Dark Phoenix has been a colossal failure, and at least some of that can be blamed on the extensive reshoots which completely changed the final act. We've heard conflicting reports about why they were ordered, but most seem to agree that it boiled down to Jean Grey looking too much like Brie Larson's Captain Marvel in the Marvel Studios movie.
It was hard not to notice the changes Jean went through from the initial teaser images and trailer to the final movie, which dialled down the fire effects and just put some cracks on her skin.
Now, as you can see below, it seems as if it was always the plan for Jean to have a fiery final look, and while it was obviously a coincidence, the similarities between her and Carol Danvers' Binary form are impossible to miss. That would explain why Fox decided to make some changes, especially when
Dark Phoenix was delayed until after
Captain Marvel arrived in theaters.
The final act was also supposed to take place in outer space, which would have been way more epic.
Check out the concept art below:
Hit the "View List" button below for more details on Dark Phoenix's original ending!
The Skrulls Were Meant To Appear
The D'Bari are revealed to be
Dark Phoenix's alien villains and Jessica Chastain is named as Vuk, an extremely obscure character from the comic books. That wasn't always going to be the case, though, and Tye Sheridan confessed that the movie's original ending would have featured Cyclops battling an army of Skrulls at the United Nations.
This explains how the villains were able to shapeshift, and common sense says that reshoots saw them become the D'Bari because the delayed release date meant Fox wouldn't be able to beat
Captain Marvel to the punch.
After all, there have already been rumblings that the Marvel Studios movie led to the final act being changed (more on that later) so the last thing Fox would have wanted would be to face criticisms for using an inferior version of the Skrulls, as critics would not have shied away from taking aim at them for failing to live up to what had come before.
It Was Meant To Be A Two-Parter
Quite some time ago, Olivia Munn revealed that
Dark Phoenix was being written as a two-parter. Well, it turns out that was true, but Fox balked at the idea and instead asked Simon Kinberg to rewrite it as just the one movie. A specific reason for that has not been revealed, but what could have been Fox's answer to
Infinity War became a less than two-hour epic disappointment.
There's nothing to say the movie would have been any better had to played out across two movies rather than one, but it would have given Kinberg the opportunity to tell a larger, epic tale.
Chances are Fox simply didn't have faith in a first-time director to shoot two movies back to back, especially as previous instalments of the X-Men franchise have been plagued by problems behind the scenes which have only just now started coming to light. We'll touch on those a little later, though.
A Completely Different Ending
It wasn't just the inclusion of the Skrulls that would have given
Dark Phoenix a completely different ending. As we mentioned above, the final act was originally set to take place at the UN rather than on a train and that entire sequence was actually the result of reshoots. The original ending was going to put the focus on Scott Summers, Jean Grey, and Professor X as they battled the aliens.
We don't know what that would have meant for the other characters, but test audiences reportedly rejected this version and made it clear they wanted to see the X-Men in action. Either way, things would have wrapped up in a similar fashion, as Jean was always going to take Vuk into outer space.
James Cameron Convinced Fox To Change The Release Date
Dark Phoenix was not meant to be a summer blockbuster, hence why it originally took aim at November and February release dates. Why was it released in June? Well, blame James Cameron.
Just two days after a new trailer was released touting Dark Phoenix's February 14th release date, Fox announced that it had been pushed back to June. That was a result of Cameron (a valuable asset to Fox) pushing for Alita: Battle Angel to be moved from a crowded December to that February slot in order to give it a better chance of success.
Despite pleas from Kinberg, producer Hutch Parker, and Fox's Emma Watts not to do it, Stacey Snider gave in to the filmmaker's demands. Alita still bombed when it arrived in theaters.
It's Going To Make A Huge Loss At The Box Office
Dark Phoenix debuted with $140 million at the worldwide box office, a significant drop from
Days of Future Past's $262.9 million and a notable decline compared to
Apocalypse's $166.6 million.
With a budget of $350 million (those reshoots weren't cheap), Dark Phoenix looks set to lose at least $100 million - $120 million for the now Fox-owned Disney. However, that's only if it meets $300 million - $325 million estimates and some analysts believe it could go as low as $285 million.
If Fox still owned the
X-Men franchise, they would surely be turning to Marvel Studios for help!
Behind The Scenes Chaos
One big question fans have been asking since
Dark Phoenix's release was why Simon Kinberg was chosen to take the helm of a big budget blockbuster when he had no prior filmmaking experience.
Well, a number of reliable outlets have confirmed that when Bryan Singer went M.I.A. on the set of
Days of Future Past and
Apocalypse, it was Kinberg who took control of things and that impressed the cast enough that they pushed for him to do the same with
Dark Phoenix.
It's also finally been confirmed that he shot
Fantastic Four's disastrous reshoots.
Constant Rewrites
In what must have seemed like a fairly innocent remark when she made it, Sophie Turner revealed in an interview that rewrites were a daily occurrence. In fact, the actress - who has no prior experience as a writer - would often help with the script, and, well, it's no wonder the story ended up being a complete mess.
We're not laying the blame at Turner's feet, but any movie that's being rewritten while shooting is taking place will have the odds stacked against it, and it takes a far more capable filmmaker than Kinberg to make that work. We've also heard that Fox regretted not keeping a closer eye on him during principal photography, and they soon realised that the movie was going off the rails it seems.
Captain Marvel Comparisons
Late last week, we heard that a big chunk of
Dark Phoenix was changed because of similarities to
Captain Marvel. Since then, some sites have said that is the case while others have claimed Fox had no prior knowledge of what was to come in the Marvel Studios movie. Ultimately, it seems as if the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.
When Kinberg and company saw the Skrulls in the trailers for Captain Marvel, they must have thought better than to do the same, and as for why Jean Grey's appearance was so greatly changed, we can probably put that down to worries about comparisons to Carol Danvers' Binary form.
As for rumblings that Jean no longer blew up a number of spaceships as the Phoenix because of the Marvel Studios movie, that seems harder to believe as there is no way that Fox could have known what was going to happen in the closing moments of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's movie.
Simon Kinberg Didn't Direct The Movie's Best Scene
Say what you will about
Dark Phoenix, but that action-packed train sequence was pretty awesome. Well, Simon Kinberg was not responsible for that because it was actually stunt co-ordinator Bryan Smrz (
Iron Man 3) who shot it. That's confirmed in the movie's credits, and a recent report reveals that additional photography took place at the same time a second unit worked on that scene.
As a result, it's hard to say what we have Kinberg to thank for beyond a bad movie.
Will he get more work in Hollywood moving forward? Well, he's attached to a project with Jessica Chastain but it wouldn't be at all surprising if some big changes are made after this collaboration!
Lauren Shuler Donner Disowns Dark Phoenix
Last weekend, longtime
X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner sent out a Tweet in which she disowned
Dark Phoenix and made it clear that she had nothing to do with
Apocalypse or
The New Mutants, either. At first, it seemed like she was pulling a Josh Trank, but then a few more details emerged.
After "creative differences" on Days of Future Past, she actually left the franchise altogether and has had nothing to do with the likes of Deadpool, Logan, or Deadpool 2. The only reason she received a producer credit on those movies is down to some pretty generous contract terms, so it's no wonder that her big plans for Gambit never ended up coming to fruition.
However, this still generated even more negative publicity for Dark Phoenix during its opening weekend.
Continue reading below to see how the X-Men movies have fared on Rotten Tomatoes!
X-Men (2000)
Audience Score: 83%
Certified Fresh? Yes
Critics Consensus: Faithful to the comics and filled with action, X-Men brings a crowded slate of classic Marvel characters to the screen with a talented ensemble cast and surprisingly sharp narrative focus.
X-2: X-Men United (2003)
Audience Score: 85%
Certified Fresh? Yes
Critics Consensus: Tightly scripted, solidly acted, and impressively ambitious, X2: X-Men United is bigger and better than its predecessor -- and a benchmark for comic sequels in general.
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
Audience Score: 61%
Certified Fresh? No
Critics Consensus: X-Men: The Last Stand provides plenty of mutant action for fans of the franchise, even if it does so at the expense of its predecessors' deeper character moments.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Audience Score: 58%
Certified Fresh? No
Critics Consensus: Though Hugh Jackman gives his all, he can't help X-Men Origins: Wolverine overcome a cliche-ridden script and familiar narrative.
X-Men: First Class (2011)
Audience Score: 87%
Certified Fresh? Yes
Critics Consensus: With a strong script, stylish direction, and powerful performances from its well-rounded cast, X-Men: First Class is a welcome return to form for the franchise.
The Wolverine (2013)
Audience Score: 69%
Certified Fresh? No
Critics Consensus: Although its final act succumbs to the usual cartoonish antics, The Wolverine is one superhero movie that manages to stay true to the comics while keeping casual viewers entertained.
X-Men: Days Of Future Past (2014)
Audience Score: 91%
Certified Fresh? Yes
Critics Consensus: X-Men: Days of Future Past combines the best elements of the series to produce a satisfyingly fast-paced outing that ranks among the franchise's finest installments.
Deadpool (2016)
Audience Score: 90%
Certified Fresh? Yes
Critics Consensus: Fast, funny, and gleefully profane, the fourth-wall-busting Deadpool subverts superhero film formula with wildly entertaining -- and decidedly non-family-friendly -- results.
X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
Audience Score: 65%
Certified Fresh? No
Critics Consensus: Overloaded action and a cliched villain take the focus away from otherwise strong performers and resonant themes, making X-Men: Apocalypse a middling chapter of the venerable superhero franchise.
Logan (2017)
Audience Score: 90%
Certified Fresh? Yes
Critics Consensus: Hugh Jackman makes the most of his final outing as Wolverine with a gritty, nuanced performance in a violent but surprisingly thoughtful superhero action film that defies genre conventions.
Deadpool 2 (2018)
Audience Score: 85%
Certified Fresh? Yes
Critics Consensus: Though it threatens to buckle under the weight of its meta gags, Deadpool 2 is a gory, gleeful lampoon of the superhero genre buoyed by Ryan Reynolds' undeniable charm.
Once Upon A Deadpool (2018)
Audience Score: 50%
Certified Fresh? No
Critics Consensus: Once Upon a Deadpool retains enough of the franchise's anarchic spirit to entertain, but doesn't add enough to Deadpool 2 to justify its own existence.
Dark Phoenix (2019)
Audience Score: TBA
Certified Fresh? N/A
Critics Consensus: Dark Phoenix ends an era of the X-Men franchise by taking a second stab at adapting a classic comics arc -- with deeply disappointing results.
How They Stack Up
13. Dark Phoenix
12. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
11. X-Men: Apocalypse
10. Once Upon A Deadpool
9. X-Men: The Last Stand
8. The Wolverine
7. X-Men
6. Deadpool 2
5. Deadpool
4. X2: X-Men United
3. X-Men: First Class
2. X-Men: Days of Future Past
1. Logan