The whole desert warrior, muscled guy in a tunic, long oily hair action film doesn't work. Alexander, Troy, Prince of Persia, etc. and now John Carter. I'm surprised they don't realize this. Nobody considers those type of action heroes cool or remotely relevant. When was the last time the John Carter/Prince of Persia type of hero had a breakout blockbuster film. I also honestly think the desert and the orangey color of the desert is unappealing. If you look the action movies and heroes that succeed (Safe House, Fast and Furious), John Carter is pretty much 100% the opposite in characters, plot and setting

It was a bomb from the start because it's in a subgenre and aesthetic zone that's completley dead but someone up top in Hollywood has too much power and not enough checks and balances, he's probably the same type that thinks women directed romance films don't have a market and is probably golf buddies with the guy that greenlit Cowboys and Aliens. I think they're fortunate that it didn't have a 15 mil OW or something and that WW will help them, to make it a film that loses money but falls short of being the modern day Cleopatra financially

Agreed. The setting just feels so tired and boring nowadays.

Shack obviously didn't see Safe House. Very, very orange sheen.