It is well known that producing a film is extremely time-consuming and requires a considerable amount of effort. The journey from conceiving an idea or script until it reaches the theatrical release can be quite long and, at the same time, extremely expensive for studios. Therefore, the best thing that can happen to those who are involved in a production is that the film reaches the desired results and turns into a box-office and critical success, which also contributes to boosting their careers. In many cases, even with hard work and the best intentions, some movies fail to impress the audience and turn into flops that are hard to walk away from.

Oftentimes, events that occur prior to a film's premiere can directly impact its reputation and its subsequent reception. Such was the case with Twilight Zone: The Movie, the 1983 production that is still remembered to this day for the stunt helicopter crash that killed actor Vic Morrow and two illegally-hired child actors. There is one more thing that might happen prior to a film's release that could potentially doom it: a scandalous press tour that overshadows the production. On some occasions, productions that had all it takes to become an absolute hit ended up in the spotlight due to the dubious attitude of actors and filmmakers while on press tour. Check out six of these movies here.

6 Don’t Worry Darling

Harry Styles and Florence Pugh in Don't Worry Darling
Warner Bros.

The ongoing scandals surrounding the promotional campaign for Don't Worry Darling keep popping up day by day, and may be partly responsible for the film's poor reception. It seems that Olivia Wilde's second production as director will go down in history for her and the cast's alleged behavior. Its first scandal involved the substitution of Shia LaBeouf, who was set to star in the film, for Harry Styles, due to scheduling problems. The director later proclaimed to have fired LaBeouf for his alleged combative behavior, but the actor denied it, and shared videos, via Variety, of Wilde asking him to stay involved in the project.

On top of that, the alleged affair between said director and Harry just added more fuel to the fire, as did the growing tension between Wilde and Pugh. Though initially being ecstatic about collaborating with Wild, the actress changed her attitude, barely promoting the film on social networks and avoiding to talk about Wilde. She also condemned the director's comments on the sexual scenes of the production. The whole scandal was crowned at the film's premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where Wilde dismissed any rumors of enmity with Pugh and claimed that she wouldn't be attending due to other film commitments. Eventually, Pugh showed up to the event, making a grand entrance, and they both avoided each other anyway they could. To make matters worse, there is a viral video of Styles seemingly spitting on his fellow cast mate Chris Pine before the festival screening.

Related: Olivia Wilde Denies Leaving Jason Sudeikis for Harry Styles, Calls Florence Pugh Controversy 'Baseless Rumors'

5 War of the Worlds

War of the Worlds
DreamWorks Pictures

War of the Worlds is a film by Steven Spielberg inspired by the 1898 novel by H. G. Wells and starring Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin, Miranda Otto, and Tim Robbins. The production centers on Ray Ferrier, a man who must fight to survive and protect his family in the midst of an alien invasion. While the film had generally positive reviews, it is still remembered to this day for its star's behavior during the press tour. During the promotional campaign, Cruise made an appearance on Oprah Winfrey's talk show to hype the movie. However, the actor spent the whole interview talking about how much he loved Katie Holmes, whom he was dating at the time, and then decided to jump up and down on the set's couch, which left Oprah totally shocked. This was just one of many erratic interviews given by the War of the Worlds star, and naturally, this attitude did not please Spielberg, as he felt that it could jeopardize the movie.

4 Tower Heist

 Tower Heist cast
Universal Pictures

The 2011 film Tower Heist had everything it takes to become a box office hit. This production, starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy, features several employees of a prestigious apartment building who have lost their pensions after being scammed and decide to break into the scammer's apartment in order to get their money back. However, director Brett Ratner's behavior on the press tour completely overshadowed the film. Ratner was invited to Howard Ratner's radio show, where he openly discussed some of his sexual behaviors and his intimate relationship with Lindsay Lohan, prompting condemnation from the audience. Furthermore, during a film screening, he made some unfortunate homophobic statements, and this led to his resignation as producer of the 2012 Academy Awards, and to Eddie Murphy stepping down as host of the event.

Related: Best Movies About Real-Life Hollywood Scandals

3 Melancholia

Melancholia
Zentropa Entertainments

Over the years, the apocalyptic drama film Melancholia managed to establish itself as a powerful production. However, back in 2011, the movie starring Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Kiefer Sutherland got caught up in many controversies caused by unfortunate statements made by its director, Lars von Trier. At a press conference during the Cannes Film Festival, von Trier claimed to sympathize with Hitler and said that he was a Nazi. He also made jokes about featuring Dunst and Gainsbourg in an awkward porn production. As a result of these statements, those in charge of the festival issued a formal apology and banned him from the event.

2 Cold Pursuit

Cold Pursuit by Hans Petter Moland
Summit Entertainment

Liam Neeson starred in the 2019 action thriller film Cold Pursuit as Nels Coxman, a snowplow driver who vows to avenge his son's death by killing members of the drug cartel responsible for his murder. However, Neeson was also the protagonist of the uproar that ended up overshadowing the film's premiere during the press tour. In an interview with The Independent, he opened up about an incident that occurred 40 years ago, when a close friend told him that she had been raped, and her attacker was allegedly Black. Enraged, Neeson recalled going out into the streets armed and wanting to unleash physical violence against any Black man who attempted to confront him. While the actor was admittedly horrified and remorseful for his reaction at the time, he was heavily condemned for his comments, and as a result, the red carpet premiere of the movie was canceled.

1 Two Lovers

Two Lovers phoenix paltrow
Magnolia Pictures

The 2008 romantic drama film Two Lovers is yet another production completely overshadowed by a press tour scandal. This James Gray production, inspired by Fyodor Dostoyevsky's short story White Nights, owes it all to the erratic behavior of one of its stars, Joaquin Phoenix, during the press tour. Instead of focusing on the film, Phoenix seized the opportunity to discuss his plans of quitting acting and pursuing a career in rap, and he also appeared on David Letterman's talk show and behaved in a very odd way. Of course, it turned out that his behavior had a reason: he was already performing in a mockumentary called I'm Still Here, although this completely overshadowed Two Lovers.