From record-breaking hits to fan favorites, Netflix produces hundreds of original films every year. But with such large-scale production, not every film captures the audience. Some don’t meet expectations, others simply fade into the background, and many are just plain bad. While they may not be the most terrible films ever made, they do stick out for not living up to the hype or massive budgets behind them. Whether they’re rom-coms or action-packed films, these 34 movies prove that even a streaming giant like Netflix can’t always predict what will be a hit or a total flop.
#1 Uglies (2024)
Starring Joey King, Keith Powers and more, this film is set in a post-apocalyptic future where everyone is considered “ugly” until age 16, when cosmetic surgery makes them “pretty.” The sci-fi drama received some pretty negative reviews from critics who gave it a low 3.5/10 rating, with many saying it came out “two decades too late”.
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#2 Diana, The Musical (2021)
The filmed performance of Diana, the musical, premiered on Netflix on October 1, 2021. This highly anticipated movie, based on Princess Diana’s life, received harsh reviews from critics who went as far as saying it “did Diana dirty”. To make matters worse, it won Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Actress, Worst Supporting Actress, and even Worst Screenplay at the 42nd Golden Raspberry Awards.
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#3 He’s All That (2021)
Receiving unfavorable reviews, this modern adaptation of the 1999 movie “She’s All That” failed to capture the interest of viewers. With its plot centered around a disgraced TikTok influencer accepting a bet to turn an unpopular classmate into a prom king, most critics call it “underwhelming.” They also note that it misses the mark, particularly due to a lack of chemistry between the two lead actors.
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#4 The Kissing Booth (2018)
Starring Joey King, Jacob Elordi, and Joel Courtney, this teen rom-com follows a teenage girl whose life turns upside down after unexpectedly locking lips with her best friend’s brother. Despite being quite popular with audiences, critics responded to the film quite negatively. They gave the film a low rating, stating that it contains “every romantic comedy cliché in the book” and lacks originality.
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#5 Tall Girl 2 (2022)
A sequel to the first movie, Tall Girl 2, continues the story of a high school girl who was previously a social outcast because of her height. The film received mixed reviews, with some deeming it a slight improvement over the original; however, critics still feel it has “a long way to go to be considered a top-tier teen movie.”
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#6 Tall Girl (2019)
This teen rom-com follows the story of a high school girl who’s a social outcast simply because she’s tall. According to critics, “While charming at times, Tall Girl is mostly an uninspired teen comedy that fails to bring anything new to the genre.” Some regular viewers have been less kind with their reviews, calling the film “disappointing” and “slightly triggering.” Interestingly, 74% of the viewers still liked watching it regardless of its shortcomings.
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#7 The Woman In The Window (2021)
Originally scheduled for theater release in 2019, this psychological thriller premiered on Netflix two years later. In the film, Amy Adams plays a solitary agoraphobic woman who spies on her new neighbors and witnesses them committing a crime. Unfortunately, according to critics, Adams’ outstanding performance isn’t enough to save the film’s over-the-top and confusing plot.
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#8 Love & Gelato (2022)
Based on the bestselling novel of the same name, this 2022 rom-com takes viewers on a teenage girl’s summer vacation in Rome, filled with romance, gelato, and adventure. Critics and readers note that the film falls short in comparison to the novel, pointing out how disappointing the romance is and how the characters aren’t easy to fall in love with.
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#9 Sierra Burgess Is A Loser (2018)
Sierra Burgess Is a Loser is a teen comedy-drama that’s an adaptation of the 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac. The film follows the life of an unpopular high school girl who’s convinced she’ll never find love. While many appreciate Shannon Purser’s portrayal of the protagonist, most feel that some of her character’s behavior, like manipulation and bullying, is problematic and highly uncomfortable to watch.
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#10 The Open House (2018)
The plot for this horror centers around a teen boy and his mother moving into a secluded house after the patriarch of their family passes away in a car crash. Both critics and regular viewers reacted negatively to the film, noting that it lacks genuine scares or excitement and has an ending that falls a bit flat.
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#11 The Next 365 Days (2022)
This final installment of the 365 Days trilogy follows the two protagonists as they face new challenges in their relationship while working through trust issues. Much like the previous films, critics and viewers were left searching for depth in the plot and disappointed at the lack of story development. On top of that, it’s one of the few films to receive a 0% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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#12 The Bubble (2022)
Set at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, this comedy film follows the cast and crew of an action movie franchise as they attempt to shoot a sequel. Holed up together in a fancy hotel while self-quarantining, chaos erupts between them. Despite its star-studded cast, critics gave it negative reviews, describing it as “meandering and mostly unfunny”.
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#13 Atlas (2024)
Critics gave this sci-fi action film starring Jennifer Lopez poor reviews. While they criticized the script, saying it lacked depth and originality, they also praised the cast and Lopez’s performance. Despite the harsh critique of the writing, the film achieved impressive viewership when it premiered on Netflix.
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#14 The Ridiculous 6 (2015)
Sadly, this Western action comedy is also one of the few films to receive an approval rating of 0% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics labelled the film as “lazy” and “offensive” in their scathing reviews, and unfortunately, neither Adam Sandler’s popularity nor that of the talented cast could save it. The film also failed to resonate with viewers.
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#15 Red Notice (2021)
Despite being one of the most-watched movies in Netflix history, this action comedy got quite a few poor ratings from critics, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of just 36%. According to their reviews, the star-studded lineup of Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot couldn’t make up for its underwhelming script and predictable plot.
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#16 Fatal Affair (2020)
With a plot centered around attraction, temptation, and deception, viewers had high hopes for this psychological thriller, but sadly, critics say it comes up a little short. Many described it as “dull” and “barely there”, pretty much lacking intensity. Despite the film’s significant viewership after its premiere, its approval rating remains quite low at just 19%.
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#17 Brazen (2022)
This romance thriller follows a mystery writer’s attempt to capture the culprit responsible for taking her sister’s life. While some viewers enjoyed the film, critics gave it low ratings. They described the movie as “weak” with low tension and an underwhelming execution. Some also noted that the plot wasn’t engaging enough to captivate audiences.
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#18 Dangerous Liaisons (2022)
Loosely based on the 90s classic “Cruel Intentions,” this modern-day rom-com drama failed to live up to the expectations set by the original work. Most critics gave the film unfavorable reviews, noting that it isn’t thrilling and feels predictable. Surprisingly, 63% of viewers liked the movie despite its 0% approval rating.
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#19 Mother Of The Bride (2024)
Sadly, an attractive cast and stunning set destination aren’t enough to save this rom-com. Described as a cliché by critics, this 2024 film scored an underwhelming average rating of 3.3/10. Some found the plot uncomfortable and unintentionally confusing, while others couldn’t get past the film’s unrelatable story; however, 55% of viewers liked it.
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#20 Noise (2023)
This psychological drama failed to captivate viewers and critics. Following the story of an influencer father discovering dark secrets from his own father’s past, the film is one of the lowest-rated dramas to be released on Netflix. The main source of disappointment is the movie’s pacing, with the story only starting to develop about an hour in.
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#21 The Tearsmith (2024)
Following the romance between two adopted teens, this Italian film received negative reviews from critics, who described it as uncomfortable and confusing. They didn’t care for certain aspects of the film’s plot, particularly the “step-sibling romance”. Interestingly, Tearsmith ranked first on the Netflix global charts shortly after its release, and although predictable, viewers still found it entertaining.
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#22 iBoy (2017)
Starring Bill Milner and Maisie Williams, this sci-fi superhero film centers around a teenage boy who develops superpowers after pieces of his smartphone become embedded in his head. Unlike many other films on this list, both critics and regular viewers found iBoy entertaining despite its overly serious tone, and praised Williams for her performance.
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#23 Game Over, Man! (2018)
Meant to be a comedic parody of the first Die Hard movie, this action comedy film received negative reviews from critics. They describe it as “sporadically funny” with few original ideas and a plot that leaves a lot to be desired. Unfortunately, their criticism of the film also extends to the characters whom they call “charmless”.
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#24 Me Time (2022)
Receiving mostly negative reviews, Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg aren’t enough to carry this buddy comedy film, which follows a stay-at-home dad’s time away from his family. With an average rating of 3.4/10 on Rotten Tomatoes, the consensus on the film is, “For viewers inexplicably hungry to see stars wasted on a desperately unfunny comedy, Me Time might be the movie of the year.”
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#25 Thunder Force (2021)
This superhero comedy film follows two childhood friends who invent a serum that gives them superpowers in a world where criminals also have superpowers. The film received pretty negative reviews, with critics saying, “It’s got a few chuckles, but Thunder Force is largely a superhero comedy that’s neither exciting nor funny.”
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#26 The Electric State (2025)
Loosely based on the illustrated novel by Simon Stålenhag, this sci-fi action-adventure film failed to attract audiences despite its star-studded lineup (Chris Pratt and Millie Bobby Brown) and high budget. The consensus from critics is that “The Electric State has plenty of hardware to back it up but none of the spark that’d make it come to life.”
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#27 The Unforgivable (2021)
Starring Sandra Bullock, the movie follows a woman determined to reunite with her younger sister after serving a 20-year prison sentence. Though it was the most-streamed film on Netflix’s charts during its first week of release, the psychological drama received mixed reviews from critics. Despite Bullock’s outstanding performance, the plot has been described as “depressing”.
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#28 The King (2019)
Based on several plays from William Shakespeare’s Henriad, this historical drama starring Timothée Chalamet as Henry V received mixed reviews from critics. Although The King is praised for delivering gripping performances, most of the movie’s negative reviews come from its historical inaccuracies. Surprisingly, the film still managed to captivate regular Netflix viewers.
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#29 Hubie Halloween (2020)
This horror comedy mystery film follows a Halloween-obsessed deli worker who must save his town from a kidnapper. Unlike Adam Sandler’s other movies on this list, Hubie Halloween has critics split. As it turns out, the film also received three nominations for Worst Actor, Worst Screen Combo, and Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel.
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#30 The Do-Over (2016)
The Do-Over is a buddy action comedy centered around two friends who fake their own passings to start new lives. Unfortunately, this film is another one of Adam Sandler’s Netflix productions that falls short of expectations, with an average rating of 3.17/10 on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics describe the movie as repetitive and not very humorous.
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#31 The Last Thing He Wanted (2020)
Based on a novel, this political thriller starring Anne Hathaway follows a journalist who’s not too eager to run an errand for her ill father. While Hathaway was praised for her performance as usual, critics weren’t too thrilled with the film and gave some pretty brutal reviews, like, “It’ll be the last thing most viewers want, too.”
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#32 Bright (2017)
“Bright tries to blend fantasy, hard-hitting cop drama, and social commentary—and ends up falling painfully short of the mark on all three fronts.” This is the consensus from critics on the fantasy crime film starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton. What was intended to be the beginning of a new movie franchise ultimately fizzled away, with hopes of a sequel crushed due to poor reviews.
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#33 The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)
With a brilliant cast and a genius marketing strategy, this sci-fi horror film was primed to be a global success, but sadly, that wouldn’t be the case. The movie received negative reviews from critics, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of only 22%. They also went as far as calling the plot “muddled” and “confusing”.
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#34 Rebel Moon – Part 1: A Child Of Fire (2023)
While this space opera film is visually impressive, critics weren’t too thrilled about its storyline, calling it predictable. With too many characters crowding the story, Rebel Moon failed to deliver a cohesive and thrilling viewing experience. Despite this, the movie had a strong premiere on Netflix on December 22, 2023.
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