It's never a good sign when the reviews are bad before the release! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the movies people thought would be the worst before they even hit the screen.
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00 "Just before noon's not a moment to say..."
00:04 "BOOM!"
00:05 Welcome to WatchMojo,
00:07 and today we're counting down our picks for the movies people thought would be the worst before they even hit the screen.
00:12 "You shouldn't be reading this stuff. You're not supposed to listen to what crazy people write in the middle of the night online."
00:17 Number 20. Madam Web.
00:21 Sony didn't need to see into the future to predict this colossal financial flop.
00:25 With the notable exceptions of the Spider-Verse films,
00:28 the company's attempts to make Marvel films outside of the MCU have been...
00:32 disappointing, to say the least.
00:33 The Venom movies have their fans, but just as many detractors.
00:37 Morbius was memed before, during, and after its theatrical release.
00:41 And then there's Madam Web.
00:43 "You might have seen me in anyone but you or Euphoria."
00:46 "You..."
00:47 [crowd cheering]
00:49 "You definitely did not see me in Madam Web."
00:51 While some held out hope for the female-fronted superhero film,
00:54 those hopes were all but dashed after the release of its first trailer.
00:58 Unenthusiastic acting and clunky dialogue writing led to immediate online mockery.
01:02 "Ezekiel Sims. He was in the Amazon with my mom when she was researching spiders right before she died."
01:09 Plot details leaked shortly after,
01:11 worsening the situation by revealing some baffling narrative decisions about the movie's costumed characters.
01:17 Number 19. Gods of Egypt.
01:19 "You would unleash chaos upon creation. You would destroy everything."
01:24 Director Alex Proyas had a pretty good track record before Gods of Egypt.
01:27 The crow and eye robot were well received by general audiences,
01:31 and Dark City eventually became a cult classic.
01:34 So what went wrong?
01:35 The casting, for starters.
01:37 As trailers for the movie released, it quickly became clear that the cast was overwhelmingly white.
01:42 For a movie about Egyptian gods, that just didn't sit right.
01:46 For audiences or cast member Chadwick Boseman.
01:49 Although Proyas and Lionsgate were quick to apologize during the initial backlash,
01:53 the director would seemingly go back on his statement after bad reviews began pouring in.
01:57 "I'm doing Egypt a favor. You're not fit to be king."
02:00 He took to Facebook to complain,
02:06 referring to Gods of Egypt's critics as quote,
02:09 "deranged idiots" only three days after the film's wide release.
02:13 Number 18. The Hunt.
02:15 "Lady, I don't know who you are. I just know that you're crazy."
02:20 "I am crazy. But I know I'm crazy."
02:23 It's not every day that the president takes a stand against a film.
02:26 After the release of its first trailer, The Hunt, which was formerly titled Red State
02:31 vs. Blue State, came under fire from Fox News anchors who believed it to be anti-Republican.
02:36 A tweet from then-President Donald Trump followed,
02:39 seemingly accusing the film of manufacturing a conflict to provoke the nation.
02:44 Universal temporarily pulled the film from its lineup shortly after,
02:47 citing a string of real-life shootings as the reason.
02:50 When The Hunt finally released in 2020, it was ultimately more bark than bite.
02:55 But that didn't stop it from using its critics to its advantage.
02:58 "Alas, I heard free speech still exists."
03:03 "Don't First Amendment me."
03:05 "It wasn't real."
03:05 Revelling in the free publicity, posters challenged viewers to see the supposedly,
03:12 quote, "dangerous and exploitative film."
03:15 Number 17. Joker.
03:17 "Did you… did this to start a movement?"
03:19 In 2012, tragedy struck a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises when a man
03:24 attacked the film's audience, killing 12 and injuring 70.
03:28 Early reports alleged that the shooter referred to himself as "The Joker,"
03:31 a claim which has since been disputed but has nonetheless shaped the public's perception of the event.
03:37 "He had his hair painted red. He said he was the Joker."
03:42 Naturally, when early imagery from 2019's Joker began to show off the film's realistic violence,
03:47 some worried it could inspire a similar attack.
03:50 This included victims of The Dark Knight Rises shooting,
03:53 who used the then-upcoming release to call for gun reform in the United States.
03:57 Thankfully, the specific fears were proven to be unfounded,
04:00 and real-world violence did not accompany its successful theatrical run.
04:05 Number 16. The Flash.
04:06 "What's the play? Batman, what do we do? What now?"
04:09 "Now, we try not to die."
04:17 With the release of two box office failures and the controversy surrounding Batgirl's
04:21 cancellation still looming, 2023 was proving to be a difficult year for DC.
04:26 It seemed The Flash might be their only hope of recovery,
04:29 until its star began jeopardizing the film's future.
04:33 Ezra Miller was arrested in Hawaii and was furthermore faced with two more accusations.
04:38 Their worldwide issue seemed to act as the antithesis of a press tour,
04:42 causing people to question why WB wouldn't wash their hands of the film entirely.
04:46 "There's a huge media campaign right now to convince DC and Zaslav,
04:51 David Zaslav of Discovery to not air this movie, The Flash, in 2023."
04:56 Once laughably bad clips of the film began circulating online, its fate was sealed.
05:01 The Flash became one of the biggest financial failures of the superhero genre.
05:06 Number 15. Dragon Ball Evolution
05:09 When it comes to Western anime remakes, there are far more misses than hits.
05:13 Dragon Ball Evolution is no exception, and its whitewashed characters are just the tip of the
05:19 iceberg. "Just because my name is Chi-Chi doesn't make me a complete idiot." "Right, right, because
05:23 there's a lot stupider names than Chi-Chi. I'm not saying that Chi-Chi is a stupid name, I'm just
05:29 saying that it's not normal." The movie's costumes look like they belong in a fan production, and its
05:34 writers made the inexplicable decision to make Goku a high schooler. Lacking the anime's vibrant
05:39 intensity, the special effects are similarly disappointing, and Krillin is nowhere to be seen.
05:44 While some preemptive movie hatred is proven to be overblown, the backlash for Dragon Ball
05:49 Evolution was only further justified by its release. "You know, I'm not so bad once you
05:55 get to know me." "Maybe I like bad men." If you're one of the many fans who pretend it doesn't exist,
06:03 we can't say we blame you. Number 14. The Mummy. "The world needs a cure. You can be that cure."
06:10 "Stop." "A sacrifice." "I said stop." "For the greater good." "I'm not interested in that at all." After flying under the radar for years,
06:17 Brandon Fraser began to reintegrate into the popular consciousness in 2016, taking on a recurring role
06:23 in the Showtime drama The Affair. For those paying attention, the coinciding of this return to
06:28 American television with the production of a Mummy reboot seemed too perfect to be a coincidence.
06:33 So, when it was revealed that Fraser would not be in the film, even in a cameo role,
06:38 fans were disappointed. As clips and trailers began releasing, Tom Cruise's performance also
06:43 became a point of contention, particularly his inhuman scream. The film's apparent connection
06:51 to the failed Dark Universe and inclusion of Mr. Hyde from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde certainly didn't
06:56 help matters either. Number 13. Twilight. "You better hold on tight, spider monkey."
07:02 If you were alive in 2008, it's very likely that you knew someone who was absolutely obsessed with
07:13 Twilight. And it's just as likely you knew someone who loathed the very idea of it. Whether it was
07:18 because of a sexist disdain for teen girl media, a simple distaste for sparkling vampires, or just a
07:24 need to stand out from the crowd, Twilight haters were out in droves. "The Maroi don't wear black
07:29 capes, turn into baths, or sleep in coffins. Daylight annoys yet doesn't kill them, and they
07:34 don't sparkle either." Parodies abound from YouTubers, popular TV shows, and musicians,
07:39 while everyday people made memes and wore t-shirts professing their negative feelings
07:43 for the franchise. Even film star Robert Pattinson was known to get in on the hate,
07:48 although he's since come to appreciate the oft-maligned series and its unique place in
07:52 pop culture history. Number 12. Jack and Jill. "Burn this." "I'm sorry?" "This must never be seen
08:03 by anyone." Adam Sandler's popularity endures, and his credibility as an actor is also now
08:10 well-established. But back in the day, after the trailer for Jack and Jill came out,
08:15 even Sandler's most devoted followers felt that he was about to hit a new low.
08:18 The idea of Sandler playing a man and his twin sister sounded incredibly lazy on paper.
08:24 Jill's aggravating accent and Al Pacino's inexplicable presence didn't make people
08:28 any more optimistic. Jack and Jill looked so awful that South Park actually called it out
08:33 months in advance, and few would disagree with their assessment. "Adam Sandler is Jack. Adam
08:39 Sandler is Jill." "Oh god, dude, you said you wouldn't say everything looks like shit. Sorry
08:48 if I see things for what they are." Number 11. Battleship. When news broke that a Battleship
08:53 movie was in development, audiences were convinced that Hollywood had run out of ideas.
08:58 The original board game doesn't have any established characters or story,
09:02 so what could you possibly adapt? "Shut up." "Captain Sal, Singapore." "Shut up." "God dang it."
09:11 For that matter, why spend over 200 million dollars to do it? People only became more
09:16 skeptical once it became clear that the film was basically just going to be Transformers at sea.
09:21 The only selling point the movie had going for it was that director Peter Berg was re-teaming
09:25 with some of his Friday Night Lights alumni. "You're a very smart individual with very weak
09:31 character, leadership, and decision-making skills. Do you have anything to say to me?"
09:38 Nevertheless, audiences still jumped ship long before it set sail. Number 10. Teenage Mutant
09:44 Ninja Turtles. "What are you?" "Well, miss, we're ninjas." "We're mutants." "Well, technically,
09:52 we're turtles." Michael Bay's involvement was already enough to prompt protests,
09:57 but announcing that the mutated turtles would actually be aliens only made things worse.
10:01 To add insult to injury, Caucasian actor William Fickner was cast as the Shredder,
10:06 a character typically portrayed as Asian. Due to the negative response, the film endured some
10:12 reshoots, with Fickner's character being downgraded to a supporting villain and Japanese-American
10:16 actor Toru Masamune playing the Shredder. As for the turtles, the whole alien thing was dropped,
10:21 with the backlash even being referenced in the finished film. "So they're aliens?" "No, that's
10:28 stupid. They're reptiles." Despite the changes, fans still managed to find something to hate,
10:34 the wonky-ass character designs. Number 9. The Amazing Spider-Man. It's completely acceptable
10:41 to reboot a popular film franchise after an appropriate amount of time has passed. To fans,
10:46 five years was not the appropriate amount. "Uncle Ben, Uncle Ben. Call an ambulance!
10:51 Someone call an ambulance!" "Uncle Ben, Uncle Ben." People simply were not that interested in seeing
10:57 another origin story, especially since the 2002 film was barely a decade old. The Amazing Spider-Man
11:02 just looked like Sony's shameless attempt to keep the film rights tangled in their web. Meanwhile,
11:07 fans desperately wanted to see Spidey team up with the Avengers, and this reboot seemed to
11:12 confirm that it would never happen. "Everyone was there but you." Fortunately, Spider-Man would get
11:19 a proper homecoming later down the line. Number 8. The Last Airbender. Fans of the animated series
11:25 had plenty to dread with this live-action adaptation. The show left little room for
11:30 improvement, and condensing a season's worth of episodes into 100 minutes did not sound like a
11:35 very good idea either. "What do you want us to do, Katara? How are we supposed to save them?
11:40 They're on a ship. We'd need a miracle to catch them. I know you think everything's going to work
11:44 out, but I don't." It also didn't help that director M. Night Shyamalan was fresh off critical
11:49 duds like Lady in the Water and The Happening. In a particularly controversial move, hardly any
11:54 actors of Asian descent were cast in major roles, despite the fact that the source material drew
11:59 inspiration from Eastern philosophies and culture. All of this had people certain that the Ember
12:04 Island players could put on a better show. "Who are you, frozen boy?" "I'm the Avatar, silly!
12:12 Here to spread joy and fun!" Number 7. The Interview. Have you ever hated a movie's concept
12:17 so badly that you wanted to destroy it before anyone could see it? This is how the North
12:22 Korean government felt about The Interview. "They hate us because they hate us." "They don't hate
12:26 us because they hate us!" "They hate us because they hate us!" "They don't hate us because they
12:28 hate us!" "I'm used to it, they hate us because they hate us!" "Stop it. Stop it. Don't say it
12:31 again!" The film is a comedy starring Seth Rogen and James Franco as journalists recruited by the
12:36 CIA to assassinate Kim Jong-un. It easily could have faded into obscurity under any other circumstances,
12:42 but North Korea's UN ambassador ensured that wouldn't happen when he referred to the film as a,
12:47 quote, "act of war." "It also expressed concern that the movie's trailer is being seen in, quote,
12:54 broad daylight." Fearing cataclysmic backlash, Sony pulled the film from their release schedule
13:00 and canceled all of its ad spots. Once things cooled down, the film did receive a small
13:05 theatrical and online release, but did so at a significant financial loss. Number six,
13:11 Ghost in the Shell. "Everyone around me seems to fit. They seem connected to something, something
13:17 I'm not." 2017's Ghost in the Shell adaptation was bombarded with whitewashing accusations from
13:24 the moment Scarlett Johansson was cast in the lead role. Of course, where The Last Airbender was
13:29 based on an American show, Ghost in the Shell stemmed from a Japanese manga and anime, making
13:34 the early outrage even more passionate. While most people agreed that Johansson is a fine actress,
13:39 this was a golden opportunity for the studio to shine the spotlight on an actor of Asian heritage,
13:44 but they took the so-called "safe route" instead. "I think this character is living a very unique
13:50 experience in that she is a human brain in an entirely machine-y body. She's essentially
13:58 identity." If the filmmakers couldn't get the casting right, fans had little reason to believe
14:02 they'd do the material justice. Number five, Fifty Shades of Grey. Long before the film adaptation,
14:08 Fifty Shades of Grey had already gained an infamous reputation in the literary world.
14:13 While author E.L. James had written a trilogy of best-selling books, they weren't exactly
14:17 viewed as high art. "This is different from the Twilight series in that there's a lot of sex.
14:24 Yes. Graphic sex. Yes." Critics almost universally panned the erotic romance novels for their one-note
14:33 characters and laughable dialogue. So, when the film moved towards production, the haters were
14:38 ready to rip the movie a new one, which ironically it probably wanted. On top of that, the film
14:44 inspired protests based on the assumptions that it encouraged physical abuse, promoted pornography,
14:49 and depicted BDSM in an inaccurate light. "It's just beyond this door." "What is?" "My playroom."
14:56 "Like your Xbox and stuff?" Number four, Death Note. If we've learned anything today, it's that
15:03 not every anime or manga needs the Hollywood treatment. But if you proceed, then maybe cast
15:09 some Japanese actors in lead roles. "I'm Mia." "Oh, hi. I know that you're Mia, actually, already.
15:15 I already knew that." "I know that you're Light Turner. I already knew that." 2017's Death Note
15:21 fell into an all too familiar trap, enlisting mostly Caucasian actors and changing its setting
15:26 from Japan to America. While the trailer wasn't without some cool imagery, fans were convinced
15:31 that the final product would lack the depth of its source material, playing out more like a horror
15:36 flick riddled with teen angst. We'd say the film was dead on arrival, but it was arguably dead
15:41 before even leaving the station. "He's also a coward. A child wielding power he does not understand,
15:47 mistakenly believing in doing so. He's at no risk to himself. He's wrong." Number three, Cats. Even
15:54 Broadway's biggest fans have mixed feelings about Cats. Whether it's because of the musical's messy
15:59 plot or its unconventional costumes, the show is notoriously off-putting. "Ugh, I hate Cats,
16:05 both the animal and the musical." So when it was announced that it would be adapted for the big
16:10 screen, people were naturally skeptical. And that skepticism quickly grew into all-out abhorrence as
16:16 trailers and promotional materials began to be released. The titular Cats were uncanny CGI
16:21 abominations, rivaled only by the tiny but terrifying humanoid mice and roaches present
16:26 in Rebel Wilson's musical number. "Cockroaches! Maces!" Early screenings revealed unfinished CGI,
16:39 and a rumored b-hole cut only added to the movie's already poor reputation. When even Taylor Swift's
16:45 involvement can't save a film from its bad press, it's safe to say it is a lost cause. Number two,
16:51 The Emoji Movie. Do we really need to explain why people were not eager to see this one? "I have
16:56 some bad news, Gene, and I'm afraid you'll have the wrong reaction." "Okay, what what's the wrong
17:03 reaction?" "Anything other than meh." Granted, sometimes even the dumbest ideas can produce
17:08 something smart, original, and even groundbreaking. Once the trailer for The Emoji Movie hit though,
17:13 audiences knew what they were gonna get. A bland cash grab that ripped off The Lego Movie,
17:18 Wreck-It Ralph, and various other animated features. Just a few days before its release,
17:22 the film conjured more bad press upon tweeting an advertisement that parodied The Handmaid's Tale.
17:27 Given that show's subject matter, some called the tweets tasteless, while others were left asking,
17:33 "What's the joke?" "FYI, nobody cares about you. Just leave me troll and let me die."
17:40 Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about
17:46 our latest videos. You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
17:51 If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
17:57 Number 1. Ghostbusters
17:59 Since the original Ghostbusters is a comedy classic, this reboot was bound to generate a
18:13 few preconceived notions. Fans were upset that it wasn't a sequel with the actors reprising
18:18 their roles from the beloved original. They also took issue with the movie's theatrical title,
18:23 which made no effort to distinguish itself from its 1984 predecessor. Meanwhile, others disgustingly
18:29 shunned the film for having an all-female cast. In the midst of all this criticism and controversy,
18:34 the trailer for Ghostbusters became the most disliked film preview on YouTube. Ultimately,
18:39 people didn't answer the call for a variety of different reasons.
18:43 "Thank you for everything you did. You saved us all. The mayor thanks you, of course,
18:48 privately, so don't tell anyone. Um, can I walk you out?"
18:51 Do you think these movies really deserved the preemptive hate? Let us know in the comments.
18:56 "We were joking, but you ignoram I took it literally. You actually
19:00 believed we were hunting human beings for sport."
19:04 Did you enjoy this video? Check out these other clips from WatchMojo,
19:08 and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
19:12 [Music]