More Alien and Planet of the Apes films confirmed by Fox

Disney had some surprising announcements to make at its first CinemaCon presentation after merging with Fox last month.

Both studios were present at the panel where it was announced that the franchises that will continue after the merger include Alien, The Maze Runner and Planet of the Apes.

The future of these franchises was uncertain ahead of the merger, let alone after it, but this confirmation will have people theorising about the direction new films could go in, most notably with the Apes series that seemed to draw to a conclusion with War for the Planet of the Apes in 2017.

It was also announced that the studios will proceed with new Avatar and Kingsman films, which are less of a surprise considering new films of each are currently in the works.

Whether this is a subtle confirmation that James Cameron’s planned fourth and fifth Avatar films will actually happen is unknown. He’s finishing work on two sequels that he’s filmed back-to-back.

35 great films that bombed at the box office

35 great films that bombed at the box office

  • 1/35 Children of Men (2006)

    While it's now revered as one of the best films of the 21st century, Alfonso Cuarón's dystopian thriller failed to make its money back at the box office at its time of release in 2006.

    Universal Studios

  • 2/35 The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)

    This Robin Williams comedy grossed just $8m against its $46m budget, losing the studio a staggering $38m.

    Columbia Pictures

  • 3/35 Ali (2001)

    Ali opened in the US on Christmas Day, 2001, and grossed a total of $87.7m worldwide – and still lost an estimated $63.1m.

    Initial Entertainment Group

  • 4/35 The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

    Andrew Dominik's lyrical western only just made back half of its $30m budget in 2007, but found love upon its release on DVD.

    Warner Bros

  • 5/35 The Astronaut's Wife (1999)

    Despite starring Johnny Depp and Charlize Theron, this drama was a certified bomb at the box office, making a total of $19.6m from a $75m budget.

    New Line Cinema

  • 6/35 The BFG (2016)

    Steven Spielberg's Roald Dahl adaptation grossed just $183m against its $140m budget – a low profit by Disney's standards.

    Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

  • 7/35 Blackhat (2015)

    Michael Mann's cyber thriller was a box office bomb, earning only $19.7m at the box office against a budget of $70m.

    Universal Pictures

  • 8/35 Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

    Just like Ridley Scott's original flopped, this lengthy sequel from Denis Villeneuve grossed just $259m worldwide and is considered a flop.

    Sony Pictures Releasing

  • 9/35 Citizen Kane (1941)

    This Orson Welles film may be a beloved classic, but at the time release, it failed to recoup its costs at the box office.

    Rex Features

  • 10/35 Clockers (1995)

    Spike Lee's Clockers saw one of the director's most disappointing performances at the box office, taking just $13m from a $25m budget.

    Universal Pictures

  • 11/35 Deepwater Horizon (2016)

    Peter Berg's real-life drama fell more than $30m short of its $156m budget, a shame considering it's one of the Friday Night Lights creator's best films to date.

    Summit Entertainment

  • 12/35 Donnie Darko (2001)

    Donnie Darko grossed just over $7.5m worldwide on a budget of $4.5m, not helped by its marketing campaign featuring a plane crash weeks before 9/11.

    Rex Features

  • 13/35 Event Horizon (1997)

    Upon release, this cult horror was a commercial and critical failure, grossing $26.7m on a $60m production budget.

    Paramount Pictures

  • 14/35 Fight Club (1999)

    There was something of a controversy surrounding David Fincher's Fight Club, which aided in making a modest profit of just under $40m at the box office. It's opening run, though, was markedly underwhelming.

    20th Century Fox

  • 15/35 The Good Dinosaur (2015)

    While far from being a catastrophic flop, The Good Dinosaur struggled to reach the heights of other Pixar releases. The film grossed $332m worldwide against a $175m budget.

    Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

  • 16/35 Hard Rain (1998)

    This entertaining 1990s thriller had such poor box office takings in the US, it was released straight-to-DVD in other countries, including the UK.

    PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

  • 17/35 Heaven's Gate (1980)

    Michael Cimino's drama is notable for being one of the biggest box office bombs of its time, losing the studio an estimated $37m (over $114 million when adjusted for inflation).

    United Artists

  • 18/35 Hugo (2011)

    Martin Scorsese's charming family film was a commercial failure, grossing just $185m against its $150–$170m budget.

    Paramount Pictures

  • 19/35 The Insider (1999)

    While acclaimed by critics, Michael Mann's drama – starring Al Pacino and Russell Crowe – never made back its $68m budget.

    Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

  • 20/35 The Iron Giant (1999)

    Despite being one of the best animated films of all time, The Iron Giant was a victim of Warner Bros scepticism towards the genre after the failure of previous effort, Quest for Camelot. Future Pixar director Brad Bird's film made $31.3m worldwide against a budget of $70–80m.

    Warner Bros

  • 21/35 It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

    While not a major flop, the classic underperformed at the Christmas box office due to stiff competition from other big films.

    National Telefilm Associates

  • 22/35 Ishtar (1987)

    Elaine May's maligned comedy, which is being reassessed with every passing year, became a notorious failure at the box office.

    Columbia Pictures

  • 23/35 The King of Comedy (1982)

    Although Scorsese's drama was well-received by critics, it bombed at the box office. Lead Robert De Niro said that the film "maybe wasn't so well received because it gave off an aura of something that people didn't want to look at or know."

    20th Century Fox

  • 24/35 The Lone Ranger (2013)

    This unfairly maligned Disney release was a box office bomb, grossing only $260.5m worldwide against an estimated $225–250m production budget and an additional $150m in marketing costs.

    Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

  • 25/35 Man on the Moon (1999)

    This Jim Carrey film from Milos Forman cost Universal a lot of money after it failed to make back its $52-82m budget.

    Universal Pictures

  • 26/35 mother! (2017)

    While making its money back, polarising reviews meat that Darren Aronofsky's psychological horror settled for a $14m profit.

    Paramount Pictures

  • 27/35 Mulholland Drive (2001)

    It's considered to be one of the greatest films of all time, but David Lynch's head-scratcher failed to make back its $20m budget.

    Universal Pictures

  • 28/35 Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)

    Despite positive reviews from critics, this spoof grossed just $9m, failing to meet its budget of $20m.

    Universal Pictures

  • 29/35 Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010)

    Edgar Wright's beloved cult was a box office bomb, grossing $47.7m against its production budget of $85–90m.

    Universal Pictures

  • 30/35 The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

    This Stephen King adaptation was a box office disappointment, earning only $16m during its initial theatrical run. It would later get re-released and earn $58.3m.

    Columbia Pictures

  • 31/35 Shoot 'Em Up (2007)

    This fun action film starring Clive Owen recouped far less than its $39m budget.

    New Line Cinema

  • 32/35 A Simple Plan (1998)

    This Oscar-nominated noir didn't meet its budget despite sitting at a paltry $17m.

    Paramount Pictures

  • 33/35 This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

    It wasn't until its home entertainment release that this mockumentary became the beloved classic it is today.

    Embassy Pictures

  • 34/35 Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)

    Valerian grossed $225m worldwide, but due to its high production and advertising costs, it was considered a commercial failure.

    EuropaCorp Distribution

  • 35/35 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

    This beloved Roald Dahl adaptation starring Gene Wilder made just a $1m profit upon its original release in 1971.

    Rex Features

Fox’s Emma Watts also teased the conclusion to the studio’s long-running X-Men franchise with new film Dark Phoenix, which she called “the perfect sendoff”.

Meanwhile, the future of Deadpool was also confirmed on the same panel.