Science fiction movies challenge the viewer to think beyond what we know about life on Earth, about the potential for space travel, and encountering other forms of life.
The best science fiction movies fill us with wonder and possibility. But when sci-fi flicks fail in this regard, they can generate some of the most cringeworthy movies ever made.
To acknowledge this side of the genre, 24/7 Wall St. has compiled a list of the worst science fiction movies of all time.
Click here to see the worst science fiction movies of all time.
Click here to see our detailed findings and methodology.
Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
100. G-Force (2009)
> Director: Hoyt Yeatman
> Starring: Will Arnett, Penélope Cruz, Zach Galifianakis
> Domestic box office: $119.44 million
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Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
99. Hollow Man (2000)
> Director: Paul Verhoeven
> Starring: Kevin Bacon, Elisabeth Shue, Josh Brolin
> Domestic box office: $73.21 million
Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema
98. Lost in Space (1998)
> Director: Stephen Hopkins
> Starring: Gary Oldman, William Hurt, Matt LeBlanc
> Domestic box office: $69.12 million
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
97. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
> Director: William Shatner
> Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley
> Domestic box office: $52.21 million
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
96. Coneheads (1993)
> Director: Steve Barron
> Starring: Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, Robert Knott
> Domestic box office: $21.27 million
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
95. Soldier (1998)
> Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
> Starring: Kurt Russell, Jason Scott Lee, Jason Isaacs
> Domestic box office: $14.57 million
Source: Courtesy of New World Pictures
94. C.H.U.D. (1984)
> Director: Douglas Cheek
> Starring: John Heard, Daniel Stern, Christopher Curry
> Domestic box office: $4.65 million
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Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
93. Honey I Blew Up the Kid (1992)
> Director: Randal Kleiser
> Starring: Rick Moranis, Marcia Strassman, Robert Oliveri
> Domestic box office: $58.66 million
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
92. Village of the Damned (1995)
> Director: John Carpenter
> Starring: Christopher Reeve, Kirstie Alley, Linda Kozlowski
> Domestic box office: $9.42 million
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
91. Geostorm (2017)
> Director: Dean Devlin
> Starring: Gerard Butler, Jim Sturgess, Abbie Cornish
> Domestic box office: $33.70 million
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
90. Stealth (2005)
> Director: Rob Cohen
> Starring: Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel, Jamie Foxx
> Domestic box office: $32.12 million
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
89. Aliens in the Attic (2009)
> Director: John Schultz
> Starring: Ashley Tisdale, Robert Hoffman, Carter Jenkins
> Domestic box office: $25.20 million
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
88. Red Planet (2000)
> Director: Antony Hoffman
> Starring: Val Kilmer, Carrie-Anne Moss, Tom Sizemore
> Domestic box office: $17.48 million
Source: Courtesy of Miramax
87. Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996)
> Director: Kevin Yagher
> Starring: Bruce Ramsay, Valentina Vargas, Doug Bradley
> Domestic box office: $16.68 million
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
86. Freejack (1992)
> Director: Geoff Murphy
> Starring: Emilio Estevez, Mick Jagger, Rene Russo
> Domestic box office: $17.13 million
Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
85. Stay Alive (2006)
> Director: William Brent Bell
> Starring: Jon Foster, Samaire Armstrong, Frankie Muniz
> Domestic box office: $23.09 million
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
84. Land of the Lost (2009)
> Director: Brad Silberling
> Starring: Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, Anna Friel
> Domestic box office: $49.44 million
Source: Courtesy of Dimension Films
83. Phantoms (1998)
> Director: Joe Chappelle
> Starring: Peter O’Toole, Rose McGowan, Joanna Going
> Domestic box office: $5.66 million
Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
82. Bubble Boy (2001)
> Director: Blair Hayes
> Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Swoosie Kurtz, Marley Shelton
> Domestic box office: $5.00 million
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
81. Wild Wild West (1999)
> Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
> Starring: Will Smith, Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh
> Domestic box office: $113.81 million
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
80. Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000)
> Director: Peter Segal
> Starring: Eddie Murphy, Janet Jackson, Larry Miller
> Domestic box office: $123.31 million
Source: Courtesy of Summit Entertainment
> Director: Paul McGuigan
> Starring: Camilla Belle, Dakota Fanning, Chris Evans
> Domestic box office: $31.81 million
Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
> Director: Les Mayfield
> Starring: Robin Williams, Marcia Gay Harden, Christopher McDonald
> Domestic box office: $92.98 million
Source: Courtesy of Stage 6 Films
> Director: Jay Lee
> Starring: Jenna Jameson, Robert Englund, Roxy Saint
> Domestic box office: N/A
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
> Director: Chris Walas
> Starring: Eric Stoltz, Daphne Zuniga, Lee Richardson
> Domestic box office: $20.02 million
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
> Director: M. Night Shyamalan
> Starring: Jaden Smith, David Denman, Will Smith
> Domestic box office: $60.52 million
Source: Courtesy of Dreamworks
74. The Tuxedo (2002)
> Director: Kevin Donovan
> Starring: Jackie Chan, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jason Isaacs
> Domestic box office: $50.55 million
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
73. Junior (1994)
> Director: Ivan Reitman
> Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, Emma Thompson
> Domestic box office: $36.76 million
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
72. Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
> Director: Tommy Lee Wallace
> Starring: Tom Atkins, Stacey Nelkin, Dan O’Herlihy
> Domestic box office: $14.40 million
Source: Courtesy of No Distributor Found
71. Dude, Where’s My Car? (2000)
> Director: Danny Leiner
> Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Seann William Scott, Jennifer Garner
> Domestic box office: $46.73 million
70. Doom (2005)
> Director: Andrzej Bartkowiak
> Starring: Karl Urban, Rosamund Pike, Dwayne Johnson
> Domestic box office: $28.03 million
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
69. Æon Flux (2005)
> Director: Karyn Kusama,
> Starring: Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand, Sophie Okonedo
> Domestic box office: $25.86 million
Source: Courtesy of Relativity Media
68. The Lazarus Effect (2015)
> Director: David Gelb
> Starring: Olivia Wilde, Mark Duplass, Evan Peters
> Domestic box office: $25.80 million
67. Flatliners (2017)
> Director: Niels Arden Oplev
> Starring: Ellen Page, Diego Luna, Nina Dobrev
> Domestic box office: $16.87 million
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
66. Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
> Director: Michael Bay
> Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Hopkins, Josh Duhamel
> Domestic box office: $130.17 million
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
65. The Happening (2008)
> Director: M. Night Shyamalan
> Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo
> Domestic box office: $64.51 million
Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema
64. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993)
> Director: Stuart Gillard
> Starring: Elias Koteas, Paige Turco, Stuart Wilson
> Domestic box office: $42.66 million
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
63. The Animal (2001)
> Director: Luke Greenfield
> Starring: Rob Schneider, Colleen Haskell, John C. McGinley
> Domestic box office: $57.74 million
Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures
62. Godzilla (1998)
> Director: Roland Emmerich
> Starring: Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo
> Domestic box office: $136.31 million
Source: Courtesy of Lorimar Film Entertainment
61. Return of the Living Dead II (1988)
> Director: Ken Wiederhorn
> Starring: James Karen, Thom Mathews, Michael Kenworthy
> Domestic box office: $9.21 million
Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures
60. Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
> Director: Robert Longo
> Starring: Keanu Reeves, Dolph Lundgren, Dina Meyer
> Domestic box office: $19.08 million
Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
59. Judge Dredd (1995)
> Director: Danny Cannon
> Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Armand Assante, Rob Schneider
> Domestic box office: $34.69 million
Source: Courtesy of Dimension Films
58. Apollo 18 (2011)
> Director: Gonzalo López-Gallego
> Starring: Warren Christie, Lloyd Owen, Ryan Robbins
> Domestic box office: $17.69 million
Source: Courtesy of Universal Studios
57. Thunderbirds (2004)
> Director: Jonathan Frakes
> Starring: Bill Paxton, Anthony Edwards, Ben Kingsley
> Domestic box office: $6.77 million
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
56. My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988)
> Director: Richard Benjamin
> Starring: Dan Aykroyd, Kim Basinger, Jon Lovitz
> Domestic box office: $13.85 million
Source: Courtesy of BH Tilt
55. Incarnate (2016)
> Director: Brad Peyton
> Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Carice van Houten, Catalina Sandino Moreno
> Domestic box office: $4.79 million
Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema
54. The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
> Director: John Frankenheimer, Richard Stanley
> Starring: David Thewlis, Marlon Brando, Val Kilmer
> Domestic box office: $27.66 million
Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
53. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! (1978)
> Director: John De Bello
> Starring: David Miller, George Wilson, Sharon Taylor
> Domestic box office: N/A
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
52. The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)
> Director: Katt Shea, Robert Mandel
> Starring: Emily Bergl, Jason London, Dylan Bruno
> Domestic box office: $17.76 million
Source: Courtesy of De Laurentiis Entertainment Group
51. Maximum Overdrive (1986)
> Director: Stephen King
> Starring: Emilio Estevez, Pat Hingle, Laura Harrington
> Domestic box office: $7.43 million
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
50. Congo (1995)
> Director: Frank Marshall
> Starring: Laura Linney, Tim Curry, Dylan Walsh
> Domestic box office: $81.02 million
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Source: Courtesy of Dimension Films
49. Pulse (2006)
> Director: Jim Sonzero
> Starring: Kristen Bell, Rick Gonzalez, Christina Milian
> Domestic box office: $20.26 million
Source: Courtesy of Dimension Films
48. Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D (2011)
> Director: Robert Rodriguez
> Starring: Jessica Alba, Jeremy Piven, Joel McHale
> Domestic box office: $38.54 million
47. I, Frankenstein (2014)
> Director: Stuart Beattie
> Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, Miranda Otto
> Domestic box office: $19.08 million
Source: Courtesy of Desert Island Films
46. Bride of the Monster (1955)
> Director: Edward D. Wood Jr.
> Starring: Bela Lugosi, Tor Johnson, Tony McCoy
> Domestic box office: N/A
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
45. Jem and the Holograms (2015)
> Director: Jon M. Chu
> Starring: Aubrey Peeples, Stefanie Scott, Aurora Perrineau
> Domestic box office: $2.18 million
Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
44. Primeval (2007)
> Director: Michael Katleman
> Starring: Dominic Purcell, Orlando Jones, Brooke Langton
> Domestic box office: $10.60 million
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Source: Courtesy of Magnet Releasing
43. Mutant Chronicles (2008)
> Director: Simon Hunter
> Starring: Thomas Jane, Ron Perlman, Devon Aoki
> Domestic box office: $0.01 million
Source: Courtesy of Lions Gate Films
42. Space Truckers (1996)
> Director: Stuart Gordon
> Starring: Tim Loane, Ian Beattie, Olwen Fouere
> Domestic box office: N/A
Source: Courtesy of Screen Gems
41. Ghosts of Mars (2001)
> Director: John Carpenter
> Starring: Natasha Henstridge, Ice Cube, Pam Grier
> Domestic box office: $8.43 million
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
40. Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie (1997)
> Director: Shuki Levy, David Winning
> Starring: Jason David Frank, Catherine Sutherland, Hilary Shepard
> Domestic box office: $8.11 million
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Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
39. Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (2015)
> Director: Steve Pink
> Starring: Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke
> Domestic box office: $12.28 million
Source: Courtesy of The Cannon Group
38. Masters of the Universe (1987)
> Director: Gary Goddard
> Starring: Dolph Lundgren, Frank Langella, Meg Foster
> Domestic box office: $17.34 million
Source: Courtesy of Saban Films
37. Cell (2016)
> Director: Tod Williams
> Starring: John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Isabelle Fuhrman
> Domestic box office: N/A
Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema
36. Jason X (2001)
> Director: James Isaac
> Starring: Kane Hodder, Lexa Doig, Jeff Geddis
> Domestic box office: $13.12 million
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
35. Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
> Director: Colin Strause, Greg Strause
> Starring: Reiko Aylesworth, Steven Pasquale, Shareeka Epps
> Domestic box office: $41.80 million
34. The Darkest Hour (2011)
> Director: Chris Gorak
> Starring: Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Max Minghella
> Domestic box office: $21.43 million
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Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
33. My Favorite Martian (1999)
> Director: Donald Petrie
> Starring: Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Daniels, Elizabeth Hurley
> Domestic box office: $36.83 million
Source: Courtesy of Lions Gate Films
32. Godsend (2004)
> Director: Nick Hamm
> Starring: Robert De Niro, Greg Kinnear, Rebecca Romijn
> Domestic box office: $14.38 million
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
31. Double Team (1997)
> Director: Hark Tsui
> Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dennis Rodman, Mickey Rourke
> Domestic box office: $11.44 million
Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
30. Inspector Gadget (1999)
> Director: David Kellogg
> Starring: Matthew Broderick, Rupert Everett, Joely Fisher
> Domestic box office: $97.40 million
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
29. Supernova (2000)
> Director: Walter Hill
> Starring: James Spader, Peter Facinelli, Robin Tunney
> Domestic box office: $14.22 million
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
28. Super Mario Bros. (1993)
> Director: Annabel Jankel, Rocky Morton
> Starring: Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper
> Domestic box office: $20.92 million
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
27. Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (2004)
> Director: Kevin Allen
> Starring: Frankie Muniz, Anthony Anderson, Hannah Spearritt
> Domestic box office: $23.22 million
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
26. Virus (1999)
> Director: John Bruno
> Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Sutherland, William Baldwin
> Domestic box office: $14.01 million
Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema
25. Suburban Commando (1991)
> Director: Burt Kennedy
> Starring: Hulk Hogan, Christopher Lloyd, Shelley Duvall
> Domestic box office: $6.95 million
Source: Courtesy of Cannon Group, The
24. Cyborg (1989)
> Director: Albert Pyun
> Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Deborah Richter, Vincent Klyn
> Domestic box office: $10.17 million
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
23. Skyline (2010)
> Director: Colin Strause, Greg Strause
> Starring: Eric Balfour, Donald Faison, Scottie Thompson
> Domestic box office: $21.37 million
Source: Courtesy of Screen Gems
22. Ultraviolet (2006)
> Director: Kurt Wimmer
> Starring: Milla Jovovich, Cameron Bright, Nick Chinlund
> Domestic box office: $18.50 million
Source: Courtesy of Courtesy of Sony Pictures
21. Zapped! (1982)
> Director: Robert J. Rosenthal
> Starring: Scott Baio, Willie Aames, Robert Mandan
> Domestic box office: $16.90 million
Source: Courtesy of XLrator Media
20. The Human Race (2013)
> Director: Paul Hough
> Starring: Paul McCarthy-Boyington, Eddie McGee, Trista Robinson
> Domestic box office: N/A
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
19. Dragonball: Evolution (2009)
> Director: James Wong
> Starring: Justin Chatwin, James Marsters, Yun-Fat Chow
> Domestic box office: $9.35 million
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
18. Howard the Duck (1986)
> Director: Willard Huyck
> Starring: Lea Thompson, Jeffrey Jones, Tim Robbins
> Domestic box office: $16.30 million
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
17. Species II (1998)
> Director: Peter Medak
> Starring: Natasha Henstridge, Michael Madsen, Marg Helgenberger
> Domestic box office: $19.17 million
Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures
16. RoboCop 3 (1993)
> Director: Fred Dekker
> Starring: Robert John Burke, Nancy Allen, Mario Machado
> Domestic box office: $10.70 million
Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures
15. Mac and Me (1988)
> Director: Stewart Raffill
> Starring: Christine Ebersole, Jonathan Ward, Tina Caspary
> Domestic box office: $6.42 million
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
14. A Sound of Thunder (2005)
> Director: Peter Hyams
> Starring: Edward Burns, Ben Kingsley, Catherine McCormack
> Domestic box office: $1.89 million
13. Bats (1999)
> Director: Louis Morneau
> Starring: Lou Diamond Phillips, Dina Meyer, Bob Gunton
> Domestic box office: $10.16 million
Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures
12. Universal Soldier: The Return (1999)
> Director: Mic Rodgers
> Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bill Goldberg, Heidi Schanz
> Domestic box office: $10.43 million
Source: Courtesy of Lionsgate
11. Vice (2015)
> Director: Brian A. Miller
> Starring: Thomas Jane, Bruce Willis, Ambyr Childers
> Domestic box office: N/A
Source: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox
10. Wing Commander (1999)
> Director: Chris Roberts
> Starring: Freddie Prinze Jr., Matthew Lillard, Saffron Burrows
> Domestic box office: $11.58 million
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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
9. The Avengers (1998)
> Director: Jeremiah S. Chechik
> Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman, Sean Connery
> Domestic box office: $23.32 million
8. The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)
> Director: Ron Underwood
> Starring: Eddie Murphy, Jay Mohr, Randy Quaid
> Domestic box office: $4.42 million
Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures
7. Baby Geniuses (1999)
> Director: Bob Clark
> Starring: Kathleen Turner, Christopher Lloyd, Kim Cattrall
> Domestic box office: $27.14 million
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
6. Rollerball (2002)
> Director: John McTiernan
> Starring: Chris Klein, Jean Reno, LL Cool J
> Domestic box office: $18.99 million
Source: Courtesy of Sony Pictures
5. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)
> Director: Nicholas Webster
> Starring: John Call, Leonard Hicks, Vincent Beck
> Domestic box office: N/A
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
4. Battlefield Earth (2000)
> Director: Roger Christian
> Starring: John Travolta, Forest Whitaker, Barry Pepper
> Domestic box office: $21.47 million
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Source: Courtesy of Triumph Films
3. Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 (2004)
> Director: Bob Clark
> Starring: Jon Voight, Scott Baio, Vanessa Angel
> Domestic box office: $9.11 million
Source: Courtesy of Lions Gate Films
2. Alone in the Dark (2005)
> Director: Uwe Boll
> Starring: Christian Slater, Tara Reid, Stephen Dorff
> Domestic box office: $5.18 million
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
1. Leonard Part 6 (1987)
> Director: Paul Weiland
> Starring: Bill Cosby, Tom Courtenay, Joe Don Baker
> Domestic box office: $4.92 million
Detailed Findings & Methodology
Even as we celebrate such cinematic icons as “2001: A Space Odyssey” and the various Star Wars films, we also must turn our attention to the worst and campiest sci-fi films of all time. Movies such as “ Bride of the Monster,” directed by Ed D. Wood Jr. and starring Bela Lugosi, have generated a cult following because of their awfulness. In fact, bad sci-fi was behind the 90s’ cable television program, “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” whose premise — a captive in space forced to watch bad movies — was intended to chide the genre.
Because of the nature of the material and reliance on special effects and makeup, science fiction films are particularly vulnerable to failure. But sometimes, even the title can be a giveaway, like the 1964 film “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians,” “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” in 1978, and “Hot Tub Time Machine” from 2015.
None of these movies gets the nod at the worst of the lot. That distinction goes to “Leonard Part 6.” The movie starred Bill Cosby as a retired CIA agent trying to thwart a vegetarian from seeking world domination.
To determine the worst science fiction movies of all time, 24/7 Wall St. created an index based on each film’s Rotten Tomatoes average critic rating, Rotten Tomatoes average audience rating, and Internet Movie Database average user rating. To be considered, each film had to have at least 10,000 Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb user ratings, 10 approved tomatometer critic reviews, and be classified as a sci-fi film by IMDb. Although many superhero films are considered to be sci-fi by IMDb, they were excluded as were other films that were deemed to be too far outside of the genre.
We averaged the user ratings from Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb and weighted by the number of votes for each. The combined user rating was then averaged with the Rotten Tomatoes critic rating.
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