20 popular movies that critics didn’t like

Many of the live-action adaptations of classic Disney films have fallen victim to not living up to the hype, at least in the eyes of critics. Not even a stellar cast, which included some of the originals, could save 2019’s The Lion King from bad reviews. 

The Super Mario Bros. Movie was one of the few films of 2023 to break the billion-dollar mark, but if critics had had their say, it wouldn’t have made nearly that much money. Luckily for Nintendo, most movie-goers were fans of this video game adaptation. 

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is one of the rare films where the poor critical consensus matched how the audience felt. Nevertheless, this film did very well at the box office, breaking the billion-dollar mark and earning the studio far more than it spent to produce the film. The magic of action sequels. 

The original Despicable Me did well among critics, but its spin-off, Minions, was not favored among that same group. And audiences didn’t particularly like it, either, but it still did well at the box office thanks to the wild popularity these little yellow guys had among kids in the 2010s. 

None of the Transformers films have fared well among critics, and Dark of the Moon was one of their favorites. What was particularly interesting about this film, however, was that even though audiences didn’t have great things to say about it, it’s still one of the highest-grossing films of all time, so apparently some people liked it. 

Transformers: Age of Extinction followed the same path as its predecessor. It earned loads at the box office, but it got truly terrible critical reviews. It’s almost unbelievable that film reviewers considered a movie that made so much money to be such a prominent blemish of the industry.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was the third film in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and it received the worst critical reviews of the series by far. Audiences were more pleased with The Rise of Skywalker than its predecessor, however. 

The very first Pirates of the Caribbean film had great reviews. It even garnered Johnny Depp an Oscar nomination. The rest of its installments were not well-loved by critics, but audiences flocked to see them after Curse of the Black Pearl set such a strong precedent. And audiences really liked Dead Man’s Chest. 

Of the Disney live-action remakes, Aladdin was one of the most popular among audiences. Despite having a new Genie, the film did the original justice in many viewers’ eyes. Still, critics did not find favor in it, viewing it as far less appealing than the original. 

Like the sequels that came before it, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides was not a critically acclaimed film, but it made Disney a heck of a lot of money. Perhaps the appeal of the addition of Penelope Cruz to the cast gave audiences a renewed interest in the series. 

Despicable Me 3 did better with critics than Minions, but barely. Still, it did well enough at the box office to warrant a fourth installment of the film. Those little yellow guys will not go down without a fight. 

Critics did not like Alice in Wonderland, and some viewers didn’t care for it either, but it made a boatload at the box office. Aside from the 1994 The Jungle Book and the two 101 Dalmatians films of the late-’90s and early-aughts, this film is what kicked off the obsession with live-action remakes at Disney, and perhaps that’s what’s responsible for Alice in Wonderland’s laudable box office performance.  

Critics ragged on The Passion of the Christ, but that didn’t stop audiences from flocking to the theaters. Viewers were taken with the film, and there are still plenty of people who rewatch this film yearly over Easter weekend. 

It’s always disappointing when a film doesn’t live up to the hype. Some films, like Suıcide Squad, are doomed from the start because it would be impossible to live up to so much hype. Still, it’s a bit surprising that critics hated this film as much as they did. 

The first Shrek film was a critical success and is still one of the most iconic animated movies ever. The second installment was also a critical success, but once critics saw the third, either the lovable ogre burned them out, or they just plainly thought it was a bad film. 

None of the Twilight films were heralded by critics. Quite the opposite, actually. What sets The Twilight Saga: Eclipse apart from the rest of the series is that it did tremendously well at the box office. Audiences couldn’t get enough of the film adaptation of the third book in the famed vampire series. 

A superhero story is often the way to go if you’re looking to invest in a film. Even if it gets bad reviews from critics, like Man of Steel, it’ll still likely perform well at the box office. Such was the case with this film. Audiences had good things to say about it, too. 

Meet the Fockers, the sequel to Meet the Parents, got all sorts of people to the theater. Critics who visited the theater for the show weren’t taken with the film, but the success of the first film among critics and audiences made Meet the Fockers a popular film in 2004. 

Critics haven’t liked a film adaptation of How the Grinch Stole Christmas since 1967. While Dr. Suess’ The Grinch fared better with critics than the Jim Carrey live-action adaptation, this version still didn’t make the mark for many a reviewer. It still landed with audiences at the theater, though. 

There was something very appealing about museum fixtures coming alive at night in 2006. It was so appealing that Night at the Museum was one of the year's highest-grossing films. This film still has many fans, but few are movie critics.