The Worst Movies of the 2020s (and Why They Totally Stink!)

The decade is nearly half over and while we've seen some smash hits such as Wicked, Barbie and Oppenheimer, we've also had our fair share of disappointing movies in the last five years.

Some of these movies were just plain bad, from the acting to the writing and more, and even fans and critics agree with each other.

Meanwhile, others suffered from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and other external controversies and struggles.

READ MORE: The Best Movies of 2025 So Far

From ill-fated superhero flicks to bizarre horror to films with problematic premises, these movies could have been hits but missed the mark.

Still, these movies are part of 2020s culture, for better or, in this case, worse.

Read on below to find out which 11 movies have been the biggest fails of the decade... so far.

Snow White (2025)

While some live-action Disney remakes have been highly anticipated hits, Snow White faced several challenges that caused the project to lose steam.

First, a fire damaged part of the set in 2022 after a tree caught on fire. Then the shooting schedule was reconfigured so that star Rachel Zegler was able to present at the Oscars with her West Side Story co-stars. Filming officially wrapped (for the first time) in July 2022, with a release date set for March 22, 2024.

However, Disney was unsatisfied with the first cut of the film and ordered reshoots, which took place in June 2024. The film was then delayed to March 21, 2025, thanks to reshoots and the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.

The film was further bogged down by rumors of tension between the two leads, Zegler and Gal Gadot, and by Gadot’s pro-Israel stance. Notably, Zegler openly expressed her support for Palestine. Many fans boycotted the film due to Gadot’s presence. Some Americans also called for a boycott after Zegler posted “F–k Donald Trump” during the November 2024 presidential election.

Ultimately, the film had an OK opening and received mixed, so-so reviews from audiences and critics, though most agreed that Zegler was the only bright light in the film.

The Exorcist: Believer (2023)

This 2023 installment in The Exorcist franchise had the makings of being a fun sequel with the return of OG star Ellen Burstyn, but became a huge flop regardless.

The film was projected to earn $30-36 million in its first weekend, but ultimately debuted at $26.5 million, dropping to $11 million the next weekend behind Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.

The film received a measly 22 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and was called “disappointing,” “bland” and “boring” by critics and fans alike.

The poor reception toward The Exorcist: Believer led to the next two planned sequels, including The Exorcist: Deceiver, to be scrapped.

Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)

Thanks to the anticipation of seeing pop superstar Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn in this Joker (2019) follow-up, Joker: Folie à Deux had lots of hype behind it.

Gaga even wrote music for the soundtrack and sang in the 2024 musical film.

The film debuted with $58.3 million in the U.S. and Canada and $207.5 million worldwide. It reportedly lost the studio around $145 million. Many outlets compared the lackluster opening to other similar box office bombs such as The Marvels or Madame Web, with Joker: Folie à Deux earning even less than those films.

The film’s flop status was mostly attributed to the creative choices made by the stars and crew, such as making it a musical, which didn’t resonate with DC fans. It received a 31 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, with an overall consensus that the movie was “underwhelming.”

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Despite good initial streaming numbers, 2020’s Wonder Woman 1984 flopped in the box office and with fans.

Its unfortunate performance in theaters cost the studio more than $100 million after it bombed thanks to a “lukewarm” premise and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic at the time.

The movie has a score of 58 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, with most critics giving it a mixed or average review.

In addition to the poor reviews and rough release, the film was criticized for its use of the body-swap trope in which the character Steve inhabits the body of another man. (An implied sex scene raises the issue of consent.)

Pinocchio (2022)

Pinocchio was already in uncertain territory prior to its 2022 release thanks to the box office failure of 2019’s Dumbo live-action remake. Though a theatrical release was considered, Pinocchio ultimately ended up a straight-to-Disney+ release.

The film was the 6th most-watched program across all platforms during its release week, according to Nielsen. However, it is largely regarded as a flop.

It scored a 27 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics calling it “soulless,” “empty” and “jumbled.” Many fans consider the CGI-driven film a forgettable and unnecessary remake.

Uglies (2024)

Hype had been growing for nearly 20 years for Uglies, with fans anticipating this book series-based film ever since the rights were snatched up by 20th Century Fox in 2006.

After losing steam, the film’s production was rejuvenated in 2020 by actress Joey King, who had been a fan of the young adult book series.

Starring King, Outer Banks star Chase Stokes, Keith Powers and Laverne Cox, the movie was filmed in December 2021 and released on Netflix in September 2024. Unfortunately, fans of the novels were severely disappointed by the film and gave it a mere 16 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Many fans agreed that the film adaptation came along way too late, years after other YA adaptations like The Hunger Games and Divergent, and lacking the same heart and fan fervor as its predecessors.

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023)

This 2023 British independent slasher film was a parody remake of the childhood classic Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne.

Its… unique premise attracted interest from horror fans when it was announced in 2022, allowing the film to have a theatrical release in 2023.

The “bizarre” movie was a box office bomb and was critically panned, grossing only $2 million in the U.S. and Canada and $7.7 million worldwide.

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey has a pitiful 3 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and is widely considered one of the worst films of all time thanks to poor acting, poor dialogue and lack of humor.

The Flash (2023)

Maybe The Flash was destined to fail, since studios had attempted to make it since the late 1980s, with nothing ever panning out.

By the time this film finally released in 2023, its star Ezra Miller had made sure it would flop after their string of public controversies and legal troubles in 2022. The film faced difficulty in marketing thanks to the many legal controversies of Miller, who was not allowed to promote the film.

The film was originally slated for a 2018 release but finally premiered on June 12, 2023, in Los Angeles. It was a huge box office bomb and lost Warner Bros. as much as $200 million.

Despite the box office failure, the film scored a 63 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and mixed reviews, with some fans praising it for its humor.

Moonfall (2022)

This 2022 sci-fi flick starring Halle Berry was one of the most expensive independently produced movies ever made.

Prior to its release, Lionsgate spent $35 million on marketing, including $12 million in TV ads alone, and the film still ended up flopping.

The preposterous film grossed only $19 million upon opening and received a Rotten Tomatoes score of 35 percent.

Many reviewers called the film “cheesy” and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson stated it defied more laws of physics than any other science-fiction movie he’d seen before.

Music (2021)

This disastrous musical film had the makings of a hit with singer Sia as director and stars including Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr. and Dance Moms breakout star Maddie Ziegler.

The film’s premise–a sober drug dealer becoming the legal guardian of her autistic half-sister, Music–was not well-received by audiences even before the film was released. Many found the idea of Ziegler, who is not autistic, playing a character with autism offensive.

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network, the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint and CommunicationFIRST all stated that the “movie team [failed] to address recommendations to protect autistic people” and called for the film to be canceled.

Music had a limited theatrical release in 2021 in Australia and the U.S. and was otherwise released straight-to-DVD and on-demand.

It received a spectacularly low Rotten Tomatoes score of 7 percent and was called “painfully misguided,” “problematic” and a “fiasco.”

Firestarter (2022)

Another horror remake gone bad, this Stephen King adaptation first made in 1984 was a major flop.

The film starred Zac Efron as the dad of a girl with pyrokinetic powers, but despite Efron’s star power, it debuted with just $9.7 million.

Firestarter was released theatrically and on streaming simultaneously, and despite the multiple viewing options, audiences were not impressed.

It scored a 10 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and was called “uninspired” and “cheap-looking.”

Despite the negative reviews and numbers, director Keith Thomas expressed hope for an expansion of the franchise in the form of a prequel, sequel or spin-off.