17 flops and fails in culture in 2024

[Pelican Press 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

17 flops and fails in culture in 2024

Getty Images

Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt starred in The Fall Guy, one of the year’s big movie flops

Money, success, power, beauty – it often seems as if celebrities have everything they could possibly want.

So it’s just as well they also get tangled up in their fair share of mishaps, blunders and own goals every year.

Here’s a light-hearted look at some of 2024’s biggest flops and fails.

1. Katy Perry’s comebackGetty Images

It was supposed to be a triumphant return, but critics and fans complained Katy Perry’s latest album 143 sounded dated and showed little artistic growth.

The music video for Woman’s World, which saw Perry join a group of dancers wearing tiny outfits on a construction site,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

although Perry later said it was supposed to be satirical.

Matters were only made worse when the singer attracted the attention of the Spanish government for shooting the video for follow-up single Lifetimes in

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

in the Balearic Islands.

But many fans defended the album, which wasn’t as bad as some reviews made out, and Perry’s accompanying tour has been a huge success.

2. Joker bombing at the box officeGetty Images

The sequel starred Joaquin Phoenix as Joker and Lady Gaga as Harlequin

Making a sequel to 2019’s Joker, which grossed more than $1bn (£790m), was something Hollywood found simply irresistible.

Unfortunately, the resulting film, Joker: Folie à Deux, was something audiences found entirely resistible.

Making the film a musical was a bold swing, but the tonal handbreak turn alienated the fans and critics who adored the Oscar-winning original.

Folie à Deux managed to scrape over the $200m (£158m) mark,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

to cover its production budget, let alone marketing costs.

It wasn’t the only movie flop of the year – audiences were also unenthusiastic about Madame Web, The Fall Guy, Kraven the Hunter, Megalopolis, Borderlands, Argylle, Unstoppable and Furiosa: A Mad Max Story.

3. Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricingSimon Emmett

Liam and Noel Gallagher distanced themselves from the wildly unpopular dynamic pricing policy

Ticketmaster attracted a storm of controversy after making use of so-called “dynamic pricing” for *** dates on the Oasis reunion tour,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

due to the predictable demand.

Charging fans £350 per ticket was a dubious PR move for a band famous for their working class roots, and the Gallagher brothers

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

from the strategy.

But Ticketmaster argued prices are set by artists and promoters.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

for the band’s US tour dates.

Meanwhile, 50,000 fans who’d paid inflated prices on secondary platforms in order to secure tickets

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

A total omnishambles for everyone involved.

4. The ruined surprise party

Watch: Surprise party is accidentally revealed on TV

When BBC weather presenter Kawser Quamer was asked in February about her plans for the weekend, she cheerfully explained she was attending her niece’s surprise birthday party.

Host Annabel Tiffin said that all sounded very lovely, but presumably the party was no longer a surprise, having just been announced on live TV. “Oh goodness me,” replied an alarmed Quamer, “I’ve spoiled the surprise!”

The glorious mishap made its way across the Atlantic, going viral and featuring on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

But Quamer handled it beautifully, and

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

she was talking about a different relative, keeping the surprise element intact.

5. Kaos

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Jeff Goldblum starred in

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

’s Greek mythology drama

Chaos is a term which could be applied to a lot of entries in this list, but one of the biggest casualties of the year was Kaos itself.

Just a month after the first series of Jeff Goldblum’s Greek mythology drama was released,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

announced it would not return for a second.

Streamers can tell quickly if something is a hit or not by measuring viewing figures and completion rates. Their data even gives them the prospective ratings of the following months based on the first.

But although fans campaigned for its return, ultimately Kaos was Kancelled.

6. The Co-op Live Arena

Manchester’s hottest new live venue finally opened this year, but only after several attempts. There was a string of cancellations due to various technical problems,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

from the ceiling.

Shows by Peter Kay, Olivia Rodrigo, Take That and others were cancelled or moved, before the venue finally opened with a successful concert from rock band Elbow.

The problems did at least bring one delightful moment:

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

the delay of a gig by US rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie.

7. Joe Biden’s debate performanceReuters

President Biden ultimately stepped down, with Vice President Harris replacing him as the candidate

Flops don’t come much ******* than a debate performance which was so poor, it brought down an entire presidential campaign.

Joe Biden seemed distant and frail when he

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

in June, struggling to finish some of his sentences and keep pace with Donald Trump.

Biden tried to stay in the race, but the pressure on him became too high as figures

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

publicly called for him to stand down, leading to Kamala Harris replacing him as the candidate.

8. The Olympics opening ceremonyReuters

Zinedine Zidane was among the stars to feature in the Paris ceremony, but the event was hampered by rain

A barnstorming performance from Celine Dion sadly wasn’t enough to rescue this soggy croissant of an opening ceremony, which was badly hampered by rain.

Organisers took the event outside of the traditional stadium setting and had performers spread out across Paris instead, which was both a security nightmare and challenging for spectators.

The spread meant things felt somewhat disjointed and it was hard for the ceremony to build any momentum.

Meanwhile, some viewers

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

which many interpreted as a reference to the Last Supper, but artistic director Thomas Jolly said was a reference to pagan gods.

9. The unofficial Bridgerton ball

TikToker shares disappointment over Detroit Bridgerton ball event

Hot on the heels of the

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

was

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

where fans of the

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

series were invited to dress up and “step into the enchanting world of the Regency era”.

Unfortunately, they were greeted with disappointing food and drab decor, with one violinist and a pole dancer for entertainment. Creators blamed “organisational challenges” and said they “sincerely apologised”.

We anticipate the event being eviscerated in Lady Whistledown’s next newsletter.

10. Eurovision. The whole thing.EPA

11. Broadcasting blundersShutterstock/BBC

Laura Kuenssberg withdrew from an interview with Boris Johnson in October after mistakenly sending her briefing notes to the former prime minister himself, resulting in what she called a few “red faces”.

ITV took over and Johnson

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

his originally scheduled interview had “blown up on the launch pad”.

Elsewhere, thousands of viewers complained to Ofcom in August when Home Secretary Yvette Cooper

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

by her own husband, Ed ******, about the violent unrest in parts of the ***.

ITV’s chief executive later noted it was a fluid news morning and the team had short notice that Cooper was coming on. She said the interview was impartial and fair but it wouldn’t happen again.

PA Media

On the plus side, Wynne Evans made a terrific Mrs Doubtfire

Another daytime presenter, Lorraine Kelly, became the subject of a viral X account

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

throughout the year (hovering just below 60%, if you’re interested).

Over on Strictly Come Dancing, which had already had

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

before this series even started, fans were puzzled by some unusual on-screen encounters between singer Wynne Evans and his partner Katya Jones.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

to high-five Evans, and later moving his hand away from her waist.

The show’s ******** team checked in on them after concerns were raised, but the pair apologised for what they said was actually just a “very silly inside joke” between them.

12. The Oppenheimer stage invasionGetty Images

Lizwani (second right) appeared with the Oppenheimer team as it was named the winner of best film

When Oppenheimer was named best film at February’s Baftas, the prize was collected by actor Cillian Murphy, director Christopher Nolan, producer Emma Thomas… and a

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

The intruder was actually YouTuber Lizwani, who managed to infiltrate the event and make it all the way to the stage during the night’s biggest moment.

But the fact he was standing quietly and respectfully meant few viewers even noticed anything was wrong. Bafta have since tightened security.

A month later, there was more awkwardness when Oppenheimer was named best picture at the Oscars, in an announcement fumbled by Al Pacino.

Getty Images

His eyes saw Oppenheimer

Pacino dispensed with the traditional “And the Oscar goes to…”

Instead, he stumbled through proceedings

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

somewhat abruptly: “My eyes see Oppenheimer.”

There was a delayed reaction from the audience and orchestra, who weren’t entirely sure if Pacino was finished or if they had heard the winner correctly.

But Scarface redeemed himself later in the year by revealing

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

courtesy of his young daughter. All was forgiven.

13. Cynthia Erivo’s poster reactionReuters

When one fan affectionately edited a promotional poster for Wicked to resemble the musical’s original Broadway illustration, actress

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

her contribution to the film, because her eyes were hidden under her witch’s hat.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

as fans

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

at her reaction, with many social media users jokingly trying to avoid any further erasure by

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

which had nothing to do with her.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

that the altered film promo was intended to be “an innocent fan edit to pay homage to the original Broadway poster”.

But Erivo handled the backlash like a pro, making light of the situation

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

“For me it was just like a human moment of wanting to protect little Elphaba. I probably should have called my friends.”

14. Rishi in the rainGetty Images

When Rishi Sunak called a general election in May, the then-prime minister made the announcement outdoors despite it bucketing with rain.

Being in the open air also allowed an anti-Tory activist to disrupt the announcement by blasting music from a nearby speaker.

But Sunak gamely stuck it out, later commenting that he was “not a fair-weather politician” and

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

on the campaign trail.

15. Tour troublesGetty Images

Adele mis-heard an audience member who she thought was saying something offensive

Live tours and concerts were disrupted this year for all kinds of reasons.

Jennifer Lopez cancelled her lives shows

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, although she said it was so she could spend time with family and friends.

Tenacious D’s tour fell apart after one member

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

about Donald Trump.

And Madonna’s fans

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

with her lateness.

Elsewhere, Adele repeatedly swore at an audience member in Las Vegas who she thought had shouted “Pride sucks”.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

“work sucks” after the singer discussed her working week. Oops.

So fair play to Kate Nash for not only keeping her show on the road,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

by selling pictures of her bottom online, helpfully bringing publicity to the issues of high tour costs and poor streaming royalties in the process.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#flops #fails #culture

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up