I last wrote about this topic back in 2014, but thanks to the latest box office figures for South Africa, I think it’s time we took another look at why terrible movies seem to do so well at the box office.
Let’s be perfectly honest. Transformers 5 was a dreadful film. The franchise is tired, the movie itself is an incomprehensible mess, and yet it raked in the cash on its opening weekend. Critics absolutely hated it, audiences weren’t particularly positive, but still, it made bank.
The same thing happened with Tom Cruise’s latest action vehicle, The Mummy. Despite everything telling audiences NO, audiences still said YES! The list goes on. Pirates of The Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge. 50 Shades Darker. It just keeps happening.
So, movie going audience, those of you out there that are the ones responsible for those numbers. You’re voting with your wallets and I want to know why. Is it the sunk-cost fallacy of “you have to see this because you’ve watched all of them so far” – which doesn’t work for non-franchise movies. Or, is it a case of “I have to judge a movie for myself, even if everyone I know says it’s bad”? Maybe you’re thinking “I just hope it’s so bad it’s good”.
You know it’s going to be bad, every critic has told you that it’s bad, maybe even your friends that saw it before you told you not to waste your time. But you went and spent your hard-earned cash. Maybe you regretted it, maybe you didn’t. Let me hear about it!
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Critical Hit as an organisation.
Last Updated: June 30, 2017
Gareth Lagesse (eXCheez)
June 30, 2017 at 10:39
Same reason generic music is popular: it’s designed for sales and popularity.
Kromas Ryder
June 30, 2017 at 10:39
Bad movies make bank the same reason CoD is a top seller every year or Trump is president or Justin Bieber makes bank. There are more stupid people in the world than there are smart people. Just remember a guy gets a sex change and wins an award over a girl who gets shot in the face for standing up for education .
Chuckles von Clausewitz III
June 30, 2017 at 13:47
You take that back, Mr President Trump is making America great again!
http://igg-games.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Make-America-Great-Again-PC-Free-Download.jpg
Caveshen Rajman
June 30, 2017 at 10:41
Movies are occasions, and occasions are things we do just because we can. Nobody NEEDS to go to the beach, or to a restaurant, or to a concert for example. But we do it because it’s an experience, even if the sand gets everywhere or the food gives you an upset stomach or the music quality is terrible and you end up deaf for a week.
Similarly, movies like Transformers sell out because they are occasions. Events. Extravaganzas. They blast your senses with mindless action and special effects and you come out of the cinema sounding like a teenager again, but that’s the point of them. Nobody goes into those movies expecting transcendental intellectual experiences but like with F&F, they go in hoping for a wild (but dumb) ride that they can forget about afterwards. Like the funfair but with fewer failed attempts at wooing your high school crush (I have a bad history with funfairs).
Cinemas are designed to be outgoing experiences. You can always watch a really great, smart movie at home. Nobody needs to watch La La Land in cinema to appreciate its art. But a massive-budget special-effects blockbuster release in IMAX? 99% of people won’t think any further than that.
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 30, 2017 at 10:41
Because there’s no accounting for taste.
Original Heretic
June 30, 2017 at 10:48
Because people are stupid.
Ottokie
June 30, 2017 at 11:17
The same reason why people think a $500 console can do true 4K. “lack of intelligence”
Gerhard
June 30, 2017 at 11:17
I agree with Caveshen. I go to the movies to be entertained and these movies do it well enough. A flimsy story to tie all the action together does not mean it is not enjoyable to watch. I do however think that a bad experience at the movies (Prometheus!!!) does influence my choices. Still havn’t seen Alien: Covenant.
Magoo
June 30, 2017 at 11:27
Actually that’s a bad question. How do you know that a movie is bad until you’ve seen it?
Don’t you dare tell us to trust the media!
Edit: Also, I like to go to the cinema to get away. At least once a month I pitch up without a movie in mind and just pick the one that’s least likely to disappoint.
Chuckles von Clausewitz III
June 30, 2017 at 12:05
Listen to this Mr Magoo. He is infinitely wise, with his fingers on the pulse of common sense.
Admiral Chief
June 30, 2017 at 11:27
Same reason why CoD makes money
Ottokie
June 30, 2017 at 11:31
Can we all also just take a moment and agree Power Rangers is the best movie of 2017…
Admiral Chief
June 30, 2017 at 11:31
Nope, Logan was
HvR
June 30, 2017 at 12:07
Logan was not that great in IMHO, good but not great. Very good action and dramatic scenes connected with mediocre and bit incomprehensible story
Might be the average looking one between the fugly ones effect.
Ir0nseraph
June 30, 2017 at 12:10
I can get behind this as I haven’t watched wonder woman and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 yet, so my vote might change .
Magoo
June 30, 2017 at 11:36
Kong was my favourite this year. (Yes really) But Power Rangers is a close second!
Admiral Chief
June 30, 2017 at 11:39
WHAT? I watched that this week, and it was really not that great, mediocre at best
Ottokie
June 30, 2017 at 11:41
And here we have the fundamentals about movie reviews. We all have our own genre to get our fix 😛
Magoo
June 30, 2017 at 11:51
Yeah, apparently. I thought it was really fresh and well put together. Admittedly I would have enjoyed it far less without Samuel.
Admiral Chief
June 30, 2017 at 11:52
Yeah, that was just stupid tbh. I felt like I wasted my time on that movie.
Magoo
June 30, 2017 at 12:18
And now you’re wasting more time hating it. 😛
Matthew Holliday
June 30, 2017 at 12:27
Power Rangers started off fairly strong, but ugh, it gets to an hour in and I was just waiting for “the power of friendship” to make an appearance.
HvR
June 30, 2017 at 12:32
Movie reviewers here gets some of the blame.
If you are going to spread false rumours manufactured by political groups aimed to sink movies and base movie reviews on arbitrary social “science” tests and let political views influence your reviews people who do not share (which will always be the majority) your beliefs your opinion will not be valued and ignored.
Ottokie
June 30, 2017 at 12:33
Also. Trevor has not watched Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones, he can not be trusted!
HvR
June 30, 2017 at 12:34
Last movie Trevor watched was the premier of Charlie Chaplin’s The Dictator
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 30, 2017 at 12:53
tee hee
Ottokie
June 30, 2017 at 12:57
Don’t tee hee me. You have to make right for the wrong you have done! And it’s weekend! *whips*!
R1ker
June 30, 2017 at 13:20
I still remember reading a review of phantom menace saying how terrible racist that movie was. Because – gungans
Matthew Holliday
June 30, 2017 at 12:41
Any publicity is good publicity.
Sofar you guys have written, what? 3? 4 articles about the new transformers movie?
And besides, the public in general are superficial, so long as there are enough explosions? its going to make bank.
It doesnt have to be good, it just has to be enjoyable. And that is situational.
R1ker
June 30, 2017 at 13:22
I am still trying to figure out why i liked the original Rambo so much when i was a kid. Watch it again recently and damn that is a stupid movie now.
Matthew Holliday
June 30, 2017 at 18:51
Same as I liked anything with Jean-Claude Van Damme when I was a lightie.
Biceps and bullets and explosions?
Yondaime
June 30, 2017 at 13:35
The amount of people who think the movies are bad is less than the amount of people who have kids or simply don’t care. Kids wana see the new Transformers movie, simply put they don’t give a flying fcuk about the myriad of reviews that say it’s bad. This can be applied to other bad movies as well. The mere fact that a person wants to see what “all the fuss is about” means they’re going to pay to see the movie and thus adding to the bank.
HvR
June 30, 2017 at 13:38
Jip taking kids to the movies does limit your options a lot, especially since the South African ratings board slap a 13 on movies that are rated PG in all the other countries