It’s hard to define exactly what ‘success’ entails. In Hollywood terms though, it’s quite simple. Success boils down to one thing in the movie industry – money. It doesn’t matter how great a film is, if it hasn’t almost doubled its budget, it’s considered a failure. Likewise, even the most critically panned movies are rewarded with countless sequels, provided they make an inconceivable amount of cash.
As of right now, only 46 movies in history have passed $1 billion at the box office – and while some of these movies have become classics, others leave a lot to be desired. These are the 10 worst movies to surpass $1 billion at the box office, according to IMDb.
Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise Of Skywalker (2019) – 6.7
Perhaps the most controversial Star Wars movie ever made, Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker does have its moments of triumph, but they’re unfortunately trumped by its nonsensical plotting, unsatisfying character arcs and failure to live up to The Force Awakens’ promise.
While the epic conclusion to the Skywalker Saga managed to top $1 billion at the box office, the sequel trilogy’s lack of cohesive vision left a sour taste in mouths of fans worldwide.
The Fate Of The Furious (2017) – 6.7
2017’s The Fate of the Furious isn’t exactly a terrible movie – in fact it’s far from the worst in the Fast and Furious franchise – but it does coast for the majority of its runtime. Especially in comparison to the franchise’s best entries, The Fate of the Furious’ plot feels flimsier than ever.
Still, its over-the-top action sequences are as creative and energetic as you’d expect, which likely resonated with fans, resulting in an impressive box office performance from the movie.
Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) – 6.6
Although the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie is considered an action-adventure classic at this point, its disappointing series of sequels failed to have the same impact. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is the first entry in the franchise to distance itself from its central narrative, serving as more of a standalone story.
With its script, lack of originality and convoluted plot drawing particular criticism, the movie was not a critical success. Despite topping a billion at the box office however, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides also holds the record for most expensive film ever made, with a staggering budget of around $400 million.
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) – 6.5
Infamous for disappointing die-hard Star Wars fans back in 1999, the lackluster Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace was something of a turning point for the franchise.
While the series spent decades on a pedestal, The Phantom Menace signified a sudden disconnect between the franchise and its fans – although the prequel trilogy certainly has its advocates. The movie’s negative reception certainly didn’t drive away audiences however, with the movie earning $1.02 billion at the box office.
Minions (2015) – 6.4
As depressing as it is that Minions is one of the highest-grossing films of all time, its inclusion on this list somewhat softens that blow. A spin-off of the Despicable Me movies, Minions does little to justify its threadbare premise, with the franchise’s infuriating yellow mascots becoming the stars of the show.
While the movie lacks any jokes of real substance, its relentless slapstick humor managed to overcome language barriers – proving to be a massive success worldwide.
Alice In Wonderland (2010) – 6.4
While a reimagining of the classic Alice in Wonderland story – told through the uniquely twisted lens of Tim Burton – might sound good on paper, 2010’s Alice in Wonderland leaves a lot to be desired. Feeling like a parody of Burton’s own previous works, the movie leans so hard on its visuals that its plot and characters ultimately fall by the wayside.
Although the movie still managed to pass the impressive billion-dollar mark, it clearly didn’t leave much of a lasting impact on audiences – with its sequel, Alice Through the Looking Glass, making less than $300 million.
Despicable Me 3 (2017) – 6.3
There’s no doubt that the Despicable Me franchise has an extremely large fanbase. While Despicable Me 3 admirably caters to its existing fans, it does little to ingratiate itself upon its detractors – appearing almost as a carbon copy of the franchise’s previous movies.
What’s more, Despicable Me’s annoying characters and divisive sense of humor also return in full force here. Nevertheless, the movie continued the series’ reputation as a money-printing machine, making over $1 billion from a budget of $80 million.
Transformers: Dark Of The Moon (2011) – 6.2
The third entry in Michael Bay’s much-maligned Transformers franchise, Transformers: Dark of the Moon proved to be as loud, obnoxious, and hollow as its predecessors. Continuing the tired story of Sam Witwicky and the Autobots, the series’ frustratingly adolescent humor is turned up to 10 in Dark of the Moon.
While it’s not considered the absolute worst entry in the franchise, Transformers: Dark of the Moon is certainly the highest-grossing, managing to bring in a total of over $1.12 billion worldwide.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) – 6.2
With the divisive Jurassic World creating something of a schism between die-hard fans of the franchise, its sequel, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, was the perfect opportunity to correct the series’ missteps.
Instead, however, the movie was received even less favorably than its predecessor by both fans and critics, doubling down on the aspects of Jurassic World that simply did not work. The movie also failed to live up to the franchise’s previous entry at the box office – though it still managed to make a colossal $1.3 billion.
Transformers: Age Of Extinction (2014) – 5.6
The lowest-scored movie on this list by an extremely wide margin, Transformers: Age of Extinction continued the franchise’s trend of irritating critics worldwide, while simultaneously raking in an absurdly large sum of money.
Making over $1.1 billion, Age of Extinction brought in a whole new cast of human characters, as well as Dinobots – but neither did much to improve the movie’s reception. Criticized for its poor script, long run time, annoying characters and complete lack of substance, the movie is considered by many to be the worst in the entire Transformers franchise.