Sometimes movies are so good, we can't help but watch them over and over. And sometimes, they're so good that we actually can't watch them ever again. Schindler's List is an excellent film, but no one could pay us to hit play on that one again. That said, there are also movies so bad that we can't stop watching them — precisely because they are bad.
People have different definitions of what makes a movie "bad." In general, a movie is considered a flop if it fails to recoup its expensive budget. But just because a lot of people didn't flock to see the film in theaters doesn't mean it can't become a cult favorite years later. A lot of movies were failures when they came out only to be beloved now.
Truth be told, there are a number of box office bombs we can't stop watching. They're so bad that they're actually good — or maybe, we've just watched so many times, that we've been deluded into thinking that they're good.
Either way, we love them.
A flop can be saved in the eye of a viewer for a few reasons. The cast might be so good that it's hard to hate a bad movie. (The Office fans love Steve Carell so much that they will suffer through Evan Almighty, OK?) Other times, an over-the-top, bonkers plot line can leave a viewer in awe of how the movie just fully went for it. It's impressive that these stories were all serious ideas that rooms of people decided on and no one stopped along the way.
But even though the critics may have hated these films — or they may not have made a lot of money — they'll always have a special place in our hearts.
'Jack Frost' (1998)
This may look like an ordinary family Christmas movie, but it gets dark quick when the dad (Michael Keaton) dies in the beginning of the film — only to come back a year later as a snowman. The plot stays weird, with the son and snowman bonding, all the time worrying about how he's going to melt come the end of winter. Before that can happen, though, they exchange a lot of snow-themed puns, like "Snowdad's better than no dad!" It's wild how this film got made at all, but it's so bonkers that we kind of love it.
'The BFG'
The BFG is considered one of Steven Spielberg's biggest flops ever, which is a shame because we love the Roald Dahl story so much. But even though it struggled to make a big impression on audiences, we can't help but love to watch it. Between the nostalgic story line, and the impressive animation, it's not a flop in our eyes.
'Evan Almighty'
Evan Almighty is a spin-off of Jim Carrey's beloved Bruce Almighty. People loved Steve Carell's character so much in the first one that he landed a film of his own, starring alongside Morgan Freeman and Lauren Graham, as God calls on Evan to build the ark. The movie doesn't have the same panache that the first one did, but Steve is such a hilarious actor that it's a fun watch anyway.
'Cloud Atlas'
The marketing team behind this film apparently had a tough time explaining it well enough in trailers and promotional materials, because audiences didn't turn up in droves to watch. Cloud Atlas has a complex story line, with the same actors returning in different timelines to play new characters — and a lot of people decided to skip it. But with A-list talent like Tom Hanks and Halle Berry, it's one we can't stop watching.
'Gigli'
Rom-coms are often inherently cheesy, and this one was no exception. (It has a 6% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes and everything.) But we can't help but love Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez that we'll stick it out through this film any day. Besides, it's the one that led to their two-year, real-life romance, and it deserves some credit for that.
'Hulk'
These days, Marvel movies get a lot of attention from fans and critics alike, but the 2003 film Hulk was kind of a flop. Maybe it's because it starred Eric Bana instead of today's Hulk, Mark Ruffalo. Either way, audiences weren't feeling it. Turns out, Eric Bana didn't really care that his film flopped, because he didn't have to go on to play the character in a bunch of other Marvel films, like Ruffalo has.
'Hudson Hawk'
Starring Bruce Willis and Andie MacDowell — and with an intense and wild action plot — this movie had all the ingredients to be great, but it flopped at the box office. However, we'll never get tired of these two actors, especially in their younger days, so we'll keep on watching it. As AV Club pointed out, "Hudson Hawk still demands to be seen, if only because it goes places few studio star vehicles have ever dared."
'Gemini Man'
Will Smith has a couple of flops on this list, but he's the reason why we'll keep watching them. Even if we're not always fans of the work Will Smith does, he is an excellent actor, and that alone can help float a flop. In Gemini Man, he plays two characters: a hit man, and a younger clone of himself, who's out for blood.
'Wild Wild West'
The other Will Smith flop we love to watch is Wild Wild West. Smith so believed in this film that he passed on The Matrix to make it. As they say in Pretty Woman, "Big mistake. Big. Huge." Knowing the great personal cost Will suffered to make Wild Wild West, the least we can do is watch it … even if it is about two special agents trying to save the president from, and we quote, "A diabolical, wheelchair-bound, steampunk-savvy, Confederate scientist bent on revenge for losing the Civil War."
Sure.
'Jupiter Ascending' (2015)
Mila Kunis stars in this film as a space princess who is trying to protect Earth. Channing Tatum co-stars. It should have been great. Instead, it was an expensive flop. Because of the space element and the high profile of the actors, Jupiter Ascending cost $179 million to make, but it opened to just $19 million. It ended up grossing just barely above its budget, with almost $184 million worldwide.
But it's Mila! And Channing! In space!
We love it.
'Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping"
This Andy Samberg movie was a Justin Bieber parody, and it was hilarious. We're not sure why the world slept on it, but with celebrity appearances by the likes of Maya Rudolph, Sarah Silverman, and Joan Cusack — plus some super catchy songs — we recommend watching it now. (Like, right now.) It's the upbeat antidote the world needs.
'Over the Top'
After Sylvester Stallone made the Rocky boxing movies, he moved on to another sport: arm wrestling. We're sorry, but it's extremely hard to take arm wrestling seriously. Stallone plays trucker Lincoln Hawk who has to win an arm wrestling championship to get his son back. It's bad, but it's also so ridiculous that it's great.
'The Chronicles of Riddick'
More like The Chronicles of Riddick-ulous, right? This Vin Diesel movie "barely makes sense" as the AV Club put it, but that also is part of its charm. Sometimes, it's fun to just watch and try to figure out how a roomful of people decided on this plot — and then landed Vin Diesel to star in it. It boggles the mind in the best way.
'The Wicker Man' (2006)
Nicolas Cage's intense screaming has become a meme, and his 2006 remake of The Wicker Man has a lot of that screaming in it. This movie was doomed from the start, because remakes are rarely as good as the original. People loved the 1973 version of the film, and it has an 89% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. By contrast, the Cage version has a 15% score — but it's so great if only for its meme potential.
'Masters of the Universe'
This is an '80s film in every sense of the world. It follows warrior He-Man as he attempts to take down the evil Skeletor so he can rule Castle Grayskull. It's totally over the top, totally cheesy, and totally fun. Plus, it stars a young Courteney Cox pre-Friends, and we really can't say no to that.
It's the best kind of movie flop.
'John Carter'
Disney doesn't often let us down, but it did with this box office bomb. It starred Taylor Kitsch as Civil War veteran John Carter who finds himself prisoner of a strange planet. When he attempts to escape, he finds a princess who also needs his help. According to Forbes, Disney lost $200 million on this project, but it's one of those so-bad-it's-good movies. It's like if Star Wars was really, really awful but we also couldn't look away.
'Nothing but Trouble' (1991)
It may be directed by Ghostbusters' Dan Aykroyd, but Ghostbusters this is not. Nothing But Trouble is billed as a comedy, but it's more of a horror movie, given how terrifying the creatures are that kidnap Demi Moore and Chevy Chase's characters. It has just a 5% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but a 47% audience rating. For those who can stomach it, it's awful-ly fun to watch.
