When it comes to popular culture, there’s often a huge gap between the opinions of the critics and the general public. “Beach read” romance or crime novels seldom win plaudits from The New York Review of Books; schlocky pop music gets few raves in Rolling Stone. And as for movies, well, screens are full of cinematic masterpieces that flop at the box office and overblown epics that rake in the bucks but earn critical scorn. (Here’s a representative list of comedies audiences love but critics hate.)
To determine the highest grossing movies with the lowest ratings, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on worldwide box office data from The Numbers, an online movie database owned by Nash Information Services, and audience and critic ratings from IMDb, an online movie and TV database owned by Amazon, and Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator. The 350 movies with the highest global box office, adjusted for inflation using historical ticket prices from the National Association for Theatre Owners, were ranked based on a composite index consisting of IMDb user rating, Rotten Tomatoes audience score, and Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score. All index measures were rated equally.
Here’s something that should come as no surprise: Nearly all of the highest-grossing films with the worst ratings are franchise installments. While a few exceptions emerge, the overwhelming majority of these blockbusters opened to built-in followings, hence their impressive box office hauls. Examples such as “Beverly Hills Cop II” and “Minions” may have their staunch defenders, but most of these titles are misfires from the perspective of quality viewing. (Here’s a look at the worst movie from every major franchise.)
One could easily get jaded reading through the list of movies that earned big bucks in spite of their many shortcomings. It reinforces the notion that Hollywood tends to milk a cash cow for all it’s worth, even when the well of creativity has run dry. Then again, why should a studio put forth the extra effort when it already knows that audiences will flock to see the new “Transformers” movie or the latest adaptation of a popular book like “Twilight” or “Fifty Shades of Grey?” And don’t even get us started on all those live-action Disney remakes.
The truth is that most franchise installments are bound to fall short in one way or the other. It’s difficult to capture lightning in a bottle over and over again or come up with a fresh approach to the same general material. One might even suggest that the sequels and reboots that live up to the hype are the true anomalies. But does the possibility of getting it right justify the smorgasbord of sub-standard fare thrust upon audiences from one year to the next?
50. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $954.8 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.5/10 (239,300 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 70% (293,357 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 49% (198 reviews)
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49. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $1.2 billion
> IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (394,433 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 51% (651,982 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 53% (78 reviews)
48. Alice in Wonderland (2010)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $1.2 billion
> IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (395,965 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 55% (480,366 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 51% (279 reviews)
47. Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $648.1 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (114,253 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 57% (276,282 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 47% (32 reviews)
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46. Justice League (2017)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $669.8 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.1/10 (425,377 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 69% (129,382 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 40% (405 reviews)
45. National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $608.9 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (226,168 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 67% (1.4 million votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 36% (130 reviews)
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44. Minions (2015)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $1.3 billion
> IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (221,609 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 49% (137,056 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 55% (221 reviews)
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43. Moonraker (1979)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $779.9 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (95,177 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 43% (58,152 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 60% (52 reviews)
42. The World Is Not Enough (1999)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $654.8 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (193,407 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 49% (210,400 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 52% (143 reviews)
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41. Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $1.0 billion
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (198,985 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 62% (151,332 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 37% (135 reviews)
40. The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $649.1 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (467,833 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 60% (792,363 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 35% (217 reviews)
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39. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $792.4 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (322,954 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 61% (909,801 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 34% (56 reviews)
38. Hancock (2008)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $796.4 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (459,404 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 59% (557,286 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 41% (227 reviews)
37. Angels & Demons (2009)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $599.5 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (282,482 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 57% (531,836 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 37% (260 reviews)
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36. Look Who’s Talking (1989)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $682.1 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.9/10 (80,493 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 47% (250,669 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 57% (37 reviews)
35. The Bodyguard (1992)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $907.1 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (126,914 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 64% (260,726 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 34% (47 reviews)
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34. Mission: Impossible II (2000)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $934.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.1/10 (325,551 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 42% (452,093 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 57% (153 reviews)
33. The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $819.9 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (429,136 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 50% (32.7 million votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 45% (221 reviews)
32. Meet the Fockers (2004)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $762.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (261,289 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 58% (33.2 million votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 38% (164 reviews)
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31. Rambo – First Blood Part 2 (1985)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $775.1 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (161,251 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 60% (99,935 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 33% (43 reviews)
30. Die Another Day (2002)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $682.2 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.1/10 (210,865 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 41% (430,384 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 56% (221 reviews)
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29. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $1.3 billion
> IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (283,165 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 48% (30,297 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 47% (430 reviews)
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28. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $811.7 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (280,731 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 61% (131,016 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 30% (290 reviews)
27. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $923.8 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (664,342 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 63% (236,911 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 29% (435 reviews)
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26. Jaws 2 (1978)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $817.7 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.8/10 (75,169 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 38% (299,778 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 61% (33 reviews)
25. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $654.9 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (238,698 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 54% (15,408 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 36% (332 reviews)
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24. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $819.8 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.0/10 (236,041 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 60% (333,917 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 48% (254 reviews)
23. Shrek the Third (2007)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $1.1 billion
> IMDb user rating: 6.1/10 (291,321 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 52% (2.2 million votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 42% (214 reviews)
22. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $1.2 billion
> IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (497,634 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 54% (199,896 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 33% (278 reviews)
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21. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $1.3 billion
> IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (394,172 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 55% (257,764 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 35% (263 reviews)
20. Pearl Harbor (2001)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $728.3 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (320,206 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 66% (905,550 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 24% (194 reviews)
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19. The Hangover Part II (2011)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $677.8 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (477,678 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 52% (196,354 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 34% (249 reviews)
18. Deep Impact (1998)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $682.5 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (170,608 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 43% (340,851 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 45% (86 reviews)
17. The Da Vinci Code (2006)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $1.1 billion
> IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (414,967 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 57% (761,562 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 26% (233 reviews)
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16. Cars 2 (2011)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $647.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.1/10 (171,809 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 49% (103,872 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 40% (219 reviews)
15. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $1.0 billion
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (378,800 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 61% (34.1 million votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 76% (218 reviews)
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14. Men in Black II (2002)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $697.7 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (355,822 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 45% (926,166 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 39% (197 reviews)
13. Suicide Squad (2016)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $790.9 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.9/10 (651,492 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 59% (146,901 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 26% (387 reviews)
12. 2012 (2009)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $925.4 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.8/10 (363,790 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 47% (508,463 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 39% (247 reviews)
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11. 101 Dalmatians (1996)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $630.4 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.7/10 (107,754 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 40% (625,358 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 41% (37 reviews)
10. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $1.0 billion
> IMDb user rating: 6.0/10 (394,187 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 57% (4.1 million votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 20% (252 reviews)
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9. Twilight: New Moon (2009)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $839.7 million
> IMDb user rating: 4.7/10 (274,107 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 61% (578,029 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 28% (231 reviews)
8. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (2011)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $796.4 million
> IMDb user rating: 4.9/10 (231,341 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 60% (186,853 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 25% (211 reviews)
7. Batman Forever (1995)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $708.6 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.4/10 (241,412 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 32% (609,198 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 38% (68 reviews)
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6. Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $1.2 billion
> IMDb user rating: 5.6/10 (304,774 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 50% (224,175 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 17% (212 reviews)
5. The Smurfs (2011)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $651.2 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.4/10 (86,883 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 43% (70,897 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 21% (119 reviews)
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4. Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $615.7 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.2/10 (142,436 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 43% (39,989 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 15% (254 reviews)
3. Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $620.2 million
> IMDb user rating: 4.1/10 (306,670 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 41% (83,839 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 25% (281 reviews)
2. Godzilla (1998)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $734.4 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.4/10 (188,274 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 28% (303,074 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 15% (79 reviews)
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1. The Flintstones (1994)
> Worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation: $804.9 million
> IMDb user rating: 4.9/10 (78,616 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 24% (261,150 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 20% (45 reviews)
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