Love it or hate it, the movie and TV review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes has become somewhat of a boogeyman in Hollywood, compiling both audience and critic opinions of a given title and evaluating its quality as either “rotten” or “fresh.” Often, the consensus among both regular movie-goers and critics is largely unified, save for a small percentile difference on either side.
In the years since its inception, however, Rotten Tomatoes has played host to its fair share of divisive films, made evident through a misaligned gap between each demographic’s respective score. So, while critic opinions often inform that of the general audience (and vice versa), these films with divided Tomatometers prove that in some cases, it’s best to agree to disagree.
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Critics Loved, Audiences Loathed: ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ (49% Divide)
The Last Jedi’s measly audience score of 41%, comparable to that of critics’ 91%, can perhaps be explained by the lofty expectations of its die-hard fanbase, who just two years prior were treated to an almost-universally lauded film in The Force Awakens. Judging it on its merit as a standalone feature, cinephiles praised director Rian Johnson’s filmmaking, while years-long fans rejected the direction that Jedi took its much-loved characters.
What resulted, in a rare case where a blockbuster swayed the oft-disapproving critic pool, was The Last Jedi receiving one of the lowest audience scores of any film in the Star Wars franchise. While the divide is stark, Disney’s eighth entry into the galaxy-spanning universe managed to perform well, scoring the second-biggest opening of any film on the box office record.
Audiences Loved, Critics Loathed: ‘Venom’ (51% Divide)
While critics have grown increasingly tolerant — and even complimentary — of superhero movies (seen most recently in Spider-Man: No Way Home), Tom Hardy’s outing as Venom proved that their acceptance has limits. What was a pulpy popcorn treat for audiences (81%), filled with fan-service origin stories and Marvel-adjacent cameos, was for critics on the other end of the spectrum, an overstuffed mess (30%).
Perhaps the audience’s sheer enjoyment of the film is what translated as depthless to a more analytical audience, but it’s a divide that nonetheless resulted in one of the Tomatometer’s most hotly-debated discrepancies. In any case, the trend continued just last year, when Venom’s sequel outing, Let There Be Carnage, caused a divide of 26%.
Critics Loved, Audiences Loathed: ‘Sausage Party’ (32% Divide)
Comedies are subjective at the best of times, but when Seth Rogen’s anthropomorphized groceries came to life in Sausage Party, they left critics salivating (82%) and audiences with a bad taste in their mouth (50%).
Acclaimed by cinephiles for its raucously profane gags and unexpected profundity, the 2016 cartoon faced harsher criticism by general movie-goers, who perhaps sought the kind of thoughtless fun promised by Rogen’s less abstract films. With an idea for a Sausage Party sequel in the works but with nothing yet to materialize, perhaps the polarizing supermarket comedy is best left on the shelf.
Audiences Loved, Critics Loathed: ‘Don’t Look Up’ (22% Divide)
The divisiveness in the discourse surrounding the allegorical satire Don’t Look Up was replicated in the Tomato-verse, where the Adam McKay film currently holds a 22% divide. While the sheer spectacle of Don’t Look Up’s cast — so starry it warrants its own constellation — may have won most audiences over (78%), McKay’s heavy-handed and overly ambitious messaging was critiqued by reviewers (56%).
Despite the debate (or maybe because of it), Don’t Look Up scored itself a Best Picture nod at this year’s Academy Awards, a move that no-doubt surprised its naysayers.
Critics Loved, Audiences Loathed: ‘Spy Kids’ (47% Divide)
Somewhat unprecedented for a film that includes life-sized animated thumbs and flashy CGI, Spy Kids was a surprise critical hit upon its initial release in 2001, receiving a glowing score of 93% among its reviewers.
While it was the film’s main strength among critics, Spy Kids’ sheer absurdity was lost on general audiences (46%), a divide that continued with the agent family’s sequel outing. The Island of Lost Dreams scored the franchise its second certified “Fresh” rating, but the kids seemingly lost their mojo by the third film, which was later deemed “Rotten” by both critics and audiences alike.
Audiences Loved, Critics Loathed: ‘Passengers’ (33% Divide)
While neither demographic was particularly fond of Passengers (audiences only scored it a wanting 63%), critics seemingly had a harder time getting past the film’s problematic central narrative. For general movie-goers, Passengers’ big-budget sets and the natural chemistry of its starry leads might have compensated for Chris Pratt’s flawed character.
Among more critical audiences, however, Jim’s decision to wake up Jennifer Lawrence’s Aurora was almost universally panned, with many claiming that, through a simple change of perspective, Passengers could have achieved “Fresh” status.
Critics Loved, Audiences Loathed: Us (34% Divide)
Perhaps it was the curse of the sophomore slump that steered audiences away from Jordan Peele’s Us. The follow-up to Get Out promised all the popcorn-friendly trappings of its predecessor, but Us’ take on the home invasion genre may have been too subversive for horror-seeking movie-goers (59%).
In a theme that rings true for most critic-audience divides, Us’ high concept was appreciated by cinephiles, who praised the film’s chess-like precision to detail and its particular comedic flair. Divisive as it might’ve been, critics and audiences found common ground in their equal appreciation of Us’ award-worthy doppelganger performance by Lupita Nyong’o.
Audiences Loved, Critics Loathed: ‘We’re The Millers’ (23% Divide)
The comedic tale of a would-be drug dealer and his chosen (fake) family found its star power in Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis, with enough zingy one-liners to compensate for a somewhat predictable third act. While audiences seemingly took comfort in We’re The Millers‘ formulaic take on the road movie (72%), the film’s inability to make better use of its comedic talent left something to be desired among critics (49%).
In any case, Jennifer Aniston’s rightful place as America’s sweetheart remained intact among both audiences and critics alike.
Critics Loved, Audiences Loathed: ‘Captain Marvel’ (34% Divide)
A rare case in which the usually satisfying formula of a superhero film was lost on the general audience but lauded by its critics, Captain Marvel perhaps couldn’t recuperate from her lackluster debut in Avengers: Endgame. Unable to meet the expectations of its Marvel viewership, fans of the comic book criticized what they deemed as a one-dimensional superheroine.
What was a miscasting on one end of the spectrum was, among critics, a progressive move within a male-dominated genre, infusing Captain Marvel with enough cultural relevance to offset its clichés and stand on its own within the broader MCU canon.
Audiences Loved, Critics Loathed: ‘The Greatest Showman’ (29% Divide).
Dazzling choreography and costume design were enough to win over general audiences in 2017’s The Greatest Showman, only enhanced by energetic performances from Zac Efron and Zendaya. The result for its family-oriented audience was a feel-good tale of acceptance, with a few fun dance sequences thrown in for extra measure (86%).
While Hugh Jackman’s performance was enjoyed in both demographics, some were attuned to the historical figure he depicted, with the film’s inaccurate take on its real-life showman being largely debunked by critics (57%).
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