There have been numerous threads about the possibility of a Futurama movie. However, it's mostly hearsay and false hope, causing most of the threads to get spammy and then closed.
This one is a prime example. In
this thread, people post their ideas about what they'd want the movie to be like, but it's strictly hypothetical. Talk of a movie was even used as an
April Fools' Joke two years in a row.
This thread is mostly useless, but it has one great post that sums up the situation pretty well.
Originally posted by CyberKnight:
To summarise what we know:
Both Groening and Cohen have expressed interest in doing at least one movie, and possibly a trilogy of movies. However, the critical issue is funding, and as FOX would have to be a partner, it gets more difficult (they aren't enthusiastic).
As for more episodes, CN has expressed an interest, but at the moment, the cost is prohibitably expensive, and CN would have to look for a network partner.
That's pretty much all we know, so far.
That post was made August 2003, and we don't know much else. Except that it's gotten a lot less likely as time has passed.
As for your original question, here's the stock answer: When Groening pitched Futurama, Fox jumped on it, hoping for "The Simpsons in space." Instead, they got the show we all know and love. Fox didn't like it, didn't think anyone else would like it, didn't know what to do with it. They gave Groening and Co. all kinds of notes, hoping to change it into something acceptable. When the writers tried to indulge Fox's suggestions (namely, in the episode I, Roommate), Fox still hated it. At about that point, they decided they'd just make the show they wanted to make, and to hell with Fox. Now, the network execs didn't like that. It turned into a battle of wills. Groening insisted on full creative control and refused to give it up. Fox responded by treating the show like dirt, shuffling it from crappy timeslot to crappy timeslot, rarely advertising it, putting it on frequent hiatus, and preempting it for football. Naturally, the ratings fell, since all these factors made it nearly impossible to develop a solid fanbase. And so, with low ratings, the show was cancelled.