All movie-lovers will advocate for the idea that box office numbers don’t always equate to a movie being good. For instance, some of the most famous flicks of our generation probably bombed at the box office, while some of the most critically-acclaimed films out there are hidden gems that barely made a wave in Hollywood.
For everyone who lives and breathes according to Rotten Tomatoes, you should probably check it before you contribute to high-grossing films at the theater. However, we know we’ve all been the victim of watching a super popular film and thinking it’s absolutely terrible. So, just to show you you’re not alone, we’ve made a list. Here are 10 box office hits that Rotten Tomatoes thinks should have been flops, ranked by worldwide revenue.
Armageddon (1998) - 38% & $553.7 million
We know there a lot of die-hard fans of this movie, but we’re here to tell you that Rotten Tomatoes isn’t one of them. This sci-fi adventure is probably one of the most famous to this day, and it’s probably not surprising to know it raked in as much money as it did. Directed by Michael Bay and starring Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Owen Wilson, and Ben Affleck, people probably expected this movie to blow it out of the water. Unfortunately, it bombed, and only scored a pretty sad 38%. For those of you who have only heard about this movie, now you know it’s a box office lie. You’re welcome.
Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) - 24% & $569.6 million
We’re sorry for all the Christian Grey fans out there, but this movie did pretty terrible according to Rotten Tomatoes. Not surprisingly, this highly anticipated film-adaptation raked in a whopping $570 million worldwide, which, we’d hope would mean the film was at least decent. Of course, a 24% is pretty tragic, and not even Dakota Johnson or Jamie Dornan could save this steamy flick. Let’s be honest, did we really expect anything better from this film? We hope you at least had a fun ladies’ night out.
Suicide Squad (2016) - 27% & $746.8 million
This movie raked in a ton of dough, and honestly, that’s not super surprising. This DC film was advertised so much we practically knew everything that was going to happen before we even headed to the theater.
As much as we stand by the fact that Margot Robbie absolutely slayed as Harley Quinn, and that the cast was actually pretty good, the plot and script was pretty sub-par. We’re sorry to all the fans who try their best to defend this flick, but Rotten Tomatoes has spoken, and 27% ain’t great.
Venom (2018) - 29% & $856.1 million
This is the only other “superhero” flick on the list, and we guess it’s safe to say that these franchises need to work on their anti-hero films. We all love Tom Hardy - what we don’t love, is bad CGI, bad scripts, and a plot that makes no sense. Seriously, is it even an anti-hero film if the freaky alien thing has a moral compass and attaches to a terrible and unlovable character? No, no it is not. Also, we’re frankly annoyed that this movie almost made a billion dollars but couldn’t give us decent effects throughout the whole film.
Alice in Wonderland (2010) - 51% & $1 billion
It might make you feel old to know this movie came out almost a decade ago. You probably remember the buzz around it, and you probably remember loving it, and maybe you even saw it twice on the big screen. This infamous live-action remake pulled in $1 billion worldwide, but it barely scraped a 51% on Rotten Tomatoes. If you re-watch this flick, you might realize why.
This was one of the first on the remake train, and it didn’t exactly give a promising start. However, that box office number is probably the reason that we have many, many more live-action remakes out there today.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) - 53% & $1 billion
This might surprise some people, and we’re sure that Star Wars fans will deny it to their very last breath. While most of the other films in the franchise did impressively well with the critics, this one only scored 53% on Rotten Tomatoes. It also raked in a billion dollars, and we know that many of you even saw this flick twice (at least) on the big screen. Unfortunately, this box-office hit didn’t mean anything when it came down to how good the movie really is. It’s the prequels anyways, so who cares, right?
Aladdin (2019) - 57% & $1 billion
As if we haven’t learned enough about live-action remakes, we were duped, AGAIN. This classic pulled in a billion dollars worldwide, and still only managed a 57% on Rotten Tomatoes. Yes, we loved the cast, but this movie really wasn’t anything exceptional. We know you saw it, we know you sang through the whole thing, but we also know you felt absolutely and completely regular after leaving the theater. Disney thanks you for buying a ticket, though.
Minions (2015) - 55% & $1.1 billion
These little yellow guys have quite literally been plaguing our society ever since Despicable Me came out in 2010. It was only a matter of time before they got their own spin-off movie. However, we’re here to tell you, once again, that you should never trust box office numbers.
$1 billion in revenue should probably equate to a high rating, but we’re not sure 55% is anything to brag about. These little minions fooled ya, and they’re laughing maniacally while rolling in dough.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) - 48% & $1.3 billion
This movie made over a billion dollars. That is mind-blowing, but what is even more bewildering is that this flick only scored a 48% on Rotten Tomatoes. That isn’t even like, half good. This is the sequel to the Jurassic World franchise, and it’s not surprising this famous flick made A LOT of money. We love Chris Pratt, and we love this dinosaur franchise, but seriously? When will people stop contributing to the billions for a mediocre film experience? At least the effects are cool, right?
The Lion King (2019) - 53% & $1.7 billion
It shouldn’t be surprising that this movie made almost TWO BILLION DOLLARS worldwide. We know you saw it, and you probably can’t even think of anyone who didn’t. Seriously, though, this flick is a shot-for-shot live-action remake of the original movie, and yet everyone still headed to the theater. You should feel duped, because this movie only scored 53% on Rotten Tomatoes. The Disney remakes gotcha again, and this time with CGI lions.
