Tommy Wiseau's 2003 infamous "masterpiece," The Room, has been globally revered and reviled as one of the most stupendous flops in cinematic history. From its atrocious script to Wiseau’s questionable acting chops, it was a misguided but strangely endearing film that still manages to draw a cult following and parody screenings today.
Wiseau’s undeniably poor movie-making skills combined with the compelling and almost comical production of The Room are enough to make it an everlasting classic...for all the wrong reasons. So enamored were fans, that 2017 saw the release of the ironically-titled The Disaster Artist, directed by none other than James Franco and starring his brother Dave Franco as the film’s lead character.
Disney is known for making dreams come true, but unfortunately, the magic only lasted so long when it came to the two Mulan movies. In the original release, audiences saw a strong woman who defied all odds; yet in Mulan II their message was that women needed a man in order to succeed and ultimately, to be happy.
That kind of ideology was met with fierce backlash, showing Disney that with topics like gender equality, you simply can't bleed something dry—you need to keep it fresh and empowering. Audiences were aware of outdated stereotypes, and thus this movie flopped hard.
The 2004 movie Catwoman landed with a resounding thud in the hearts of superhero fans. What could have been an exciting caper about this beloved DC Comics character with Halle Berry as the lead instead turned into something clearly written by a bunch of dudely dudes—complete with skin-tight outfits and fancy footwear that was far from crime-fighting appropriate.
It wasn't just disappointing for its shallow, male-gaze focus, but for its tarnishing of one of comics' greatest heroines. Many would say it's what started the DC Comics' tailspin in their bid to make popular films—and it doesn't seem like they've recovered from it either!
A Thousand Words definitely missed the mark when it comes to audience appeal. Starring Eddie Murphy, it was a comedy-drama about a man's struggle to break out of his long-winded ways, only to find out he literally has a thousand words left to speak before he dies. Unfortunately, critics felt that the film lacked the heart and soul of some of Murphy's past work.
There’s no denying Murphy is an extremely funny guy, but in A Thousand Words, somebody had the great idea to take away his voice. In doing so, they took away everything that’s funny about Murphy. The jokes were seen as predictable and stale, while the story lacked any messages with real meaning or insight. All in all, these factors were simply not enough to sway audiences (46% score) and critics (0%) away from an inevitably low score on Rotten Tomatoes.
When the trailer for Generation Um... first aired, we let out a collective “Um…” This indie drama starring Keanu Reeves does not conjure up images of the slick action hero one might expect from him. Rather, it follows three people who traverse aimlessly through life, struggling to break free from their existential gloom.
While it is true that some find solace in bleak and deep movies such as this one, what had us collectively stammering was why Hollywood's golden boy volunteered to take on such a dour role. We can only guess at his motives, but we agreed that while interesting, it might not be one of our top picks for a movie night.
John Gotti, the leader of the infamous Gambino crime family, lead a fascinating life. 16 years after his death, John Travolta tried to star in a film that covered Gotti’s life in broad strokes. It didn’t even begin to do the crime boss justice. With a dismal score of 0% on Rotten Tomatoes (and an audience score of 32%), Gotti had one of the worst performances at the box office in 2018.
After its release, critics derided this biopic as a muddled mess that relied too heavily on its star power rather than actually telling the story of organized crime boss John Gotti. From disjointed editing to an incoherent script, there is no denying that elements of this film failed to come together in a meaningful way.
Christmas usually brings a flurry of advertisements for The Nutcracker ballet, yet 2010 served us something different: a film adaptation of the classic story with no dancing at all! While holiday movies are generally known for being quite subpar in quality, this one was truly peculiar.
Sadly, without the traditional dances that accompany The Nutcracker, we were left missing the expert leaps and twirls of ballerinas in tights. We had to rely on our imaginations if we wanted to partake in some festive toe-tapping.
Jaws, the 1975 classic, has been beloved by movie fans for decades. Its terrifying portrayal of a vengeful Great White Shark single-handedly ruining the summer of beachgoers makes it a timeless piece of classic cinema. And while each of the sequels may have taken liberties with the shark-human interactions they ultimately portrayed, none can top Jaws: The Revenge and its ludicrous premise that sharks are out to get one particular family!
After all, 16 unprovoked shark attacks may sound like a lot—until you consider that there were close to half a million beachgoers in 2018 alone. The Brody family probably should've kept their distance from Amity Island after the first two near-misses– but then again, we wouldn't have gotten to experience the unintentionally hilarious crowning finale of a much-beloved movie trilogy.
After seeing how many mediocre reviews the original Blue Lagoon movie got, Hollywood decided it didn’t have any better ideas than making a second one. In it, you get to watch kids going through puberty without the help of parents, textbooks, or the internet.
If that’s not enticing enough, you also get to see them fall in love, do the thing that follows falling in love, and feel exceptionally uncomfortable because, well, the main characters are children. It's an awkward and boring movie no one asked for.
When comparing E.T. and Mac and Me, there actually isn't any comparison. From lovable kids to a wild adventure and, of course, E.T. himself, you can see why everyone fell in love with the classic Spielberg film. In contrast, Mac and Me lacks all of these elements and has achieved unanimous disapproval from Rotten Tomatoes with a dismal 0%—hardly surprising given its obvious attempts at riding on the coattails of E.T.'s huge success.
Ultimately, if it ain't broke don't fix it: movies like E.T. show us why originality goes further than a cheap rip-off!
The '90s were definitely the generation of dog movies—from the comical voice-over pooches to the unending Tinseltown pups, it seemed Hollywood could never get enough canine cinema. This third installment to one particular talking-dog franchise failed to capture audiences' expectations, however.
Unfortunately for the production studio, their enthusiasm for pup productions didn't pay off and this movie was an epic flop. The hefty price tag ended up costing them millions in losses with no returns. Who knew ill-fated canine flicks could be such a financial burden?
National Lampoon's Gold Diggers may have been a financial flop but it is certainly an entertaining misadventure worth checking out. The premise of the movie, two young men marrying two wealthy older women to help fill their wallets until the women pass away, is amusing in itself—if not slightly macabre. And with a runtime of under 90 minutes, Gold Diggers provides just enough laughs and theatrical flare to make it worth your evening. You may want to fast-forward through some of the more cliched moments, but the originality of this film easily makes up for it.
So don't let its disastrous box office performance fool you; although nobody wanted National Lampoon's Gold Diggers when it was first released, it could be the perfect lighthearted distraction you need right now.
If there's one thing that Americans love more than remakes of classic films, it's the chance to view films from foreign countries - with English dubbing. There is always anticipation for when a new foreign film has been "Americanized" with English speakers, and this particular movie was no exception.
Unfortunately, it failed to make an impact on viewers and critics alike—twice! It seems as though the attempt to translate this foreign movie into something entertaining for US audiences just didn't succeed, leaving many thinking of it as nothing more than a "shredded remake."
In 2002, Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu joined forces to deliver one of the most peculiarly memorable films in recent memory. A clear distinction must be made, however; it's not memorable because it was a box office hit, or even due to its shining reviews. While most movies aspire for fantastic ratings, this production achieved something more profound—an astounding 0% on Rotten Tomatoes.
An astonishing 100+ critics have thus far inscribed their names into the film's unfortunate history. All in all, this could easily be filed under "cuts too deep"—care to see for yourself?
With his rakish drawl and hill-country swagger, Matthew McConaughey is the definition of Texan. His easy demeanor, paired with a spicy masculinity, makes him the go-to guy for rural characters in movies. That’s why it was so odd when he landed the role of an aloha-shirted surfer in Surfer, Dude—it just didn’t suit him!
The good-ole-boy ways that made him famous looked awkward next to gnarly waves, but as McConaughey fans know, he rarely disappoints. It was no exception here: his character was hilarious and endearing, and although it certainly wasn't his best work, it shows us how versatile this Texas talent can be.
When it comes to the fourth installment of a movie series, there's usually much debate about whether it'll be any good. Hollywood has had many cases in which the fourth movie has been a major letdown after three hit predecessors, and it's easy to see why people tend to put such high expectations on part four: if you can't even get the title right (Police Academy 4… really?), your audience starts off feeling skeptical.
Usually, these films are characterized as desperate attempts by studios to milk more money from an already successful franchise, so it's definitely no surprise that sometimes film fans decide not to waste their time and money on them at all.
When you think of Sylvester Stallone, what do you think of? A mega-star action hero? A talented sculptor of his physique? Or a dancing machine? If the answer is the latter, then you are correct. In the early '80s, Stallone wrote, directed, and produced a dance film that surprisingly flopped. Before he was Rocky or Rambo, Stallone was Michaelangelo Matrix, a disco-loving dancer with big dreams.
Though the movie did not receive critical acclaim, it is an interesting piece of his history. Who knows—maybe if it had been released today, it would be considered a cult classic.
If you're looking for a laugh-out-loud comedy, don't bother with Ridiculous 6. Featuring all your favorite Sandler trademarks—terrible jokes, an agonizing lack of plot, and poor taste—this movie really does live up to its name! It's so unmemorable that, for the life of us, all we can remember about it is that it’s set in a desert.
Instead, watch literally anything else on Netflix. This mess of a movie isn't so much hilarious as it is ridiculous and won’t give you the evening’s entertainment you were hoping for.
Max Steel's origin story has been quite a journey—from the late '90s action figure to a 2016 superhero movie flop. It comes as no surprise that it didn't quite hit the mark; with only a month of shooting, it's fair to say that there was no time for any revisions along the way!
Still, one might argue that all superheroes start somewhere, and for Max Steel, at least he finally made it to the weekend box office.
Highlander 2: The Quickening, the sequel to the iconic 1980s film Highlander, was met with mixed reviews upon its release in 1991. While viewers of the original liked the addition of Sean Connery and a deeper exploration of the character's narrative, they felt this sequel was rushed and filled with plot holes.
If that wasn't enough, it didn't help that much of the already muddled story is contradicted by later films in the series. This combination of shoddy writing and confusing timeline resulted in a 25% score on Rotten Tomatoes - a warning sign to any viewer looking for a quality film experience.
Shadow Conspiracy feels like a thriller written by a 9th-grade film student who managed to get ahold of Charlie Sheen, Donald Sutherland, and Linda Hamilton. We’re surprised their careers weren’t ruined in the crossfire of the cheesy action scenes and overly simple plot. It’s a movie we want to forget soon. And we aren't the only ones; the film was met with unanimous disapproval by critics upon its debut and currently holds an abysmal score of 6% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The movie was lambasted for its lack of character development, limp action sequences, and narrative that felt incomplete and convoluted. Critics also complained about the filmmakers using dialog straight out of the early '90s noir-thriller template. Overall, Shadow Conspiracy is simply an exercise in mediocrity—if you're looking to pass the time with a concerningly forgettable movie, then this might be your ticket.
Killing Me Softly, a psychological drama starring Heather Graham and Joseph Fiennes, had an interesting premise and promised to be "an intense, erotic thriller," yet it fell completely flat. Movie critics noted that the plot was overly complex and convoluted, making it difficult to follow. Additionally, despite excellent production values, some scenes in the film just didn't make sense and felt like non-sequiturs. With reviews criticizing its complexity and lack of clarity as well as a weak script, it's no wonder Killing Me Softly earned such a dismal Rotten Tomatoes score.
Killing Me Softly was directed by the acclaimed Chinese director Chen Kaige. It is the only film Kaige has ever produced in English. We hope his Chinese films are better than this clunky movie.
Dark Crimes, a neo-noir thriller released in 2018, had an underwhelming performance on Rotten Tomatoes. It currently holds a dismal 17% score at the time of this writing! The near-universal disdain for the movie stems from its clumsy script and lack of originality. Unlike most noir films, Dark Crimes doesn't bring anything new to the genre table. All its familiar tropes have been seen several times before in other movies. The movie also featured some particularly hokey dialogue between characters, leading to awkward scenes.
Jim Carrey may have starred in some great movies, but Dark Crimes is not one of them. Even with a riveting true story there to follow, this detective movie is lifeless.
Precious Cargo certainly made its mark on the box office, but unfortunately, it didn't fare so well on the review circuit. With its current Rotten Tomatoes score of only 3%, it's clear that the film is failing to impress most viewers and critics. The root of this low rating can probably be traced back to its unsubstantial storyline, relying too heavily on action tropes and archetypal characters rather than investing in meaningful content. As for audience reception, though viewers seem to appreciate the adrenaline-filled sequences featured throughout the film, few appear to be able to overlook its limited scope as an effort in storytelling–a recipe for disaster when attempting to earn respect from professional critiques.
All in all, Precious Cargo definitely had potential yet failed to live up to expectations–a fault which can now be reflected in its low Rotten Tomatoes score. Bruce Willis may be a distinguished actor, but he’s still human. Precious Cargo is about as clichéd as a heist movie can get. Willis did nothing to make the film any better.
Redline was undoubtedly a flop—it has a whopping 0% on Rotten Tomatoes (as far as the critics are concerned; the audience, however, gave it 47%), but it's noteworthy for its plot and production foreshadowing. In the movie, elaborate bets are made between wealthy street racers. It's like the generic brand version of The Fast and the Furious, which is already a pretty low bar to meet...
However, the filmmakers quickly ended up with literally millions of dollars in debt due to the destruction of their prized racing cars. Regrettably, similarly luxurious cars were destroyed during the production of Redline—most notably belonging to one producer who was sued into bankruptcy afterward. Yep. That was Redline.
Death Wish V: The Face of Death could've been a sure-fire hit, especially since it was the fifth installment in the Death Wish franchise, but alas its low Rotten Tomatoes score tells a different story. With an embarrassingly low score of 0%, (and an audience score of 32%) it doesn't take a film scholar to figure out that this movie wasn't up to snuff. It had an uninspired plot, cardboard characters, and painfully cheesy dialogue—all contributing factors that gave it a major flop with critics. While we can't necessarily claim that Death Wish V was an 'epic' action-thriller, we can kindly say goodnight and farewell to this one.
The Death Wish franchise began in the early '70s and garnered a loyal following. However, by the time they got around to making the fifth movie almost 20 years later, the plot had been stretched thin, the cast was uninterested, and the movie felt as flat as a day-old coke.
One Missed Call is an American remake of a Japanese horror film made just five years prior. The film received a dismal score from both viewers (29%) and critics (0%) on Rotten Tomatoes, and while poor acting performances may be partly to blame, the film's issues likely stretch beyond that. One could even argue that it was doomed from the start, as the story was based on an overly common horror movie trope of a haunted phone call.
Without any creative touches to add flavor or excitement to the narrative, viewers were left with a stale plotline they had likely seen before in some other context. Ultimately, if you're looking for a thrilling occult horror movie experience, it appears best to look elsewhere than this film.
Pudsey the Dog: The Movie earned an abysmal 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, but why? Was it poorly acted? Is the script written by a monkey? It’s likely that the movie was mauled on the famous movie-review site due to its cheap production values and cringe-worthy storylines. Pudsey the Dog: The Movie is a confusing, rambling movie with no direction.
Critics may have set the bar too high when they expected anything more than basic family entertainment from a movie starring Britain's Got Talent champion Pudsey The Dog. But, missing even this low mark, Pudsey the Dog: The Movie fails to entertain toddlers with its boredom and cheesy lines—leaving audiences everywhere scrambling for something else that could make it fun for all!
InAPPropriate Comedy was written by the ShamWow Guy, Vince Offer, but nobody saw it coming. It’s a brutal, offensive comedic sketch movie that never knew how to be funny. It’s a waste of everybody’s time.
The film's unfunny, cringeworthy attempts to address current events only drew ire from critics who weren't won over by the film's barely there plot and poor attempts at political humor. As a low-budget indie comedy featuring celebrity cameos, it was hardly surprising that InAPPropriate Comedy ended up giving moviegoers more of an awkwardness-induced headache than a good laugh. Perhaps filmmakers should have known better than to try to inject shock comedy into such an already-volatile Hollywood climate...
Not only is Wagons West! one of the worst movies of all time—it’s also considered the single worst Western movie ever made. It was John Candy’s final film before his premature death, and it wasn’t the best note to end on.
Unfortunately, the film's humor was too offbeat to find much success at the box office or with movie critics. Many users who left reviews on Rotten Tomatoes panned the movie for its weak comedic timing, stiff acting, and unoriginal plot points. Ultimately, it’s easy to see why did this kitchen-sink affair failed to impress: it was all yee-hah and no substance!
The 2023 film Velma promised a great story about two high schoolers wrestling with their identities, but unfortunately, it fell short of expectations. In terms of its plot and characters, Velma was lacking in originality and development. Despite beautiful visuals that highlighted the Mexican countryside, viewers were disappointed by the shallow exploration of its key themes. The pacing was slow, leaving little room for audiences to become engaged or connected with the characters and their stories.
While critics didn't seem to totally hate it—it ranks high on this list with 50%, comparatively—audiences scored it a lousy 6%. I think that says it all.
