Some movies are so awful that people could not sit through them. Audiences and critics have actually gotten up and walked out, leaving theaters half empty. These films earned a reputation for being unbearable, with bad jokes, weak stories, or just plain boredom driving folks away.
Take Zoolander 2 from 2016. Film critic Leonard Maltin loved the first Zoolander but hated this sequel so much he walked out. He called it annoying, stupid, and packed with unfunny gags. Life is too short for that kind of frustration, he said. Check out more on comedy walkouts at https://www.vice.com/en/article/4-comedy-movies-critics-walked-out-of/[1].
Then there is Black Sheep in 1996, starring Chris Farley and David Spade. Critic Gene Siskel made it 20 minutes before slipping out, pretending to use the bathroom. He later trashed Farley on TV, saying he just screamed and rolled around without being funny. It was the first movie Siskel walked out of since 1971[1].
Clerks II in 2006 pushed critic Joel Siegel over the edge. Just 30 minutes in, he stood up in the front row at a screening and yelled, Time to go! A scene with a donkey reference was the last straw for him after 30 years of reviewing[1].
The 1971 comedy The Statue also bombed hard. Roger Ebert called it one of the worst movies ever. It stars David Niven getting a nude statue of himself with the wrong private parts, plus early Monty Python cameos that did not save it[1].
Fast forward to 2025, and A Minecraft Movie topped lists as the years worst. Critics ripped it for lazy jokes where Jack Black just names game things to get cheap laughs. No real plot or character depth, just brain-dead filler. It felt like a cash grab on the game IP[2].
That same year, a new War of the Worlds hit rock bottom. Shot mostly during COVID with no direction for actors, it became a so-bad-its-good mess like The Room. Ice Cube watches aliens attack through screens, feeling like a bad ad. IMDb users gave it a 2.5 out of 10, and crowds likely bailed early[2][3][4].
Disaster Movie from 2008 sits at number one on IMDBs lowest rated list with a 1.9 score from 97,000 votes. Its nonstop lame spoofs made people flee screenings. Other bottom dwellers like Manos: The Hands of Fate from 1966 and Birdemic: Shock and Terror also cleared theaters with their cheap effects and nonsense plots[4].
Cats in 2019 had viewers escaping the weird CGI fur and dances. Gigli from 2003 with its awkward romance bombed so bad it became a punchline. These films prove when a movie fails this hard, no one sticks around[4].
Sources
https://www.vice.com/en/article/4-comedy-movies-critics-walked-out-of/
https://cityhub.com.au/2025-wrap-up-top-5-worst-movies/
https://blackgirlnerds.com/black-girl-nerds-picks-for-the-worst-films-of-2025/
https://www.imdb.com/chart/bottom/
https://collider.com/worst-movies-tried-to-be-about-important-issues-ranked/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_films_considered_the_worst
