Image: https://unsplash.com/photos/white-neon-light-signage-turned-on-A4Emn6JMU10
Reboots and remakes have one primary goal for audiences: to bring an older piece of media back into the limelight. The recent announcement of an animated Firefly reboot inspired multichannel organic traffic platform AmpiFire to take a look back and see which are some of the worst remakes in history.
The team used Wikipedia listings to compile the original film and its most recent remake, then gathered IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes scores for both and ranked the remakes based on the difference in score between the original and the remake according to IMDb. Where scores were tied, Rotten Tomatoes scores for the remake were used to rank.
The worst remake title goes to Psycho with a difference of 4.50 points on IMDb. Despite the remake being identical shot-for-shot, audiences clearly didn’t appreciate the update. The remake won the Razzie Award for Worst Remake or Sequel.
The Wicker Man is next with a 3.80 point difference. This remake has the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score in the top ten and has become known for its unintentionally comedic moments in an otherwise serious horror.
The Haunting and Ben-Hur are next. The Haunting scores 3.50 points less than its original and has a 17% score from Rotten Tomatoes. While Ben-Hur scores 3.00 points less. Both originals hold 100%, showing that audiences weren’t happy with some of the changes made in the remakes.
Top ten worst remakes in history
Snow White is next with the 2025 remake scoring 2.90 less than the animated original. Snow White is the only Disney remake in the top ten and garnered criticism from fans for its casting decisions.
Laal Singh Chaddha lands in sixth, scoring 2.50 points less than its original. Though the remake did receive praise for how close it was to the source material, it failed to recoup its budget.
The Invasion, Rear Window, and Poltergeist are next, all scoring 2.40 points less than the originals.
Finally, Oldboy completes the list with the 2013 remake scoring 2.30 points less than its original. Oldboy has the shortest length of time between the original and the remake with only a decade between them.
When it comes to remakes that fans loved, Scarface and Ocean’s Eleven both scored 1.10 points more than their originals. The 1983 Scarface, starring Al Pacino, grossed $66 million and has become one of the greatest films ever made, while Ocean’s Eleven became the fifth-highest grossing film of 2001.
Chris Munch, CEO & Founder of AmpiFire, commented:
“From a marketing standpoint, film remakes operate as pre-sold intellectual property. When you’re working with a title that already has a fanbase and cultural recognition, you’re not building awareness but instead reactivating it.
“For example, Disney’s remake of The Lion King generated over $1.6 billion globally, with other remakes like Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin each surpassing $1 billion at the box office. The Disney live-action remakes show that additional scenes or a return to the source material, evidenced by Cinderella and The Jungle Book, bring the story to a new generation instead of relying on nostalgia.
“Academic research from Bayes Business School notes that remakes are perceived internally as ‘low-risk, high-return’ investments due to existing fanbases and reduced storytelling uncertainty.
“However, a remake is not automatically successful as this data shows. Audiences need a reason to return, not just remember so campaigns that lean too heavily on recognition without any added value or difference often underperform, while those that reframe the story for a new generation find more success. Remakes succeed not because they’re familiar, but because they monetise familiarity.”
Methodology
Wikipedia listings were used to compile original films and the most recent remakes, then IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes scores for both were gathered and used to rank the remakes based on the difference in score between the original and the remake according to IMDb. Where scores were tied, Rotten Tomatoes scores for the remake were used to rank. A total of 90 films were analysed.
