From bad acting to bizarre plots, the Golden Raspberry Awards celebrate the worst in cinema! This episode revisits the first decade of Razzie history, highlighting some of the most infamous flops and “so‑bad‑it’s‑good” curiosities of the 1980s. See if your least favourite movie won a Golden Raspberry Award.
A total of 45 movies are covered across this series on the Worst Picture award at the Golden Raspberry Awards (Razzies).
Dive into the world of cinematic missteps with a look at the Golden Raspberry Award, celebrating the worst in film. From epic fails to movies that missed the mark, the Razzies highlight the funny side of bad movies and reveal which “award‑winning” titles took home the infamous Golden Raspberry.
This article is based on my full breakdown video on Cinema Awards Archive on YouTube, where I cover each of these 45 Worst Picture “winners” in detail.
Prefer to watch instead of read? This article is adapted from my YouTube episode on Cinema Awards Archive:
“45 Years of Razzie Winners: The Absolute Worst Movies Ever Made”
The 1980s gave birth to the Golden Raspberry Awards and set the tone for everything that followed – from disco musicals and Hollywood melodramas to notorious bombs and star vehicles that missed the mark in spectacular fashion.
It is a 1980 American musical comedy film directed by Nancy Walker in her only feature film as a director.
The film is a pseudo‑biography of 1970s disco group the Village People, loosely based on how the group formed.
Released after the peak of disco, it received largely negative reviews from critics and became a box‑office bomb.
Alongside Xanadu, Can’t Stop the Music is famous for inspiring the creation of the Golden Raspberry Awards, and at the 1st Razzies it won the inaugural awards for Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay.
It is a 1981 American biographical psychological drama film directed by Frank Perry and starring Faye Dunaway.
Adapted from Christina Crawford’s 1978 autobiography, it follows Christina and her brother Christopher’s upbringing under their adoptive mother, actress Joan Crawford, depicting Joan as abusive, controlling and obsessed with her career.
The film grossed $25 million internationally against a $10 million budget, but Crawford’s family condemned it for portraying Joan as more abusive than the book and disputed some of Christina’s claims.
Critics were mixed: Dunaway’s performance drew both praise and ridicule, while the screenplay and editing were heavily criticised.
Over time, the film’s heightened tone, infamous dialogue and Dunaway’s performance have attracted a strong cult following.
At the 2nd Golden Raspberry Awards, it received nine nominations and won five, including Worst Picture and Worst Actress for Faye Dunaway.
It is a 1981 war film about the Battle of Inchon, widely regarded as the turning point of the Korean War, directed by Terence Young.
The film stars Laurence Olivier as General Douglas MacArthur, who led the U.S.‑led UN forces in the amphibious landing at Incheon, South Korea, in 1950.
Mixing large‑scale military sequences with personal drama, it concludes with the American victory that helped secure South Korea.
Produced on a reported $46 million budget and filmed in South Korea, California, Italy, Ireland and Japan, it premiered in 1981 and saw a limited U.S./Canadian release in 1982 before being quickly withdrawn after critical and financial failure.
It earned less than $2 million, resulting in losses of around $41 million, and has been repeatedly cited by outlets like Newsweek, TV Guide and the Canadian Press as one of the worst films ever made.
At the 3rd Golden Raspberry Awards, it received five nominations and won four including Worst Picture and Worst Director for Terence Young.
It is a 1983 American drama film directed by Peter Sasdy, adapted from Harold Robbins’ 1976 novel of the same name, believed to have been inspired in part by Jacqueline Susann.
The plot follows an aspiring screenwriter who endures abuse and exploitation from powerful men while trying to succeed in Hollywood.
It was the last film adaptation of a Robbins novel before his death in 1997.
Critically panned and a box‑office bomb, it grossed only about $1.2 million against a budget estimated between $6–7 million.
The film received 11 Razzie nominations and won six: Worst Actress, Worst Director, Worst Musical Score, Worst Original Song (“The Way You Do It”), Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay.
It later lost Razzie “Worst Picture of the Decade” to Mommie Dearest and “Worst Drama of the Razzies’ First 25 Years” to Battlefield Earth.
It is a 1984 American romantic drama film written and directed by John Derek and starring Bo Derek.
The story centres on heiress Ayre “Mac” MacGillvary, whose sexual awakening sends her travelling the world in search of the perfect first lover to take her virginity.
The film was a box‑office flop, was savaged by critics and quickly became a shorthand example of 1980s erotic misfires.
At the 5th Golden Raspberry Awards it earned nine nominations and “won” six including Worst Picture.
Bolero is currently the oldest film that still holds a 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
It is a 1985 American war action film starring Sylvester Stallone as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo, directed by George P. Cosmatos.
A sequel to First Blood (1982), it is the second entry in the Rambo film series.
Despite mixed reviews, it became a major global blockbuster, earning around $150 million in the United States and ranking as the second‑highest‑grossing film domestically and third worldwide in 1985.
It was nominated in seven categories at the 6th Golden Raspberry Awards and won four including Worst Picture, even as it also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Sound Effects Editing.
It is a 1986 American superhero comedy film directed by Willard Huyck.
The project was originally conceived as an animated film, but contractual obligations led to a live‑action adaptation instead.
While there had been various Marvel characters on television, this was the first theatrical Marvel release since the 1944 Captain America serial.
The film was a critical and commercial failure, criticised for its humour, performances, tone and the unsettling appearance of the title character, though some praised its effects and soundtrack.
In later years it has been hailed both as a cult favourite and as one of the worst films ever made.
It was nominated for seven Razzies, winning four including Worst Picture, and made about $16.3 million domestically against a reported $30–37 million budget.
It is a 1986 American romantic musical comedy‑drama film directed by Prince in his directorial debut.
The film was released as a follow‑up to his 1984 hit Purple Rain, but underperformed both critically and commercially on release.
At the 7th Golden Raspberry Awards it won five awards and tied with Howard the Duck for Worst Picture.
However, the associated soundtrack album Parade sold over a million copies and went platinum.
Since Prince’s death in 2016, the film has undergone re‑evaluation, with several critics now regarding it as a stylish cult classic.
It is a 1987 American spy parody film directed by Paul Weiland and starring Bill Cosby, who also produced the film and wrote the story.
The film received universally negative reviews and is frequently mentioned among the worst films ever made.
It was a box‑office bomb, earning just over $4.6 million on a $24 million budget.
At the 7th Golden Raspberry Awards, it was nominated in three categories and won all three: Worst Picture, Worst Actor and Worst Screenplay.
In an unusual move, Bill Cosby publicly denounced and disowned the film in interviews even before its release.
It is a 1988 American romantic comedy‑drama film directed by Roger Donaldson, based on Heywood Gould’s novel of the same name.
The story follows a business student who becomes a flair bartender to make ends meet and gets pulled into a whirlwind of nightlife, ambition and romance.
Released by Buena Vista’s Touchstone Pictures label, the film earned overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics but was a major box‑office success, grossing more than $170 million worldwide on a $20 million budget and finishing as the eighth highest‑grossing film of 1988.
Despite its financial success, it won Worst Picture at the 9th Golden Raspberry Awards.
It is a 1989 American science fiction film directed by William Shatner and based on the television series Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry.
The film initially opened strong, earning the highest opening weekend of any Star Trek film up to that point and debuting at number one at the box office.
However, grosses dropped sharply in subsequent weeks, and the film received mixed‑to‑negative reviews; producer Harve Bennett later remarked that it “nearly killed the franchise”.
At the 10th Golden Raspberry Awards, it was nominated for six awards — including Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Actor for Shatner, Worst Supporting Actor for DeForest Kelley, Worst Screenplay and Worst Picture of the Decade — and won three: Worst Picture, Worst Director and Worst Actor for Shatner.
Tell me in the comments — which 1980s Razzie Worst Picture winner do you think is the most entertaining disaster, and is there one you think actually deserves a critical re‑evaluation?
If you enjoy deep dives into award‑show records and film history, check out the full episode on Cinema Awards Archive, and don’t forget to like, subscribe and hit the bell so you never miss an update.
