# Hated movies or flops that were not BAD films **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 21, 2017, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943 "2017-04-21T20:35:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2017, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/21 "2017-04-21T23:35:39Z")
I loved **The Rocketeer** , **John Carter** , **The Thing** , **Bladerunner** and **Last Action Hero** I never heard that Rocketeer, Thing, or Bladerunner were considered flops. I certainly don’t think Last Action Hero or John Carter deserve that title. I have a friend who _loves_ **Hudson Hawk** , and I’ve heard that both \*\*Ishtar[/B and **Heaven’s Gate** are much better than they are generally perceived to be. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2017, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/22 "2017-04-21T23:36:36Z")
**ZipperJJ** is a hot babe with Golden Retrievers and you are not worthy. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2017, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/23 "2017-04-21T23:38:25Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > - Ishtar\* A decent but flawed comedy with some great sequences. But it had a very big budget (for its time; adjusted for inflation, it was up near _Waterworld_) , with no spectacle. Most critics reviewed the price tag, nit the movie. I was going to say Ishtar. It’s a fun movie. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2017, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/24 "2017-04-22T00:00:55Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I certainly don’t think Last Action Hero or John Carter deserve that title. If I remember correctly John Carter made 250 million on a 300 million dollar budget, definitely a bomb. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2017, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/25 "2017-04-22T00:31:24Z")
I agree with the critics about most of the movies mentioned here. The noted exceptions mentioned early on: A Christmas Story, Blade Runner, and The Big Lebowski. They weren’t all really bad movies but they weren’t actually classics like the three just mentioned either. Movies, like everything else, are either under-rated or over-rated. That doesn’t mean an under-rated movie is a good movie, sometimes it’s just not as bad as some people say. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2017, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/26 "2017-04-22T00:36:41Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > **Hudson Hawk** - I didn’t love Andie Macdowell, but the movie was fun > > **Labyrinth** - I loved it, but it wasn’t seen as a hit when it came oh…if I remember right? Came in here to specifically mention Hudson Hawk. I didn’t understand the hate. It was the funniest surreal heist movie ever. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2017, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/27 "2017-04-22T00:46:25Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Came in here to specifically mention Hudson Hawk. I didn’t understand the hate. It was the funniest surreal heist movie ever. I think “Hudson Hawk” is a terrible movie that comes awfully close to being great. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2017, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/28 "2017-04-22T00:49:12Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > If I remember correctly John Carter made 250 million on a 300 million dollar budget, definitely a bomb. It’s failure cost the than CEO of Disney his job, IIRC. Definitely a bomb. Though I think the OP is kind of confusing in combing hated films and flops in the same thread. Big Libowsky, Blade Runner, A Christmas Story, etc. are all widely beloved films, even if they originally lost money on release. The Star Wars prequels made a ton of money, but are generally considered bad movies. John Carter, Final Fantasy, etc. lost money and have basically been forgotten. So grouping them all in the same thread seems kinda confusing. But for movies that are both widely hated and notable financial disasters that I kinda liked, I’ll throw in **Sahara** , which somehow spent a huge amount of money on a couple fun but not particular technically impressive action scenes, was panned by critics and audiences and led to a fairly epic series of lawsuits between its studio and author Clive Cussler. But I had a fun two hours watching it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2017, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/29 "2017-04-22T00:55:01Z")
> [@Pixel\_Dent](#): > > For years I never saw Heaven’s Gate because it was the punch line of so many jokes about how it was so bad it destroyed a studio (United Artists). When I finally saw it a few years ago I thought it was a flawed but overall very strong movie and quite enjoyed it. It was an epic and beautiful movie that suffered from some story issues. I thought the audio at the beginning was badly-mixed. I hated the big dance scene at the college, and the roller-skating dance scene later on. (I know the director wanted to juxtapose the ‘society’ do with the ‘plain folk’ do, but I didn’t like them.) The costuming and accoutrements were historically accurate, it was (loosely) based on real people, the cinematography was superb (it was by the great Vilmos Zsigmond), and you got to see Isabelle Huppert naked. I can’t really understand all of the hatred. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2017, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/30 "2017-04-22T00:57:36Z")
Starship Troopers is a GREAT film. If you don’t get why Johnny Rockjaw is the hero and Doogie “Hauser” is a scientist…well I can’t help you. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2017, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/31 "2017-04-22T01:28:45Z")
I always mention “The Postman” in threads like this. And “Buckaroo Banzai” merits a mention. (They scrapped the sequel for that one too. TFB.) ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2017, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/32 "2017-04-22T01:41:40Z")
How about **The Alamo** (2004 film). Ebert gave it 4 stars, it was decently historically accurate, and the effects and battle scenes were well done. It even made the de la Peña version of Crockett’s capture seem plausible (to me at least) It ran into some hiccups at the beginning when they couldn’t afford Ron Howard and Russell Crowe, but it didn’t deserve to make only $25 million on a $107 budget. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2017, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/33 "2017-04-22T04:11:38Z")
I got no movies that arnt well covered but…TV: Teen Titans Go. The hatred this show inspires is wayyyy beyond me. I love it. I love the manic energy. The in-jokes. That the voices from the prior show are the same. Everything about it. The old show still exists. This show doesn’t invalidate that. BOOYAH! ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2017, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/34 "2017-04-22T04:19:13Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > Office Space > Dazed and Confused > A Christmas Story > The Thing > Blade Runner > The Big Lebowski > > … all considered flops on their initial box office release. Add “Rocky Horror Picture Show” to the list. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2017, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/35 "2017-04-22T18:04:33Z")
I’ll never understand why nearly everyone (including Robin Wiliams) hates **Popeye** I think it’s one of the better action/ adventure/ comedies. Maybe it’s for the best, I can’t image them doing anything good with a sequel. Popeye 2: The Diary of a Spinach Addict. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2017, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/36 "2017-04-22T19:05:31Z")
- Hudson Hawk\* is my perennial answer to this question as well. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2017, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/37 "2017-04-22T19:20:10Z")
I also vote Schwarzenegger’s 1993 Last Action Hero. Great movie. One of the best movies I’ve seen in years is Out Of The Furnace starring: Christian Bale Woody Harrelson Casey Affleck Zoe Saldana Sam Shepard Willem Dafoe Forest Whitaker It only cost 22,000,000 to make and still lost 11,000,000. > [@DrDeth](#): > > Why does he recycle pee with a ocean full of water right there? (yes, it may be too salty to drink, but it’s easier to distil than urine). Why would sea water be easier to distill than urine? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2017, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/38 "2017-04-22T19:20:58Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > I’ll never understand why nearly everyone (including Robin Wiliams) hates **Popeye** I think it’s one of the better action/ adventure/ comedies… Yes, and the village of Sweethaven is still there. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2017, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/39 "2017-04-22T19:28:39Z")
So, the Bradley Cooper 2015 vehicle [Burnt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnt_(film)) flopped big time and is standing at a 30% rotten standing at rottentomatoes. And it’s a big mistake. It’s a classic problem of wrong expectations. Critics and audiences believed it was a _dramedy_. So they went, saw that there was nothing particularly dramatic, no poignant conversations, no character development, none of that… and that it wasn’t particularly funny either. So everyone just wrote the movie off as a turkey. But it’s not. It wasn’t a drama, and it wasn’t a comedy. It was a sports film. Telling the classic sports story of the disgraced veteran coming back to the field, convincing the team owner to give him one last shot, gathering a band of misfits, and trying to win the Michelin Bowl, only to find out that trophies aren’t as important as teamwork after all. And as a sports movie, it’s a fun one. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2017, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943/40 "2017-04-22T19:45:05Z")
> [@White SIFL](#): > > I > > Why would sea water be easier to distill than urine? There’s a lot more of it, you cant possibly survive on recyling your own urine. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hated-movies-or-flops-that-were-not-bad-films/784943.md?page=3)