17 Worst Summer Blockbusters

Plot: It comes from L. Ron Hubbard's novel.Battlefield Earthtakes place on a future version of Earth. Humans rebel against their alien overlords, the Pyschlos. Jonnie goes from captive to revolutionary leader.

Why It's So Bad: Battlefield EarthThis film tries to be as bad as possible. The plot follows a predictable path. Acting, especially John Travolta as the Psychlon Terl, is over-the-top. The cinematography and music distract instead of engaging. Make-up effects for the Psychlos look clunky. You never see the Psychlons as anything but ridiculous.

When asked if he regretted making the film, Travolta replied:

No way, are you kidding? Why would I ever regret that? I had the power to do whatever I wanted. I chose a book I thought made a good movie. It is a beautiful film. It is a good movie.

Did It Flop: Yes.

Plot: Like other entries in this established franchise, Jaws: The RevengeThis film focuses on a person fighting a man-eating shark. Ellen Brody, the widow of the first and second films’ hero, seeks revenge on the great white shark that killed her son.

Why It's So Bad: Aside from recycling elements from previous entries, Jaws: The RevengeThe film also has confusing jumps in story logic. Ellen's flashbacks are one example. Also, people wonder why any family member would interact with the ocean given their history. The worst part, though, is the moment the shark roars while jumping out of the water. This is not just scientifically wrong; it is also unintentionally funny. The shark figuring out Ellen is going to the Bahamas (where it follows her) is another issue.

Michael Caine, who has a supporting role, once stated:

I have never seen it, but it is terrible by all accounts. However, I saw the house it built, and it is terrific.

Did It Flop: No.

Plot: As the title suggests,Catwomantells the backstory of the DC Comics heroine Catwoman. It focuses on her start as Patience Phillips. Unscrupulous employers murder her. A cat revives her, giving her powers. She foils the conspiracy and kills the main villain. Then, she adopts a new persona as a hero working outside the justice system.

Why It's So Bad: Everything about this film seems poorly planned. The main plot involves a face cream—not a high-stakes superhero plot point. The fight choreography is clunky, which is bad for an action movie. Overall, CatwomanCatwoman lacks fidelity to the original comic book character. The character is not even given the comic name Selina Kyle.

Berry won a Worst Actress Razzie for her performance. While taking the award, she jokedWarner Bros. for putting her in a “piece-of-sh*t, godawful movie” and stated Catwoman was “just what [her] career needed.”

Did It Flop: Yes.

The Plot: Fantastic Four focuses on the four main characters: Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Johnny Storm/Human Torch, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, and Ben Grimm/The Thing. They gain special powers after traveling to Planet Zero. As they fight to control their powers, they also face Victor von Doom/Dr. Doom.

Why It's So Bad: Fantastic Four comes out when the MCU is at its peak cultural presence. The film lacks humor, which a comic book movie needs, especially in the 2010s. It also skips the color and energy expected in a superhero film. The biggest issue is the continuity errors.contain the unfortunate continuity errors, a result of the film’s troubled production and many reshoots.

The movie had at least one fan: The Room'sTommy Wiseau, stated:

[L]et me put it this way, I like it, I did enjoy it number one. Number two, they didn’t call me, that’s all I want to say and I rest my case.

He also claimed he was open to directing a sequel.

Did It Flop: No.

The Plot: The Adventures of Pluto Nash focuses mainly on Eddie Murphy’s title character, an ex-convict and entrepreneur who opens a nightclub on the moon. He gets into trouble when he refuses to sell the club and tries to stop a mysterious figure named Crater, who has his own sinister plans.

Why It's So Bad: Even though Eddie Murphy was popular in Hollywood, the film wastes his talent. Murphy seems unengaged with the movie. The story often baffles viewers; it is hard to know why things happen. The big reveal does not clarify anything; instead, it raises more questions than it answers. The film feels like an idea needing a clear screenplay.

When asked what movies make the actor cry, Murphy joked replied:

Pluto Nash, that breaks me down, that breaks me all the way down.

Did It Flop: Yes.

The Plot: Based on the Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender,This M. Night Shyamalan film centers on Aang. He must balance the world and stop the Fire Nation from conquering other Nations.

Why It's So Bad: The Last Airbender This film fails at every level. Shyamalan, known for twist endings, is not a good director choice. The movie lacks the energy of its animated predecessor. The cast delivers bad acting, and clunky special effects add to the problem. The plot also becomes confusing, failing to connect with fans or newcomers.

When Shyamalan faced bad reviews, including one from Roger Ebert, he answered:

I cannot explain that stuff. I bring maximum integrity. It must be a language issue, a specific accent, a storytelling style. I see things this way; I do not know how to think another way. These visions are in my head; I cannot change them without losing myself. It is like asking a painter to shift styles. I do not know.

Did It Flop: No.

The Plot: It is based on the video game of the same name.Super Mario Bros. The movie focuses on brothers Mario and Luigi. They must save Princess Daisy from the dinosaur King Koopa and his lizard minions.

Why It's So Bad: Super Mario Bros. This film might be the first based on a video game, but it is also one of the most infamous '90s movies. Its failure comes from mixing influences. Despite some story choices, it barely resembles the original video games. Special effects remain compelling, but the tone goes too far and the writing is too poor - and studio interference and rewrites - making it only a cult classic.

Bob Hoskins, who played Mario, thinks it is the worst film he ever made:

It was a nightmare. The whole experience was a nightmare. A husband-and-wife team directed it, whose arrogance was mistaken for talent. Their agent told them to leave the set! Nightmare. Idiots.

Did It Flop: Yes.

The Plot: Like many other mummy movies, the simply titled The Mummy The Mummy from 2017 focuses on a vengeful creature from ancient Egypt who emerges to wreak havoc. Tom Cruise’s Nick Morton and Annabelle Wallis’s Jenny Halsey oppose her efforts. The villains Ahmanet gets defeated, but Nick gets Set’s powers.

Why It's So Bad: Even though this version of The Mummy The film struggles against the huge shadow from the late 1990s and early 2000s. It feels dour. It borrows too much from other, better horror movies and never becomes its own thing. It tries to set up a series of connected movies, but it fails to make a coherent or satisfying story.

Did It Flop: No.

The Plot: Based largely on The Gunslinger by Stephen King (with elements drawn from other books in the Dark Tower series), the film centers on Gunslinger Roland Deschain. Deschain fights the villainous sorcerer Walter Padick to control the Dark Tower, a structure linking all known universes. Deschain takes on young Jake Chambers. Together, they stop Padick’s plans.

Why It's So Bad: The major problem with The Dark Tower is that it lacks direction. While it adapts King’s work, it also functions as a sequel to the novels. This confuses non-book fans and frustrates fans of the series during its long run. It also shows the damage from a had a very long and troubled production, and the story ends up a jumbled mess, even though Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey give bright moments.

Did It Flop: No.

The Plot: Howard the Duck shows the title character's misadventures (from Marvel Comics) after he travels from his Duckworld planet to Earth. Many things happen. He saves the world but gets trapped on Earth, then becomes a musician.

Why It's So Bad: Describing how bad Howard the Duck is hard to start. First, it is live-action, not animated, which goes against the original plan. This means Howard must look somewhat believable. He fails to do that. The suits, puppets, and animatronics look uncanny and bad. Also, the film has a weak script, so it lacks the energy and fun of the comic book character.the opposite of the original intention, meaning Howard has to look somewhat plausible. He does not. The suits, puppets, and animatronics seem uncanny and bad. The limp screenplay also lacks the dynamism and fun of the original comic book character.

Star Lea Thompson said she only agreed to do Some Kind of Wonderful after the “pretty demented” Howard the Duck was released:

I had to get on another movie… I wouldn’t have done the movie if Howard wasn’t such as bomb.

Thompson married the director of Some Kind of Wonderful, Howard Deutch.

Did It Flop: Yes.

The Plot: Based on the DC Comics character, Jonah Hex follows the title character—a former Confederate soldier who can talk to the dead—as President Grant recruits him to stop a villain from getting an experimental weapon that could end the US government.

Why It's So Bad: Josh Brolin gives a strong performance. Despite this, Jonah HexThis feels like an idea, not a film. It runs just 81 minutes. This time does not allow it to fully develop its ideas or characters. Studio meddling causes this.Presumed studio meddling causes this.The plot jumps around a lot. This makes it hard for even fans of the original comics to track what happens or why.

Brolin has.He stated.Jonah Hex appears in the list of 17 Worst Summer Blockbusters.

I will never stop sh*tting on.Jonah Hex…It was a shitty f*cking movie!

Did It Flop:Yes.

The Plot:Wild Wild West,It is based loosely on the TV series from the 1960s, starring Will Smith and Kevin Kline as Jim West and Artemus Gordon. They protect President Grant in a steampunk 19th-century setting. They also seek to defeat an ex-Confederate before he uses a weapon to cause government chaos.

Why It's So Bad:Most of the budget went to special effects and hiring big names, not writing a script. It puzzles how a film with so much ridiculousness takes itself seriously. A movie with more camp or comedy would have succeeded. As it is,Wild Wild Westends up being more of a concept than an entertaining movie journey.

When asked what he considers his worst movie,Smith replied:

Wild Wild Westjust is a thorn in my side. I do not like seeing myself with chaps.

Did It Flop:Yes.

The Plot:Ralph Bakshi directed Cool World,Cool WorldIt blends live-action and animation. It focuses on a cartoonist, Jack Deebs, who ends up in the Cool World. Holli Would, who wants to use sex with him for access to the human world, influences him with potentially disastrous results. He soon joins Frank, a detective in the Cool World police department.

Why It's So Bad:Like many of Bakshi’s other works,Cool Worldplays fast and loose with style and taste. Many story elements make little sense, even in fantasy filmmaking. It shares a similar feel with Who Framed Roger Rabbit.Who Framed Roger Rabbit,but it shifts tone a lot. It changes from one thing to another. Its lack of likable characters stops it from reaching the animated greatness it sometimes aims for.

Paramount controversially placed a75-foot cut-outof Holli Would's character on the D in the Hollywood sign.

Did It Flop:Yes.

The Plot:The plot ofMasters of the UniverseThis is based on the Mattel action figures/franchise. It focuses mainly on the conflict between He-Man and his foe Skeletor, who must be stopped from taking over the universe. Two Earth teenagers also get pulled into the story.

Why It's So Bad:Masters of the UniverseThis film feels almost good despite being bad. The camp value from the source material pushes it. Making a film about He-Man (Dolph Lundgren) in the '80s meant leaning into the ridiculousness. Sometimes, it reads like a remake of.Star WarsandConanThis helps explain why the film never found an audience.

Frank Langella gives a very good performance as Skeletor. He later called it “one of his very favorite parts”..""

Did It Flop:Yes.

The Plot:Chris Columbus directed this film. Earth faces an alien race. They believe video games declare war on Earth. They attack using video game versions, fromPac-MantoDonkey Kongand people on Earth must fight back.

Why It's So Bad:Adam Sandler’s talent is not enough to save this movie. Its main fault is how it acts like Hollywood cannibalizes media. It tries to grab new IP. It trades nostalgia for '80s and arcade games. The film fails to justify its existence beyond showing the industry's cynical approach to storytelling. Critics savaged it, and the box office lagged.

Did It Flop:Sort of.The film missed its budget in the US. It performed better overseas.

The Plot:Like many big-budget 2010s spectacles,R.I.P.D.R.I.P.D. was based on a comic book of the same name. Ryan Reynolds plays Nick Walker, who joins the R.I.P.D. group. This group hunts souls that never face judgment, called the Deados. Walker partners with Jeff Bridges as Roy Pulsipher. They must stop a sinister plot by the Deados.

Why It's So Bad:The main issue withR.I.P.D.R.I.P.D. does not try anything new or amusing with the source material. It becomes just like every other comic book movie hitting theaters. Jeff Bridges acts well, but Reynolds struggles in the superhero role. The plot feels forced, making the whole thing a waste of the talent.

Bridgessaid of the experience:

I had a great time on that movie… I thought: This could be fun to see. I felt underwhelmed watching it. The studio made choices I would not have made.

Did It Flop:Yes.

The Plot:The film is based on the comic book.The League of Extraordinary GentlemenAllan Quatermain joins famous heroes like Captain Nemo and Mina Harker. They stop a villain from starting a world war.

Why It's So Bad: At first, it seems like something else. League This movie should be an old-fashioned adventure. But special effects and acting work. The plot takes a bad turn. Too many plot tricks and characters act without reason. This film fails to meet its own hopes.

Making the film stressed Sean Connery.retired from actingHe quipped:

[Director Stephen Norrington] got $85 million for a Prague movie. He didn't get certified before filming because he would have been arrested for insanity.

Did It Flop: No.