6. The Grudge
A detective investigating a murder case where a young mother murdered her family in her own house, discovers that the house in question is haunted by a vengeful spirit. As the detective becomes the target of demonic spirits, she must fight to protect herself and her family.
Directed by Nicolas Pesce, who also wrote the screenplay, The Grudge was originally intended as a reboot of both the original 2002 Japanese horror film and the 2004 American remake. However, the film ended up instead as a sidequel and takes place before and during the events of the 2004 films and its two sequels. The Grudge is the fourth instalment of The Grudge film series.
The film was a box office success, grossing over $49 million against a budget of around $14 million but received primarily negative reviews from critics. The film’s biggest flaw was that it was seen as a completely unnecessary instalment in a franchise that had already seen its best film a long time ago. The use of horror was also criticised, with critics noting that whilst the film employed plenty of jump scares and was unsettling at times, it was unlikely to hold much appeal for hardcore horror fans.
7. Downhill
After barely escaping an avalanche during their family skiing vacation in the Alps, a long term married couple is forced to face the issues within their marriage and their changing feelings about each other.
Downhill was co-directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, who also co-wrote the screenplay along with Jesse Armstrong. The film is a remake of the Swedish film Force Majeure, which was directed by Ruben Ostlund. Downhill grossed $8 million at the box office and was received negatively by critics.
It was not too surprising when Downhill was received negatively by critics as its initial announcement was also met with negativity. Many felt that there was no need for an English language remake of Force Majeure, a film which was critically praised and received positive reviews from audiences. As was expected, Downhill did not live up to the original film and left fans of Force Majeure bitterly disappointed.
8. Like A Boss
Best friends Mel and Mia run their own cosmetics company that they built from scratch. When a notorious and successful big brand company put in a tempting offer to buy them out, Mel and Mia’s friendship is thrown into jeopardy.
Like A Boss was directed by Miguel Arteta and co-written by Sam Pitman and Adam Cole-Kelly. Like A Boss was a box office bomb, only grossing $29.8 million against a budget of $29 million. It was also received negatively by critics and audiences alike.
Like A Boss was criticised for falling flat as a comedy and for wasting the talents of its lead stars Tiffany Haddish and Rose Byrne, both of whom have had proved themselves as talented comedic performers. The writing has also been highlighted as being formulaic and lazy, relying on the lowest common denominator in every plot point.
9. The Last Thing He Wanted
In the middle of covering the 1984 election, news reporter Elena McMahon suddenly stops her work in order to care for her dying father. During this time, she becomes embroiled in an arms deal and becomes the centre of a story that she is trying to break.
The Last Thing He Wanted was directed by Dee Rees, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Marco Villalobos. The film was adapted from the novel of the same name which was written by Joan Didion. The Last Thing He Ever Wanted had its premiere at Sundance Film Festival before being released digitally on to streaming service Netflix. The Last Thing He Wanted was panned by critics and is currently one of the worst reviewed films of the year so far.
The Last Thing He Wanted was criticised for being over convoluted, over long and for having consistent plot holes. Many critics pointed out that it was almost impossible to follow as well as having unconvincing characters and poor performances.
10. Artemis Fowl
Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a genius and is obsessed with the mythical stories that his father tells him. When Artemis’s beloved father goes missing, Artemis plots to kidnap a fairy in order to harness her magical powers and save his father.
Artemis Fowl, which was also known as Artemis Fowl: The Secret World in some territories, was based on the 2001 novel by the same name by author Eoin Colfer. The film was directed by Kenneth Branagh and co-written by Conor McPherson and Hamish McColl.
Artemis Fowl had a difficult production journey and, in many ways, unfortunately felt doomed to fail. Originally, the film was due to be launched as a franchise by Miramax back in 2001. However, the film stayed in development hell as several writers and directors were attached and then unattached to the project. Walt Disney Pictures acquired the rights and filming began in 2018. The film was due for a theatrical release, which was pushed back twice and then eventually abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic and instead released digitally on to streaming service Disney+.
The film was panned critically and casted doubt on previous hopes that Artemis Fowl would be the inception of a franchise. Artemis Fowl was blasted for being poorly executed which resulted in an overly convoluted film which neither pleased fans of the source material nor was appealing to new fans.