47 Worst Summer Blockbuster Movies of All Time
The summer is one of the biggest time for movies. It’s when kids are out of school, people are out doing things, and we’re all trying to escape the heat by watching a great movie. In the past, we’ve had some great blockbusters that have changed everything we knew about films. Many comic book movies have blown away the summer box office including Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers, and even Iron Man. Disney also has a habit of coming out with its best films during the summer – think Ratatouille and Wall-E.
With that being said, we’ve also been duped time and time again. Some summer movies had the potential to be utterly fantastic. We saw the trailer, and everything looked fantastic. However, when we walked out of the movie theater, we were appalled with what we’d just seen. The movie was bad – not just regular bad but really bad.
Even though movies are hailed as a “blockbuster hit” doesn’t mean it was any good. We’re going to go over some movies that were a commercial success, but everyone universally agreed that it was horrible. These are the films that betrayed your trust and made you think twice before heading to the theater for a supposed “blockbuster.”
Pearl Harbor (2001)
People who went to see Pearl Harbor expected to see a historical drama like Saving Private Ryan. Instead, they were duped into watching a romance with tons of explosions.
In hindsight, it was directed by Michael Bay, but hindsight is always 20/20. What isn’t forgivable is the fact that there are over 118 actors listed in the film, and not a single one of them could get real human across to the viewer.
Batman & Robin (1997)
Batman & Robin had so many things wrong with it. Arnold Schwarzenegger should never have been cast, and George Clooney as Batman is questionable. Then, there are the strange marketing advertisements scattered in the film, like Batman’s credit card.
Finally, there was the costume and the perky part of it – sorry, we had to mention it. Our eyes are still trying to recover.
Grown Ups (2010)
Grown Ups is why we can’t have nice things, and why Netflix constantly suggests The Ridiculous Six no matter what you’ve watched. The film perfectly explains what’s wrong with Adam Sandler movies: it’s not funny, it’s lazy, and it has jokes that are so lame you feel embarrassed for the writers.
The comedians in the film were once great, but that heyday is obviously gone.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
Pirates of the Caribbean continues to be a box office hit despite the fact that the series hasn’t come out with a good film in a while. On Stranger Tides is the worst of them all, however.
By now, Jack Sparrow is getting boring, and there isn’t much else to carry the series. After making a billion at the box office, most fans were rewarded with a generic piece that’s easily forgettable.
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Remakes are tricky, and if you don’t do it right, audiences can get pretty pissed. That’s what happened to Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes in 2001. Burton seemed to ignore the original as if he’d never watched it, which was a huge mistake.
Fans immediately noticed and called him out. Additionally, the plot just didn’t make much sense, and it was hard to feel anything for the characters. If they died – meh – so what?
Shrek the Third (2007)
The Shrek series is popular because of how ridiculous it is. The first was charming, and the second was alright. However, the third in the series is where the line has to be drawn. Critics and audiences were on the same page for once.
Many reviewers claimed it didn’t have a plot, didn’t have the sassiness of the predecessors, and overall left audiences dissatisfied. Shrek the Third felt like nothing more than a money grab.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
We could have listed each of the Transformers movies on this list, but we thought Revenge of the Fallen was the worst. The obvious tension between Michael Bay and Megan Fox is painfully obvious, but that’s the least of the movie’s issues.
In the movie itself, humans are apparently impervious to damage, and the plot doesn’t make a lot of sense. It’s easy to follow, but it doesn’t make sense. Then you have the two little robots that add nothing and are just offensive.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
If you’re unfamiliar with The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, let me get you up to speed: it’s steampunk X-Men.
It did fine at the box office, but audiences hated it, critics hated it, and most importantly, the creator of the original comic series hated it.
Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)
After the success of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, they decided to try their hand at bringing her to the big screen again.
While critics found the film to be visually stunning, that was about it–the movie lacked any sort of depth beyond, “Oooh! Look at the pretty colors!”
Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)
Okay, sure, the premise of the original Speed is completely ridiculous, but something about it just worked. We can’t say the same about the sequel, though.
In Speed 2, we’re not taken along for a high-speed ride on a bus, but rather, we’re forced to endure a slow-moving cruise ship that’s headed towards an oil tanker at a snail’s pace.
The Happening (2008)
M. Night Shyamalan made one of the best movies of the late ‘90s, and he banked on that to sell his newer movies. For years, he came out with trash films, but The Happening was by far one of the worst.
About 20 minutes into the film, you’re told who the “villain” is – if you can even say that. Then, the acting is literally laughable. At one point, Mark Walberg attempted to complain about the script, but it was pointless.
Star Wars: Episode II (2002)
The Star Wars prequels are widely regarded as the worst films in the series. Out of all the movies, we’re going to list Episode II as the worst for two reasons. One, much of it focuses on Padme’s and Anakin’s love story.
Two, the sand scene. The worst thing is that both of these actors are pretty accomplished – see Natalie Portman in Leon: The Professional before saying otherwise. In the end, it’s worse than Episode III because it has less action and more talking, which the film couldn’t do successfully.
The Emoji Movie (2017)
One of the hardest things we have to admit is that The Emoji Movie was a hit, but it was. The budget was $50 million, and it made $217 million. That makes it a success in the eyes of Hollywood, but no one liked it.
Critics gave it an astonishing 8%, which isn’t the lowest score of any movie, but it’s one of the highest considering how much money it made. The film is full of product placement, has a thin plot, and jokes that will never land.
Battlefield Earth (2000)
L. Ron Hubbard wasn’t just a megalomaniacal religious figure–he was also a mediocre sci-fi writer.
And when John Travolta and his other Scientology buddies decided to make a movie adaptation Hubbard’s novel, Battlefield Earth, they made sure it was just as terrible as the source material.
Suicide Squad (2016)
The Suicide Squad had the makings of a summer blockbuster to remember. Unfortunately, it had huge issues with every team that worked on it. The film was notoriously rushed into production. The writers had a mere six weeks to write the script, but Warner Brothers weren’t pleased and decided to chop the script up further.
After filming, the film required an insane $10 million worth of reshoots to “add more humor.” Eventually, Warner Brothers ended up with two films – the original script version, which was dark, and the “funny” studio cut. You can guess which was released. It was pieced together, and this monstrosity hit theaters and disappointed fans worldwide.
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
There will never be a Spiderman movie worse than Spider-Man 3. One of the biggest reasons this film flopped was that it couldn’t decide whether to focus on Venom or Sandman.
Sam Raimi, the director, ultimately decided to pick Sandman, which was a huge mistake. Fans wanted Venom and got treated to a crappy film about Sandman where he wasn’t even really villainous. Then we got the shots of emo Spiderman that killed his image. Thanks to this film, it killed Spiderman for the next five years
Hancock (2008)
Hancock had promise because the idea was original. A superhero that became an alcoholic? Yeesh. However, what the movie promised and what it delivered on were two different things. Audiences instead got a film about a hero who was just as frustrated as viewers.
The most significant flaw was its PG-13 rating. With an “R” rating, it could have really been something, but it just fell short due to constraints.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a call-back to many kids’ childhoods. It got people hyped like anyone who wanted a good ol’ nostalgic film, but that wasn’t what anyone got. Instead, it was your typical Michael Bay film. Megan Fox trotted around insulting April as a character, but that wasn’t the worst offense.
There’s basically no character development, which is probably thanks to the massive focus on the way the film looked. In all honesty, it even looked bad. The turtles will give us nightmares for a while.
Green Lantern (2011)
The Green Lantern is despised by everyone, but none more than Ryan Reynolds, the main actor. In his own words, he said “I don’t think anyone ever figured out exactly what it was,” and that reflected in a major way.
He also mentioned how the script was the last part of the flick, after the poster and release date. The flimsy film duped people into seeing it and left audiences feeling betrayed.
The Smurfs (2011)
To quote a critic, this movie “blue.” Any children’s movie shouldn’t be offensive to the adults taking them to see it, but The Smurfs didn’t get that message.
Young children will enjoy the colors, but everyone else is stuck with a boring plotline and characters that think they’re hilarious but fail to deliver. We feel bad for any parent who has to stick through the film.
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
The Da Vinci Code seemed like a good film for anyone who read the book, but it didn’t deliver on anything. Throughout the movie, the audience follows Tom Hanks as he solves puzzle after puzzle with a supporting cast of a sulking albino assassin and a woman who knows nothing (Jon Snow would be disappointed).
The ending isn’t much better, as viewers are rewarded with a cop-out finale that says, “the only thing that matters is what you believe.”
Twilight: Eclipse (2012)
Every movie from the Twilight series belongs on this list, but Eclipse was the only one that came out during the summer. The series is wishy-washy at best.
Eclipse features such fine moments as Jacob telling Bella that she’s in love with him when she wasn’t, and Edward being downright abusive. In all honesty, this movie straight-up didn’t make any sense.
Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012)
The Ice Age Series was always on thin ice (sorry, not sorry). The first was alright, but the following films were pure trash.
Everything you’d like about the original was turned up to 11 on this one, making it pretty cringy. This is another flick that young kids may watch, but anyone over the age of five will be incredibly bored.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)
As much as we love The Mummy series, it just went downhill the more movies were made. The second one was alright at best, and Tomb of the Dragon Emperor didn’t deliver on anything that fans expected.
The series was always a little extra, but this film seems to take it to the extreme. The plot feels implausible, which says a lot considering how much breadth viewers already gave. At the end of it, the audience walked out knowing that this would be the last one.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was about one thing: how hot Angelina Jolie was. It had a flimsy plot, and people saw through that.
Sure, Jolie is attractive, but that doesn’t mean she can carry a movie with just her face. It takes more than that for audiences to be entertained for two hours. To quote a critic, “There is more tension in Jolie’s T-shirts than in the dramatic action.”
Godzilla (1998)
We’ve had plenty of Godzilla movies to watch over the years, but this Godzilla was unforgivable. It’s hard to know where to start with what went wrong. Maybe it was the fact that the film never really gave us a sense of how big Godzilla really was in this flick.
It could also be the weird scenes that left the audience confused, like the one where Broderick tested Godzilla with an actual pregnancy test to find out she was pregnant. That threw everyone off.
Rush Hour 3 (2007)
The Rush Hour series was a fun way to watch two funny guys solve a crime, but it followed suit with a lot of series on the list. Each one just got worse and worse. By the time the third installment came out, everything it had become popular for was dull and boring.
It was easy to expect what was going to happen, and it felt like everyone was more or less on autopilot. Rush Hour 3 proved that the series was nothing more than a one-trick pony.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
Fans had been waiting for another Indiana Jones for a while. When Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was announced, everyone got extremely excited. It’s just a shame the film didn’t live up to the hype.
In the end, the action wasn’t akin to the original movies, it used too much CGI, and it didn’t really make much sense. No one can survive a nuclear explosion in a refrigerator, alright? That tests our suspension of belief a little too much. The nail in the coffin was the aliens because Indie isn’t about aliens. Get out of here.
Staying Alive (1983)
There wasn’t a single critic who enjoyed Staying Alive, and that’s saying a lot. Audiences also hated this film, and there are a couple of good reasons. Many people called it boring, while others were confused about how this had any link to the first film in the series Saturday Night Fever.
It went from gritty to sweaty Broadway dancing. Staying Alive felt like John Travolta’s ego project for the poor souls that paid to see it.
Fantastic Four (2015)
The first Fantastic Four film came out ten years prior, so Hollywood thought it was a good time for a reboot. Unfortunately, this one also fell so, so, so, so flat – just as flat as the first. It suffered from feeling lightweight and cheesy, so audiences were pulled out of the film and forced to criticize it.
The remake also didn’t reflect the characters people came to love in the comics and cartoons. Furthermore, it felt like the actors couldn’t portray the characters they were meant to play.
Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
It’s no secret that sequels are rarely as good as the original movies, but Jaws: The Revenge goes above and beyond in its awfulness.
From a rushed production time to sub-par special effects, this fourth installment in the franchise took the terrifying shark we all know and love and turned him into a dud.
Masters of the Universe (1987)
He-Man was one of the biggest superheroes of the 80s, but even he, in all his power, couldn’t save his critical and commercial flop, Masters of the Universe.
While it’s gained a cult following since its release, it was initially panned as being “corny” and “choppy.” When it comes to superhero movies, that sounds about par for the course.
Super Mario Bros. (1993)
Wanting to capitalize on the success of the video games, Hollywood Pictures began work on a movie starring everyone’s favorite plumber, Mario.
Unfortunately, none of the charm of the games transferred to the big screen. The movie was dark, dystopian, and way too realistic–take a look at the goombas, and you’ll see what we mean.
Babylon A.D. (2008)
We’re not sure what it is about Vin Diesel and sci-fi, but the two just don’t mix. Case in point: Babylon A.D.
The film, which is set in dystopian Russian in 2027, received hate from critics and viewers alike for its bad acting, poor script, and boring action sequences.
Cool World (1992)
This Who Framed Roger Rabbit wannabe may have been a mix of animation and real life, but that’s where the similarities end.
While the special effects in this film would go on to be praised, there was not much else about this hot mess that audiences or critics actually enjoyed. Cool World would go on to gross just barely half of its budget at the box office.
Waterworld (1995)
Waterworld is probably most famous for being one of the most expensive movies of all time.
Unfortunately, the acting is considered some of the worst. This postapocalyptic thriller about a world covered in water seemed promising, but the finished product was just a costly mess.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
On the surface, X-Men Origins: Wolverine isn’t the worst film ever made. It’s entertaining in a way that you probably wouldn’t turn it off if the remote were just out of reach. However, some critics think it was worse than Spider-Man 3, and it’s understandable.
The plot was pretty loose, and the characters had confusing reactions to things that made you wonder, “Did that just break character?” Yes. Yes, it did. The best example of this is Wade Wilson – Deadpool. After seeing the recent (fantastic) Deadpool films, it’s obvious where Origins went wrong. In the end, it completely messed up the Marvel Universe and made audiences angry.
Jonah Hex (2010)
Even though this DC Comics western was led by superstar actor Josh Brolin, the movie just couldn’t get its act together.
This occult outlaw may have worked on the pages of a comic book, but on the big screen, audiences thought the plot was just too convoluted.
The Last Airbender (2010)
The Last Airbender is one of the most popular cartoons on television, so Hollywood decided to put it on the big screen. It was a mistake on their part. It could have been great, but it started with problems.
Almost everyone was white, other than the villains, who were dark-skinned actors. In addition to this, the movie focused so much on special effects that the plot and characters were thrown by the wayside. There is absolutely no redeeming factor about this movie.
The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)
There are bad summer blockbusters…and then there’s Pluto Nash. The movie stars Eddie Murphy as the titular character, who owns a bar on the moon.
So, off to a terrible start already. What makes this bad film really noteworthy, though, is its box office performance–or lack thereof. Despite having a budget of $100 million, it only managed to bring in a little over $7 million.
Jurassic World (2015)
Jurassic World did just fine for itself at the box office, and audiences seemed generally to like it too. But money and fans don’t actually indicate that a movie is good.
This sequel was a far cry from the fun of the original and was just one in an endless line of big-budget movies that do well but have no soul.
Wild Wild West (1999)
Some people think Will Smith can do no wrong. Those people have not seen Wild Wild West. The premise is amazing–steampunk crime fighters protecting the United States.
The execution, on the other hand, was about as enjoyable as an actual Old West execution.
The Amazing Spider Man (2012)
Listen, I’m all about Andrew Garfield’s beautiful face, but sitting through The Amazing Spider Man just isn’t worth it.
This was just one in a never-ending stream of superhero reboots, and even though it did well at the box office, it did nothing to distinguish itself cinematically from every other Spider-Man movie.
The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
The Chronicles of Riddick is actually a sequel to Pitch Black, but do yourself a favor and don’t watch either.
If you’re into sci-fi thrillers for sci-fi thrillers’ sake, you might get something out of this. But for the rest of us, it’s very much just a generic space movie.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
Apparently, there are a lot more Pirates of the Caribbean movies. This fifth installment in the series was panned by critics for just being too much.
The plot was all over the place, there were way too many characters to keep track of, and the film was just generally a far cry from the first few movies in the saga.
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
There have been so many X-Men movies at this point that it’s hard to keep track of them. For the most part, that’s a blessing.
This 2006 installment had plenty of action, but it was at the expense of the emotional depth that was found in earlier films in the franchise.
The Dark Tower (2017)
Based on the iconic Stephen King series, fans and critics alike had high hopes for The Dark Tower.
But as with all things in life, those hopes were crushed into oblivion. And what was this movie’s cardinal sin? It was just plain boring.
