Paltrow killed Conran's Career.

There was bound to be a subsection of movie goers who would be turned off by the computer animation in this film. The 30's style revivalist storyline also eliminated a faction of viewers. But even with this elimination of potential audience members, there should still have been a core of comic book readers, or Terry Gilliam loving type fans enjoy who the spectacle of another person's imagination laid bare. That was the target the audience; those who love escapism.

It has been my experience in speaking with comic book fans and devotees of cult favorites that Sky Captain has been slow to be picked up because Gwyneth Paltrow killed the film. Her expressionless, dispassionate portrayal of the lead character makes it unwatchable. The love able selfishness or self-righteousness that should have been evident in her character was instead an icy indifference to the plot and the audience. She thus alienated the last faction of potential viewers for the film.

It was a one-two-three punch for a film and a director.

Though I must say I don't understand why the cast of the film didn't make an effort to advertise for Sky Captain; the genre was atypical for most of the stars' resumes. They could have won devotees for themselves from otherwise untapped demographics.