointment in the Indiana Jones series had always been Temple of Doom. Ramping up the scarier elements from the first film, Temple of Doom was not only too dark but had offensive elements as well.
Steven Spielberg was on a hot streak in the '80s, but even he couldn't defend the film when saying "There's not an ounce of my personal feeling in 'Temple of Doom'" (via SlashFilm). It was still a massive success, but the lack of feeling from the director was felt in the final product, and aside from the problematic elements, it felt very low-stakes.
Armageddon (1998)
Before Michael Bay had a reputation as the king of Hollywood schlock, he made a series of very successful blockbusters that raked in tons of cash. Armageddon was a commercial success that mostly elicited eye rolls from critics for its overcooked story and a cheesy plot involving an asteroid on a collision course with earth.
Though he has made far worse films in his career, Bay offered an apology wrapped in an excuse when he said, "I will apologize for Armageddon, because we had to do the whole movie in 16 weeks" (via Entertainment Weekly). While the film's production was notoriously rushed, the movie's true failure came at a story level, which should have been rectified before the cameras even started rolling.