Marvel And DC Lead Noms For Worst 2023 Movies
Once it was one of the most exciting genres for audiences to anticipate, but 2023 proved that superhero fatigue was a real thing. Both leading studios in comic-to-film adaptations, Marvel and DC, faced all-time low and crippling box office numbers. Further twisting the blade in the wound, the Razzies recently shared its list of nominations, highlighting the worst in cinema over the last year with superhero flicks getting a mention in almost every category.
The Razzies Are Harsh
If there’s one thing that’s to be said about the Razzies year after year, it’s that the award ceremony for the most reviled pictures has absolutely no chill. Those at the top of the decision-making group don’t care who they offend, they’re just here to troll. They’re also incredibly sarcastic, writing in amended titles to films such as Indiana Jones and the Dial of … Can I go home now? which found itself in the Worst Screenplay category.
Marvel And DC’s “Winners”
As for those DC and MCU features, it’s clear that there was a special place in Razzies hell for Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, respectively. As for the former, the sequel to the 2019 film, Shazam!, took home the not-so-bragging rights of Worst Screenplay, Worst Supporting Actress (Lucy Liu), Worst Actress (Helen Mirren), and Worst Picture. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania tied its competitor with four nominations which included an impressive two for Best Supporting Actor, shouting out Bill Murray and Michael Douglas for their less-than-impressive work on the film.
No Sympathy For The Devil
Movies about demonic possession were also at the top of the Razzies’ nom list, with both The Exorcist: Believer and The Pope’s Exorcist were named. Despite having all the makings of a terrible film, it came as a surprise to many that The Pope’s Exorcist performed so well at the box office that it received a green light for a sequel. While audiences happily tossed their money at the based-on-a-true-story production, the Razzies were less impressed with it, naming Russell Crowe among the Worst Actors with Franco Nero as one of the Worst Supporting Actors.
Razzies Aren’t Believers
And then there was The Exorcist: Believer, which with a cast that included the original film’s Ellen Burstyn seemed like it could breathe new life into the franchise. However, the film was a gut-punching loss for the studio and filmmaker David Gordon Green who was still flying high from his Halloween trilogy. Green’s name can be found among the Razzies selections for Worst Director with the title earning mentions for Worst Screenplay, Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel, Worst Picture, and Worst Screen Couple, which was hilariously given to “Any 2 Money-Grubbing Investors Who Donated to the $400 Million for Remake Rights to The Exorcist.”
Dishonorable Mentions
Other honorable mentions for this year’s Razzies awards include the horror film that ruined childhoods aka Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, Chris Evans and Ana de Armas in Ghosted, Megan Fox in Johnny & Clyde as well as in Expend4bles, Mel Gibson in Confidential Informant, and a handful of swats at Meg 2: The Trench.
Source: Variety
