8 Action Movies Critics Hated That Audiences Would Fight For. The Crowd Was Right.

Critics wrote these off. Audiences kept buying tickets, rewatching, and quoting them anyway. Today movie guru takes the crowd's side, loudly, with receipts.

Number one made pocket change in theaters and still has the loudest fans alive.

1. 8
   Underworld (2003)5.0

   Underworld knew exactly what it was. Critics didn't.

   30% on Rotten Tomatoes, 7.0 on IMDb from 304,602 voters. A reported $22M budget turned into $95.7M worldwide. The blue filter is a lot, though.
2. 7
   Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)4.6

   Critics wanted a plot. Audiences wanted Nicolas Cage and engines.

   25% from critics, $237.2M worldwide from everybody else. The story is thinner than a parking ticket, and nobody holding a ticket cared.
3. 6
   Warcraft (2016)4.5

   The world showed up even when America didn't.

   $47.4M domestic, $439M worldwide. Critics gave it 29%, audiences gave it a B+ CinemaScore. Too much lore per minute, but the orcs look incredible.
4. 5
   Bad Boys II (2003)5.2

   Michael Bay at full volume is a feature, not a bug.

   Critics: 23%. Audiences: an A CinemaScore and $273.3M worldwide. It's too long and too loud, which is legit the reason people bought tickets.
5. 4
   Law Abiding Citizen (2009)5.5

   Gerard Butler versus the justice system is pure popcorn.

   26% on Rotten Tomatoes, 7.4 on IMDb from 350,679 people, $127.9M worldwide. The last act gets silly. The first hour is Butler and Jamie Foxx playing chess.
6. 3
   Equilibrium (2002)5.8

   Christian Bale doing gun kata deserved a real audience.

   Metacritic gave it 33. It made $1.2M domestic on a reported $20M budget. Then 366,195 IMDb voters found it anyway and gave it 7.3.
7. 2
   Man on Fire (2004)6.4

   Denzel's best pure action movie, and 39% is a crime.

   7.7 on IMDb from 427,761 voters, an A− CinemaScore, $130.8M worldwide. Tony Scott's jittery editing is a lot. Denzel and Dakota Fanning make it hit anyway.
8. 1
   The Boondock Saints (1999)6.6

   Made $52,000 in theaters and outlived every review.

   26% from critics. 7.6 on IMDb from 264,746 voters. $52,000 domestic on a reported $6M budget. It's messier than fans admit, and they'll defend it forever.

$357 says the Boondock Saints comments hit triple digits before anyone mentions Warcraft.

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Current mood: ready to fight about it