Netflix has a new number-one movie and it's a rather surprising entry considering that the internet has been calling it the worst movie of the decade.
That's right, The Emoji Movie has taken the number one spot on Netflix’s top 10 movies in the US chart, according to FlixPatrol. After landing on the streamer on August 8, the 2017 animation has overtaken movies such as Night School, Jack Reacher, and White Chicks just to name a few.
Directed by Igor’s Tony Leondis, who also voices Laughter in the film, The Emoji Movie follows an emoji named Gene living in a place called Textopolis where each emoji has only one facial expression, except for Gene. But when Gene’s multiple expressions mess up his user's text message, he is threatened with being deleted and must find a way to escape the agents sent to destroy him.
However, as light and fun as that may sound, the movie had a terrible reception upon release which still stands today, earning it a 6% score on Rotten Tomatoes. "This is just a boilerplate animation, zestless, pointless," said Peter Bradshaw from The Guardian, while Bilge Ebiri from Village Voice called it "boldly bad" and "boldly boring." Ouch.
Netflix users seem equally confused as to why the movie, which has long been remembered as one of the worst animated films of all time, has suddenly hit number one. One viewer tweeted, "How is The Emoji Movie #1 in Top 10 Movies on Netflix when it had a 0% RT and audience score when it was released?!"
Despite its meager reviews, the film actually hosts a pretty impressive cast. The Emoji movie stars T.J. Miller as Gene, Patrick Stewart as Poop, Anna Faris as Jailbreak, Maya Rudolph as Smiler, James Corden, Christina Aguilera, and Jennifer Coolidge.
But, it is important to note that we are in the midst of summer vacation, meaning that a lot of the streamer’s lists may be influenced by what kids are watching. That is probably why movies such as Trolls Band Together and The Lorax have placed too.
The Emoji Movie is available to watch on Netflix right now. For more, see our list of the best animated movies, or keep up with upcoming movies.
