Alan Ritchson’s Playdate Lands Among 2025’s Most Criticized Films

The annual rundown of the year’s least successful movies has arrived, and this time, Alan Ritchson’s recent film, Playdate, is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Released in November, Playdate has been ranked just below the year’s lowest-rated title, War of the Worlds, which managed to earn a mere 4% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Playdate and War of the Worlds Lead the Pack

Playdate, a buddy action- comedy directed by Luke Greenfield, stars Ritchson as Jeff Eamon, a high-energy stay-at-home dad who’s new in town. He teams up with Kevin James, who plays Brian Jennings, a recently unemployed forensic accountant struggling to adapt to his new role at home. Their paths cross by chance, and soon, Brian finds himself in over his head as the pair are chased by a group of relentless mercenaries.

The cast also features Sarah Chalke, Alan Tudyk, Benjamin Pajak, Banks Pierce, Hiro Kanagawa, Stephen Root, and Isla Fisher. Despite the star power, critics were not impressed. Playdate received a 20/100 on Metacritic, with reviewers calling it, “no energy, no wit, just a tasteless and tacky sequence of events.”

Meanwhile, War of the Worlds, a new screenlife adaptation of H.G. Wells’s classic, directed by Rich Lee, didn’t fare any better. The film stars Ice Cube as Will Radford, a government computer security analyst whose life is upended by an alien invasion. Despite a cast that includes Eva Longoria, Clark Gregg, Andrea Savage, and others, the movie was panned for its “hodgepodge of shoddy CGI and dead-eyed reaction shots from Ice Cube that make you feel like you can identify individual brain cells mid-death cycle.” It currently holds a 6/100 on Metacritic, making it the lowest-rated film of the year.

Full List of 2025 ’s Most Disliked Movies

Alongside Playdate and War of the Worlds, several other high-profile projects made the list. Nicolas Cage’s Gunslingers, Sylvester Stallone’s Alarum, Rebel Wilson’s Bride Hard, and Josh Hutcherson’s Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 all found themselves among the year’s most criticized releases. Other entries include Shadow Force, The Strangers: Chapter 2, Hurry Up Tomorrow, The Electric State, Juliet & Romeo, Smurfs, Modi – Three Days on the Wing of Madness, Regretting You, and Old Guy.

Here’s how the top 15 worst movies of 2025 stack up, according to Metacritic:

• War of the Worlds – 6/100
• Playdate – 20/100
• Gunslingers – 20/100
• Alarum – 23/100
• Bride Hard – 23/100
• Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 – 26/100
• Shadow Force – 27/100
• The Strangers: Chapter 2 – 28/100
• Hurry Up Tomorrow – 29/100
• The Electric State – 30/100
• Juliet & Romeo – 31/100
• Smurfs – 31/100
• Modi – Three Days on the Wing of Madness – 32/100
• Regretting You – 33/100
• Old Guy – 33/100

Despite the presence of big names, these films couldn’t escape harsh reviews and low scores from critics and audiences alike.

Fans React to the Controversial Rankings

The release of this list has sparked plenty of debate online. Some fans agree with the rankings, while others are surprised to see certain titles included. Many have taken to social media to share their thoughts, with some questioning why other movies weren’t featured and others defending their favorites.

Ice Cube fighting aliens via Zoom while plugging Amazon Prime deliveries? Finally, a War of the Worlds where the tripods win by boredom. Peak 2025 cinema! 😂

hard to believe anything was worse than the strangers chapter 2

I watched electric state and I wish I never watch electric state. It will make your IQ drop 20 points.

Bro take five nights off here 😭

Like it or not you gotta admit the animatronics in the fnaf 2 movie are amazing

How TF is Snow White not on this list???!!?

five nights at freddy’s 2 is the best movie of the year

Me, who really enjoyed "Five Nights at Freddy's 2," seeing it on this list:

Whether you agree with the critics or not, these movies have certainly gotten people talking this year.