It is safe to say that the tension could have been cut with a knife throughout the Warner Bros offices upon awaiting the recent release of the eagerly anticipated 'Suicide Squad'. Since then, it has been bombarded with an array of cinematic responses from critics and industry experts alike. The overall reaction has been crystal clear: it's not been well received. Although it has been criticised from the bigger names in the business, did it stop thousands upon thousands flocking through the cinema doors, popcorn in hand, queuing up to watch the film? The answer: certainly not.
After a powerful marketing campaign, the director, David Ayer, may not have expected the comments that the public have thrown at him for his $175 million budgeted film. The general consensus of the film is that it was a disappointment, whether that be from the eyes of media or the public. In comparison, the likes of 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice', for example, had such mixed opinions thrown into the cauldron, that director Zack Snyder was unsure how well received it was. There are people who love it, people who hate it, people who fell asleep whilst watching it and people who don't want to hear or speak about the film.
However, although the duo of Batman and Superman didn't tickle the taste buds of fans and critics, the financial performance of the film was a different story collecting over 870 million dollars at the box office. 'Suicide Squad' cost less than 'BvS' and still managed to rack up an impressive 730 million dollar box office performance, despite its terrible reviews.
One thing is for sure, although 'Suicide Squad' is the most recent disappointment, it will certainly not be the last film to be bombarded with negative comments from the media. Nevertheless, it still managed to outperform many other movies in the box office arena.
So, whilst on this subject, in this article, we have compiled a list of 10 blockbusters with bad reviews but still beat the box office.
It must be questioned, who ultimately decides what constitutes a good or bad film? The media experts, or the fans who flock to cinemas worldwide to see these eagerly awaited blockbusters? We will leave that to you. Unfortunately, very relevant films in this category such as 'Hancock', 'Armageddon' and 'The Da Vinci Code' didn't manage to secure their spot in the top 10. This was solely because they aren't in the same financial ranking with what we are dealing with, but they remain in the back of our minds for sure.
10'2012'
Year: 2009
Critics responses: Rotten Tomatoes 39%. 49/100 by Metacritic.
Public: B+ (Cinemascore)
Budget: 200 million dollars
Box office: 770 million dollars
The likes of The New Yorker and The LA Times said the film was too long and the special effects were poor and predictable. They also claimed that a large part of the cast tried too hard to be serious during their scenes.
9 'Shrek The Third'
Year: 2007
Critics responses: Rotten Tomatoes 41%. 58/100 by Metacritic.
Public: B+ (Cinemascore)
Budget: 160 million dollars
Box office: 800 million dollars
The Hollywood Reporter claimed the film lacked strength and feeling which the first two films had provided. Meanwhile, the Rolling Stone branded it as the classic case of sequels damaging previous well-received work going to the point of saying "many fireworks were used to distract viewers from the large hole in the centre of the story"
8 'Twilight: Breaking Dawn (Part 2)
Year: 2012
Critics response: Rotten Tomatoes 49%. 52/100 by Metacritic.
Public: A (Cinemascore)
Budget: 120 million dollars
Box office: 830 million dollars
Although the reviews were somewhat divided, with a positive response given by The Hollywood Reporter and Entertainment Weekly, USA Today said the film was extremely low quality, and Rolling Stone criticised the saga for attempting to redefine itself for the next generation of cinema.
7 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'
Year: 2016
Critic response: Rotten Tomatoes 27%. 44/100 by Metacritic.
Public: B (Cinemascore)
Budget: 250 million dollars
Box office: 870 million dollars
Branded one of the most disappointing movies of 2016, there has been a very mixed response from fans, critics and analysts alike. However, numbers don't lie, and the fact it made almost 900 million dollars in the box office says something.
6 'Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs'
Year: 2009
Critic response: Rotten Tomatoes 45%. 50/100 by Metacritic.
Public: A (Cinemascore)
Budget: 90 million dollars
Box office: 880 million dollars
This was the film that raked in the most cash out of all the Ice Age saga, with 'Ice Age 4: Continental Drift' treading on its heels in a close second. However, as time has gone on the response to the pre-historic movie saga has gone downhill slightly. This summer, 'Ice Age: Collision Course' joined the list of blockbuster disappointments as it seems the public have ended up jumping on the band wagon and started criticising the films.
5 'Alice in Wonderland'
Year: 2010
Critic response: 52% Rotten Tomatoes. 53/100 Metacritic.
Public: A- (Cinemascore)
Budget: 200 million dollars
Box office: 1.025 billion dollars
With some positive reviews, the likes of the Wall Street Journal and Entertainment said that it had got lost in its own frenzy, it lacked surprises and suspense, and it was an insult to the author of the novel Lewis Carroll.
4 'Star Wars: Episode 1- The Phantom Menace'
Year: 1999
Critic response: 55% Rotten Tomatoes. 51/100 by Metacritic.
Public: A- (Cinemascore)
Budget: 115 million dollars
Box office: 1.027 billion dollars
The general consensus from critics and fans was that George Lucas essentially peed all over this own saga with a laughable amount of digital animation. However, the truth is the world were still attracted to big screens to see the return of the war of the galaxies. Variety advised fans that it was a treat for the eyes, but lacked nutrients for the heart and brain. One disappointed critic claimed "The story. The characters. They used to mean something to George Lucas".
3 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'
Year: 2006
Critic response: 54% Rotten Tomatoes. 53/100 by Metacritic.
Public: A- (Cinemascore)
Budget: 225 million dollars
Box office: 1.066 billion dollars
The most financially successful film of the saga, although with poor reviews, is still not the episode that received the most criticism. Entertainment Weekly said that the film was a case of attracting fans to come and pay the entry fee, and being forced to suffer for the duration of the film, overstimulated but unsatisfied.
2 'Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon'
Year: 2011
Critic response: Rotten Tomatoes 35%. 42/100 by Metacritic.
Public: A (Cinemascore)
Budget: 195 million dollars
Box office: 1.123 billion dollars
Michael Bay's infamous robot saga is probably the most clear the public and critics have been with each other in relation to their opinions. They have agreed to disagree. The media and analysts will continue to stand up to each film release, whilst Paramount will bathe in the millions of dollars they make from each film. Where as the public, although LSD isn't legal, they have found that 'Transformers' is the closest psychotropic experience without getting in trouble with the police.
1 'Minions'
Year: 2015
Critic response: Rotten Tomatoes 56%. 56/100 by Metacritic.
Public: A (Cinemascore)
Budget: 74 million dollars
Box office: 1.159 billion
Last year we were presented with the most successful case of them all. Some may describe it as an authentic phenomenon that made the public go crazy. As for the reviews? Well, they include comments stating that it had no clear storyline to go with its gags, as well as a generally weak plot. Entertainment Weekly summed it up by saying "if the Minions were toys, you would hide their batteries".