Movie reviews are interesting write-ups. They predict the success of films, and often, even admonish/ trash performances. The critics claim to understand the nuances of movies and the tastes of audiences. However, it seems, that the opinions of critics and audiences don’t always match. This is unsurprising. As Critics analyze and scrutinize films and their various aspects with rigor. Few films come out of such scrutiny with their self-respect intact. The audiences, on the other hand, are usually out to have a good time and don’t fuss much about films to such depth. This explains why films that are hated and belittled by critics, sometimes are loved by audiences.
Films like these are given harsh reviews and are predicted to fail. Yet, the audiences throng halls and shower their love on them. Consequently, these movies end up making a lot of money and have the last laugh. We take a look at a few such badly reviewed films that bit back at the critics by shattering the Box Office.
1. Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice ($873.6 Million)
The highest-earning film of the entire Superman franchise, this 2016 flick was trashed by many critics. All the major newspapers were, to stay the least, lukewarm to this movie. One critic wrote:
“No major blockbuster in years has been this incoherently structured, this seemingly uninterested in telling a story with clarity and purpose,” wrote The Telegraph. “It grumbles along for what feels like forever, jinking from subplot to subplot until two shattering expensive-looking fights happen back to back, and the whole thing crunches to a halt.”
Yet, the audiences loved this film, and it was a huge, huge hit. The film had depth, and it tackled a few nuanced issues. It has a solid fan base of its own and despite what the critics say, it was a success. I mean, look at the worldwide collection!!
2. Sex and the City ($415.3 Million)
This R-rated film was loved by the audiences, who went in their droves to watch it on the big screen. One of the big hits of 2008, it was nevertheless disliked by most critics. Of particular note was the column by the New York Times, which derided the movie and said: ” a dumpy big-screen makeover of that much-adored small-screen delight.” It added, “There are no surprises in the movie, at least not good ones.” Ouch! Nonetheless, it minted more than 400 million USD at the Box Office and was a huge slap on the face of the critics!
3. Suicide Squad (746.8 Million)
Suicide Squad had several things going for it. A HUGE budget of $175 Million, A stellar star cast in Will Smith, Jared Leto, and Margot Robbie. Yet, the critics had mean things to say about it. Rolling Stone gave it 1 star and wrote: The anticipated savior of a bummer summer turns out to be a grab bag of what’s been off and awful about recent comic-book epics (‘Captain America: Civil War’ excepted),” and further, “‘Suicide Squad’ wussies out when it should have been down with the Dirty Dozen of DC Comics.”. All of this notwithstanding, it set the cash registers ringing and made a cool $746 Million worldwide.
4. We’re The Millers ($270 million)
This Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis film made a lot of cash, even though it was on a relatively small budget. The audience seemed to enjoy it, and it was one of the big hits of the year 2013. The critics, however, were of a different mind. One especially nasty review was: “Probably the worst movie to prominently feature an RV since ‘RV,’” Variety began, “this tiresomely vulgar outing throws together a drug dealer, a stripper, two teens, a testicle-biting tarantula, a gaggle of gun-waving Mexican stereotypes and scarcely a single laugh amid all the ensuing pot-smuggling, booty-shaking, heart-tugging shenanigans.” Tch! Tch!
5. Bad Boys II ($273.3 Million)
The original Bad Boys (1995) was a classic. So when its sequel came out in 2003, people rushed to watch it. Made on a huge budget for those times, it was a massive success. It was funny, witty, and had much of the charm of its prequel. Even though it was an R-rated film, it made a lot of money. The critics were not happy though, Variety wrote: “A simple cop buddy movie extended to unconscionable length in order to accommodate redundant action scenes, endless banter between stars Martin Lawrence and Will Smith and several potential endings, this production suffers from serious overkill.”
