Film critics and audiences famously don't agree on movies, if they ever do. But while there are movies that audiences love and critics hate, sometimes the opposite is true too. There are movies that critics couldn't get enough of but audiences outright hated.
It is popular belief that movies that critics and critics love are esoteric indie films, usually those made with tiny budgets and come from far outside the Hollywood system. But believe it or not, that's not always the case. Whether they're made independently or come from the deep pockets of a major studio, sometimes a movie simply splits the room, with its artistry appealing more to critics than everyone else.
Here, we list 32 of the all-time greatest movies that apparently only critics dug and audiences actually hated. Scoop some popcorn and get ready to throw them, because some of these movies are either instant classics or belong in the dumpster, depending on who you talk to. 32.
King Kong (2005) The goodwill Peter Jackson accumulated from his acclaimed Lord of the Rings trilogy apparently wasn't enough for his 2005 epic, King Kong, to become a similar hit for moviegoers. Jackson's gorgeous and epic remake of the original classic from 1933 has just a 50% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to its more mighty 84% rating with critics. Though it's commonly believed that audiences prefer spectacles and critics favor artistic dramas, movies like King Kong smash those expectations to bits.
31. Smoking Cau.
