Despite having a strong cast, stunning visual effects, and an established IP, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves bombed at the box office. Directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, it followed a rakish bard named Edgin (Chris Pine) as he gathered a motley crew together to rescue his daughter from the dastardly Forge (Hugh Grant) and reclaim the treasure of Neverwinter. Complete with a Barbarian (Michelle Rodriguez), a Sorcerer (Justice Smith), and a Paladin (Regé-Jean Page), it promised to be a magical adventure in the spirit of the popular tabletop RPG.
A lot of research went into making sure that Honor Among Thieves captured the spontaneity and excitement of a classic tabletop campaign, but at a time when tensions between the D&D fanbase and Hasbro were at an all-time high, it disappointed fantasy fans everywhere by failing to live up to expectations. From a weak central story to mimicking MCU-style humor, there were many reasons why the Dungeons & Dragons movie failed to generate enthusiasm. Unfortunately, this means that the franchise in general has made a bad roll.
10 Honor Among Thieves Had Poor Marketing
With very little in the way of marketing, Honor Among Thieves had to rely on word of mouth to generate interest. It had a slim commercial presence and wasn't widely known about, which meant that it required fans to go see it during preview screenings in order to ensure anyone would go over opening weekend. It's clear that it had to counteract a huge $150 million dollar budget for a niche movie with a very small marketing budget, which meant it wasn't on fans' radar.
9 Honor Among Thieves Looked Like A Typical MCU Movie
Honor Among Thieves was always going to have a problem balancing being too niche for a general audience and too generic for its diehard fans. Its answer was to throw together a cast of quirky characters on a mission to save the kingdom like a medieval MCU movie, which didn't feel unique enough to pique interest from either its built-in fanbase or curious casual viewers. As superhero fatigue has set in among moviegoers, the vibe of the movie wasn't must-see cinema.
8 Honor Among Thieves’ Trailers Spoiled Its Best Moments
Of the few Honor Among Thieves' trailers that fans were fortunate enough to see before its release, most of the movie's best moments were spoiled. Moments that would have been awe-inspiring to see as part of the plot, like the sudden appearance of an owlbear (one of the Dungeons & Dragons animals Doric turns into), became just one of many dizzying spectacles. This was also true for the movie's most potent punchlines, such as the Sorcerer inadvertently triggering the mechanism for the bridge leading to the Helm of Disjunction after the Paladin's express warning not to.
7 D&D Fans Were Boycotting Hasbro & WOTC
Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro hurt a lot of fans when a draft of recent changes to Dungeons & Dragons' Open Game License leaked several months prior to the release of Honor Among Thieves. This caused tension in the fanbase as perceived corporate overlords threatened the power dynamic of players owning their games. Despite being previously excited about a new Dungeons & Dragons movie, hardcore fans called a boycott to hurt Hasbro, WOTC, and anyone else involved in the dispute.
6 Honor Among Thieves Opened Alongside Super Mario Bros.
Heading into summer, Honor Among Thieves had the displeasure of running up against huge films that competed for its demographic; John Wick: Chapter Four and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Action fans went to see the fourth installment of the John Wick franchise and kids, teens, and nostalgic-driven adults went to find out how two plucky plumbing brothers found themselves battling Bowser in the Mushroom Kingdom. Honor Among Thieves failed to make a dent in their numbers, and both of those movies beat box office records.
5 Honor Among Thieves Had A Weak Central Story
Due to the nature of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, having a strong plot was always going to be difficult, and as a result, Honor Among Thieves had a weak central story. There was never going to be a plot that pleased every fan since every campaign in a D&D game is entirely unique and subjective, flavored by its participants. The movie settled on a generic dungeoning party going on a heist, with a few personal beats to hit for good measure but failed to have a compelling narrative that would make it memorable.
4 Honor Among Thieves' Villain Wasn't Compelling Enough
Hugh Grant's bumbling charm was used to subvert expectations in Honor Among Thieves, but his dastardly rogue was not the true villain of the movie. Its real antagonist was the Red Wizard Sofina, who had a great look and screen presence, but either had more scenes that ended up on the cutting room floor, or she was never fully developed in the first place. Her character wasn't compelling enough, her motivations for controlling Neverwinter were unclear, and she seemed two-dimensional, which made the Boss Fight at the end particularly underwhelming.
3 Honor Among Thieves' D&D Adaptation Was Too Niche
Even with its inclusion in popular series like Stranger Things, Dungeons & Dragons is still a niche IP in pop culture. Honor Among Thieves had Dungeons & Dragons Easter eggs and references to the tabletop game for diehard fans to find, but since it was also trying to appeal to nonfans, it had to contain several tropes of a typical medieval fantasy movie. Even in a better economy with a better budget, the first Dungeons & Dragons movie from 2000 proved that the IP is still too small to be a big box office draw.
2 Fantasy Movies Have Lost Steam At The Box Office
Unfortunately, fantasy movies have lost steam at the box office, and Honor Among Thieves might have made them well and truly dead. Back-to-back mediocre series like Amazon's Rings of Power and Willow on Disney+ have meant that, unless the fantasy movie is gritty like House of the Dragon on HBO, it won't be a hit. Honor Among Thieves was a lone fantasy movie at a time when the genre's popularity as a whole is on a downturn (for now).
1 Honor Among Thieves Had An Unbalanced Tone
Given that Marvel movies have cornered the market on snarky, quippy exchanges between disparate characters, Honor Among Thieves couldn't compete. Its dungeon party constantly making jokes and cracking wise even at serious moments constantly sucked all the tension out of the plot. Its unbalanced tone made it seem like not only should the characters not take anything seriously, but Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves shouldn't be taken seriously, either.
