10 Wildly Popular Films That Are Actually Rubbish
1. Fifty Shades Of Grey
Fifty Shades Of Grey swept the board at the 2016 Razzie Awards, winning Worst Picture, Actor, Actress, Screenplay and Worst Screen Combo. Critics called it “absurd” and a “half-baked mess” and even fans of E.L. James’ books conceded that they probably weren’t up there with the Sistine Chapel.
None of which affected the picture’s box office: with a worldwide gross of $561 million, it was the 11th most popular film of 2015, ahead of Ant Man, San Andreas and Mad Max: Fury Road. Try to wrap your brain around that. A $40 million bonkbuster that nobody claimed to like made nearly $200 million more than Fury Road, which was nominated for 10 Oscars (and won 6).
When Deep Throat tore up the box office in 1971, making more money than either Dirty Harry or Diamonds Are forever, The New York Times coined the term “Porno Chic” to describe the burgeoning interest of middle class couples in hard-core pornography. Fifty Shades isn’t explicit enough to bear comparison with that clunker, but it does shine a light on the private lives of your middle class friends.
Plus ca change and all that.