The success of a film is not contingent on critical reception. It is not uncommon for a movie to be condemned by professional reviewers and go on to enjoy widespread popularity. Audiences are more willing to overlook narrative snags and embrace a film for what it offers. Further, reviewers and audiences generally judge films on entirely different parameters.
Professional reviewers examine the construction of a film as a piece of art. Mass audiences judge the movie-going experience as a form of entertainment. Critics examine a film closely to identify flaws in its fabric. Meanwhile, moviegoers let a film wash over them and react based on the feeling they have leaving the theater. This difference of perspective can cause critics and audiences to see movies in entirely different lights.
Certain films, particularly popcorn flicks and B-movies, can have a vast gap between critical and audience reception. These fun flicks tend to leave critics unsatisfied and audiences eager for more. Critics may preach the importance of substantive cinema, but viewers occasionally enjoy a junk food flick that promises nothing more than a good time.
This point of divide between critic and audience opinion is made glaringly apparent on Rotten Tomatoes. There are several major flicks with a shockingly wide divide between the rotten critical score and rave viewer rating captured on aggregate review platform.
But I’m a Cheerleader (1999)
Everyone seems to agree that Jamie Babbit’s But I’m a Cheerleader is a candy-coated comedy that takes nothing seriously and caters to its demographic. However, critics and audiences are decidedly split on whether this is a detriment or asset. It has a 43% critic score and 75% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. That is a 32% difference of opinion.
Critics chastise But I’m a Cheerleader for lacking substance and earnestness despite its intense setting at an LGBT conversion camp. “I would have preferred to know more in documentary terms about the actual reality of these terrible camps, rather than sit through this heavy-handed and oddly lenient comedy,” lamented Peter Bradshaw in his 2001 review for The Guardian.
Meanwhile, cult followers of the film adore its artificial gloss and frivolous camp. LGBTQ+ viewers cherish the rare feel-good lesbian flick and appreciate a movie catered to them. They see a revolutionary power in a simple and silly LGBT movie, particularly following the post-Hays Code gay-tragedy trope.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
Ahead of its release, critics condemned The Super Mario Bros. Movie as a lazy cash grab focused more on fan service than story. The Boston Globe deems it “a checklist of fan expectations.” The New York Post calls it “another soulless ploy to sell us merchandise that doesn’t bother to disguise its creativity-starved greed.” The scathing reviews average 58% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Unsurprisingly, the harsh opinions of critics did little to keep viewers from theaters. The Super Mario Bros. Movie grossed $1.3 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing video game movie to date. The hit flick has a near-perfect 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, 40% higher than the critical rating. Viewers appreciate an adaptation that ticks all the boxes and meets expectations of franchise fans. The audience reaction has proven more powerful than the critics’, and the movie received a 2026 sequel – which was also an undisputed success.
Uncharted (2022)
Like many video game movies, Uncharted is divisive among critics and popular among audiences. Reviewers criticize Ruben Fleischer’s blockbuster for being empty and safe. The New York Post review jokes that Uncharted is “a funny title for an action-adventure movie that doesn’t stray one inch from the well-tread path of what came before it.” Outside a memorable action sequence, critics chock up the 2022 adaptation as a skippable Indiana Jones wannabe. This translates to a tepid 41% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Audiences consider Uncharted a fun tongue-and-check flick full of nostalgia for fans of the original game. They particularly enjoy Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg’s brotherly dynamic, and the high-octane action. “Fun joyride and global treasure hunt with an engaging cast. Critics are overthinking this one,” Ajit R writes on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences give Uncharted a solid 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, 48% higher than the critic rating.
Venom (2018)
Marvel’s attempts to weave Venom into its cinematic universe have been bumpy at best. Critics drag Ruben Fleischer’s 2018 feature for being soulless, clunky, and tonally inconsistent. “An occasionally entertaining misfire that only scratches the surface of what a Venom movie could truly be,” Chris Stuckmann reports in his video review. Outside some fun scenes, critics consider the Tom Hardy movie disjointed and unmemorable, giving it a dismal 31% on Rotten Tomatoes.
This criticism did not deter audiences, and Venom amassed $856 million at the worldwide box office. Audiences acknowledge the film’s flaws but are not turned off by them. They consider Venom a fun ride despite narrative bumps. It has a fair 80% popular score on Rotten Tomatoes, nearly 50% higher than the critics’ rating.
Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023)
Five Nights at Freddy is one in a long line of video game adaptations to miss critics but land with its target demographic. Reviews dismiss it as generic, boring, and tame. “Unfortunately, this adaptation of the popular 2014 video game fails at delivering scares or cheeky laughs, resulting in a tedious experience that relies heavily on horror’s most cliched tropes,” Tim Grierson writes in Screen International. Agreeing the movie never gets past its basic premise, reviews average 33% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Viewers enjoy Five Nights at Freddy as an entertaining flick suitable for family horror night, with standout performances by Josh Hutcherson and Matthew Lillard. Fans of the original video find the adaptation nostalgic and are largely on board with the twist ending. The movie has an 85% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, 52% higher than the critics’ rating.
Harlem Nights (1989)
Eddie Murphy writes, directs, and stars in Harlem Nights. The crime-comedy is a critical flop as reviewers expected more laughs and are perturbed by the violence and obscenity. “‘Harlem Nights,’ it’s worth remembering, is a comedy, though as the body count piles up and entire reels go by without a joke in sight, it’s also easy to forget,” the 1989 Chicago Tribune review reads. Critics saw Harlem Nights as a sign that fame blunted Murphy’s comedic edge, giving it 28% on Rotten Tomatoes.
For general moviegoers, on the other hand, everything comes together perfectly. The plot points fall into place, the jokes land, and the cast delivers top performances. Viewers appreciate the mix of tones, feeling that the occasional humor perfectly punctuates the compelling narrative. Considered a timeless cult-classic, Harlem Nights has a solid 80% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, exposing a stark contrast in how it was perceived by audiences and critics.
Super Troopers (2001)
Critics condemn Super Troopers as a lowbrow comedy composed entirely of crude sex and drug jokes. Fans agree, and love it. The absurd comedy has a 37% critic rating and 90% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, equating to a 53% divide. Reviews consider the film unredeemable. “There’s nothing super about Super Troopers except for those deep into the low end of the frat-house mentality that equates smart-alecky with hilarity,” the Los Angeles Times review reads.
Director Jay Chandrasekhar delivers what his demographic is looking for, and audiences consider Super Troopers an epic popcorn flick. It is a cult hit for audiences wishing to indulge in low-brow antics and over-the-top comedy. While critics will not touch it with a ten-foot pole, Super Troopers is an endlessly quotable fan favorite.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (2025)
Critics find even less redeemable content in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, giving it just 17% on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviews declare it poorly constructed and lacking in scares, laughs, or heart despite a dense plot. “A laughably cheesy, empty-headed follow-up that makes the mediocre prior film shine in comparison,” argued the Los Angeles Times.
While viewers are split on whether the sequel surpasses the original, they agree it remains an entertaining flick. Some audience reviews call Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 a “bad movie,” yet award it a perfect rating for pure, silly fun. It has a solid 82% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, 65% higher than the critical score. Speaking with Screen Rant, director Emma Tammi responded to this divide in popular and critical reception, noting that the film is ultimately made for audiences.
“We’re really focused on making these films on the fan base and the audience that we knew were going to want to come out and see it,” Tammi told Screen Rant. “And they’ve been loving it. So that feels like really the thing that we’ve paid the most attention to. And thank goodness that’s been positive”
This positive audience response earned the franchise a 2025 sequel and an upcoming third installment.
Where the Crawdads Sing (2022)
The film adaptation of the best-selling novel, Where the Crawdads Sing, has a 62% gap between audience and critical reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics scrutinize it for being overly broad and ultimately empty. They lament that it refuses to grapple with the grittier aspects of its subject matter. The film has a mere 34% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Both reviewers and audiences agree that Daisy Edgar-Jones’ central performance is among the film’s greatest strengths. The agreement ends there, resulting in a 62% divide between critical and popular ratings. Audiences rate the film a near-perfect 96%. Baffled by the poor critical reviews, they find the coming of age mystery gorgeous and immersive. They are enamored by the stunning cinematography of the film’s natural setting. They concede that it is a departure from the original novel, but maintain that it is beautiful in its own right.
The Boondock Saints 1999
Troy Duffy’s vigilante action thriller, The Boondock Saints, is the ultimate cult classic. The Willem Dafoe and Sean Patrick Flanery film is both lauded and condemned for its ultra-violence and cocktail of tones. Reviewers call it an over-the-top yet empty Tarantino pastiche. “A macho bloodbath with a lot of juvenile humor and fake Catholic mysticism…” the Chicago Reader review reads. It has a dismal 26% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 2/10 from Screen Rant.
While poor reviews may have constricted its theatrical audience, the slow-burn hit collected a cult following upon its DVD release. Through strong word of mouth, it became a Blockbuster Video bestseller. Fans enjoy its recklessness and consider it a fun flick not to be taken too seriously. The Boondock Saints has a strong 91% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and 9.3 on Screen Rant. The 65% divide between audience and critic ratings makes it among the most divisive films ever.
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