Just as not every film hits theaters to critical or commercial success, not every film that plays on the big screen gets positive marks from all who paid to see it. Film lovers, or even just general audience members, can be hard to please, but some big-budget or small-scale studio projects divide audiences right down the middle. From early, experimental superhero films to controversial Best Picture winners, these are the movies that have been considered a success to at least some degree, yet have had a divisive effect. Whether they're strong or weak depends on the viewer, of course, but with these movies there a greater chance of them loving it or hating it than falling in the middle.
20 Hulk (2003)
Ang Lee made a lot of odd choices bringing his vision for Hulk to life, with a surplus of stylization and oddly robotic characters. Yet there's an argument to be made that the film was ahead of its time, diversifying what would become an increasingly repetitive subgenre.
It's hard to call Hulk an entertaining film, but it is an interesting one. The tumultuous relationship between father(s) and son that drives the narrative certainly builds up the audience's empathy for Bruce Banner, but it wasn't what people were looking for from the Hulk.
19 Crash (2004)
Paul Haggis has gained a lot of clout in the industry, and his Crash even managed to score the Academy Award for Best Picture. But even at the time many were scratching their heads at the win, and that surprise has only grown with time.
The biggest complaints detractors have leveled against the film is that it's vapid. On the surface it looks to be an in-depth analysis of racism, but unconvincing characters and a glaring lack of insight behind the scenes leads to a film that feels like it would end up on basic cable were it not for a few A-listers.
18 Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
Jared Hess has such a unique ultra-indie style that it's not but so surprising his debut, Napoleon Dynamite, ended up doing so well at the box office. It's an innocent feel-good movie that features a star-making performance from Jon Heder (well, a temporary star).
But Napoleon Dynamite's wavelength isn't one everyone will be able to get on. It's both a new take on the coming-of-age story as well as a play on it, with Dynamite fully embracing his awkwardness in a way that makes him not only endearing to his peers, but much of the audience as well.
17 The Passion of the Christ (2004)
Any religious film is going to generate a certain amount of controversy. But Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ took things to another level (even if it was a gargantuan box office success).
Specifically, some found the violence, while realistic, excessive. Others saw several scenes where it seemed as if Gibson was pointing a nasty finger at Jewish people which, given what would go on to happen after the film, isn't remotely surprising.
16 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
Reviled by fans of the IP and general audiences, it's almost hard to even call Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull divisive. But, as time has progressed, some of that hatred audiences felt has been softened.
People still hate the CGI groundhog, they still hate the aliens, and they still hate Shia LaBeouf swinging on vines alongside some monkeys, but they've grown fonder of other elements, e.g. Cate Blanchett's performance. Not to mention, everyone loved Karen Allen's inclusion from the jump, which was arguably the one thing that bound audiences positively back in 2008. Furthermore, while Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny had some problems and mixed reactions of its own, it feels back in that Raiders of the Lost Ark spirit, and as far as those who saw it were concerned it was a more fitting finale for Ford's character than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
15 Avatar (2009)
One of the biggest films of all time, James Cameron's Avatar made a ton of money at the worldwide box office. It also scored solid critical reviews, was liked by many audience members, and even did well at the Academy Awards.
The same could be said of its delayed sequel Avatar: The Way of Water. Yet, there are plenty of viewers (even fans of the IP) who level rational complaints against it. Is it close to the plot of Pocahontas (not to mention her true story)? Sure. And it's covered in hundreds of millions of dollars of gloss. Thusly, audiences fell into two categories: Those who were aware of that and didn't care, just enjoyed the ride, and those who saw it as utterly hollow.
14 Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
An intense thriller, F. Gary Gray's Law Abiding Citizen certainly has scenes that work for it. But, as a whole, it's a fairly forgettable experience.
The biggest reason for this (and some audience members' outright dislike of it) is that neither Gerard Butler's supposedly villainous Clyde Shelton nor Jamie Foxx's lawyer Nick Rice is really any more likable than the other. The viewer needs someone to root for, and neither one of them earn it.
13 Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
With a wonderful cast and breezy pacing, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a lot of stylistic fun. The film didn't do well at the box office at the time of release, but time has been very kind to it, allowing it to build a large enough cult following to warrant an animated series with the same cast way down the line.
Time has been very kind to Edgar Wright's film. It's entertaining from front to back, the cast is clearly having a ball. Chemistry meant a lot to Scott Pilgrim success as a film, and Wright assembled the perfect group of people to get on the material's wavelength.
12 Drive (2011)
Nicolas Winding Refn's best movie, Drive, is a masterpiece, flat-out. But, the film arguably has as many detractors as it does fans, even to this day.
It's hard to understand why, at least until someone looks back on how the film was marketed. Is Drive a Fast & Furious-type movie? Not in the slightest. Was it sold to audiences as such? Yep. In all fairness, if someone goes to a deli and orders turkey only to get ham, it can be the best ham in the known universe and there's still a justifiable complaint that it's not what was requested.
11 Sucker Punch (2011)
The films of Zack Snyder are nothing if not divisive. And, were there to be an official fan ranking of his filmography's controversies, Sucker Punch would be top of the heap.
But there are die-hard Snyder fans who see what he was going for. And, even if the theatrical cut is pretty much broken in a narrative sense, it has a few standout battle scenes. One just wishes the director would release his extended cut, which he's certainly been known to do before (Justice League, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Watchmen).
10 Spring Breakers (2012)
Harmony Korine's wild Spring Breakers isn't quite the fun time it appears to be when looking at the poster. It's more of a female-led heist film, with James Franco popping up for a time to over-act his heart out.
What Spring Breakers is more than anything else is uncomfortable. On the surface it appears to be at least a moderately fun comedy, but once the credits roll the viewer will be hard-pressed to think of a moment not only that they remember as funny, but remember much at all. Spring Breakers tries, but there's more heart and guts than actual substance.
9 Only God Forgives (2013)
Revered by some as a masterpiece and reviled by others as trash, Nicolas Winding Refn's Only God Forgives sees the director reteam with his Drive star Ryan Gosling...to even more divisive results. The film feels more like an experiment than a functioning narrative, though Kristin Scott Thomas does do her best in a complicated antagonistic role.
Yet, even Thomas' character isn't developed. No one in Only God Forgives has more depth than cardboard. And no matter how many brutal action sequences or beautiful shots of Bangkok populate the film, there's no substitute for a compelling story. There also isn't a remotely satisfying resolution to the conflict. Gosling portrays the criminal son to his even more criminal mother, Crystal (Thomas). She's a manipulative monster with more than a little blood on his hand but Gosling's Julian gets not a shred of closure once she's gone. He just goes to her killer and has him use the same blade to cut off his hands. It's bizarre and alienating, not bizarre and compelling.
8 Lucy (2014)
It didn't take long for Lucy to become one of the most popular films from The Professional and The Fifth Element's Luc Besson. With a commanding lead performance from Scarlett Johansson, it's a star film, and a cerebral one at that.
Admittedly, it gets a little convoluted and repetitive in the second half, but audiences didn't much care at the time of release, at least in terms of buying a ticket. That said, once they left the theater, viewers tended to fall in one of two distinctly different categories. Either they didn't get it and were fine with that, or they didn't get it and weren't. Since its initial release, it's slipped from public consciousness significantly.
7 Interstellar (2014)
Whereas Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer united audiences in their love for it, Interstellar was a bit different. Reaction at the time was mixed to Nolan's science-fueled epic, but admittedly as the years have passed many detractors have jumped on the bandwagon.
There's always been praise for the film's technical aspects and performances. However, the convoluted narrative is arguably more effective on a re-watch than it is the first time. And this is, apparently, something the audience at large has picked up on. And they really have, as Interstellar is now quite a few fans' pick for the absolute best Christopher Nolan film.
6 Boyhood (2014)
One of the most beautiful films to come out of the 2010s, Boyhood stands as a major accomplishment for Richard Linklater, not to mention cast members such as Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette. Shot over the course of 12 years, Boyhood shows a young man's development process in more detail than any film before.
In other words, no film has flat-out captured life the way Boyhood does. But, there were people who (admittedly, justifiably) took issue with Ellar Coltrane's performance and character in general. He has a tendency to whine and, with a three-hour runtime, that can prove to be a bit much. But, with sterling performances from Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette, not to mention wholly organic dialogue, Boyhood is a winner far more often than not.
5 Suicide Squad (2016)
David Ayer's Suicide Squad may have been a big financial hit back in 2016, it established enough bad will to ensure that audiences wouldn't be interested in James Gunn's masterful 2021 The Suicide Squad. The reason behind this was studio tampering, plain and simple, and the result was both a broken film and a director who felt like his work was taken from him.
The tampering is obvious from frame one. As the film haphazardly introduces its interchangable characters (and Harley Quinn) the audience has already lost interest. Because, as the film makes clear with its sparse script and choppy editing, there's not much about the characters worth learning. They're cardboard. And Harley Quinn.
4 mother! (2017)
Darren Aronofsky has a way of making movies that spark religious controversy. The greatest example of this, even more than Noah, is mother!.
Jennifer Lawrence plays what is essentially a new version of Rosemary from Rosemary's Baby. But, once she gives birth, a swarm of people eat the boy, then her husband rips her heart out, at which point it turns into crystal. Not surprising there were more people who hated mother! than loved it or even liked it. The film is certainly not the easiest to rewatch, or even sit through the first time, so it's not surprising the stars weren't enough to make it a financial success.
3 Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
There's much that future Star Wars movies can learn from fan reaction to Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Regardless of how one feels about it, they have to admit it doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the films, be it of the sequel trilogy or the saga as a whole.
And, putting aside the 'Anybody can be a Jedi' final shot and the clunky death of Luke Skywalker, which many found problematic, there are some things that are legitimately wrong with the narrative. Particularly in its short-changing of Finn, which is a tendency that sadly only got worse with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. There's also an awkward subplot with Benicio del Toro's shady DJ and an incredibly silly moment where Leia, blasted out into space, just floats back into the spaceship. Even still, at least The Last Jedi took risks. Perhaps it's better to anger some and surprise others than be so painfully average that no one remembers any segment of the film, even if they're just walking out of the darkened auditorium.
2 The Lighthouse (2019)
Robert Eggers earned a lot of clout with The Witch, and while his The Lighthouse did score with critics, there are some out there who felt let down. The black-and-white threw some, but it's genuinely hard to imagine the film in color.
That is, not with the same level of impact it holds in its final form. But, that and the admittedly slow (but successfully methodical) pace turned off some viewers. But, either way, The Lighthouse has found the audience it deserves, and those who like it really like it. Not to mention, both Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson are legitimately outstanding in their respective roles.
1 Don't Look Up (2021)
While expectations were high for Adam McKay's Don't Look Up, it ultimately hit Netflix with poor marks from critics. But, even those who don't care for the film admit that it is important, or at least the topic it's trying to deal with is.
But how it deals with global warming (and, really, just about every decision to come out of the previous administration in the United States) is clunky as can be. It's an overstuffed narrative that doesn't give enough talented actors enough to do. And those it does give a lot of time still end up playing as caricatures, not characters (e.g. Meryl Streep's President Orlean and Mark Rylance's Peter Ishwell). Many viewers were also put off by the film's mean-spirited humor, even if that humor was often pointed at folks who...well...deserve it.