In a time when the quality of movies is debated more fiercely than ever, the line that separates the average filmgoer from the professional critic wears somewhat thin. However, these two groups still very rarely see eye-to-eye, as evident by several divisive movies that came out in 2022 alone.
Yet, every so often, Hollywood puts out a major, costly production — typically a high-stakes action flick or a sci-fi spectacle — that, miraculously, manages to please both critics and audiences. Drawing from sources like Rotten Tomatoes, the Internet Movie Database, and sometimes Metacritic, we have listed 30 examples of this phenomenon below.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
The film that reignited the Star Wars franchise is not only the highest grossing film of all time, domestically — according to Box Office Mojo — but also the most expensive film ever made, according to Forbes, with a recently discovered grand total of $533.2 million. The Force Awakens is also one of many sci-fi movies with an RT score above 90% (93%, to be exact) and fans felt the Force was strong with it, too, based on its 7.8 IMDb rating.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
You ask either a critic or an average moviegoer what they believe is the greatest Marvel movie yet and the answer will likely be Avengers: Endgame, which was loved by 94% of critics on RT and rated 8.4 on IMDb by fans. Praise like that — and its massive box office returns — probably makes Kevin Feige and co. satisfied with their $356 million investment in the epic Infinity Saga finale.
King Kong (2005)
None of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies cost nearly as much to make as the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s visually stunning remake of the 1933 monster movie classic, King Kong. Luckily, the $207 million budget (according to BBC) paid off in the eyes of both critics (it won an 84% on RT), and audiences who rated it 7.2 on IMDb.
Titanic (1997)
At the time, the $200 million budget for James Cameron’s historical epic, Titanic, was unprecedented and considered by many as a major risk, as a 1998 story by the Los Angeles Times recalls. However, the extraordinarily successful Best Picture Oscar winner won the hearts of the many who saw it, with critical reviews totaling to 88% on RT and fans showering it with a 7.9 IMDb rating.
The Dark Knight (2008)
A common choice for the greatest live-action Batman movie ever made — let alone the greatest superhero movie ever made — is The Dark Knight, which critics certainly loved, based on its 94% RT rating. It appears that the many moviegoers also made Christopher Nolan’s $185 million DC movie classic a box office juggernaut (grossing more than $1 billion worldwide) also went batty for it, based on its 9.0 on IMDb.
Tangled (2010)
According to Box Office Mojo, Tangled is the most expensive animated movie of all time, having cost Disney $260 million. It turned out to be worth it, with 89% of critics loving this reinterpretation of the story of Rapunzel and fans rating it at 7.7. on IMDb.
Avatar (2009)
James Cameron surpassed the record he set with Titanic with the release of his revolutionary sci-fi epic, Avatar, which made more than ten times its $237 million budget at the box office. Its cutting edge special effects also earned the film a matching critic score and audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes at 82%, and a strong 7.9 IMDb rating.
According to Deadline, James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel to Avatar cost quite a bit more to make (approximately $460 million). Unfortunately, Avatar: The Way of Water fell short of its predecessor’s RT score (76%) and IMDb rating (7.7), but only slightly lower, and still very much high enough to be a critical darling and a bonafide crowd pleaser.
Spider-Man (2002)
Sam Raimi — a hero of low budget, indie filmmaking in all kinds of genres — stepped up to the big leagues with a $139 million adaptation of one of his own favorite comic book characters, Spider-Man. His passion for the Marvel hero (played by Tobey Maguire) and unique visual style wowed 90% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes and earned a 7.4 user rating on IMDb.
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Raimi’s sequel to Spider-Man (featuring Alfred Molina as one of the Spidey’s best cinematic villains, Doc Ock), obviously, cost more to make ($200 million this time). Luckily, it was worth every penny, based on an IMDb rating that matches its processor (7.4), but a higher RT score at 93%.
Black Panther (2018)
While superhero movies had earned Oscars before Black Panther, Ryan Coogler’s stunning $200 million Marvel flick (according to Variety) was the first to earn a Best Picture nomination. If that seems to be an unlikely honor for such a film, its 96% RT and 7.3 IMDb rating would disagree.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Some people cite Rogue One as their favorite Star Wars movie, and its 7.8 IMDb rating suggests there are plenty of fans who agree. Critics dug the $200 million direct prequel to the 1977 original film, too, resulting in an 84% RT score.
The Avengers (2012)
By today’s standards, a budget of $220 million seems kind of low for a movie that teams several major comic book heroes together. At least that made it easy for the MCU’s first big crossover flick, The Avengers, to exceed its cost with box office returns (becoming the most popular movie of 2012), in addition to being universally beloved — boasting a 91% for both critics and audiences on RT and an 8.0 on IMDb.
Batman Begins (2005)
The movie that revitalized the live-action Batman movie franchise after years of dormancy was Christopher Nolan’s exquisitely crafted $150 million thriller, Batman Begins. Fans and critics alike were also very happy to see the Dark Knight back in a rightfully dark fashion, based on its 84% RT score and 8.2 IMDb user rating.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Ask any fan of James Cameron’s apocalyptic, technophobic, time travel movie saga and they will name the second chapter as the best of the Terminator movies, most likely, considering its 91% RT score and 8.6 rating on IMDb. Terminator 2: Judgment Day was the most expensive movie ever made at the time of its release with a budget of $102 million, which would — when adjusted for inflation — equate to more than $227 million in 2023.
Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince (2009)
According to ScreenRant, the most expensive installment of the Harry Potter movies (including the Fantastic Beasts prequels) is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, with a budget of $250 million. Luckily, it is also one of the most acclaimed films of the fantasy franchise, having cast a spell on 84% of critics on RT and earning a 7.6 on IMDb.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Fans have been debating over which of the best Spider-Man actors deserves to be called the best for years now, but one thing that is for sure is that a lot of people have a soft spot Andrew Garfield. The future Oscar nominee led The Amazing Spider-Man, which boasted a $230 million budget and proved to be a satisfying surprise, earning a 71% critics score on RT with an even higher audience score of 77%, not to mention its 7.1 user rating on Metacritic.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
The MCU had never before crafted a crossover flick as massive in scale, scope, and ensemble as Avengers: Infinity War, which explains its budget ranging from $300-400 million, according to Variety. Fans and critics alike were captivated by our heroes’ crusade against Thanos (Josh Brolin), generating an 85% on RT and a closely matched 8.4 IMDb rating.
Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003)
Disney took a big swing on Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, spending $140 million to bring one of its most popular theme park attractions to life on the big screen. Fortunately, the first of the swashbuckling franchise was a grand success and remains the most widely beloved installment by 85% of critics on RT and the fans who rated it 8.1 on IMDb.
Iron Man (2008)
The film that kicked off the MCU (and revived Robert Downey Jr.’s career) is, unsurprisingly, among the franchise’s least expensive installments with a $140 million budget, which was considered a major cost at the time. Yet, Iron Man is still one of the most beloved Marvel movies, having earned a 94% on RT and a healthy IMDb rating of 7.9.
Star Trek (2009)
It cost $150 million to bring Gene Roddenberry’s iconic cosmic saga back to the big screen with a whole new cast and greater special effects. Luckily, this would not be the final frontier for the Star Trek franchise as J.J. Abrams’ reboot was a hit with critics (earning 94% on RT) and, miraculously, satisfied the fans that rated it 7.9 on IMDb.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
After the first cinematic adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ dystopian YA novel series exceeded expectations and became a huge financial success (making $408 million domestically on a $78 million budget), The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, was given a higher budget of $130 million dollars. In addition to greater box office returns, it became the most acclaimed of the Hunger Games movies (so far), proving to be a champion on RT with 90% and on IMDb with a rating of 7.5.
Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)
One of the biggest surprise hits in the MCU (or in blockbuster history, period) is James Gunn’s adaptation of of one Marvel’s more obscure cosmic comic book titles, which cost a relatively meager $170 million. Yet, moviegoers and reviewers found themselves “hooked on a feeling” by Guardians of the Galaxy, which earned matching critic and audience scores of 92% on RT and a strong 8.0 IMDb rating.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Bringing George Miller’s breathtaking vision of a post-apocalyptic Australia to life with as little CGI as possible required a budget of $150 million. As a result, the Oscar-winning Mad Max: Fury Road became the most acclaimed of the Mad Max movies so far, wowing 97% of critics on RT and earning an 8.1 on IMDb.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Chris Evans’ supersoldier may be the title character, but Captain America: Civil War is a basically an Avengers movie, costing $250 million to get so many characters involved at once. Critics seemed to love this thoroughly exciting, cleverly complex story of superheroes at each other’s throats more than the fans did, based on its 90% RT score and still healthy 7.8 IMDb rating.
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Denis Villeneuve’s long-awaited sequel to Ridley Scott’s sci-fi classic is considered to be one of the biggest box office flops of its time, making only around $92 million on a $150 million budget. However, Blade Runner 2049 was praised by the moviegoers who did see it (giving it an 8.0 on IMDb) and impressed 88% of critics on RT.
The Suicide Squad (2021)
While David Ayer’s Suicide Squad was a financial success (raking in more than $325 million domestically on a $175 budget), it was not a big hit with the fans that rated it 5.9 on IMDb and much less so with critics who gave it a rotten 26%. James Gunn’s follow-up, The Suicide Squad, garnered the opposite results — not even making back its $185 million budget in worldwide sales (with a $168.7 million gross), but earning praise from 90% of critics on RT and satisfying fans who rated it 7.2 on IMDb.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder leads two of the lowest rated Marvel movies so far: Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Love and Thunder. However, the refreshingly funny and visually pleasing Thor: Ragnarok — which cost $180 million — is considered to be the Asgardian’s greatest adventure yet by both critics an audiences, earning a strong 7.9 on IMDb and a thunderous 93% RT score.
WALL-E (2008)
You can sense every penny of WALL-E’s $180 million budget in each beautifully animated frame of this sci-fi family film. Of course, the heartwarming story and bold message have a lot to do with why it is considered one of the best Pixar movies and earned a 95% score on RT and an 8.4 IMDb rating.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Even with a budget of $200 million, Spider-Man: No Way Home is not even the most expensive film led by Marvel Comics’ beloved webslinger, according to The Numbers. However, this multiversal crossover epic is one of the best reviewed of the bunch (earning a 93% on RT and an 8.2 IMDb rating) and is, just about, the most beloved live-action Spider-Man movie so far.
Money does not always bring you happiness, but it can lead to some great memories of the big screen.