12 Highest-Grossing Films That Have a Zero Rating on Rotten Tomatoes

      Here are the 12 highest-grossing films at the box office that received a zero on Rotten Tomatoes.

      They demonstrate that a lack of critical acclaim doesn’t necessarily lead to box-office failure.

      Let's dive in.

      But First, a Little About Rotten Tomatoes

      Credit: Warner Bros.

      Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer ratings tend to generate mixed reactions. The platform compiles critics’ evaluations to give a numerical score, with films achieving a score of 75% or higher earning the "Certified Fresh" label. This status requires at least 80 reviews, or 40 for limited releases, from "Tomatometer" critics, including five from recognized Top Critics. Once a film earns this certification, it retains it unless it drops below 70%.

      Some individuals are put off by the idea of assigning numerical scores to films, feeling it diminishes nuance. Nonetheless, many moviegoers rely on these ratings to guide their viewing choices, making the Certified Fresh designation a contemporary equivalent to Siskel & Ebert's "two thumbs up."

      The spotlight on films with a zero on Rotten Tomatoes—indicating unanimous negative reviews—was reignited when Eli Roth’s recent Borderlands narrowly avoided this fate. Currently, there are only 40 movies holding a zero rating on the site, but several have still made a good profit. Here are their stories.

      Let’s look at the top-grossing movies with a zero on Rotten Tomatoes, ordered from lowest to highest box office earnings.

      12 – Bolero (1984)

      Cannon Film – Credit: C/O

      Bo Derek became a cultural icon thanks to 1979’s 10, and Bolero was penned and directed by her then-husband John.

      In 10, Derek plays a 23-year-old woman who travels the globe in search of the perfect man to be her first sexual partner. The general consensus is that Bolero is essentially Skinamax level: Roger Ebert quipped that it was designed for VHS, where viewers could easily fast forward and pause whenever they liked.

      Despite the criticism, it attracted enough viewers to gross $8.9 million.

      11 – Look Who’s Talking Now! (1993)

      TriStar – Credit: C/O

      Look, 1989’s Look Who’s Talking is rather absurd. The premise revolves around the idea, “What if you could hear a baby’s thoughts, and it sounded like a wise-cracking Bruce Willis?”

      Nevertheless, talented director Amy Heckerling helmed the film, which received mixed reviews (58 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) but became a massive success, earning $297 million from a budget of $7.5 million.

      Thus, it makes sense that the studio greenlit a sequel, Look Who’s Talking Too, which introduced another baby. While the sequel received harsh criticism (13 percent), it still managed to earn $120.9 million.

      They tried again. Heckerling did not return, and this time the focus shifted to the dogs’ inner thoughts. Ultimately, this iteration lost all critical support, resulting in Look Who’s Talking Now! underperforming with $10.3 million. While it qualifies for this list of poorly reviewed films that still made money, it represents a significant decline compared to its predecessors.

      Yet, it sits as one of the highest-grossing movies with a zero on Rotten Tomatoes.

      10 – Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002)

      Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever. Warner Bros. – Credit: C/O

      Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever had a staggering production cost of $70 million, but only pulled in $20.2 million at the box office. Featuring a clunky title and directed by someone who goes by the name “Kaos,” the characters Ecks and Sever were largely unknown to audiences.

      Some argue that Ballistic is the most critically condemned film on Rotten Tomatoes. You might wonder how it achieved this status, given that zero is the lowest score and there are already 40 films with a zero rating. The explanation lies in the sheer volume of negative reviews.

      It boasts the most rotten reviews, totaling 119, of any film without a single fresh rating.

      9 – The Nutcracker in 3D (2010)

      G2 Pictures – Credit: C/O

      What if one of the few ballets most people recognize was transformed into a 3D movie?

      Elle Fanning plays the young lead, while John Turturro depicts the Rat King. It was an ambitious idea, but critics deemed it a failure.

      Although the film grossed $20.5 million, its production budget was an astounding $90 million.

      8 – A Thousand Words (2012)

      Paramount – Credit: C/O

      This film earned only $22 million against a $40 million budget, which is quite high for a comedy. Eddie Murphy’s impressive past box office success gave studios hope for a worthwhile investment.

      After A Thousand Words, Murphy appeared in only one