Hollywood’s AI Bet Isn’t Paying Off

Hollywood’s recent attempts to build entertainment around AI have consistently underperformed or outright flopped, whether the AI in question is a plot device or a production tool. The horror sequel M3GAN 2.0, Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, and Disney’s Tron: Ares all disappointed at the box office in 2025 despite centering their narratives on AI.

The latest casualty is Mercy, a January 2026 crime thriller in which Chris Pratt faces an AI judge bot played by Rebecca Ferguson; one reviewer has already called it “the worst movie of 2026,” and its ticket sales have been mediocre. AI-generated content hasn’t fared any better. Darren Aronofsky executive-produced On This Day…1776, a YouTube web series that uses Google DeepMind video generation alongside real voice actors to dramatize the American Revolution. Viewer response has been brutal — commenters mocked the uncanny faces and the fact that DeepMind rendered “America” as “Aamereedd.”

A Taika Waititi-directed Xfinity commercial set to air during this weekend’s Super Bowl, which de-ages Jurassic Park stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, has already been mocked for producing what one viewer called “melting wax figures.”