50 Worst Movies of All Time

“Jaws 3-D” was the third installment of the Jaws franchise, and it was a financial success, grossing over $45 million domestically. However, the 3-D effects failed to win over critics, one of whom called them “laughable.” Only 10% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a thumbs up, and only 17% of audiences liked the film, which was nominated for five Razzie Awards.

Pop diva Mariah Carey blamed the financial failure of “Glitter” — a story about a singer trying to overcome a tumultuous childhood — on the unfortunate timing of its release close to the Sept. 11 terror attacks. Critics felt differently, with the Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes calling the film a “hodgepodge of movie cliches and bad acting.” Only 7% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes liked the movie. Audiences were kinder, with 48% approving it.

The first in a series of movies based on the role-playing game of the same name, “Dungeons & Dragons” follows Empress Savina of Izmer as she searches for the legendary Rod of Savrille in order to free her kingdom of the magical Mages. Despite the talent of actors such as Jeremy Irons and Marlon Wayans, the movie is a dud, with Detroit News critic Susan Stark writing that it may be “the clumsiest, most inept cinematic exploitation of an item with kid appeal that we have yet seen.”

“The Apparition” made the worst mistake a horror film can make — it wasn’t scary. Only 3% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes liked the film. Perhaps Entertainment Weekly critic Keith Staskiewicz summed up critics’ sentiment best by saying, “Might give you a restless night, but only because you fell asleep in the theater.”

A multitude of romantic comedies are skewered in the 2006 spoof flick, “Date Movie.” Unfortunately, most of the movies it mimics are funnier than the parody. Nevertheless, the vulgar comedy grossed more than double its $20 million budget at the domestic box office.

Twenty years after the original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” helped launch the slasher genre, Kim Henkel, who produced and co-wrote the first version of the film, unleashed this reboot of the slaughterfest, noteworthy for its early-career appearance by Matthew McConaughey. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly called this version “luridly abysmal.” Critics gave the film a 14% Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while only 18% of audiences liked it.

The live action flick “Dragonball Evolution” has plenty of aspects that may appeal to those who are already fans of the franchise, but the majority of viewers feel left out. Even fans, however, find the film lacking that special something that made the original books (and cartoons) so engaging.

This Adam Sandler film in which he plays both titular characters was the first movie to win every single Razzies award the year it was nominated. Even the presence of Katie Holmes and Al Pacino couldn’t save it. The movie currently has a 3% positive critics rating. Critic Sean Burns of Philadelphia Weekly opined that “Jack and Jill” is “the worst Adam Sandler picture yet, which is saying something.”

Eddie Murphy stars as a lunar nightclub owner in this sci-fi comedy that absolutely bombed at the box office, grossing $4.4 million domestically on a $100 million budget. Critics almost universally gave it bad reviews, with David Hiltbrand labelling it a “paralyzingly dopey mess.”

The live-action version of the fondly remembered 1960s animated series (Mr. Magoo was voiced by Jim Backus) about the misadventures of a nearly blind senior citizen was described by critic Roger Ebert as “transcendentally bad.” USA Today went further, calling it “an insult to the intelligence of the entire human race.” Just 7% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes liked the film.

Original “Superman” cast members Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, and Margot Kidder all returned for this sequel, widely agreed as being the worst of the series. Rotten Tomatoes’ scathing Critics Consensus states, “the action is boring, the special effects look cheaper, and none of the actors appear interested in where the plot’s going.”

The Wayans brothers developed The Scary Movie franchise, which has grossed more than $800 million, by parodying the horror film genre and including cameo appearances by stars. But the comedy formula was spent by the film’s fifth iteration, garnering a 4% Rotten Tomatoes Freshness rating. The Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus pillories “Scary Movie 5” as “juvenile even by Scary Movie standards.”

The filmmakers behind “Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd” may have taken its title a little too seriously. Critics found the film — a prequel to 1994’s “Dumb and Dumber” — exceedingly inane, even for an intended sophomoric comedy.

Directed by the fiercely independent and confrontational filmmaker Uwe Boll, “In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale” is inspired by the Dungeon Siege video game series. The movie features significant starpower with Jason Statham, Ron Perlman, and Ray Liotta. The Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes says the movie features “mostly wooden performances, laughable dialogue, and shoddy production values.” Just 4% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes liked the film.

“Catwoman” shows just how bad a superhero movie can be. With over-editing and miserable CGI, the film won a handful of Razzie Awards, including worst picture, worst director, worst screenplay, and worst actress for lead Halle Berry. Those curious for a taste of the movie can look up its infamous basketball scene online.

“Fifty Shades of Black” is director Michael Tiddes and funnyman Marlon Wayans’ spoof of the erotic romantic drama “Fifty Shades of Grey.” Even though Wayans had success with send-ups of the horror genre, “Fifty Shades of Black” fell flat, with only 7% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes giving the movie a thumbs up. J.R. Jones of the Chicago Reader said “The movie’s mean-spiritedness becomes even more painful than the dippiness of the source material.”

While 76% of critics enjoyed the original — John Carpenter-helmed “The Fog” from 1980 — a mere 4% approved of this 2005 remake, according to Rotten Tomatoes. The site’s Critics Consensus states that the updated “The Fog,” lacks “scares, suspense or originality” — three of the most important traits for a horror film. The movie did manage to do well at the box office, however, grossing nearly $30 million domestically on an $18 million budget.

“Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever,” an action film starring Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu, has the dubious distinction of 0% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes approving of the movie. The Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes says it is “a startlingly inept film” that offers “overblown, wall-to-wall action without a hint of wit, coherence, style, or originality.” It was also a box-office disaster, grossing $14.3 million on a budget of $70 million.

The second movie based on the video game “Mortal Kombat” fails to match the excitement of actually playing the game due to shallow characters, bad effects, and tedious fight scenes. Perhaps this is due to its then-inexperienced director — the movie was filmmaker John R. Leonetti’s directorial debut.

Abraham Van Helsing was the fictional vampire hunter in Bram Stoker’s classic horror novela “Dracula.” Stan, his descendant, is a video-store clerk who ends up fighting a host of famous movie monsters and assorted fiends. The New York Times called the film a “shockingly bad movie.” It was liked by just 14% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

“The Master of Disguise” is a comedy film starring Dana Carvey as a secret agent named Pistachio Disguisey. The film only has one positive review out of the 104 collected by Rotten Tomatoes. The site’s Critics Consensus calls the movie both irritating and witless.

If entertainment industry executives thought “From Justin to Kelly,” a musical rom-com starring American Idol contestants Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini, was going to be movie magic, they were mistaken. Only 10% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes liked the film, which the Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus dismisses as “a notorious stinker.” Clarkson has since been vocal with the press in declaring her severe dislike of the movie.

While superhero movies are currently all the rage, they have not historically been so beloved. One of the biggest duds was the dull 1990 film “Captain America,” which starred Matt Salinger in the lead role and Ronny Cox and Ned Beatty in supporting roles. Scott Weinberg, writing for eFilmCritic.com, stated, “this is what superhero flicks looked like before someone got a clue.”

The animated movie, starring the voices of T.J. Miller, James Corden, Anna Faris, and Maya Rudolph, is little more than a commercial for an app. That was the takeaway from critic Ed Potton of the British newspaper the Times: “Not only does this film hate its very subject matter, it’s also the most hideous example of product placement in cinematic history.” His critic colleagues agreed, and “The Emoji Movie” has a 7% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

British film magazine Empire called “Feardotcom” the “most pathetic horror of the decade.” Audiences must have agreed, as the film grossed less than $19 million worldwide against a reported budget of $40 million. The movie follows an NYPD detective, played by Stephen Dorff, as he works to solve a string of murders in which all of the victims accessed the same fearsome website.

“Vampires Suck” is one of five movies on our list from filmmaking team Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. The movie is primarily a spoof of the Twilight franchise, and though many critics feel that Twilight is indeed spoof-worthy, “Vampires Suck” fails to bring the intelligence and humor needed to do the job properly.

In “Teen Wolf Too,” Jason Bateman is taking over the lead for Michael J. Fox, who starred in “Teen Wolf.” Bateman plays the original’s cousin, who takes up boxing, rather than basketball. The movie was condemned by all but 7% of critics, with reviewers describing it as tedious, unfunny, and dreadful.

Chevy Chase returned for this lame sequel to the golf-comedy classic. The PG-rated follow-up suffers from a “lazy, laughless script and uninspired direction” (according to Rotten Tomatoes), despite the involvement of otherwise successful writers, including Harold Ramis. “Caddyshack II” flopped at the box office, grossing less than $12 million on an estimated budget of $20 million.

Lindsay Lohan stars as Aubrey Fleming — as well as Dakota Moss — in this 2007 serial killer mystery. While the critical consensus, according to Rotten Tomatoes, is that this flick is “a career nadir for all involved,” a few critics enjoyed it, including the Washington Post’s Stephen Hunter, who called it “a credible piece of pop entertainment of the hottie-in-distress genre.”

“Kazaam” is the first of two films starring basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal to make our list. In it, the 7′ 1″ athlete plays a genie who is released from his captivity in a boom box. Many found Shaq to be charismatic in his role, yet Gene Siskel summed up the overall experience by saying: “It’s marketing, not moviemaking.”

“Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-LI” is a feature movie adaptation based on the video-game franchise. The film stars Kristin Kreuk, who starred in the television series “Smallville,” as Chun-Li. Critics thought the plot was lacking and the characters miscast (Chris Klein and Michael Clarke Duncan also appear in major roles). It was a box office disappointment, grossing less than $9 million domestically after costing $50 million to make.

“Epic Movie” aims to spoof blockbuster flicks such as “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.” The raunchy comedy only impressed 2% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes, however, with most seemingly tiring of directors Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer’s work following the more successful “Scary Movie.”

Shaquille O’Neal stars as weapons designer John Henry Irons, who dons a metal suit and becomes known as the superhero Steel. The poorly executed movie is riddled with cliches — though some critics praised Shaq’s performance.

The fourth movie based on the religious fantasy novel “Left Behind” — which imagine the effects of the biblical Rapture — earned a 1% Rotten Tomatoes rating and inspired critic Bilge Ebiri to denounce it as “biblical in its silliness.” Even fans of star Nicolas Cage’s more eccentric roles may have trouble finding something they like in this rather tame flick.

B-movie “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” finally answers the question of what happens when Martians kidnap Santa Claus so that there’s someone to deliver presents to the Martian children. While this bizarre premise may show promise, critics found the film incompetent and cold.

This video game adaptation by German filmmaker Uwe Boll was a box office bomb, grossing $2.4 million on a reported $25 million budget. Actor Michael Madsen, who stars in the vampire-themed video game adaptation, called it “an abomination” and “a horrifying and preposterous movie.”

“Meet the Spartans” is yet another spoof movie from Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer — the filmmaking team behind “Scary Movie” (2000), “Date Movie” (2006) — No. 46 on our list — and others. Goofing on flicks such as “300” (2006), the comedy is described by Rotten Tomatoes as a “tired, unfunny, offensive waste of time.”

“Baby Geniuses” tells the story of a woman — played by Kathleen Turner — who attempts to decode a special language used by all babies, whom she believes are born with Universal Knowledge. Roger Ebert found it exceptionally bad, saying that “a film as unpleasant as ‘Baby Geniuses’ achieves a kind of grandeur.” The movie earned director Bob Clark the award for worst director at the 1999 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards.

“Gigli” stars Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez — then in a romantic relationship — as two mobsters tasked with kidnapping and watching the brother of a district attorney. Despite their offscreen liaison, the two were criticized for lacking chemistry in the movie. The movie grossed just over $6 million at the domestic box office on a reported budget of $54 million.

“Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star” was released by Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions the same year as his similarly bad comedy “Jack and Jill” (No. 43 on this list). Not a single critic gave the movie a positive review among those reported on Rotten Tomatoes, with Time Out’s Matt Singer calling it “dire, soul-crushing stuff.”

Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws” (1975) is a critically acclaimed classic and features a Rotten Tomatoes Freshness rating of 98%. “Jaws: The Revenge” (1987) — the original’s third sequel — has a rating of 0%. In the movie, Ellen Brody (Lorraine Gary), the widow of Roy Scheider’s police chief in the original, believes her family is being targeted for revenge by another killer shark.

At the time of its release, film critic Richard Roeper wrote that his experience of watching “Son of the Mask” was the closest he’s “ever come to walking out halfway through the film” and that he wished he had. The follow-up to the 1994 Jim Carrey hit “The Mask” was a major flop at the box office, grossing less than $60 million worldwide against a reported budget of $100 million.

This box office bomb is based on part of a novel by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology, of which star John Travolta is a prominent member. The Orlando Sentinel called the sci-fi flick “a third-string Planet of the Apes meets Star Trek … with a Swiss-cheese plot.”

Paris Hilton stars in this comedy as the titular “hottie,” whose suitor tasks himself with finding a match for her less attractive friend. The gross-out comedy is described by Rotten Tomatoes as “crass, predictable, and ineptly staged.” It also grossed less than $28,000 at the domestic box office.

“Disaster Movie” is one more crude parody movie from the filmmaking team of Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. In addition to being panned by critics and audiences alike, the movie garnered six Razzie nominations for its incompetence

The acting talents of Christian Slater and Stephen Dorff couldn’t save this Atari video game adaptation. Described on Rotten Tomatoes as “inept on almost every level,” the film may appeal to viewers who prefer to laugh at their movies than with them.

Bad movie master Uwe Boll helmed “House of the Dead” — another ridiculous video game adaptation. One positive aspect of the film for viewers, according to Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus, is that it’s “loaded with unintentional laughs.”

“Saving Christmas” — also known as “Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas” — has been derided by critics as smug, preachy, and shabbily thrown together. Lacking the fun and warmth of many Christmas films, Cameron’s production was called “the worst holiday movie ever made,” by David Keyes of Cinemaphile.org.

Director Bob Clark’s “Baby Geniuses” won over 2% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Its sequel — “Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2” — was enjoyed by no critics. The final feature film directed by Clark — the filmmaker behind “A Christmas Story” and “Porky’s” — before his death in 2007 was both a critical failure and box office bomb, grossing worldwide less than half of its reported budget of $20 million.

This 1960s horror flick about a family that stumbles upon a devil-worshiping, human hand-sacrificing cult is nearly hated by all, aside from a smattering of die-hard bad movie fans. It was re-released by Sinister Cinema in 2003 and has occasionally been screened at film festivals in more recent years.