Author: Chris Snelgrove Published
From Star Wars to Dune to Nosferatu, it’s clear that modern filmmakers are eager to remake some of the most captivating films in Hollywood history. Because of this, you might think that the most recent year has been the worst for remakes, but you’d be wrong. As it turns out, the worst year for remakes was 1998, which brought us four Razzie-nominated flops: Godzilla, lost in space, psychologyand the Avengers.
For fans of the genre, the most noteworthy films on this dubious list are godzillaa film by Matthew Broderick independence Day Director Roland Emmerich. Ultimately, it made $379 million on a budget of about $150 million, but that’s not the whole story; you see, the movie cost as much to market as Monster, which required $240 million Domestic To be considered successful.
The rainiest Godzilla movie ever
Unfortunately, it only made $136 million, and while it made some money overseas, the film’s poor reputation among critics and fans destroyed any hope of creating a lasting, uniquely American take on the most famous monster.
The film has a staggeringly low 20% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics complaining that this soulless film with such a horrific character is an affront to the Godzilla brand. Such savage reviews, coupled with disappointing box office performance, led to the demise of Roland Emmerich’s planned trilogy of Godzilla films, and there was no direct follow-up to the 1998 dud. To add insult to injury, the film was nominated for five Golden Raspberry Awards (designed to honor the worst films in Hollywood), and ultimately won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Remake or Sequel (along with the Avengers).
Avengers, disassembled!
Speaking of which, the Avengers It has nothing to do with Marvel; instead, it’s a remake of the TV show of the same name, in which Diana Rigg is at her sexiest. In this remake, Uma Thurman and Ralph Fiennes go to great lengths to recreate the stylish sexiness of the legendary TV show, but it’s all in vain. The film ended up grossing $54.7 million on a $60 million budget, turning what was supposed to be a foolproof remake into one of the biggest flops of the ’90s.
In addition to financial failure, the Avengers It was also a critical flop, earning a 5% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (yes, you read that right). Critics thought the film was filthy, complaining about everything from incompetent writing to shockingly bad casting. As a result, the film ended up with the dubious honor of a Razzie Award for Worst Remake or Sequel (hey, they couldn’t let godzilla Have all the fun).
In space, no one can hear your “Wow!”
Another major failure since 1998 is lost in spaceis a remake of the beloved science fiction TV show from the 1960s. The film had a budget of $80 million but grossed $136.1 million at the box office, and it didn’t become a financial disaster like other films. the Avengers. But in an era when “Star Wars” special editions and the upcoming prequel trilogy have audiences clamoring for big-budget interstellar adventure dramas, lost in space It just didn’t make enough at the box office to warrant a sequel.
To make matters worse, the film was also panned by critics, with a measly 27% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics claimed that the film lacked the campy charm that made the original show so popular, and many half-jokingly suggested that Lost in Space was the perfect callback to this twisty mess. It also ended up being nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Remake or Sequel, which it “lost out to” (if you want to call it that) godzilla and the Avengers.
This remake has been completely washed out
The last big bomb of 1998 was a movie that arguably should never have been made: psychologya remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece starring Vince Vaughn. Director Gus Van Sant decided to make the film a shot-for-shot remake of the original, so it doesn’t really add anything new to the formula for the horror-hungry Demons that aspires to innovate horror. The film grossed $37.2 million, and the $25 million in revenue was a slim profit at best, and Van Sant later claimed that he considered the film to have broken even after taking into account factors such as publicity costs.
On Rotten Tomatoes, psychology The remake received a terrible 40% (boy, you really need to take a shower to wash away the creative stench!). Critics generally agreed that the remake was completely unnecessary, as it neither did anything new nor offered any poignant insights into Hitchcock’s earlier films. psychology He was subsequently nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Remake or Sequel, which he ultimately lost to godzilla and the Avengers.
The worst remake of the year is still serious
There you have it, folks: Even though it feels like we’re constantly being inundated with modern movie remakes, 1998 was the year that this lazy habit in Hollywood reached its peak. The greatest movies and TV shows of the ’50s and ’60s were slapdash remakes just to remind audiences how good the original material really was. One of the worst of these remakes also taught audiences an important lesson: Ferris Bueller may be a lot of things, but fighting Godzilla isn’t one of them!
