"They keep talking about John Carter as a failure. I saw it. It wasn't great. And the reason wasn't bad acting or bad special effects, it was that it had a mediocre script. So yeah, try hiring some better writers next time. They apparently cost less than special effects anyway. "

I saw it too, and thought it was decent. It failed because of the title. Even the most hardcore sci-fi fans don't know what John Carter is.

If the title had "Mars" in it it probably would have at least broken even.