Fan campaigns can often be a double-edged sword, as anyone who’s been following the ongoing SnyderVerse drama can surely attest. They do reap tangible rewards sometimes, though, only for the constant pleading to be rewarded with absolutely nothing when Joss Whedon’s Serenity tanked at the box office.
Ever since instant cult classic sci-fi series Firefly was canceled after a single incomplete season, its most ardent backers refused to stay quiet. While more episodic adventures weren’t forthcoming, a suitable compromise for both parties was reached when its creator was tasked to write and direct a feature film continuation, which would have no doubt gotten sequels had it performed to expectations.
Perhaps underlining just how niche the show was, Serenity barely recouped its $39 million in ticket sales in spite of strong reviews, with Universal deciding then and there that this particular intergalactic goose was cooked. You couldn’t have made it up, with desperate die-hards demanding the mythology be dusted off and resurrected, only for nowhere near enough people to actually show up at their local multiplex to make it worthwhile.
Given Whedon’s staggering fall from grace in the face of mounting allegations against him, it would be safe to say we’ll never be seeing Nathan Fillion’s Mal Reynolds and the crew ever again outside of conventions, even if Serenity continues to punch above its weight on streaming almost two decades after flopping on the big screen.
Per FlixPatrol, the rip-roaring cosmic caper is currently one of the most-watched features on the Prime Video worldwide charts, serving as a reminder of what could have been had the fandom backed up its talk with cold, hard cash.