Top 20 Movies So Bad They Were Pulled From Theaters

Occasionally, a movie does so poorly that studios and theaters decide it’s not worth showing anymore. When a film receives terrible reviews, fails to attract audiences, or faces strong public disapproval, theaters might remove it from screens before its scheduled run is over. These films become interesting cases, demonstrating how quickly a highly anticipated project can become a disappointment and disappear from cinemas. Here’s a list of twenty movies that were pulled from theaters soon after release due to negative reactions from both audiences and critics.

‘Honky Tonk Freeway’ (1981)

‘Honky Tonk Freeway’ is a British comedy about a Florida town desperate to draw in tourists after a new highway reroutes traffic away from it. Despite a large production budget, the film flopped at the box office, earning back only a small portion of its costs. Critics found it wasn’t very funny, and audiences largely avoided it, leading to its quick removal from most theaters after just a week.

‘Paranoia’ (2013)

“Paranoia” is a thriller about a young tech worker who gets pressured into spying on a competitor for his boss. While it featured well-known actors, critics found the story predictable and dull, leading to negative reviews. Despite a wide release in thousands of theaters, the film quickly lost audiences and was pulled from most cinemas. Within weeks, it was only playing in a few hundred theaters and soon disappeared from box office rankings.

‘Alone in the Dark’ (2005)

‘Alone in the Dark’ is a film based on the popular survival horror video game. It follows a paranormal investigator as he battles creatures from another dimension. However, directed by Uwe Boll, the movie was critically panned and considered one of the worst video game adaptations ever made. Critics disliked the story, performances, and special effects. The film was a box office failure, quickly losing audiences and being pulled from theaters. It has since become well-known as an example of a disastrous movie.

‘From Justin to Kelly’ (2003)

‘From Justin to Kelly’ is a musical romantic comedy starring Justin Guarini and Kelly Clarkson, the top two finalists from the first season of ‘American Idol’. The movie centers on their characters’ adventures during spring break, filled with singing and dancing, but with a fairly simple plot. While critics didn’t like it, and many fans of the show didn’t go to see it, the film initially opened in many theaters. However, due to poor ticket sales, most theaters stopped showing it within three weeks.

‘Live by Night’ (2016)

‘Live by Night’ is a gangster film set during Prohibition, following a criminal who creates a bootlegging operation and attempts to maintain his own moral compass. Although directed by a popular filmmaker, starring well-known actors, and based on a successful book, the movie didn’t do well in theaters. Critics praised its visuals but found the plot weak and lacking direction, discouraging audiences from returning. After just three weeks, most cinemas stopped showing the film, leading to one of the biggest drops in theater numbers ever for a major studio release.

‘Morbius’ (2022)

‘Morbius’ is a superhero movie about a scientist who accidentally transforms into a vampire-like figure while trying to find a cure for a rare illness. Although it initially sparked interest as part of a larger comic book world, the film quickly received negative reviews. A surge of online memes briefly brought the movie back into the spotlight, prompting the studio to re-release it in theaters. However, the second release also failed to attract audiences, and theaters soon stopped showing it. This made ‘Morbius’ a clear example of how popular internet jokes don’t always lead to success at the box office.

‘Glitter’ (2001)

“Glitter” is a musical movie about a rising singer whose success comes at the cost of her personal life, and features a popular musician as the lead. Despite being designed to showcase the star’s talent, the film received negative reviews and failed to attract audiences. It premiered in over a thousand theaters, but showings were quickly cut back due to poor ticket sales. The movie left theaters after less than a month, earning back only a fraction of its production costs.

‘Postal’ (2007)

‘Postal’ is a film adaptation of a darkly humorous video game, directed by Uwe Boll. It centers on an ordinary man unexpectedly caught up in a world of violence. Initially, the movie was intended for a wide release in many theaters, but negative reviews and distributor hesitation caused most cinemas to cancel their screenings. As a result, ‘Postal’ played in only a few locations and was quickly removed from theaters, failing to achieve the broad release originally planned.

‘It’s Pat’ (1994)

‘It’s Pat’ started as a popular sketch on a late-night comedy show and was later made into a full-length movie. The film centers around a character whose gender is intentionally ambiguous. However, critics didn’t think the idea was strong enough to sustain a whole movie, and many viewers agreed. After opening in only thirty-three theaters in a few cities and earning very little money, the film was quickly pulled from cinemas after its opening weekend, making it one of the shortest runs ever for a studio comedy.

‘Mortdecai’ (2015)

Mortdecai is a comedic adventure following a quirky art dealer as he hunts for a stolen painting connected to a secret fortune. Despite featuring a recognizable cast, critics found the movie’s humor to be unnatural and old-fashioned. The film performed poorly in theaters from the start and quickly became a major box office failure. After just three weeks, the distributor removed it from nearly 2,400 cinemas, leaving it playing in only a tiny number of its original locations.

‘Swept Away’ (2002)

‘Swept Away’ is a new version of a classic Italian love story about a rich woman and a sailor who find themselves shipwrecked on a deserted island. Despite featuring a well-known singer and a respected director, the film wasn’t well-received by critics or moviegoers. Many reviewers felt it lacked the depth and social commentary of the original, and this was reflected in low ticket sales. The film played in limited theaters and was quickly pulled from most cinemas after just two weeks, resulting in a very small box office total.

‘Seeking Justice’ (2011)

I recently checked out ‘Seeking Justice,’ and it’s a pretty intense action thriller. The story follows a regular guy whose life gets turned upside down when his wife is attacked, and he ends up getting involved with this shadowy vigilante group. But he quickly realizes he’s in over his head! It stars a really familiar actor who was doing a lot of these kinds of thrillers back then. Honestly, it didn’t get a lot of love from critics, and it seemed like hardly anyone saw it in theaters. It started in a decent number of cinemas, but within just a few weeks, it was pulled from almost everywhere because not enough people were buying tickets. It’s a shame, because I thought it had potential!

‘Max Steel’ (2016)

“Max Steel” attempted to bring the popular action figure and animated series to the big screen, telling the story of a teen who gains superpowers by bonding with an alien technology. While the filmmakers aimed to create a new, family-friendly superhero series, the movie was critically panned and didn’t resonate with audiences. It performed poorly in its opening weekend and continued to struggle, leading cinemas to quickly remove it from most theaters. Ultimately, it became one of the year’s biggest box office failures.

‘Mr. Magoo’ (1997)

The movie ‘Mr. Magoo’ was based on the popular cartoon featuring a very nearsighted older man who frequently gets into comical accidents. However, groups representing people with vision loss strongly criticized the film, believing its humor made light of disability. These protests, combined with poor reviews, put significant pressure on the studio and cinemas. As a result, Disney quickly ended the film’s theatrical release, and it was removed from most theaters within two weeks of its debut.

‘Delgo’ (2008)

‘Delgo’ is a computer-animated fantasy film about a young hero attempting to bring peace to a land torn apart by conflict. Despite a significant production budget and a well-known voice cast, the movie flopped spectacularly in theaters. It had one of the worst opening weekends of any widely released film and was quickly pulled from cinemas, earning very little money in less than a week. It became a notorious example of a box office failure.

‘Jem and the Holograms’ (2015)

The movie ‘Jem and the Holograms’ updates the classic cartoon series, telling the story of four sisters who quickly become famous through online videos. While longtime fans of the original show weren’t happy with the changes to the characters and overall feel, critics also found the movie predictable and lacking direction. Despite being released in many theaters, it performed very poorly, and Universal Pictures unusually pulled it from most cinemas after just two weeks, resulting in a very brief run in theaters.

‘The Garbage Pail Kids Movie’ (1987)

The ‘Garbage Pail Kids Movie’ is a wacky comedy inspired by the popular trading cards known for their silly and often gross characters. The film follows a boy who becomes friends with these strange creatures and tries to keep them secret. However, critics found the movie’s visuals and overall feel unpleasant, and audiences largely stayed away. It quickly disappeared from most theaters and became known as a major flop.

‘Gigli’ (2003)

‘Gigli’ is a crime romance film about a minor mobster assigned to a kidnapping job who finds his plans complicated by a fellow operative. While initial publicity benefited from the on-screen couple’s real-life relationship, the movie received overwhelmingly negative reviews and quickly lost audiences. After a dramatic drop in ticket sales during its second week, ‘Gigli’ was pulled from most cinemas in the US and internationally.

‘Blackhat’ (2015)

Blackhat is a suspenseful thriller featuring a former hacker who’s freed from prison to assist authorities in hunting down a dangerous cybercriminal attacking important systems worldwide. Although directed by a well-known filmmaker and starring popular actors, the film unfortunately opened the same weekend as a highly anticipated war movie, which overshadowed it. Blackhat performed poorly in its initial release and failed to attract an audience. After just two weeks, Universal Pictures significantly reduced the number of theaters showing the film, limiting it to only a few hundred, and decided to release it for home viewing in some countries instead.

‘United Passions’ (2014)

‘United Passions’ is a movie about the history and leaders of the organization that governs world football. The film was largely funded by the organization itself and released around the time a major corruption scandal involving its officials became public. Critics called it biased propaganda, and audiences largely stayed away – it made less than $10,000 in its opening weekend in the United States. The film was quickly pulled from theaters and is now known as one of the worst-performing and most criticized sports movies of all time.

Tell us about movies you’ve seen quickly come and go from cinemas in the comments, and see how they stack up against these films.

2025-11-14 15:48