Movie Franchises With Only Rotten Scores On Rotten Tomatoes

There's no such thing as a guilty pleasure when it comes to films or movie franchises since it's okay to enjoy something that someone else might not. That being said, it's difficult to ignore that a tradition has been built around Rotten Tomatoes scores and how these aggregated numbers play a significant role in shaping the general discourse and sentiment around films. Filmmakers and studios, for example, would love nothing more than to utilize high scores and "Fresh" scores to promote a film rather than consider the dreaded opposite.

Look, it is entirely possible that a movie simply doesn't land with reviewers upon arrival and receives a "Rotten" score, but what happens when an entire franchise is deemed to be a giant flop? That's the reality for more than a few franchises — and no, "American Pie" is surprisingly not a feature on this list. There are some close-shave scenarios where a film or two in the series is on the borderline of the 60% threshold, while there are others that are nowhere near critical approval even if they doubled their scores.

Again, it must be emphasized, this should hold no bearing on anyone's enjoyment of these films; this is merely a reflection of these movie franchises' Rotten Tomatoes scores.

For a movie franchise that has the word "fantastic" in its title, the "Fantastic Four" movies should have rather been dubbed "The Mid Four." Starting in 1994 with the unreleased-but-everyone-has-watched-it "The Fantastic Four," the Oley Sassone-directed effort swan dived to the bottom of the review barrel with a 27% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The audience would need to wait for a little over a decade for the next adaptation of Marvel's First Family, and it arrived in the shape of Tim Story's "Fantastic Four." The 2005 picture boasts some terrific casting with the likes of Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards, Chris Evans as Johnny Storm, Jessica Alba as Sue Storm, and Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm. However, it didn't fare too much better than the 1994 film, receiving a rocky 28% score. Surprisingly, the 2007 follow-up, "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer," which features Galactus as a giant flatulent cloud floating through space, is the most popular of all the movies, holding a 37% approval rating.

With those less-than-fantastic scores, the question is: Could it get any worse? The answer is yes, especially with Josh Trank's 2015 adaptation "Fantastic Four" being widely regarded as one of the worst superhero films of all time. As detailed by Polygon, there were trials and tribulations in getting the film made, as the tug-o-war between the director and studio resulted in a disjointed feature; the film sits with a measly 9% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Now, the franchise's future rests in the hands of director Matt Shakman, whose "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" will mark the first time Marvel has overseen a movie starring the classic characters.

It's an outrage that a horror film franchise about an Irish folklore legend doesn't have all the Oscars and Golden Globes. However, reviewers haven't discovered the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow known as "Leprechaun." While most may talk about the genre-bending qualities of "Friday the 13th" or "A Nightmare on Elm Street," this series, too, has unforgettable entries such as "Leprechaun in Space" and "Leprechaun in the Hood," which should be saved in a time capsule so future generations can also enjoy the pinnacle of human creativity.

While the franchise has released eight films to date, none of them have tickled the fancy of professional critics. The first "Leprechaun" movie, which stars Warwick Davis and Jennifer Aniston, holds a 27% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The sequel nose-dived to 6%, while the third entry doesn't even have a score, though all reviews were negative. "Leprechaun in Space" garnered an unjustifiable 17%, while "Leprechaun in the Hood" and "Leprechaun Back 2 tha Hood" achieved 33% and 20%, respectively. 2014's "Leprechaun: Origins," which stars Dylan Postl (better known as Hornswoggle in the WWE), received a big fat zero in critical approval, while 2018's "Leprechaun Returns" achieved a franchise-high of 45%.

The "Twilight" franchise might be a punching bag for non-fans — and even the actors like Robert Pattinson — nowadays, but there's no denying the series had a heavy influence on the young adult genre in literature, movies, and television. Suddenly, everyone was falling head over heels for werewolves, vampires, and other supernatural creatures all because of Stephenie Meyer's record-breaking vampire romance story about forbidden love.

Yet, despite the passionate Twihards who fought as valiant soldiers for Team Edward or Team Jacob and over $3.3 billion raked in at the global box office, the "Twilight" saga never received the proverbial thumbs-up on Rotten Tomatoes. The first "Twilight" film nibbled on a 49% critical approval, while 2009's "New Moon" had a stake put through its heart with only 29%. "Eclipse" brought back some normality to the saga with a 47% score before "Breaking Dawn Part 1" and "Breaking Dawn Part 2" had varying fortunes at 25% and 49% respectively. Without a shadow of a doubt, the filmmakers and producers must all be drying their tears over these critical drubbings with $100 bills.

Put Vin Diesel in a film, and the people will show up. It's a formula that has worked many times over. Look at "Fast and the Furious" as an example. The films were laughed at as brainless action flicks for so long, but after $6.6 billion at the global box office, Diesel is likely referred to as "sir" and gets the red carpet treatment every time he visits Universal Pictures' offices. Another Diesel-centric franchise that hasn't quite reached the same heights as "Fast and the Furious" but still remains popular is "xXx."

However, much like many of the "Fast" films, the high-octane action-spy series hasn't left critics asking for more of Xander Cage. The 2002 film picked up a 48% critical approval rating, while the Diesel-less sequel, "xXx: State of the Union," plummeted to 17%. The third entry in the franchise, "xXx: Return of Xander Cage," was something of a return to form with 45%, but it's still a far cry from being an overwhelming or glowing recommendation.

Mention "Police Academy" to the average person, and most will smile as they think about the film series. From the over-the-top slapstick moments to Larvell Jones' unforgettable mouth-created sound effects, these seven comedy films left a comforting legacy and remain fan-favorite flicks to this very day. In fact, the movies even inspired a 1997 spinoff television series.

Yet, while "Police Academy" knew how to tickle the audience's funny bone, it seemingly kicked critics in the shins. The franchise has the dishonorable distinction of having four films with a 0% approval rating, as "Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol," "Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach," "Police Academy 6: City Under Siege," and "Police Academy: Mission to Moscow" all failed to hit the critical mark.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, the best-ranked films in the "Police Academy" series are the first one with 57%, "Police Academy 3: Back in Training" with 40%, and "Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment" with 29%. In 2018, Steve Guttenberg revealed on Twitter that another entry is being readied for release, but there has been no further news about it. It will be interesting to see if the film materializes and if it will be able to change the movie franchise's performance on Rotten Tomatoes.

Humanity goes through certain phases — just look at the popularity of mullets in the '80s as a prime example. In terms of film, the same holds true, as the mid-2000s were chockablock with dance movies. One of the biggest was 2006's "Step Up," starring Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan. The dance drama kicked off a plethora of disconnected sequels, as fans continued to turn up for all things "Step Up." Despite finding an ardent and loyal fan base and more than respectable box office hauls, the franchise never quite tangoed with the critics.

The first film in the series flatfooted itself to 21% approval on Rotten Tomatoes, while the sequel, "Step Up 2 The Streets," improved marginally with 28%. "Step Up 3" must have felt like the "Terminator 2" of the franchise with its 46% score, while "Step Up Revolution" and "Step Up: All In" kept it in the 40s with 41% and 42% respectively. By the time "Step Up: Year of the Dance" arrived in 2020, though, critics didn't even care enough to review it. Talk about harsh.

The spoof genre is a slippery slope. Series like "The Naked Gun" or "Airplane!" are adored because the understand how to poke fun while not forgetting they need to tell a story and be compelling to the audience. On the other hand, the "Scary Movie" franchise has always been divisive, as some find it to be a lowbrow and slapstick satire of the horror genre, while others appreciate the endearing silliness of it all. Ironically, "Scary Movie" is essentially a parody of a parody, too, since "Scream" is also a tongue-in-cheek, self-referential exploration of the horror genre.

Expectedly, none of the "Scary Movie" films were embraced by critics with arms wide open. The first film still has the highest rating of 51% on Rotten Tomatoes. "Scary Movie 2" frightened (in a bad way) with a 14% score, while "Scary Movie 3" lifted spirits ever so slightly with 35%. It was all downhill from there, as "Scary Movie 4" notched up 34% and "Scary Movie 5" hit an all-time franchise low of 4%.

On paper, the concept of "The Purge" is a fascinating premise for a thought-provoking horror, since it asks the question: What happens when human beings are allowed to run riot for 24 hours without consequence? Logically, the 2013 original film starring Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey should be the strongest entry in the series, as every sequel afterward is a deviation of the same idea. The critics don't agree with that sentiment, though, as the James DeMonaco-directed movie received only 40% approval on Rotten Tomatoes. In fact, it's the lowest-rated film in "The Purge" franchise.

The first sequel, "The Purge: Anarchy," has the highest score at 57%, while its follow-up, "The Purge: Election Year," received 55%. The franchise went back to basics in 2018, as it released the prequel titled "The First Purge," which debuted with the same score as "Election Year." The fifth film in the series, "The Forever Purge," fast-forwarded again to the original continuity, but it only managed to garner 49%.

It's not often that the first entry in a movie franchise is considered the worst from a critical standpoint, but "The Purge" bucks the trend here.

If the live-action "Alvin and the Chipmunks" movies prove anything, it's that some things are best left on the drawing board. The brainchild of singer Ross Bagdasarian (known professionally as Dave Seville), the trio of singing cartoon rodents have enjoyed enormous popularity throughout the decades, from Grammy-winning albums to a long-running animated TV series. So it was inevitable that at some point, they would find themselves brought to "life" through the wonders of computer-generated imagery. Yet, when they finally made their way to the big screen in 2007, critics weren't exactly singing their praises. The comic misadventures of songwriter Seville (here played by Jason Lee) and his adopted chipmunks Alvin (voiced by Justin Long), Simon (voiced by Matthew Gray Gubler), and Theodore (voiced by Jesse McCartney) bowed with a 28% Rotten Tomatoes score, with Stephen Hunter of The Washington Post likening the CGI furballs to "living plush toys."

Despite the rotten critical reception, the film was successful enough to spawn not one, not two, but three follow-ups: 2009's "The Squeakquel," 2011's "Chipwrecked," and 2015's "The Road Chip." Given the law of averages, you'd expect at least one of these sequels to please critics, yet each was received with an almost equal amount of ire. "Squeakquel" reaped a 21% Rotten Tomatoes score, "Chipwrecked" a 10%, and "The Road Chip" a 16%. Clever titles aside, the "Alvin" series never seemed to tickle the funny bone of anyone over the age of 10 (and that's in rodent years).

Horror movies have always been critic proof, yet even the most durable franchises like "Halloween," "A Nightmare on Elm Street," and "Final Destination" can boast at least a handful of critically acclaimed entries. That's not the case with "The Amityville Horror," which started off bad and only got worse. Based on the true story of the Lutz family, who allegedly experienced paranormal events after moving into the house where Robert DeFeo slaughtered his entire family, the first film was a huge success with audiences despite it's tepid critical response; they averaged out to a 31% Rotten Tomatoes score. "So many horror-movie clichés have been assembled under the roof of a single haunted house that the effect is sometimes mind-bogglingly messy," wrote Janet Maslin of The New York Times.

In all fairness, the 1979 thriller has enjoyed a long-lived cult following, which can't really be said for any of the follow-ups. "Amityville II: The Possession" quickly followed — and received a similarly abysmal 27% Rotten Tomatoes score. The third entry added 3D to the equation, but even the third dimension couldn't save "Amityville: The Demon" from reaping an 18% rotten rating. The franchise kept chugging along with some straight-to-video sequels, all to similarly unheralded results: "Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes" (40%), "The Amityville Curse" (17%), "Amityville 1992: It's About Time" (45%), "Amityville: A New Generation" (no score) and "Amityville Dollhouse" (no score). A 2005 reboot starring Ryan Reynolds tanked with a 23% score, while the 2017 legacy sequel, "Amityville: The Awakening," faired only slightly better at 29%.

Few stars were as popular in their heyday as Burt Reynolds, who reigned at the top of the box office despite only intermittently earning respect from critics. Yet none of his hits were as reviled as "The Cannonball Run" and its sequel, "Cannonball Run II," which have a 29% and 12% Rotten Tomatoes score, respectively. Directed by former stuntman Hal Needham, the films were meant to capitalize on the success of Reynolds' and Needham's "Smokey and the Bandit," which was second only to "Star Wars" at the 1977 box office. This time, Reynolds and an all-star cast (including Dom DeLuise, Roger Moore, and Farrah Fawcett, among others) race across the country, from Connecticut to California. In the words of Roger Ebert, it was "an abdication of artistic responsibility at the lowest possible level of ambition. In other words, they didn't even care enough to make a good lousy movie."

Despite the rancid reception, "The Cannonball Run" did race close to the top of the 1981 box office chart, guaranteeing a sequel. If Ebert hated the first film, he loathed the second, which he called "one of the laziest insults to the intelligence of moviegoers that I can remember. Sheer arrogance made this picture." Yet the greatest critical ire was saved for the unofficial third entry, "Speed Zone," which found John Candy and a whole new crew (Peter Boyle, Eugene Levy, and Brooke Shields among them) subbing in for Reynolds and company. That film, which effectively ended the franchise, has a bottom-of-the-barrel 0% Rotten Tomatoes score.

Considering how popular E. L. James' "Fifty Shades" book trilogy was with readers, the movies almost didn't have to be good in order to be successful. That certainly bore out in the critical reception to all three films, which were almost worse than expected. Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, "Fifty Shades of Grey" centers on the sadomasochistic love affair between college student Ana Steele (Dakota Johnson) and young billionaire Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan). The film debuted on Valentine's Day weekend in 2015 to a 25% Rotten Tomatoes rating, with Anthony Lane of The New Yorker likening it to "the 'Downton Abbey' of bondage, designed neither to menace nor to offend but purely to cosset the fatigued imagination." That didn't stop audiences from showing up in droves, however, making it the seventh highest-grossing film directed by a woman of all time. It even garnered an Oscar nomination for the hit song "Earned It" by The Weeknd.

Taylor-Johnson didn't return for either of the back-to-back sequels, 2017's "Fifty Shades Darker" and 2018's "Fifty Shades Freed." Those were both helmed by James Foley, director of the Oscar-nominated "Glengarry Glen Ross," and to say that his two "Fifty Shades" movies didn't match "Glengarry's" critical reception would be an understatement. Both "Darker," in which Christian and Ana reignite their love affair with a new set of ground rules, and "Freed," in which their new marriage is threatened by sinister forces from the past, received 11% Rotten Tomatoes scores. Obviously, the audience for these movies didn't read the reviews.

Production on the "Jeepers Creepers" trilogy was mired in controversy due to writer-director Victor Salva's criminal history. In 1988, Salva was convicted of molesting the 12-year-old star of his feature debut, the horror flick "Clownhouse," and spent 15 months in prison before returning to filmmaking with the 1995 Disney fantasy "Powder." Executive produced by Salva's mentor, Francis Ford Coppola, 2001's "Jeepers Creepers" was a return to his horror roots, and despite Salva's past, it set a box office record for Labor Day weekend releases. The story of a pair of siblings (Gina Phillips and Justin Long) who encounter a mysterious, deadly creature when returning home from spring break was greeted with a middling critical reception, earning a 46% mixed rating on Rotten Tomatoes. "Chunks of this supernatural horror thriller are cracklin' good, and placed right where they need to be, at the beginning and end," wrote Bob Graham of The San Francisco Chronicle. "Others are haphazardly stitched together, like scattered body parts."

A sequel, "Jeepers Creepers 2," quickly followed in 2003, with the creature now feasting upon a school bus of tasty high schoolers. Yet even the presence of "Twin Peaks" star Ray Wise couldn't stop critics from saddling the feature with a 25% Rotten Tomatoes score. The second film was modestly successful, performing well enough to warrant a third installment, "Jeepers Creepers 3," which arrived in 2017 to a rancid 17% rating. That was still a better response than the 2022 reboot, "Jeepers Creepers: Reborn," received when it earned a bottom-of-the-barrel 0% score.

It seems almost quaint when you realize there was a time when a franchise centered on the inner thoughts of an infant could be as popular as the MCU, yet such were the late '80s/early '90s. Released in 1989, "Look Who's Talking" centers on Mollie Jensen (Kirstie Alley), who becomes a single mom after having an affair with a married man (George Segal). She starts seeing James (John Travolta, who has more 0% Rotten Tomatoes scores than you'd think), a friendly cab driver who might be father material. The conceit of Amy Heckerling's romantic comedy is that Mollie's baby, Mikey, opines on the relationship between her mom and her new boyfriend. With Bruce Willis providing the voice of Little Mikey's running commentary, the concept worked for audiences, and "Look Who's Talking" became one of the highest-grossing films of the year.

Although it could boast a "Two Thumbs Up" endorsement from Siskel and Ebert on its poster, the overall reviews for "Look Who's Talking" were decidedly mixed, resulting in a 56% Rotten Tomatoes rating. No matter, since the film was such a massive success that a sequel followed the very next year, 1990's "Look Who's Talking Too," with Roseanne Barr voicing Mikey's baby sister. Critics were even harsher on the next follow-up, which clocked in with a 13% score. Yet that was nothing compared to the reception the third installment, "Look Who's Talking Now," received. That entry, which featured Danny DeVito and Diane Keaton as the voices of the family's dogs, earned a 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, with Rita Kempley of The Washington Post calling it "a crude and mawkish film."

While the "Fast and Furious" films have enjoyed intermittent waves of critical appreciation, Vin Diesel's other franchises have pretty much held steady on the wrong side of the tomatometer (save for "Guardians of the Galaxy," which is a critical darling). Such is the case with the "Riddick" films, which kicked off with 2000's sci-fi horror flick "Pitch Black." Diesel plays Riddick, a convict who has to wear goggles to protect his eyes, which are extremely sensitive to light, yet can see perfectly in the dark. That comes in handy when he and a group of space travelers crash land on a planet completely enshrouded in darkness and populated by toothy monsters that like to feed on people. Though not a complete critical disaster, the film did fail to pass over to the ripe side on Rotten Tomatoes, capping out at a 59% rating.

One of the better reviews "Pitch Black" received came from Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian, who wrote, "David Twohy's film undoubtedly has something interesting about it, and that something can be summarised [sic] in two words: Vin Diesel." Diesel and company took that praise to heart with the second film, "The Chronicles of Riddick," which sends the goggle-wearing bandit on the run and fighting against a world-conquering alien army. Alas, if the first movie was received tepidly, the second was received downright poorly, reaping a 28% Rotten Tomatoes score and failing to recoup its budget at the domestic box office, though it did well enough worldwide to recoup its budget. Diesel tried to revive the franchise in 2013 with Riddick, which fared similarly to the original, ending up with a 58% rating.

Before they cornered the market on offbeat biopics like "Ed Wood," "The People vs. Larry Flynt," and "Man on the Moon," Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski were simply the writers of "Problem Child." In an interview with Paul Rowlands, the pair expressed discontent with how the film turned out and revealed that its rancid critical reception inspired them to write a script about the worst director who ever lived, Edward D. Wood, Jr. Talk about squeezing lemonade out of lemons!

Directed by Dennis Dugan (he of many Adam Sandler comedies), "Problem Child" stars John Ritter as Ben Healy, a sweet-natured man who decides to adopt a son so that his wealthy father (Jack Warden) can rest assured that the family business will have an heir. Yet the kid, Junior (Michael Oliver), is such a hellion that Ben wonders if dying broke and alone might just be a better option. Not a single critic was left rolling in the aisles of "Problem Child," which earned a 0% Rotten Tomatoes score. "Universal took a step in the right direction by whittling 'Problem Child' down to just 81 minutes but didn't go far enough," the Variety review proclaimed. "The studio should have excised another 75 minutes and released this unbelievable mess as a short." No matter, because it was such a massive success that a sequel, "Problem Child 2," followed, with a slightly improved 7% rating. Yet audiences weren't as smitten with the second entry, and "Problem Child 3: Junior in Love" went straight to television.

If there's one constant in movie-going habits, it's audiences showing up to see fast cars and butt-kicking, so it's little wonder that "The Transporter" became a huge success by combining both elements in a single film. The brainchild of screenwriter Luc Besson, fight choreographer Corey Yuen, and director Louis Leterrier, the 2002 film stars Jason Statham as Frank Martin, a British mercenary who transports goods for cash, no questions asked. His take-the-money-and-move-on edict is tested when he discovers he's transporting a kidnapped girl. Though it did the job of turning Statham into a bankable leading man, the movie didn't exactly rev up critics, who awarded it a 54% Rotten Tomatoes score. "With a series of unconvincing stuntmen, overblown action, and a pumped-up soundtrack that seems designed to kill off whatever critical gray matter you didn't leave at the door, this is junk food cinema at its greasiest," penned Jamie Russell of the BBC, which sounds like a ringing endorsement for action aficionados.

A pair of sequels quickly followed, with Statham returning for 2005's "Transporter 2" and 2008's "Transporter 3." Both films follow essentially the same formula as the first, with Frank Martin whooping bad guys and driving his car real fast, and both were more or less received the same way critically (part two earned a 52% rating, while part three received a 40%). A 2015 reboot, "The Transporter Refueled," had Ed Skrein step in for Statham, driving a 16%-rated car wreck that barely had enough fuel to leave the garage.

Few franchises have been as durable as "Underworld," an undeniably popular series despite never producing a single critically acclaimed entry. Much like "Twilight," the films center on a centuries-old war between vampires and werewolves (here called Lycans), only in this case, there's more action and less romance. The 2003 original centers on Selene (Kate Beckinsale), an orphaned vampire battling against a fierce Lycan leader named Lucian (Michael Sheen). "'Underworld' leaves little behind save the lingering tacky taste of eye-candy, and penny eye-candy at that," wrote Josh Vasquez of Slate, and that pretty much sums up the overall critical reception to the film, which reaped a 31% Rotten Tomatoes score. Yet the box office was strong enough to warrant a sequel, if not two or three or four.

Beckinsale and director Len Wiseman returned for 2006's "Underworld: Evolution," which found Selene forging a temporary truce with werewolf Michael (Scott Speedman) to take on a mutual foe. That film was even more poorly received than the first, clocking in at just 17%. That didn't prevent a third installment, 2009's "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans," from hitting theaters (sans Beckinsale and Wiseman). The ongoing battle between the vampires and the Lycans was greeted with a 30% rating, only a slight improvement on its predecessor. Beckinsale returned for the fourth installment, 2012's "Underworld: Awakening," yet that did little to improve the franchise's critical fortunes, as it dropped to 25%. The final entry, 2016's "Underworld: Blood Wars," failed not just with critics, who slapped it with a 21% score, but with audiences as well.