Bad Blockbusters? What does that mean? Well I will tell you. A Bad Blockbuster is a movie that made a boatload of money ….yet …. received bad reviews from critics and audiences. We got the idea of listing the biggest box office hits with the worst reviews after reading some recent comments on our Charlton Heston page.
Our movie data base has almost 29,000 movies. Woc (Wife of Cogerson) created a query that listed all movies that had an adjusted domestic box office gross of over $200 million. Why $200 million? Because in our Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) movie rating formula that is the ceiling for earning points in the box office part of our equation. The query showed 814 movies that had reached the $200 million box office mark.
Next we filtered out any movie that had a critic/audience score of 50% or higher. Of those 814 movies, 764 movies had a critic/audience rating over 50%. That left exactly 50 movies (which was a perfect number for us)….with less than a 50% critic/audience rating. Those remaining 50 movies are listed in the following table.
Bad Blockbusters Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort Bad Blockbusters movies by the stars of the movies.
- Sort Bad Blockbusters movies by actual domestic box office grosses
- Sort Bad Blockbusters movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Bad Blockbusters movies how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations each Bad Blockbusters movie received and how many Oscar® wins each Bad Blockbusters movie won.
- Sort Bad Blockbusters movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
- Use the search and sort button to make this page very interactive.
| Rank | Movie (Year) | UMR CoStar Links | Domestic Actual B.O. (mils.) | Domestic Adjusted B.O. (mils.) | Critic Audience Rating | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009) | Jason Lee & Justin Long | $219.61 | $246.80 | 32.50% | 00 / 00 | 45.60 | |
| Flintstones, The (1994) | Elizabeth Taylor & Halle Berry & John Go | $130.53 | $269.70 | 34.50% | 00 / 00 | 47.22 | |
| Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (Part One), The (2011) | Kristen Stewart & Robert Pattinson | $281.29 | $299.00 | 34.50% | 00 / 00 | 47.22 | |
| Twilight Saga: New Moon, The (2009) | Kristen Stewart & Robert Pattinson | $296.62 | $333.40 | 36.00% | 00 / 00 | 47.92 | |
| Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) | Sally Field & Burt Reynolds | $66.13 | $214.40 | 36.00% | 00 / 00 | 47.92 | |
| Fantastic Four (2005) | Chris Evans | $154.70 | $203.80 | 37.00% | 00 / 00 | 48.39 | |
| Wild Hogs (2007) | John Travolta | $168.27 | $206.20 | 37.00% | 00 / 00 | 48.39 | |
| Anthony Adverse (1936) | Olivia de Havilland & Claude Rains | $5.94 | $200.40 | 39.50% | 07 / 04 | 57.76 | |
| Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) | Shia LaBeouf | $402.11 | $452.00 | 39.50% | 01 / 00 | 49.96 | |
| Holiday in Mexico (1946) | Walter Pidgeon | $10.18 | $245.20 | 40.00% | 00 / 00 | 49.80 | |
| Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) | Jason Lee & Justin Long | $217.33 | $266.30 | 40.00% | 00 / 00 | 49.30 | |
| Sleeping with the Enemy (1991) | Julia Roberts | $101.60 | $203.40 | 40.50% | 00 / 00 | 50.04 | |
| Pearl Harbor (2001) | Ben Affleck | $198.54 | $296.20 | 41.00% | 04 / 01 | 52.47 | |
| 3 Ring Circus (1954) | Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis | $11.14 | $204.20 | 42.00% | 00 / 00 | 50.74 | |
| Any Which Way You Can (1980) | Clint Eastwood | $70.69 | $229.20 | 42.00% | 00 / 00 | 50.74 | |
| Patch Adams (1998) | Robin Williams & Philip Seymour Hoffman | $135.03 | $242.70 | 43.00% | 01 / 00 | 52.23 | |
| Airport 1975 (1974) | Charlton Heston & Myrna Loy | $76.68 | $345.70 | 43.00% | 00 / 00 | 51.21 | |
| Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) | Mark Wahlberg & John Goodman | $245.44 | $253.20 | 43.50% | 00 / 00 | 51.44 | |
| Hook (1991) | Robin Williams & Dustin Hoffman | $119.65 | $239.60 | 44.00% | 05 / 00 | 53.68 | |
| Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) | Sylvester Stallone | $150.42 | $357.20 | 44.00% | 01 / 00 | 52.08 | |
| Da Vinci Code, The (2006) | Tom Hanks | $217.54 | $278.70 | 44.50% | 00 / 00 | 51.92 | |
| Waterboy, The (1998) | Adam Sandler & Dan Patrick | $161.49 | $290.30 | 44.50% | 00 / 00 | 51.92 | |
| Funny Lady (1975) | Barbra Streisand & James Caan | $58.52 | $240.70 | 45.00% | 05 / 00 | 54.77 | |
| Indecent Proposal (1993) | Robert Redford & Woody Harrelson | $106.61 | $217.10 | 45.00% | 00 / 00 | 52.15 | |
| Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) | Macaulay Culkin & Joe Pesci | $173.59 | $352.60 | 45.00% | 00 / 00 | 52.15 | |
| Cannonball Run, The (1981) | Dean Martin & Burt Reynolds & Roger Moore | $72.18 | $218.90 | 45.50% | 00 / 00 | 52.38 | |
| Earthquake (1974) | Charlton Heston & Ava Gardner | $102.58 | $462.40 | 45.50% | 04 / 01 | 55.20 | |
| Twins (1988) | Arnold Schwarzenegger | $111.94 | $229.60 | 46.00% | 00 / 00 | 52.62 | |
| Main Event, The (1979) | Barbra Streisand | $69.47 | $233.30 | 46.00% | 00 / 00 | 52.62 | |
| Every Which Way But Loose (1978) | Clint Eastwood | $85.20 | $306.90 | 46.00% | 00 / 00 | 52.62 | |
| Bodyguard, The (1992) | Kevin Costner | $121.95 | $247.70 | 46.50% | 02 / 00 | 53.16 | |
| Longest Yard, The (2005) | Adam Sandler & Burt Reynolds | $158.12 | $208.30 | 46.50% | 00 / 00 | 52.36 | |
| 101 Dalmatians (1996) | Glenn Close | $136.19 | $259.70 | 47.00% | 00 / 00 | 53.09 | |
| Cleopatra (1963) | Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton | $57.78 | $566.40 | 47.33% | 09 / 04 | 62.13 | |
| Raintree County (1957) | Elizabeth Taylor & Montgomery Clift | $17.04 | $256.50 | 47.50% | 00 / 00 | 53.32 | |
| Karate Kid Part II, The (1986) | Ralph Macchio | $115.10 | $261.50 | 47.50% | 01 / 00 | 53.72 | |
| Men in Black II (2002) | Will Smith & Tommy Lee Jones | $190.42 | $276.80 | 47.50% | 00 / 00 | 53.32 | |
| Shark Tale (2004) | Will Smith & Angelina Jolie | $160.86 | $218.40 | 47.50% | 01 / 00 | 53.72 | |
| Armageddon (1998) | Bruce Willis & Owen Wilson & Ben Affleck | $201.58 | $362.30 | 48.00% | 04 / 00 | 55.16 | |
| Valley of the Dolls (1967) | Susan Hayward | $50.00 | $348.30 | 48.00% | 01 / 00 | 53.96 | |
| Doctor Dolittle (1998) | Eddie Murphy | $144.16 | $259.10 | 48.00% | 00 / 00 | 53.56 | |
| Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995) | Jim Carrey | $108.39 | $210.00 | 48.00% | 00 / 00 | 53.56 | |
| Suicide Squad (2016) | Will Smith | $323.88 | $323.88 | 48.00% | 00 / 00 | 53.56 | |
| Adventure (1945) | Clark Gable & Greer Garson | $11.81 | $292.70 | 49.00% | 00 / 00 | 54.03 | |
| Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010) | Kristen Stewart & Robert Pattinson | $300.53 | $321.10 | 49.00% | 00 / 00 | 54.03 | |
| Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) | Ben Affleck & Amy Adams | $330.36 | $330.40 | 49.00% | 00 / 00 | 54.03 | |
| Batman Forever (1995) | Jim Carrey & Tommy Lee | $184.03 | $356.60 | 49.00% | 03 / 00 | 55.23 | |
| National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (2007) | Nicolas Cage | $219.96 | $269.50 | 49.00% | 00 / 00 | 54.03 | |
| Runaway Bride (1999) | Julia Roberts & Directed by Garry Marshall | $152.26 | $253.70 | 49.00% | 00 / 00 | 54.03 | |
| Night and Day (1946) | Cary Grant | $10.81 | $260.40 | 49.67% | 00 / 00 | 54.34 |
While I appreciate the effort put into this, these kind of lists are really subjective.
Everyone seems to hate transformers movies, but I LOVE them, especially Age of Extinction
So I disagree with your list and instead for the love of movies, use your list(s) to go watch things I haven’t seen before
Hey Warren…well we did try and take the subjective part out of this list….granted we did pick the criteria to make the list…but after that…it was strictly movies that the stats pulled out. The rule: Earned more than $200 million in adjusted domestic gross and a review % of less than 50%. It has been awhile since I updated this page….makes me wonder how many “new” movies would now make the list. Good stuff.
do you have any favorites on the list?
Hey bob…..I am right there with you about Armageddon……I watch that movie about once a year…one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies….added bonus is the fact that it has 4 DVD commentaries. Other ones I like….Shark Tale is fun….if only to hear DeNiro and Scorsese in a kid’s movie. I used to think Cannonball Run was one of the funniest movies ever made. No I know it is….lol. Once again….thanks for finding this little viewed UMR page.
Agreed, and I’ll go one further and say I even watched all the Transformers movies
Hey Warren…..great feedback. The Transformer movies have lots of fans. I have actually seen all of them myself. Thanks for stopping by.
Great list, I agree with 90%. 4 of my favorites are here ,another example of the great differences in movie appreciation. Armageddon (gotta love Willis, what a cast), Hook (Hoffman was delightful, loved bob Hoskins, Maggie smith, jimmy buffet, phil Collins, glenn close, gweneth paltrow, david Crosby, Julia roberts), Runaway Bride(personal issues LOL), and Davinci Code(spiritual issues) are great movies and amongst my favorites. thanks for another fun list.
Hey bob….glad you like this page….looking at it….realizing it is not “dynamic”…need to fix that. It was a fun page to do…..my oldest son strongly dislikes the Alvin movies….and a comment he made about how some horrible movies make so much movie just makes no sense. I feel the same way about the Transformer movies. Thanks for the kind words.
Your title sucked me in. This list of movies reminds me of Barnum and Baileys saying about there being suckers out there.
Hey Trent…..thanks for the visit and for sharing that quote….it fits in nicely here.