10 More Horror Movies Hated By Critics But Audiences Loved
3. Queen of the Damned
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 17%
2002's Queen of the Damned, a standalone sequel to Interview with the Vampire, was given a critical whipping upon release, with the press ridiculing its chaotic filmmaking style, absurd dialogue, and bevy of unintentional comedy.
The film did nevertheless top the box office in its opening weekend, though ultimately still underperformed against its budget, yet today sits at a solid 66% audience approval rating from more than 250,000 viewers - almost an entire 50% higher than the critical metric.
There are a few obvious explanations for this. First and foremost, Queen of the Damned was the final film role of singer-actress Aaliyah, who died in a plane crash shortly after principal photography wrapped.
The appeal of seeing Aaliyah in her final screen role speaks for itself, while general viewers were also likely far more amenable to the film's "MTV-style" editing, shameless peddling of gore and skin, and generally campy vibe.
Though author Anne Rice herself rubbished the film as a "mutilation" of her work, it nevertheless won over the great many casual viewers just looking for some sexy, bloody, undemanding vampiric silliness.