Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games in front of Mortal Engines' Eye The 2018 film, Mortal Engines, had the potential to become the next Hunger Games, but it ended up being one of the biggest box office failures. Adapted from Philip Reeve’s novel of the same name, Mortal Engines takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where cities are on wheels. With Hera Hilma and Robert Sheehan leading the cast of Mortal Engines, the film showed a lot of promise, but it couldn’t win over audiences and critics.

Following The Hunger Games‘ conclusion in 2015, there was a rush to find the next young adult franchise that could replicate its success. Mortal Engines was supposed to be that franchise, but it was released too little too late. Despite its stunning visual effects and world-building, Mortal Engines received mixed reviews. When the movie premiered, it only made $7.5 million domestically on its opening weekend (via Box Office Mojo).

Mortal Engines Had The Potential To Replace The Hunger Games As A Movie Franchise

Mortal Engines Wasn’t As Successful As The Hunger Games

Hera Hilmar as Hester Shaw in Mortal Engines Stephen Lang as Shrike in Mortal Engines Colin Salmon in a fancy jacket in Mortal Engines A looming mobile city in Mortal Engines. Stephen Lang as Shrike in Mortal Engines Hera Hilmar as Hester Shaw in Mortal Engines Stephen Lang as Shrike in Mortal Engines Colin Salmon in a fancy jacket in Mortal Engines A looming mobile city in Mortal Engines. Stephen Lang as Shrike in Mortal Engines

When The Hunger Games premiered in 2012 and made Jennifer Lawrence a superstar, it paved the way for YA dystopian films. Mortal Engines had all the elements it needed to replace The Hunger Games as the next successful YA fantasy movie franchise. Like The Hunger Games, Mortal Engines was based on a successful book. It also had a strong female lead and an interesting dystopian world.

Despite its potential, Mortal Engines failed to replicate The Hunger Games’ success. So far, there’s only been one film adaptation of the Mortal Engines books, whereas all The Hunger Games books and the prequel have been adapted for the big screen. Other YA movies such as Divergent and The Maze Runner that were poised to replace The Hunger Games had a similar fate. But at least they achieved a level of success that Mortal Engines failed to attain.

Why Mortal Engines Was A Critical & Commercial Failure

Hera Hilmar as Hester Shaw unmasked in Mortal Engines

Mortal Engines was one of the most anticipated movies of 2018, but it ended up being a critical and commercial failure. Directed by Christian Rivers, Mortal Engines received mixed reviews from critics, mostly because it lacked emotional depth and had a slow pace. Mortal Engines was also critically panned because it used elements from other films like Mad Max and Star Wars, which made it lose its identity.

While The Hunger Games paved the way for YA dystopian fantasy films, it also created a problem for other films in the genre.

Mortal Engines had an estimated production budget of $100 million but only made $83 million at the box office, putting it at a loss (via Box Office Mojo). Several factors accounted for why Mortal Engines was a box office bomb. While The Hunger Games paved the way for YA dystopian fantasy films, it also created a problem for other films in the genre. The Hunger Games had set the bar so high that most YA fantasy films just couldn’t live up to its hype and popularity. The fact that Mortal Engines had disappointing reviews also didn’t help its chances at the box office.

Mortal Engines Book
Publication Year

Mortal Engines
2001

Predator’s Gold
2003

Infernal Devices
2005

A Darkling Plan
2006

Although the Mortal Engines books were successful, they didn’t have a big enough fan base that could make a movie adaptation a commercial success. Further, The Mortal Engines film made big changes to the book, which didn’t make some fans of Philip Reeve’s novel happy. Another reason that contributed to Mortal Engines’ failure is the month it was released. Mortal Engines premiered in the U.S. on December 14, 2018, the same day as Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. Aquaman was also released the same month as Mortal Engines, making it even harder for the film to find an audience.