The film Cats, featuring Taylor Swift, was panned for its disastrous special effects. — Handout
Every self-respecting moviegoer has a guilty pleasure, one of those films that they love to criticise and mock, but secretly watch anyway.
A recent study has identified viewers’ most maligned movies. At the top of the list comes Battlefield Earth, followed further down by Cats, which was widely panned by critics upon its release.
Despite the critical scorn, these films have managed to establish themselves as true stinkers – movies so bad that they’re fascinating, and often unintentionally comical, to the point of becoming cult hits with audiences.
With their absurd plots, improbable dialogues and dubious special effects, these feature films stand out as must-sees for all the wrong reasons.
Statsignificant took a closer look at this phenomenon, using data provided by the MovieLens recommendation site.
The platform’s analysts then calculated the percentage of one-star reviews for each film, as well as the total number of such reviews. It then ranked the films according to this data, comparing them with other films released in the same year.
Despite a cast that included John Travolta and Forest Whitaker, 'Battlefield Earth' was a massive flop.
Using this technique, it’s the science-fiction movie Battlefield Earth, directed by Roger Christian, that takes the top spot. Based on the novel of the same name by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology, the story is set in an apocalyptic world in the year 3000, when the Earth is nothing but a desert and humans are an endangered species.
Between inconsistencies in the script and criticised choices of cinematographic technique, the adaptation flopped at the box office.
Despite a cast that included John Travolta and Forest Whitaker, the film achieved total worldwide box-office grosses of just over US$29mil.
Morbius, released in theatres much more recently, in 2022, failed to live up to its billing, taking second place in this shameful ranking.
Starring controversial actor Jared Leto, and despite the presence of Matt Smith, the movie based on this Marvel universe character was strongly criticised for its special effects and confused script.
The 2022 film Morbius, starring Jared Leto takes second place in this shameful ranking. — Handout
Finally, Grease 2 (1982), starring Maxwell Caulfield, Michelle Pfeiffer and Andy Tennant, takes third place.
Sequels to hugely successful films are more likely to disappoint original fans. The same applies to adaptations of musicals, such as Cats.
A hit on Broadway, the movie version, directed by Tom Hooper and starring Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson and Taylor Swift, was widely criticised for its disastrous special effects.
Nevertheless, a “stinker” is not necessarily synonymous with box-office failure.
For example, Fifty Shades Of Grey, based on the book by E.L. James, met with great success in theatres in 2015. Although fifth in the rankings, the first instalment in this franchise took in more than US$571mil at the global box office.
Statsignificant’s study confirms one thing: audiences love to hate these movies. These films unite communities of viewers who come together to laugh at their absurdity, and their initial failure paradoxically ends up becoming a longer-term success. – AFP Relaxnews
