Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Despite possess a strong casting , sensational visual impression , and an established IP , Dungeons & Dragons : Honor Among Thievesbombed at the box office . Directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein , it followed a rakish bard named Edgin ( Chris Pine ) as he gather a multicoloured crew together to deliver his girl from the dastardly Forge ( Hugh Grant ) and recover the gem of Neverwinter . Complete with a Barbarian ( Michelle Rodriguez ) , a Sorcerer ( Justice Smith ) , and a Paladin ( Regé - Jean Page ) , it promised to be a magical adventure in the flavour of the democratic tabletop RPG .
A lot of enquiry went into making sure thatHonor Among Thievescaptured the spontaneity and excitement of a classical tabletop campaign , but at a time when tensions between theD&Dfanbase and Hasbro were at an all - metre high , it disappointed fantasy fans everywhere by failing to be up to expectations . From a decrepit central story to mimicking MCU - style humor , there were many reasons why theDungeons & Dragonsmovie give way to sire exuberance . Unfortunately , this means that the franchise in general has made a bad roll .
10Honor Among Thieves Had Poor Marketing
With very little in the way of life of selling , Honor Among Thieveshad to rely on intelligence of mouth to generate interest . It had a slim commercial mien and was n’t widely experience about , which mean that it want fans to go see it during prevue screening for ensure anyone would go over opening weekend . It ’s open that it had to undermine a huge $ 150 million dollar mark budget for a niche movie with a very small-scale merchandising budget , which meant it was n’t on fans ' radar .
9Honor Among Thieves Looked Like A Typical MCU Movie
Honor Among Thieveswas always going to have a trouble balancing being too niche for a general audience and too generic for its diehard fans . Its result was to throw together a mould of quirky fictitious character on a deputation to save the kingdom like a mediaeval MCU moving picture , which did n’t palpate unequaled enough to pique interest from either its built - in fanbase or curious casual viewers . As superhero fatigue has coiffe in among motion-picture fan , the vibe of the flick was n’t must - see cinema .
8Honor Among Thieves’ Trailers Spoiled Its Best Moments
Of the fewHonor Among Thieves’trailers that fans were rosy enough to see before its release , most of the movie ’s dear moments were spoil . Moments that would have been awe - pep up to see as part of the plot , like the sudden visual aspect of an owlbear ( one of theDungeons & Dragonsanimals Doric turn into ) , became just one of many dizzying spectacles . This was also true for the motion-picture show ’s most powerful punchlines , such as the Sorcerer inadvertently trip the mechanism for the span lead to the Helm of Disjunction after the Paladin ’s express warning not to .
7D&D Fans Were Boycotting Hasbro & WOTC
Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro wound a lot of lover when a draught of late change toDungeons & Dragons’Open Game License leak several months prior to the outlet ofHonor Among Thieves . This caused tension in the fanbase as perceive corporate overlords threatened the power dynamic of instrumentalist own their games . Despite being previously excited about a newDungeons & Dragonsmovie , hard-core fan called a boycott to injure Hasbro , WOTC , and anyone else involve in the dispute .
6Honor Among Thieves Opened Alongside Super Mario Bros.
guide into summer , Honor Among Thieveshad the displeasure of running up against huge film that competed for its demographic;John Wick : Chapter FourandThe Super Mario Bros. Movie . action at law fans went to see the quaternary installment of theJohn Wickfranchise and small fry , teens , and nostalgic - push back adults went to see out how two plucky plumbing brothers launch themselves battling Bowser in the Mushroom Kingdom . Honor Among Thievesfailed to make a nick in their numbers , and both of those movies beat box government agency record .
5Honor Among Thieves Had A Weak Central Story
Due to the nature of aDungeons & Dragonscampaign , hold a strong plot was always going to be difficult , and as a outcome , Honor Among Thieveshad a feeble central story . There was never going to be a plot of land that pleased every fan since every campaign in aD&Dgame is entirely unequaled and immanent , flavour by its player . The movie settle on a generic dungeoning party going on a armed robbery , with a few personal beats to hit for practiced step but failed to have a compelling story that would make it memorable .
4Honor Among Thieves' Villain Wasn’t Compelling Enough
Hugh Grant ’s bumbling spell was used to subvert expectation inHonor Among stealer , but his dastardly rogue was not the rightful villain of the moving picture . Its real adversary was the Red Wizard Sofina , who had a great flavour and screen comportment , but either had more scenes that cease up on the cutting room floor , or she was never to the full developed in the first topographic point . Her character was n’t compelling enough , her motivations for ensure Neverwinter were indecipherable , and she seemed two - dimensional , which made the Boss Fight at the ending particularly underwhelming .
3Honor Among Thieves' D&D Adaptation Was Too Niche
Even with its inclusion in popular series likeStranger Things , Dungeons & Dragonsis still a niche IP in pop civilisation . Honor Among ThieveshadDungeons & DragonsEaster eggsand references to the tabletop game for diehard fans to find , but since it was also essay to appeal to nonfans , it had to comprise several image of a distinctive chivalric phantasy movie . Even in a better economy with a better budget , the firstDungeons & Dragonsmovie from 2000 proved that the IP is still too small to be a big corner office draw .
2Fantasy Movies Have Lost Steam At The Box Office
Unfortunately , fantasy moving picture have lost steam at the box office , andHonor Among Thievesmight have made them well and truly dead . Back - to - back fair serial publication like Amazon’sRings of PowerandWillowon Disney+ have mean that , unless the fantasy movie is gritty likeHouse of the Dragonon HBO , it wo n’t be a hit . honour Among Thieveswas a lone phantasy movie at a time when the genre ’s popularity as a whole is on a downturn ( for now ) .
1Honor Among Thieves Had An Unbalanced Tone
Given that Marvel moving picture have tree the market on snarky , quippy substitution between disparate theatrical role , Honor Among Thievescouldn’t compete . Its dungeon party constantly making jokes and cracking judicious even at serious moments incessantly suck all the tensity out of the plot . Its unhinged tone made it seem like not only should the characters not take anything earnestly , butDungeons & Dragons : Honor Among Thievesshouldn’t be taken earnestly , either .
