Potter's reputation within the American film industry following the box office disappointments of "Pennies from Heaven" and "Gorky Park" ultimately led to difficulty receiving backing for his projects. Potter is known to have written adaptations of "The Phantom of the Opera", "The Mystery of Edwin Drood", "The White Hotel" and his earlier television play "Double Dare" (1976): all reached the preproduction stage before work was suspended. More fortunate was "Mesmer" (1993), a biographical film of the 19th century pseudo-scientist Franz Anton Mesmer. Potter's film, "Secret Friends" (1991), from his novel, "Ticket to Ride", starring Alan Bates. "Secret Friends" premiered in New York at the Museum of Modern Art as the gala closing of the Museum of Television & Radio's week-long Potter retrospective.