Most expensive movie of all time is very surprising and only has 33% on Rotten Tomatoes

There is a general assumption that the more money you throw at a film, the bigger, the better, and the more successful it's going to be. But that's not always the case.

There are tons of examples that go some way to disprove that belief quite comprehensively.

You only have to look at movies like John Carter, which cost over $260 million to make, and bombed at the box office and was slammed by critics, to see how wrong it can go.

But even this was loose change in comparison to the most expensive film ever made.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides landed in cinemas in 2011, and cost a staggering $410m to make.

The fourth instalment in the Pirates series saw Captain Jack Sparrow and the rest of the gang out on another adventure.

The synopsis reads: "When Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) crosses paths with a woman from his past (Penelope Cruz), he's not sure if it's love—or if she's a ruthless con artist who's using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth.

Disney

"When she forces him aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn't know who to fear more: Blackbeard or the woman from his past."

And while the movie was a hit at the box office, taking in over $1bn, it has been panned by the majority of those who've seen it.

According to Rotten Tomatoes' reliable scoring system, Stranger Tides got a pretty damning 33 percent from critics and 54 percent from fans.

One viewer wrote: "From the very opening scene, it's apparent that the magic that once coursed through the veins of the original has all but run dry."

Disney

Another scathed: "My least favourite of the pirates movies.

"I like Blackbeard but mistake to make Jack the central character instead of a side character."

"Sparrow is such a beloved character that giving him more screen time might at first seem like a good thing, but that isn't the case," put a third.

"Instead, his shtick gets repetitive rather quickly."

While another added: "Now we get the doddering version. Pirates of the Caribbean for Dummies.

"Everything explained. Long walks through the jungle during which nothing happens."

So yeah, sometimes less is more, it would seem.

Topics: Johnny Depp, US News, TV and Film

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers is LADbible's Editorial Lead. After graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History, he went on to write for the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express. So as you can imagine, he’s spent many a night wondering just how useful that second language has been. But c'est la vie.

@SmithersDom