The Sam Sanders Show Can Hollywood Learn from Its Biggest Bombs?
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May 16, 2025 Lizzie Bassett and Chris Winterbauer, co-hosts of the podcast What Went Wrong, dive into the chaotic world of Hollywood flops like Cats and Joker: Folie à Deux. They discuss the hubris that fuels these cinematic disasters and analyze the poor visual effects and rushed decisions that led to failure. The duo also highlights the accidental charm of Madam Web and the tumultuous production behind The Flash. Can the industry learn from its failures? Tune in to uncover the lessons hiding behind these infamous films.
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Cats Film's Production Nightmare
- Cats was a high-profile flop, rushing VFX to meet Oscars deadlines, leading to visible errors like human hands on cats.
- Lizzie Bassett and Chris Winterbauer discuss how the ambitious Oscar push backfired disastrously.
Stage Success Doesn't Guarantee Film
- The success of a stage musical doesn't guarantee a film will work, especially without a coherent plot.
- Lizzie warns film adaptations need a smart approach, or else they should avoid the project.
Pay and Respect VFX Teams
- Pay your VFX people properly and give them enough time to do their work well.
- Underpaid and rushed VFX lead to compromised film quality as seen in Cats.