At the end of December, Santa Claus is not the only one who’s making his list to find out who’s been naughty and nice. Scores of critics from all over the country have been chiming in with their picks for the best movies of the year, asawards seasonstarts to heat up. In less than two weeks, theGolden Globeswill be handed out, and just a few days after that,The Academy Awardsnominations will be announced. Before all of the attention is bestowed on the best of the best, we thought it would a good time to go in another direction altogether, to present the worst of the worst.
Now, keep in mind, these aren’t our personal picks for the worst movies of the year. This is simply a compilation of the 17 movies that hit theaters sometime in 2015, in wide release, that had the worstRottenTomatoes.comratings. Why just movies in wide release, you may be asking? Don’t tiny indies get dumped on by critics too, you may implore? Of course they do. However, we’ve narrowed the field to major studio wide releases simply because these movies are reviewed by a greater number of critics across the country, thus giving a more accurate projection at what may be considered the “worst of the worst.” But, there’s another reason for this rule as well.
By “limiting” the field to wide releases, it also means there’s a greater chance that YOU have seen these movies, therefore allowing you to chime in more comprehensively on whether you agree or disagree with the critics. But don’t worry, we’re not judging you. Maybe you were dragged toAloha(19% on Rotten Tomatoes) by yourCameron Crowe-loving significant other. Or perhaps you thought thatJupiter Ascending(26% on RT) would be the Wachowski’s return to form. By the way, neither of those aforementioned movies made the cut.
Despite indies likeThe Loft(11%),Kill Me Three Times(9%) andThe Cobbler(9%) failing to impress the nation’s critics, they didn’t make the cut, because we’re presuming that you probably didn’t see these movies anyway.The Lofttook in just over $6 million domestically,Kill Me Three Timesearned just under $25,000 (not a typo…) and there wasn’t even box office data released forThe Cobbler. So, we figured there isn’t much cause to showcase critically-panned movies that a vast majority of the movie-going public didn’t even see to begin with.
Sure, it may seem mean-spirited to showcase a collection of movies that were widely panned, but consider this a public service. Maybe you didn’t get around to seeing theVacationreboot (27%) orTerminator Genisys(25%) orJem and the Holograms(19%) when they arrived in theaters this year, and you’d like to know what the critics thought before spending your hard earned money on theBlu-rayor a VOD rental. We certainly can’t blame you. There were 688 movies that were released in theaters this year, according toBox Office Mojo, and countless others that eschewed a theatrical engagement for a VOD or straight to video release. How can one be expected to delve through this dearth of content? By presenting the worst-reviewed movies of the year, we only see it as helping you to thin the cinematic herd, so to speak. By the way, none of those aforementioned movies are on our list either.
The 17 movies listed below were widely promoted and released in thousands of theaters across the country, but they failed to make a dent with critics and moviegoers alike. They also range from low-brow comedies to action-packed tentpoles and, of course, reboots and sequels. In fact, seven of these 17 picks are reboots and/or sequels. Oddly enough, seven of the top 10 grossing movies this year were also sequels and reboots, which just goes to show how trying to maintain or extend a franchise is a gamble that can both pay off big, or send you to the proverbial poor house.
As far as our list is concerned, none of these movies, sequels, reboots or otherwise, made over $100 million during their domestic theatrical release at thebox office. While there certainly may be numerous fans of the movies listed below, they may also be few and far between. Much like a traditional “top 10” list, we’re presenting these worst-reviewed movies in descending order, with the “best” of this lot first, and the “worst” last. So, without further ado, we present the worst-reviewed movies of 2015.
1717Pixels- 17% on Rotten Tomatoes
Pixelsisn’t exactly a sequel or a reboot, so to speak, but it isn’t an “original” movie either. The concept was adapted from the 2010 short film of the same name by French filmmaker Patrick Jean, which showed New York City becoming completely engulfed in 8-bit video game pixels. While the basic concept of our world becoming pixelated is essentially the same, the stakes are raised considerably, with an alien race sending massive versions of iconic video game characters to earth, after they misinterpret video feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war against them.Adam Sandlerstars as a former video game champion, who is called upon by his childhood friend, now the President of the United States (Kevin James) to stop this unconventional attack, along with two other old-school gamers (Peter DinklageandJosh Gad). The movie only earned $78 million domestically, from an $88 million budget, but it fared much better overseas, with a $243.9 million worldwide haul, so don’t be surprised if a follow-up is announced sometime in the near future. It also won’t be a surprise if the critics pan the sequel like they did the original.
1616The Last Witch Hunter- 16% on Rotten Tomatoes
Vin Dieselhas the unique distinction of starring in one of this year’s biggestbox officehits,Furious 7($1.5 billion worldwide, $190 million budget) and one of its biggest flops,The Last Witch Hunter($108 million worldwide, $90 million budget). The actor revealed months before the release that Lionsgate was already developingThe Last Witch Hunter 2, but given its disappointing financial and critical reception, I wouldn’t place any bets on this sequel getting made. The action star portrayed the title character, Kaulder, an immortal witch hunter who teams up with his mortal enemy, a “good” witch (Rose Leslie) and a priest (Elijah Wood) to take down the resurrected Queen Witch, which he killed centuries ago. It’s box office failure could be attributed to poor scheduling, slotted in a busy weekend with three other new releases, but that certainly can’t be responsible for the critical drubbing it received.
1515The Gunman- 16% on Rotten Tomatoes
Sean Pennhasn’t exactly had the best stretch of his career after taking home his second Oscar for his performance in the 2008 dramaMilk. Since then, he’s starred in a few critical hits likeFair Game,The Tree of LifeandThis Must Be the Place, none of which made any sort of dent at the box office. Over the past two years, he’s turned his attention to major studio movies likeGangster Squad,The Secret Life of Walter Mittyand this year’sThe Gunman, but those haven’t been received much better by fans and critics alike. InThe Gunman, the actor stars as a CIA assassin, who, years after one of his successful missions in the Congo, finds himself as a target. Despite a stellar supporting cast includingIdris Elba,Javier Bardem,Ray WinstoneandMark Rylance,The Gunmanfaded into relative obscurity soon after its release, taking in just $10 million from a $40 million budget.
1414Sinister 2- 14% on Rotten Tomatoes
The Bughuul came back to terrorize audiences this summer inSinister 2, but this time around, the critics weren’t exactly thrilled with the results. The firstSinister, which starredEthan Hawkeas a writer whose family is haunted by a malevolent spirit, fared well with critics, earning a 62% rating on RT.Scott Derricksonhanded over the directing reigns toCiaran Foyfor the sequel, although he did co-write the screenplay with his original co-writerC. Robert Cargill. Audiences didn’t quite flock to this follow-up, though, earning $27.7 million from a $10 million budget, with a story centering on a new family dealing with the Bughuul.James Ransonereturned as Deputy So-And-So, withShannyn Sossamon, Robert Daniel Sloan, Dartanian Sloan,Lea Coco, Tate Ellington and John Beasley rounding out the new cast. It seems likely that the Bughuul has haunted his last victim, after fans and critics alike didn’t respond to this follow-up.
1313The Lazarus Effect- 14% on Rotten Tomatoes
The Lazarus Effectmay be one of the few small silver linings for Relativity Media during its tumultuous year that resulted in the company filing for bankruptcy. The low-budget thriller made just $25 million domestic and $64.1 million worldwide, but it was produced on a miniscule $3.3 million budget. As solid as those numbers are, this thriller still wasn’t embraced by the nation’s critics. The story centers on a group of researchers led by Frank (Mark Duplass) and his fiancé Zoe (Olivia Wilde) who’ve achieved the unimaginable - bringing the dead back to life. Following a trial with a deceased animal, the team attempts another experiment, where Zoe is horrifically killed, and eventually becomes their first human test subject, although the results aren’t quite what they expected.Sarah Bolger,Evan PetersandDonald Gloverround out the talented supporting cast. While the financial results were quite solid, the critical reception was quite the opposite.
1212Hot Tub Time Machine 2- 14% on Rotten Tomatoes
Much likeSinister 2,Hot Tub Time Machine 2suffered a significant decrease in both its box office take and critical reception from its predecessor.Hot Tub Time Machineearned $50.2 million domestic and $64 million worldwide, from a $36 million budget, but its sequel took in just $12.3 million domestic and $13.08 million worldwide, from a $14 million budget. To make matters worse, Paramount even dropped $4.5 million on aSuper BowlTV spot. Most of the movie’s eclectic cast is back for the follow-up (Rob Corddry,Craig RobinsonandClark Duke), butJohn Cusackbowed out this time around. To take his place,Adam Scottcame aboard to playJohn Cusack’s son in the future. Not even a slew of new supporting cast members likeGillian Jacobs,Thomas LennonandKumail Nanjianicould lure fans back to theaters for this comedy, which will surely mark the end of this franchise started out with plenty of potential.
1111Seventh Son- 12% on Rotten Tomatoes
February release dates used to indicate an unspoken lack of faith in a movie, a “dumping ground,” if you will, for studios to unload the movies they weren’t quite sure of. That has changed in recent years, with blockbusters likeThe Lego Movie,Kingsman: The Secret ServiceandFifty Shades of Greyall opening in this month. But, they all can’t be winners though, andSeventh Sonrepresented one of the few failures for Universal in their record breaking year at the box office. The story centers on Master Gregory (Jeff Bridges) is a knight who had imprisoned the malevolently powerful witch, Mother Malkin (Julianne Moore), centuries ago. But now she has escaped and is seeking vengeance. Summoning her followers of every incarnation, Mother Malkin is preparing to unleash her terrible wrath on an unsuspecting world. Master Gregory has only until the next full moon to do what usually takes years: train his new apprentice, Tom Ward (Ben Barnes) to fight a dark magic unlike any other. Man’s only hope lies in the seventh son of a seventh son. This adventure earned a paltry $17 million domestic and $114 million worldwide from a $95 million budget, proving that not all fantasy tales are huge hits.
1010Mortdecai- 12% on Rotten Tomatoes
Mortdecaiis easily one of the biggest bombs of the year from both a financial and critical standpoint, despite an all-star cast that includesJohnny Depp,Olivia Munn,Ewan McGregor,Gwyneth Paltrow,Paul BettanyandJeff Goldblum. The comedy earned a horrendous $7.6 million domestically and $47.2 million worldwide, from a $60 million budget, and this is on top of a dreadful RT rating. Ouch. The story centers on debonair art dealer and part time rogue Charlie Mortdecai (Johnny Depp), who must juggle some angry Russians, the British Mi5, his impossibly leggy wife and an international terrorist, while traversing the globe armed only with his good looks and special charm in a race to recover a stolen painting rumored to contain the code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold. The movie’s failure even leadJohnny Deppto fire all of his agents, a tried and true sign of any movie’s failure.
99Unfinished Business- 11% on Rotten Tomatoes
Much likeJohnny Depp,Vince Vaughnhasn’t had a bona fide hit in quite some time. His last movie to earn over $100 million domestically was the 2009 comedyCouples Retreat, and his last critical hit was the 2005 classicWedding Crashers. Unfortunately for the actor, his latest romp,Unfinished Business, didn’t break his dry spell, taking in just $10.2 million domestic and $14.4 million worldwide, from a $35 million budget. The actor portrays a hard-working small business owner and his two associates (Tom Wilkinson,Dave Franco), who travel to Europe to close the most important deal of their lives. But what began as a routine business trip goes off the rails in every imaginable - and unimaginable - way, including unplanned stops at a massive sex fetish event and a global economic summit.Sienna Miller,June Diane Raphael,Nick FrostandJames Marsdenround out an impressive supporting cast for this failed comedy.
88The Boy Next Door- 10% on Rotten Tomatoes
Despite being a critical bomb,The Boy Next Dooris yet another movie on our list that managed to pull off somewhat decent numbers, largely because it was produced on the cheap. The $35.4 million domestic gross and $54 million worldwide take certainly aren’t anything to write home about, but since it was only produced for $4 million, it can be considered a modest hit, at least by financial standards. The critics, on the other hand, weren’t terribly fond of this thriller, starringJennifer Lopezas Claire Peterson, a recently-separated high school teacher. When a handsome, charming teenager named Noah (Ryan Guzman) moves in next door, Claire encourages his friendship and engages in a little bit of harmless flirtation. Although Noah spends much of the time hanging out with Claire’s son, the teen’s attraction to her is palpable. One night, Claire gives in to temptation and lets Noah seduce her, but when she tries to end the relationship, he turns violent. Despite its low-budget success, I wouldn’t be holding out hope for Universal to revisitThe Boy Next Doorwith a follow-up anytime soon.
