How often do moviegoers see this at the start or finish of a feature film? “The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.”
The producers do not want to be sued if they characterize someone or some event incorrectly. On the other hand, some of the greatest movies in history were based on true events, either loosely or very accurately. There have been several movies about Wyatt Earp’s gunfight at the OK Corral. The incident almost certainly happened but was never well documented. There have been very accurate movies based on wars, people, and cataclysms.
To determine the worst movie based on true events, 24/7 Tempo developed an index based on several measures from the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes. The index is a composite of the movies’ IMDb rating, Rotten Tomatoes audience score, and Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score.
Many of the films we looked at explore immoral actions as well as tragedies. Some of these films such topics as murder and homicide. Others are haunting tales based on alleged incidents.
Not all of these failed true-event treatments are grim. Biopics are a Hollywood staple, but many do not find favor with audiences and critics alike, despite A-list actors in the main roles and award-winning directors behind the scenes.
Some bad movies, of course, attain a kind of iconic, ironic “so bad, it’s good” status. People watch them just to laugh at them or bask in their deficiencies.
To determine the worst movie based on true events, 24/7 Tempo developed an index based on several measures from the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes. The index is a composite of the movies’ IMDb rating, Rotten Tomatoes audience score, and Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score. All ratings were weighted equally. Only films with at least 20,000 reviews on IMDb and 2,500 audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes were considered. Supplemental data on domestic box office and production budgets by movie came from industry data site The Numbers.
The worst movie based on true events is Winchester (2018). Here are the details:
> Directed by: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig
> Cast: Helen Mirren, Sarah Snook, Finn Scicluna-O’Prey
> IMDb rating: 5.5 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 13%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 32%
“Winchester” is a horror film that tells part of the true story behind the Winchester Mystery House near San Francisco. The plot is based on the real-life experiences of Sarah Winchester who built a mansion for the ghosts she believed were following her. Critics have described the movie as tedious, disappointing, and a wasted opportunity to tell a good story.
Click here to read the worst movies based on true events
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