"We made it for the fans, not the critics." We've all heard that from filmmakers before, especially when their movie gets terrible reviews. It's true that box-office success often has very little correlation with quality: Plenty of wonderful films failed to find an audience, and lots of the top moneymakers were also savaged by reviewers. But what are the worst movies that were also huge hits?
To find out, the experts over at SlotsMove crunched the data, analyzing the box-office performance of movies that earned a 10 percent or lower on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes. They then zeroed in on the films that had the worst reviews and also the highest profit. The results include disappointing sequels, regrettable adaptations, and, yes, several Adam Sandler titles. Read on for their top 10.
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10 | Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)
20th Century FoxRotten Tomatoes score: 4 percent
Box office: $164.5 million
Critics and audiences alike loved the first Speed, which has an impressive 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The sequel, on the other hand, was hated by just about everyone. "An ear-splitting amusement-park attraction posing as a movie," wrote Jami Bernard for the New York Daily News.
9 | Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat (2003)
Universal PicturesRotten Tomatoes score: 10 percent
Box office: $134 million
Fans of the Dr. Seuss classic were horrified by the nightmare fodder produced in 2003, with Mike Myers covering himself in terrifying prosthetics to play the titular role. "The Cat in the Hat is long on visual dazzle but short on warmth, and the humor is excessively raunchy for a family film," wrote Claudia Puig for USA Today.
8 | Fantastic Four (2015)
20th Century FoxRotten Tomatoes score: 9 percent
Box office: $167.9 million
There have been multiple attempts at turning the Fantastic Four comics into the next successful superhero franchise—there's another coming in 2025—but the 2015 film is especially reviled. "Fantastic Four is a profound mess," wrote Kristy Puchko for CBR. "It's not fun. It's not exciting. It's far from action-packed. And it's most certainly not fantastic."
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7 | Jack and Jill (2011)
Sony Pictures ReleasingRotten Tomatoes score: 3 percent
Box office: $149.7 million
This is Adam Sandler's first appearance on the list—but certainly not his last. And he gets bonus points for playing both Jack and his sister, Jill, in this film that's probably not Al Pacino's proudest moment. "Adam Sandler has succumbed to the Eddie Murphy syndrome," wrote Sandra Hall for The Sydney Morning Herald. "He's afflicted with the belief that we can't get enough of him."
6 | The Last Airbender (2010)
Paramount PicturesRotten Tomatoes score: 5 percent
Box office: $319.7 million
Not to be confused with James Cameron'sAvatar, which critics loved, M. Night Shyamalan's attempt at adapting the beloved Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender for the big screen was an unmitigated disaster. "After the first five seconds, it seems as if you have been watching it for around two-and-a-half hours, and that this time has passed in four-and-a-half days," wrote Peter Bradshaw for The Guardian.
5 | Couples Retreat (2009)
Universal PicturesRotten Tomatoes score: 10 percent
Box office: $171.8 million
There was very little charm to be found in tropical island resort-set Couples Retreat. "Couples is so formulaic, so fake and relentlessly bland, it's hard to care if any of these pairings get a divorce, drown or are eaten by sharks," wrote Cosmo Landesman for The Times (via Rotten Tomatoes). "It has neither the ring of truth nor the fun of fantasy."
4 | Grown-Ups 2 (2013)
Sony Pictures ReleasingRotten Tomatoes score: 8 percent
Box office: $247 million
Adam Sandler returns to the list for a sequel to a movie that made a lot of money but earned terrible reviews. (See below.) Unsurprisingly, Grown Ups 2 followed a similar trajectory. "Somehow, the word 'sequel' doesn't fit: it would be like describing three months of agonising spinal surgery as the sequel to falling off a cliff," wrote Robbie Collin for The Daily Telegraph.
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3 | Little Fockers (2010)
Universal PicturesRotten Tomatoes score: 9 percent
Box office: $310.7 million
Things started off strong with 2000's Meet the Parents, which has a respectable 84 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. By the time Little Fockers rolled around, however, critics had had enough. "This deeply dislikable movie gives vulgarity a bad name," wrote Philip French for The Guardian.
2 | Grown Ups (2010)
Sony Pictures ReleasingRotten Tomatoes score: 10 percent
Box office: $271.5 million
Yes, the first Grown Ups earned an even higher spot on the list, with a slightly better ratio of Rotten Tomatoes score to box-office performance. No surprise here. "It's total garbage," wrote Tom Long of The Detroit News (via Rotten Tomatoes).
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1 | The Emoji Movie (2017)
Sony Pictures ReleasingRotten Tomatoes score: 6 percent
Box office: $217.8 million
We know what you're thinking—how could a movie adapted from emojis be anything but an instant classic? And yet, The Emoji Movie turned out to be an atrocious exercise in corporate synergy. Critics were ruthless in their assessment of the film that tops SlotsMove's list. "One wishes that this movie could be erased from existence—but for now, let's hope that the burning wreckage acts as a warning to never, ever do this again," wrote Kambole Campbell for One Room With A View.
