‘The Emoji Movie’ joins the list of real stinkers
“The Emoji Movie” finished No. 2 at the domestic box office this past weekend. But it certainly didn’t get there because of strong reviews. Critics loved the No. 1 film, “Dunkirk.” But they hated — truly hated — “The Emoji Movie,” and the film is hovering at a brutal “6 percent fresh” score on the moviereview-aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
As it turns out, a movie can do worse. At least 10 films on Rotten Tomatoes have received a “0 percent fresh” rating.
Below is a closer look at the domestic reception for five movies where the critical consensus was an unbroken string of thumbs down. These films — from the comedy, action and horror genres — share one common denominator: They’re more Razzie-worthy than Oscar-worthy.
‘BALLISTIC: ECKS VS. SEVER’ (2002)
› The Film: Ecks (Antonio Banderas) and Sever (Lucy Liu) blow things up in this action-movie bomb.
› The Box Office:
The film had a $70 million budget … but grossed only $14.3 million.
› Sample Review:
Critics opened fire. Keith Phipps wrote in The A.V. Club that it “looks like a video-game promo, has a story that plays like the fifth episode of a struggling syndicated action show, and feels like a headache waiting to happen.”
‘PINOCCHIO’ (2002)
› The Film: Roberto Benigni won two Oscars for “Life Is Beautiful.” Then he nearly torpedoed his career with this live-action adaptation of the children’s story.
› The Box Office:
Released on Christmas Day and received like a lump of coal in a stocking, the film made a total of $3.6 million.
› Sample Review:
We’re claiming this one. Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times called it “a chunk of pine, but it’s still awaiting the magic touch to transmute it into a real live movie.” And that was one of the nicer things he said.
‘ONE MISSED CALL’ (2008)
› The Film: A remake of a Japanese horror movie in which people receive phone calls from their future selves warning them of their deaths. (Too bad the producers didn’t hear from their future selves to warn them of this movie’s fate.)
› The Box Office: The film grossed a modest $26.9 million on a reported $20 million budget.
› Sample Review: Critics couldn’t resist the puns. Lisa Schwartzbaum wrote in Entertainment Weekly: “To redial applicable catchphrases, this garbled American remake … is a wrong number.”
‘A THOUSAND WORDS’ (2012)
› The Film: Eddie Murphy finds a magic tree in his backyard. Whenever he utters a word, the tree loses a leaf and brings him closer to death — so he has to keep mum.
› The Box Office: $18.4 million, not exactly “Nutty Professor” numbers.
› Sample Review: Critics did not stay silent. Roger Ebert got to the heart of it, writing: “The poster art for ‘A Thousand Words’ shows Eddie Murphy with duct tape over his mouth, which as a promotional idea ranks right up there with Fred Astaire in leg irons.”
‘THE RIDICULOUS 6’ (2015)
› The Film: Adam Sandler plays a man raised by Native Americans who discovers he has five half brothers. Comedy, apparently, does not ensue.
› The Box Office:
This is a Netflix Original that skipped theaters. The company generally does not share viewership numbers, but in this case the chief content officer, Ted Sarandos, told the news media that “The Ridiculous 6” was the most watched movie on Netflix during the first 30 days of its release.
› Sample Review:
Charles Bramesco wrote in Uproxx that the movie is for “viewers with the wherewithal or maniacal death-drive to trek through what must truly be the Rocky Mountains of badness.”
OTHER ZEROS
If you’re looking to host a what-not-to-watch film festival, consider five more pictures that didn’t rise above zero on the Tomatometer: “Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2,” “National Lampoon’s Gold Diggers,” “Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star,” “Jaws: The Revenge” and “Return to the Blue Lagoon.”