Answering what constitutes the worst movies of all time is subjective. So for authenticity, this list considers Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb ratings, and the opinions of various critics and audiences.
From the 1936 Reefer Madness propaganda to 1987's Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, there has been an insane amount of bad movies made. However, this worst movie list features an annual countdown of the last five decades of poor production and bad acting.
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox.
Worst Movies of the 2020s
Ready to see what favorite cult classics might appear on the list? Check out the worst movies of the 2020s thus far.
Image Credit: NBC Universal.
1. 365 Days (2022)
Already one of the worst movies of all time, 365 Days is a Polish erotic thriller that has hijacked plotlines from the Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy and did not improve upon them. The plot involves a Sicilian mafia boss (Michele Morrone) imprisoning and raping a young woman from Warsaw (Anna-Maria Sieklucka) under the premise of her falling in love with him in 365 Days.
Within 15 minutes of the movie, there are graphic and disturbing scenarios of sexual assault. It is close to two hours of romanticized rape played off as soft porn, a hard pass. There is a reason it is at 0% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Honorable Mentions 2022: Morbius, The Bubble, and Redeeming Love.
Image Credit: Netflix.
2. Vanquish (2021)
Ruby Rose (Victoria) plays caretaker to Damon (Morgan Freeman), a disabled and retired cop bound to his wheelchair. Unfortunately, the writers were lazy about character development and instantly dived into the story's terrible premise.
Damon forces Victoria to collect bags of money for him in a single night by holding her daughter hostage. The movie is so awful that it earned Ruby Rose a Golden Raspberry Award (Razzie) nomination for Worst Actress.
Honorable Mentions 2021: Thunder Force, Old, and Space Jam: A New Legacy.
Image Credit: NBC Universal.
Worst Movies of the 2010s
The 2010s contributed to several cinematic failures, including these ten worst movies of all time.
Image Credit: EFO Films.
3. The Last Days of American Crimes (2020)
Rick Remender and Greg Tocchini's 2009 graphic novel The Last Days of American Crimes is what inspired the film of the same name. A sci-fi/heist mashup with a weak storyline and excessive violence.
Unfortunately, the timing of the release coincided with the murder of George Floyd. So due to the film's graphic depictions of violence and police brutality, it sits at 0% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Honorable Mentions 2020: Dolittle, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, and Songbird.
Image Credit: Netflix.
4. Cats (2019)
Cats bombed at the box office as one of the worst films of all time. With an estimated budget between $80-100 million, Cats‘ office gross was only $75 million.
It features an all-star cast including Taylor Swift, Idris Elba, Rebel Wilson, Jason Derulo, Judi Dench, James Corden, Ian McKellen, and Francesca Hayward. However, audiences and critics highly criticized the visual effects and editing.
Honorable Mentions 2019: Yesterday, Loqueesha, and Men in Black: International.
Image Credit: Universal Pictures.
5. Slender Man (2018)
An internet-sensationalized creepypasta, Slender Man, is a fictional ghoul who stalks, abducts, and murders children. By his depictions, he is an abnormally tall and eerily thin man whose Hollywood debut fell short, only grossing $52 million worldwide.
Jaz Sinclair's ghastly performance earned her a nomination for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress. Distributed by Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Releasing, Slender Man is a dud.
Honorable Mentions 2018: Robin Hood, 211, and Fifty Shades Freed.
Image Credit: Screen Gems.
6. Just Getting Started (2017)
This box office action-comedy does not deliver laughs despite an ensemble of Morgan Freeman, Rene Russo, Tommy Lee Jones, Elizabeth Ashley, and Glenne Head.
A personal feud between an ex-FBI agent and former mob lawyer gets set aside when the mafia attempts to kill them, and the supporting cast cannot save it. As a result, Just Getting Started only grossed $7 million and had a budget of $22 million, making this a significant box office flop.
Honorable Mentions 2017: The Emoji Movie, Rings, and Baywatch.
Image Credit: Broad Green Pictures.
7. Cabin Fever (2016)
Cabin Fever (2016) is the fourth installment of the series and one of the worst movies of all time. It is comfortable sitting at 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critic's consensus reads, “No need for a quarantine — enthusiasm for this inert remake is not contagious.” Five friends meet a flesh-eating virus without the success of its 2002 predecessor. The End.
Honorable Mentions 2016: Independence Day: Resurgence, Nina, and Mother's Day.
Image Credit: Pelican Point Media.
8. The Ridiculous 6 (2015)
The Ridiculous Six is not the first Adam Sandler movie to tank, but it is only one of the forty-one films with a 0% Rotten Tomato rating (as of 2022). Furthermore, it is Adam Sandler's first (hopefully last) Western.
The storyline includes six men (Sandler, Terry Crews, Jorge Garcia, Taylor Lautner, Rob Schneider, and Luke Wilson) who discover that they share the same bank-robbing father (Nick Nolte) and go on a journey to reunite with him. Unfortunately, it comes complete with outdated stereotypes and racist jokes.
Honorable Mentions 2015: Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, The Human Centipede III, and Hot Tub Machine 2.
Image Credit: Netflix.
9. Left Behind (2014)
The apocalyptic thriller, Left Behind showcases the perspective of one family living in an evangelical nightmare. An airline pilot (Nicolas Cage) and the rest of the world witness the rapture when millions of people suddenly disappear, including his wife and son.
However, his older daughter (Cassie Thomson) is also left behind, and they set out to determine what is happening. A more disaster-film-oriented take than the film it's remaking or the best-selling book series both are allegedly based on, the movie sets up the series for a not very anticipated sequel, Left Behind: Rise of the AntiChrist (October 2022).
Honorable Mentions 2014: Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas, and The Legend of Hercules.
Image Credit: Stone Lake Ent.
10. Gotti (2018)
Starring John Travolta as Gotti, alongside Kelly Preston (his real-life wife) as Victoria, Gotti is an American biographical film about the infamous New York City mobster Gotti and his reign of crime.
However, critics regard it as one of the worst movies of all time. Unfortunately, with a $10 million production budget, the movie only grossed $6 million, making it a total bust.
In addition, it holds a place at 0% on Rotten Tomatoes and received universally negative reviews. Travolta has seven movie positions out of the 41 spots on Rotten Tomatoes' 0% list! Yikes.
Honorable Mentions 2013: Grown Ups 2, Scary Movie 5, and Movie 43.
Image Credit: EFO Films.
11. A Thousand Words (2012)
The comedy-drama film A Thousand Words starring Eddie Murphy was released four years after filming, and it bombed at the box office.
Murphy plays Jack McCall, a self-absorbed literary agent who does not bother to read books and finds himself in a predicament that limits the number of words he can speak or write. The movie's first half delivers some laughs but quickly fizzles during the second stretch.
Banking on a $40 million production budget, A Thousand Words grossed a dismal $22 million. Despite sitting at a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences share mixed reviews.
Honorable Mentions 2012: Battleship, One for the Money, The Babymakers.
Image Credit: DW Studios L.L.C.
12. Bucky Larson: Born To Be a Star (2011)
Columbia Pictures teams up with Adam Sandler and Happy Madison Productions for an epic failure. Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star features Nick Swardson, Christina Ricci, Stephen Dorff, and Don Johnson.
The plot involves an obnoxiously loud man child (Swardson) who wants to follow in his parent's footsteps—hoping to become the biggest adult-film star in the world.
It received 3% on Rotten Tomatoes and earned a Moldy Tomato Award. Furthermore, Metacritic gave it a 9 out of 100, making this the worst-reviewed movie release of 2011.
Honorable Mentions 2011: Jack and Jill, Shark Night 3D, Apollo 18.
Image Credit: Columbia TriStar Marketing Group, Inc.
13. The Last Airbender (2010)
M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender is one of the worst movies of all time, and it did not have to be. The movie is based on the fantastic Nickelodeon animated television series but is a cinematic disaster.
Nevertheless, it received several accolades, including awards for Worst Picture of the Year, Worst Actress, Worst Supporting Actress, Worst Director, and Worst Eye-Gouging Mis-Use of 3D. The defense rests.
Honorable Mentions 2010: Vampire's Suck, Stolen, and Furry Vengeance.
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures.
Worst Movies of the 2000s
The worst movies of the 2000s include several remakes or sequels that should never have seen the theatre's big screen.
Image Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.
14. All About Steve (2009)
It is terrible when Sandra Bullock cannot save this 20th Century Fox bust. All About Steve co-stars Thomas Haden Church, Ken Jeong, and Bradley Cooper as Steve.
The reviews are so awful that this could be Sandra Bullock‘s worst film, which is a tragedy considering the disaster that is Miss Congeniality 2. Nevertheless, All About Steve ultimately won two Razzies for Worst Actress and Worst Screen Couple.
Honorable Mentions 2009: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Dragonball Evolution, and I Love You, Beth Cooper.
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox.
15. Disaster Movie (2008)
The film Disaster Movie is one of the worst movies ever. It is an American parody comedy that is stupid and not funny at all. It includes B-list star Carmen Electra (Scary Movie Franchise) and Matt Lanter (Star Wars Mandalorian).
In addition, this is Kim Kardashian's big film debut, and it blew. This pop culture disaster was so terrible that it was nominated for six Razzies and could not even bring one of them home.
Honorable Mentions 2008: Beer for My Horses, One Missed Call, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Image Credit: Lions Gate Home Entertainment.
16. Kickin' It Old Skool (2007)
Kickin' it Old Skool is a mess. It follows a young breakdancer who injures himself and slips into a coma in 1986. Then, waking up 20 years later, he solicits the help of his parents and girlfriend to resurrect his breakdancing team.
Jamie Kennedy stars in it (along with a pre-Noovie Maria Menounos) and incidentally produced the dud. It grossed $4.5 million, which is only a fifth of the production budget.
Honorable Mentions 2007: Norbit, Good Luck Chuck, and Daddy Day Camp.
Image Credit: Jizzy Entertainment.
17. Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction (2006)
Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone) finds herself in trouble again. Only this time, she is in London. The Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service appoints psychiatrist Dr. Michael Glass (Nick Curran) to evaluate her.
Naturally, he falls victim to her seductive mind games and psychological warfare. Unfortunately, unlike its 1992 predecessor, Basic Instinct 2 was not well received by audiences or critics and was a box office failure.
Honorable Mentions 2006: Lady in the Water, Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector, and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause.
Image Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.
18. Son of the Mask (2005)
The Mask without Jim Carrey is the first insult to this monstrosity of a sequel called Son of the Mask. The film stars Jamie Kennedy as an aspiring animator from Fringe City whose kid is born with the powers of the Mask.
It is a sequel to The Mask (1994) and is an adaptation of the hilarious comic from Dark Horse. Unfortunately, with only grossing $59.9 million against its $80-100 million budget, this movie is another Jamie Kennedy flop.
Honorable Mentions 2005: Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D, and BloodRayne.
Image Credit: New Line Cinema.
19. Catwoman (2004)
Catwoman is one of the worst movies of all time, no contest. Halle Berry disappoints with a mediocre take on D.C.s savage kitty-kitty. The plot centers on Patience Phillips (Berry), a designer who identifies a conspiracy involving a dangerous product in the cosmetics company she works with that will cause health destruction.
After her conspirators find and murder her, Egyptian cats revive her, and she becomes a crime-fighting superheroine. Becoming Catwoman came with cat-like abilities and a sexy prowling black leotard, but the audience did not meow.
Unfortunately, not even Benjamin Bratt (love interest) could save this snowballing disaster. As a result, the Catwoman box office only grossed $82 million of the $100 million budget.
Additionally, the movie received seven nominations for Razzies and took four home; Worst Director, Worst Screenplay, Worst Picture, and Worst Actress.
Honorable Mentions 2004: Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2, The Whole 10 Yards, and Seed of Chucky.
Image Credit: Warner Bros.
20. From Justin to Kelly (2003)
American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson and Idol finalist Justin Guarini star in a romantic musical comedy that is seriously lacking. A waitress from Texas (Clarkson) and a college student (Guarini) from Pennsylvania get together on Spring Break and fall in love over their affinity for singing.
It is honored by the first Worst Musical from the Golden Raspberry Awards. The movie, From Justin to Kelly, is another 20th Century Fox production mishap of talent better left on the Idol stage.
Honorable Mentions 2003: Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd, Gigli, and Boat Trip.
Image Credit: Twentieth Century Fox.
21. Pinocchio (2002)
The 2002 film Pinocchio deservingly sits at 0% on the Tomatometer at Rotten Tomatoes. The critic's consensus is that “Roberto Benigni misfires wildly with this adaptation of Pinocchio, and the result is an unfunny, poorly-made, creepy vanity project.”
Honorable Mentions 2002: Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, The Master of Disguise, and Rollerball.
Image Credit: Miramax Films.
22. Glitter (2001)
Columbia Pictures Tristar productions should have left Glitter in the box. It's dreadful. Billie Frank (Mariah Carey) plays an aspiring singer who is a club dancer with friends Louise (Da Brat) and Roxanne (Tia Texada). Timothy Walker (Terrence Howard) gives them a contract as backup singers and dancers to a headliner.
Billie meets Julian “Dice” Black (Max Beesley) and falls in love with him as he helps advance her solo career. But unfortunately, Glitter grossed a depressing $5.3 million, proving that all that glitters is not gold.
Honorable Mentions 2001: Freddy Got Fingered, Corky Romano, and Soul Survivors.
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox.
23. Battlefield Earth (2000)
Battlefield Earth is a science fiction film based on the scifi book series written by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. At least Travolta made 3% on Rotten Tomatoes for this outer space mishap. Unfortunately, the character development was lacking and writhed with bad acting.
In addition, its script, special effects, and musical score received harsh criticism. It took home eight Razzies; ten years later, it won Worst Film of the Decade. It is a vast Warner Bros. misstep.
Honorable Mentions 2000: The In Crowd, Bless the Child, and 3 Strikes.
Image Credit: Warner Bros.
Worst Movies of the 90s
The nineties produced several of the worst movies of all time, including these ten box office bombs disliked by critics.
Image Credit: Metro Goldwyn Mayer.
24. Baby Geniuses (1999)
Tristar Pictures missed the mark with one of the worst movies of all time, Baby Geniuses, which lacks actual plot and is two hours of babies who act like bad standup comedians telling marginal jokes with minimal laughs.
The special effects were nothing special and gave creepy baby vibes. Unfortunately, it amassed a mere $36 million, making it a cinematic flop. Its sequel, Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2, also bombed at the box office and received terrible criticism.
Honorable Mentions 1999: The Mod Squad, The Omega Code, and Pokemon: The First Movie.
Image Credit: Triumph.
25. The Avengers (1998)
Another Warner Bros. mishap, The Avengers, is a spy-based action movie that adapts a British TV series of the same name (a cult 1960s show). Starring Ralph Fiennes and Uma Thurman as secret agents who battle mad scientist Sir August de Wynter (Sean Connery), determined to control the weather.
Jim Broadbent, and the original John Steed, Patrick Macnee, were also cast. Unfortunately, the box office gross was only $55 million against its $60 million budget.
Honorable Mentions 1998: Blue Brothers 2000, Spice World, and Meet the Deedles.
Image Credit: Warner Bros.
26. Batman and Robin (1997)
The Batman and Robin film is the tragic fourth installment of the nineties Batman franchise. It casts George Clooney as Batman, Chris O'Donnell as Robin, and Arnold Schwarzenegger as Dr. Freeze, alongside Uma Thurman, Alicia Silverstone, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle, and Elle Macpherson.
Despite the all-star ensemble, Batman and Robin is the lowest-grossing live-action Batman movie ever. In addition, it is so terrible that Warner Bros. canceled further films with director Joel Schumacher. So his planned third movie, Batman Unchained, was never created.
Honorable Mentions 1997: Speed 2: Cruise Control, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, and Home Alone 3.
Image Credit: Warner Bros.
27. Bio-dome (1996)
Pauly Shore and Stephen Baldwin completely bombed in Bio-Dome. The film centers around two dim-wits who mistake a closed ecological system (Bio-Dome) for a shopping mall when searching for a bathroom.
So they find themselves sealed inside for a year with five Scientists whom they irritate with immature antics and potty humor. It grossed $13 million against its $8.5 million budget. Also, it received a record low score of 1 out of 100 on Metacritic.
Honorable Mentions 1996:
