25 Worst Movies Ever
1. Battlefield Earth (2000)
With inspiration like that, what could possibly go wrong? As it turns out, quite a lot. The production of the film was largely fueled by the insistence of Travolta, a long-time Scientologist.
Unfortunately, the actor’s passion for turning one of the Scientology founder’s stories into a movie wasn’t matched by acting or screenwriting prowess.
Travolta was unable to convince a major studio to produce the film, and ended up contributing millions of dollars of his own money toward production costs. The film’s premiere was reportedly greeted with overwhelming laughter and numerous walk-outs by film critics and fellow filmmakers.
The movie swept the 2001 Razzies, taking home seven Razzies, including Worst Film, Worst Actor (Travolta), and Worst Supporting Actor (Barry Pepper).
Even worse, the film led to the bankruptcy of Franchise Pictures, the independent production company that produced “Battlefield Earth.” The company was sued by investors after it admitted having overstated the movie’s budget by $31 million. Rumors that the Church of Scientology had a hand in the production of the film further eroded its chances for success.
