There’s no accounting for taste, and these 11 movies got bad reviews and scored poorly on Rotten Tomatoes, but nevertheless grossed over a billion dollars at the global box office.
A Minecraft Movie is currently defying industry expectations by making more than $940 million and counting, in spite of some truly terrible reviews.
The video game adaptation currently has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 48%, while in Dexerto’s one-star appraisal, we wrote that: “The stakes aren’t really that high, the performances aren’t really that great, and the action isn’t impressive in the slightest.”
But sometimes bad notices don’t deter fans of a franchise, and that’s the case with the following films, all of which scored under 60% on Rotten Tomatoes, but grossed more than a billion at the box office.
Aladdin
- Year: 2019
- Rotten Tomatoes score: 57%
- Box office total: $1.051 billion
What it’s about: In this remake of the animated classic, street urchin Aladdin teams up with a magical genie to do battle with evil sorcerer Jafar and fight for the hand of Princess Jasmine.
What the critics said: Disney created a lucrative revenue stream through remaking the studio’s animated classics in live-action form, but by 2019, critics had grown tired of them. So in spite of the fact that the leads were likeable and director Guy Ritchie crafted some fun action sequences, the Rotten Tomatoes critical consensus stated that it “never approaches the dazzling splendor of the animated original.”
Minions
Universal Pictures- Year: 2015
- Rotten Tomatoes score: 55%
- Box office total: $1.159 billion
What it’s about: In this Despicable Me prequel, Kevin, Stuart and Bob decide to find a new boss, so embark on a global search that leads to super-villain Scarlett Overkill, who has plans for world domination.
What the critics said: Despicable Me is the most successful animated franchise of all-time, but while kids love the Minions, critics find them intensely annoying, with the Rotten Tomatoes round-up claiming their “gibberish-fueled insanity,” makes for an “uneven” movie.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Disney- Year: 2006
- Rotten Tomatoes score: 53%
- Box office total: $1.066 billion
What it’s about: Dead Man’s Chest finds Jack Sparrow on a collision course with the terrifying captain of the Flying Dutchman – Davy Jones – to whom he owes a blood debt.
What the critics said: Powered by Johnny Depp’s acclaimed/deranged performance, the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie was a surprise hit with critics and audiences alike. But each sequel scored less than the previous flick on Rotten Tomatoes, with the Dead Man’s Chest consensus saying: “Gone is Depp’s unpredictability and much of the humor and originality of the first movie.”
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
20th Century Fox- Year: 1999
- Rotten Tomatoes score: 53%
- Box office total: $1.047 billion
What it’s about: In the first of the Star Wars prequels, Jedi masters Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi become embroiled in a trade dispute, and meet a boy called Anakin, within whom the Force is strong.
What the critics said: Expectations were sky-high for Episode I in 1999, and The Phantom Menace duly dominated that summer, in spite of the film lacking the invention and charm of its predecessors. Critics were largely unimpressed, with the prevailing RT opinion calling it “burdened by exposition and populated with stock characters,” both of which get the series off to a “bumpy” start.
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
Disney/Lucasfilm- Year: 2019
- Rotten Tomatoes score: 51%
- Box office total: $1.077 billion
What it’s about: The Skywalker Saga draws to a close through the continuation of the battle between the Resistance and the First Order, and via Rey discovering her true heritage.
What the critics said: The Rise of Skywalker managed to enrage the Star Wars faithful, through some baffling story decisions that concluded the saga in the least satisfying way imaginable. Audiences showed up because they wanted to see how it turned out, but critics gave it both barrels, with Rotten Tomatoes saying it “suffers from a frustrating lack of imagination,” but adding that TROS “concludes this beloved saga with fan-focused devotion.”
Alice in Wonderland
Disney- Year: 2010
- Rotten Tomatoes score: 50%
- Box office total: $1.025 billion
What it’s about: Alice follows the white rabbit down a hole, and ends up in a magical realm filled with crazed characters like the Mad Hatter, the Red Queen, and Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
What the critics said: Another Disney remake, another box office bonanza with negative reviews. Tim Burton directs his longtime collaborator Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, and it’s a performance you either love or hate. Critics fell into the latter category, saying via the RT round-up that Alice in Wonderland: “sacrifices the book’s minimal narrative coherence, and much of its heart.”
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Universal Pictures- Year: 2018
- Rotten Tomatoes score: 47%
- Box office total: $1.308 billion
What it’s about: The Jurassic World heroes return to Isla Nebular and embark on a rescue mission when a volcano threatens to once again wipe out the dinosaurs.
What the critics said: The Jurassic franchise started on a critical high, with the the original 1993 movie managing 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. But since then it’s been diminishing returns, with the critical consensus on Fallen Kingdom suggesting that “genuinely thrilling moments are in increasingly short supply.”
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Paramount Pictures- Year: 2011
- Rotten Tomatoes score: 35%
- Box office total: $1.124 billion
What it’s about: The third Transformers movie concerns the Autobots and Decepticons battling for ownership of a technology with the power to restore Cybertron.
What the critics said: It’s tricky reviewing a franchise that’s designed to sell toys, and while audiences showed up to see big robots punching other big robots, Rotten Tomatoes said “Its special effects – and 3D shots – are undeniably impressive, but they aren’t enough to fill up its loud, bloated running time, or mask its thin, indifferent script.”
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Disney- Year: 2011
- Rotten Tomatoes score: 23%
- Box office Total: $1.046 billion
What it’s about: The fourth film in the Pirates of the Caribbean series sees Captain Jack Sparrow searching for the Fountain of Youth, encountering a mysterious woman from his past, and ending up on Blackbeard’s infamous ship.
What the critics said: Reviewers were clearly done with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise at this point, and the Rotten Tomatoes critical consensus backs that up via claims that the film “runs aground on a disjointed plot and a non-stop barrage of noisy action sequences.”
Jurassic World: Dominion
Universal Pictures- Year: 2022
- Rotten Tomatoes score: 29%
- Box office total: $1.001 billion
What it’s about: Following the destruction of Isla Nebular, dinosaurs now live alongside humans, in the Jurassic film that combines original stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum, with new blood Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.
What the critics said: By being the film that merges old cast with new, Jurassic World: Dominion should have been a triumph. But critics weren’t impressed, with characters and dialogue coming under fire, amid claims that “this franchise has lumbered a long way down from its classic start.”
Transformers: Age of Extinction
Paramount Pictures- Year: 2014
- Rotten Tomatoes score: 18%
- Box office total: $1.104 billion
What it’s about: Autobots from the planet Cybertron team up with inventor Cade Yeager to evade a black ops unit hunting them down.
What the critics said: Here it is – the movie with the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score, that nevertheless grossed more than a billion dollars. Transformers 4 was attacked from all angles, especially the script, which was criticised for a lack of logic and coherence, as well as some memorably bad dialogue. RT said: “Fans of loud, effects-driven action will find satisfaction, and all others need not apply.” But lots did, as Age of Extinction grossed a fortune, and ended up being the biggest box office hit of 2014.
To check out some positive reviews, these are the best movies of 2025 so far, as well as the biggest box office hits of the year.
