NEW YORK, NY – JULY 17: Actors dressed as Emoji characters pose for a photo at Sony Corporation NYC headquarters with Cast Of The Emoji Movie, Girls Who Code And Oath For Good For World Emoji Day at The Empire State Building on July 17, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Sony Pictures Entertainment )
For a minute, it looked like “The Emoji Movie” would be the latest to join the Rotten Tomatoes dreaded 0% fresh club.
But one critic gave the animated children’s film, which follows the lives of the bright emoticons living in smartphones, a warm review.
Sort of.
“Positive messages, but colorful adventure is only ‘meh,'” Betsy Bozdech of Common Sense Media wrote with her tepid tomato, commending the story as kid-friendly but “not particularly original.”
The poor reception is not good news for the $50 million movie and its big-name cast, including James Corden, Anna Faris, T.J. Miller and Maya Rudolph. “The Emoji Movie” debuts head-to-head at the box office this weekend with Charlize Theron’s action flick “Atomic Blonde” and faces competition from “Dunkirk” and “Girls Trip.”
But 3% fresh is better than 0%. Catch up on some films that weren’t as lucky.
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002)
“Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever” stars Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu as rival secret agents who unexpectedly join forces. The $70 million film flopped at the box office, and with 116 negative reviews, it holds the sad distinction of being worst reviewed film on Rotten Tomatoes of all time.
Max Steel (2016)
Not all superhero films are created equal. “Max Steel” took Mattel’s popular action figure line and gave it a superhero twist, only to end with a pretty average rating of 0%.
Dawn Patrol (2014)
Scott Eastwood’s hopes of following in his father Clint Eastwood’s footsteps stumbled briefly after the release of “Dawn Patrol.” The revenge surfer film quickly wiped out in theaters.
Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 (2004)
Critics didn’t like 1999’s “Baby Geniuses,” and they definitely didn’t like its sequel. Names like Jon Voight and Scott Baio couldn’t burp this film to life.
Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
The fourth and final movie in the “Jaws” franchise sank with critics and audiences. Along with a 0% fresh rating, the film was nominated for seven Razzies.
