Let’s keep it real: When a Rotten Tomatoes score doesn’t go with what you think, all movie fans feel a rush. You might know that feel—your best movie gets bad marks, or a so-called great film just makes you wonder what others saw. So why do the crowd and the critics not see eye to eye so much? Let’s look at 10 movies with the biggest gaps in scores on Rotten Tomatoes. We’ll start with the small gaps and go up to the really big ones. Grab some popcorn—you might end up yelling at the screen or even at me.
10. Hillbilly Elegy
Critics Score: 26%, Audience Score: 86%
This movie about family and hard times on Netflix, set in Appalachia, hit hard. Critics found it too simple, but many people from Appalachia saw it as a real show of their own lives and hard bits. The film spoke to them about staying true, fighting on, and being proud in a way the critics just didn’t get.
9. Five Nights at Freddy’s
Critics Score: 30%, Audience Score: 88%
Gamers were excited just to watch Freddy and the group spring to life on the screen. Critics, however, griped about not having enough scares and a convoluted plot. For moviegoers, however, the nostalgia factor and Easter eggs were enough to balance out the imperfections.
8. The Covenant
Critics Score: 4%, Audience Score: 62
This teen horror film was totally trashed by critics for its poor acting and rehashed plot. Horror aficionados, however, embraced its cheesiness, the same things that critics hated. Result? A dedicated but small cult following.
7. House of 1000 Corpses
Critics Score: 21%, Audience Score: 65%
Critics dismissed Rob Zombie’s debut horror film as trashy and not original. Audiences received it differently, embracing its bloody characters, graphic violence, and clear passion for old-school horror. Where some saw a mess, others created a cult classic.
6. Saw
Critics Score: 50%, Audience Score: 84%
When Saw first came out, reviewers were not pleased with its gore or bleak tone. Audiences, however, loved the intensity, the expert pacing, and the now-iconic twist at the end. The divide was all about expectations: reviewers wanted to see restraint, while horror fans craved shocks—and got them.
5. Ad Astra
Critics Score: 83%, Audience Score: 40%
In this slow-paced sci-fi, Brad Pitt embarks on a journey into space on a mission with his dad. The critics loved the visuals and existential ideas, but audiences found it dull, unbelievable, and riddled with holes. The sloppy storytelling drowned out the high concepts of the movie for the majority of the fans.
4. King Kong (2005)
Critics Score: 84%, Audience Score: 50%
Peter Jackson’s big-budget redo earned all kinds of critical praise for its shebang and craftsmanship. The audience wasn’t so forbearing. The long running time and glacial pace left audiences squirming, and by the time Kong made his debut, the movie had already lost them.
3. The Green Knight
Critics Score: 88%, Audience Score: 49%
David Lowery’s vision of the Arthurian legend was an imagery-filled exercise in uncertainty—exactly the kind of movie to analyze to pieces, at least for critics. Viewers were frustrated by the confusing plot and surreal detours. To some, it was profound; to others, just confusing.
2. Stowaway
Critics Score:77%, Audience Score: 47%
This sci-fi drama revolved around a crew that had to make a no-win moral decision. Critics appreciated the performances and moral tension, but most audiences found it implausible, slow-paced, and unsatisfying. The premise was promising, but the execution left viewers annoyed.
1. The Vast of Night
Critics Score: 92%, Audience Score: 66%
This low-cost indie sci-fi drew rave reviews for its innovative visual approach and atmospheric storytelling. However, fans typically struggled with its slow pace, ill-defined stakes, and unconventional approach. While reviewers welcomed its ambition, audiences merely wanted a more traditional story.
There you have it—ten movies that prove critics and audiences don’t always agree. Wherever you find yourself standing with the critics or the enthusiasts, there is one thing for sure: these differences aren’t fading away anytime in the foreseeable future.