Several blockbuster movies managed to become billion-dollar hits despite receiving poor reviews. Alongside similar sources like IMDb or Metacritic, the long-running website Rotten Tomatoes is one of the most influential and widely referenced review aggregators available to movie-goers as of 2025. Beginning its existence as a fansite for Jackie Chan’s Rush Hour, Rotten Tomatoes can be a good metric to look at how a film was received among critics, including older releases.

However, while the quality of modern movies is typically ᴀssessed from a critical and commercial perspective, money has traditionally proven to be king in Hollywood. From major franchises that were running out of things to say to films that were destined to be big no matter how they were received, some movies made over $1 billion at the box office but still clocked in with low Rotten Tomatoes scores.

10

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)

Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score – 53%

One of the most controversial Star Wars films of all time, 1999’s Episode I: The Phantom Menace kicked off the franchise’s prequel trilogy to mixed reviews. From the hair-raising podrace on Tatooine to the thrilling “Duel of the Fates” pitting Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi against the sinister Darth Maul, George Lucas’ return had something for everyone, but not everything worked.

The result was a mixed approval rating of 53% on Rotten Tomatoes. The humor of characters like Jar Jar Binks didn’t land and was a considerable detractor to the film gaining momentum, while the narrative thread of an intergalactic trading blockade also wasn’t a sufficient hook for many fans who had grown up with Darth Vader and the Death Star. However, this had little bearing on the financial results for the return of one of the biggest movie franchises of all time, with The Phantom Menace banking a little over $1 billion at the box office worldwide.

9

Pirates Of The Caribbean: ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man’s Chest (2006)

Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score – 53%

Following up the masterful Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was always going to be a stiff challenge, a state of affairs highlighted by the mixed reviews for the series’ sophomore outing, 2006’s Pirates of the Caribbean: ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man’s Chest. Introducing Bill Nighy’s Davy Jones to the fold, the sequel’s lukewarm critical reception was in sharp contrast to the widespread acclaim lavished on its 2003 predecessor, clocking in with a middling Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 53%.

Fortunately for Gore Verbinski and company, ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man’s Chest still proved to be an exemplary performer at the box office despite a fall-off in positive reviews. Smashing several records, the sequel raked in more than $1 billion worldwide to land as the highest-grossing Pirates of the Caribbean entry of all time, as well as the highest-grossing movie of the year.

8

The Lion King (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score – 51%

A remake of the 1994 animated movie masterpiece of the same name, 2019’s The Lion King proved to be a pale imitation of the iconic original. A pH๏τorealistically animated version of the classic story, Jon Favreau’s movie boasted a star-studded ensemble cast but landed lukewarm reviews. The film’s Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 52% saw it become the highest-grossing movie with a “Rotten” rating in history, boasting a worldwide gross of more than $1.6 billion.

However, while this retelling of the beloved Disney picture might not bring anything new to the table from a storytelling perspective, The Lion King’s impressive box-office returns have already unsurprisingly produced a prequel-sequel origin story in the form of 2024’s Mufasa: The Lion King. However, while the new movie earned $687 million to land as the seventh-highest-grossing movie of 2024, it only earned slightly better reviews than its predecessor, clocking in with an approval rating of just 58%.

7

Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score – 51%

Widely regarded as the worst live-action Star Wars movie of all time, 2019’s Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker had long-time viewers of the storied franchise up in arms. A Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 51% didn’t even begin to reflect the levels of disappointment felt by the series’ fan base, with the vast majority highlighting the contrived, unimaginative, and straight-up lazy nature of the sequel trilogy’s conclusive entry.

Earning over $1 billion worldwide at the box office, J.J. Abrams’ sequel was the seventh-highest-grossing movie of 2019 and became the quintessential example of a high-earning blockbuster with a poor Rotten Tomatoes score. Compounding matters, The Rise of Skywalker also bears the ignominious tag of being the sequel trilogy’s lowest-grossing entry, in addition to receiving the worst approval rating in the entire franchise.

6

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score – 50%

A live-action adaptation of Lewis Caroll’s works from Tim Burton, 2010’s fantasy-adventure offering Alice in Wonderland proved to be a smash hit at the box office, breaking the billion-dollar barrier throughout its theatrical run. Starring Mia Wasikowski in the тιтular role with memorable supporting bows from frequent Burton collaborators Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, the film also featured the director’s usual impressive array of visuals in spades.

Unfortunately, many critics argued that an emphasis on aesthetic and technical elements was precisely the thing holding the movie back in terms of quality, accusing it of prioritizing spectacle over substance. A notably divisive offering, Rotten Tomatoes’ consensus critical opinion for Alice in Wonderland remained split virtually down the middle; the movie holds an approval rating of 51% as of 2025.

5

Jurᴀssic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score – 47%

The second installment in the series and the sequel to 2015’s Jurᴀssic World, 2018’s Jurᴀssic World: Fallen Kingdom saw the rebooted take on the franchise already beginning to show signs of flagging in terms of quality. J.A. Bayona’s sci-fi action offering saw a notable fall off in the good reviews bestowed on its predecessor, garnering a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of just 47%, in contrast to Jurᴀssic World’s respectable score of 72%.

However, accusations of a played-out central premise and a middling screenplay did little to stop Fallen Kingdom from becoming the twenty-second-highest-grossing movie ever made. The third Jurᴀssic Park movie to break the $1 billion benchmark at the box office, Bayona’s sequel ended 2018 as the year’s third-highest-grossing film with a total return of more than $1.3 billion.

4

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score – 35%

The third and final Transformers entry to star Shia LaBeouf, 2011’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon is also notable for being the series’ first movie to not feature Megan Fox. Chronicling the struggle between the Autobots and Decepticons for control of technology capable of restoring Cybertron, Dark of the Moon was considered to be a slight improvement on 2009’s Revenge of the Fallen but still earned a widely negative critical response.

Clocking in with an approval rating of just 35% on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie’s colossal box office earnings fortunately took the sting out of its more vicious reviews. The highest-grossing entry in the entire Transformers franchise, Dark of the Moon’s box office return of more than $1.12 billion saw it also become Michael Bay’s highest-grossing movie, as well as the second-highest-grossing film of 2011.

3

Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score – 32%

Excitement for the highly anticipated return of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise fizzled out like a damp cannon fuse with the release of 2011’s On Stranger Tides. The first outing in the series to not feature Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley’s characters from the original trilogy, the latest Pirates offering depicting the hunt for the Fountain of Youth suffered the disastrous drop-off in quality that is to be expected from a tired franchise in the process of completely running aground.

Earning a sub-par approval rating of 33%, the chaotic On Stranger Tides isn’t actually as terrible as its score would suggest but still bears the inglorious tag of being the second lowest-rated entry in the entire franchise. However, countless fans flocking to the cinemas hoping to see an offering that could rival the series’ earlier entries saw the movie rake in more than $1 billion at the box office worldwide.

2

Jurᴀssic World: Dominion (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score – 29%

Despite a slew of negative reviews, 2022’s Jurᴀssic World Dominion serves as proof of the fact that the Jurᴀssic Park franchise will continue for as long as the series continues to draw in colossal box-office returns. Garnering a measly approval rating of 29% on Rotten Tomatoes, even the return of Jurᴀssic Park’s original cast isn’t enough to save this offering from the embarrᴀssing tag of the franchise’s worst movie.

However, the film’s disappointing critical reception was a far cry from its stellar box-office returns, with Jurᴀssic World Dominion pulling in just over $1 billion worldwide. Colin Trevorrow’s maligned offering underlines the harsh reality that cash reigns supreme in Hollywood, with a standalone sequel featuring a brand-new ensemble cast enтιтled Jurᴀssic World Rebirth already slated for release in July 2025.

1

Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)

Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score – 18%

The fact that 2014’s Transformers: Age of Extinction boasts a meager 18% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes but still isn’t the lowest-rated entry in the long-running Transformers series speaks volumes to the levels of quality that have historically been on display in Michael Bay’s flagship action franchise. With that being said, there’s a reason that the director was able to continue churning out his Transformer movies regularly before his latest entry in 2017; they never failed to score big at the box office.

The thirty-sixth-highest-grossing movie of all time, Age of Extinction’s return of just over $1.1 billion makes it the second-highest-grossing entry in the series. However, while it may feature the usual spectacular action sequences and impressive visual effects that fans have come to expect from the series, the vast majority of Age of Extinction is just as tired and played out as the movie’s laundry list of brutal reviews would indicate.

Source: The Numbers, Rotten Tomatoes