8 Movies Critics Panned but Audiences Turned Into Hits

Review scores and ticket sales don’t always move together. Every so often a film lands with a thud in the newspapers, then quietly fills theaters for weeks anyway.

The eight movies below all had rough critical receptions, yet each one found a big, loyal crowd. Some launched franchises, and some won awards. A few are still played on repeat at home.

Venom (2018)

Roughly a third of critics gave Venom a positive review, and many complained about its uneven tone. Ruben Fleischer’s film, starring Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and his alien symbiote, was called messy and strangely comic by plenty of reviewers.

Audiences didn’t seem to mind. The film grossed well over 850 million dollars worldwide and set a record for an October opening weekend at the time. Two sequels followed, Let There Be Carnage in 2021 and The Last Dance in 2024.

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

The Queen biopic got a lukewarm response, with a bit more than half of critics rating it favorably. Reviewers often said it played too safe with Freddie Mercury’s life and bent the timeline of the band’s history.

Viewers connected with the music and with Rami Malek’s performance. The film earned more than 900 million dollars worldwide, and Malek won the Oscar for Best Actor. It also took home three more Academy Awards, for editing, sound editing and sound mixing.

The Greatest Showman (2017)

Critics were split on this original musical about P.T. Barnum, and only just over half were positive. Many felt it glossed over the real history and leaned on sentiment.

The opening was modest, but word of mouth kept it in theaters for a long time. It ended up grossing over 430 million dollars worldwide. Its soundtrack was arguably the bigger story, spending long stretches at the top of the UK albums chart.

Twilight (2008)

About half of critics liked the first Twilight film, and the reviews were often dismissive. Commentators questioned the acting and the melodrama of the teenage vampire romance.

Fans of Stephenie Meyer’s novels showed up in huge numbers anyway. The movie grossed roughly 390 million dollars worldwide on a fairly modest budget. That success kicked off a five film saga that pulled in far more.

Mamma Mia! (2008)

Just over half of critics were positive about this ABBA musical, and the more negative reviews poked at the singing and the thin plot. Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth were often noted as not being trained singers.

Audiences embraced its sunny, sing along spirit. It grossed more than 600 million dollars worldwide and became the highest grossing musical film at that point. A sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, arrived in 2018.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

This one took a real beating. Fewer than one in five critics recommended Michael Bay’s sequel, and complaints about its length, noise and humor were common.

Ticket buyers still turned out in force. The film earned more than 830 million dollars worldwide, well above the first movie in the series. Studios noticed, and the franchise kept going for years.

The Da Vinci Code (2006)

Only about one in four critics gave Ron Howard’s adaptation a positive review. Reviewers found the pacing heavy and the mystery less thrilling than Dan Brown’s bestselling book.

Readers of the novel wanted to see it on screen regardless. With Tom Hanks in the lead, the film grossed over 750 million dollars worldwide. Two more Robert Langdon movies, Angels and Demons and Inferno, followed.

Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

About one in four critics approved of this adaptation, and it collected several Razzie Awards, including Worst Picture. Reviewers focused on the dialogue and the lack of chemistry between the leads.

The film still grossed more than 570 million dollars worldwide, driven by a large fan base from the books. Two sequels were released, in 2017 and 2018, and both drew audiences even as reviews stayed poor.