There are many contenders worthy of being included in the conversation when it comes to naming the worst big budget blockbusters in the history of cinema, but very few state a case stronger than that of M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender.
It was highly unfortunate that the live-action adaptation of such beloved source material came during the Academy Award-nominated filmmaker’s rapid descent into the critical doldrums, but it’s hard to imagine that even peak The Sixth Sense or Unbreakable-era Shyamalan would have been able to put much polish on this particular turd.
It wasn’t just fans of Avatar that hated The Last Airbender movie with a passion; it was the general public, too. A five percent Rotten Tomatoes score is embarrassing stuff, while the fantasy epic also went on to win five Razzies including Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Screenplay, and Worst Eye-Gouging Misuse of 3D, all of which were fully merited.
Incredibly, though, a $319 million haul at the box office on a $150 million budget ensured that it turned a profit during its theatrical run (even when you factor in marketing and distribution costs), even if Paramount couldn’t move quick enough to scrap any plans for a further two installments to round out a trilogy.
Time may not have been kind to the infamous disaster’s reputation, but streaming subscribers seem to be a forgiving bunch. As per FlixPatrol, The Last Airbender has become one of the most-watched titles on Prime Video’s global rankings, leaving us to feel sorry for the unfortunate folks who end up subjecting themselves to an offensively awful 103 minutes.
