The Rock, Kevin Hart, Tyler Perry Delivered Some of Worst Movies of 2024

‘Divorce in the Black,’ ‘The American Society of Magical Negroes,’ ‘Mea Culpa’ and ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ are among the year’s worst movies.

(L to R) Justice Smith as “Aren”, David Alan Grier as “Roger” and Aisha Hinds as “Gabbard” in writer/director Kobi Libii’s THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MAGICAL NEGROES. Photo: Tobin Yelland / Focus Features

This year was full of unforgettable cinema moments, like Will Smith and Martin Lawrence reuniting in “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” Denzel Washington in “Gladiator II,” and Cynthia Erivo “Defying Gravity” in “Wicked.” However, there were also plenty of films we’d like to forget. Some of the movies on our worst list are just flat out bad, while others suffered very public multi-million dollar failures. A few of them are classified as both. Before we completely close the book on 2024, we need to look back at some of the worst movies of the year.

Video will return here when scrolled back into view
Wayne Brady and Maile Brady Tell Us Who Choreographs Their Fun TikTok Dances

‘Divorce in the Black’

Tyler Perry’s “Divorce in the Black” follows a woman as she breaks up with her husband, who continues to harass her alongside her toxic family. It features the overacting and nonsensical storylines that are usually found in his films, plus an opening that will literally go down in history for how over-the-top ridiculous it is.

‘The American Society of Magical Negroes’

We get what “The American Society of Magical Negroes” was going for. It wanted to be this brilliant satire on race, but the execution missed the mark so badly thatit just came off as offensive and insulting.

‘Red One’

As far as holiday movies go, “Red One” is OK. Yes, it’s bloated and silly, but it’s also predictable and uncomplicated. Its major flaw is that it’s way too much. If they’d pared down some of the action scenes and unnecessary characters, it would’ve worked better.

‘Mea Culpa’

Normally, this is where we’d explain the plot of the movie to you. But we still don’t know what that is in “Mea Culpa.” Kelly Rowland does the best she can with her portrayal of a lawyer caught up in a high-profile case while dealing with her terrible husband and his awful family. This movie is the definition of nonsensical.

‘Not Another Church Movie’

“Not Another Church Movie” wanted to do for faith-based, church movies, what “Scary Movie” did for horror films. Except it forgot the part where it was supposed to be funny. Not even Jamie Foxx as the voice of God could offer redemption.

‘Joker: Folie à Deux’

We know “Joker: Folie à Deux” isn’t really a Black movie, but when a sequel is this epically bad and loses a reported $200 million, we have to call it out. The film went in a completely different direction from the original, upsetting fans of the first movie and the character. There will be classes taught about how badly this went.

‘The Crow’

When a movie is stuck in development hell as long as “The Crow” reboot was and goes through as many changes as it did, that’s a red flag that nothing good will come from it. Among its many problems was the awkward lack of chemistry between stars Bill Skarsgard and FKA twigs.

‘Back to Black’

We don’t know whose idea it was to make the men in Amy Winehouse’s life the focus of her biopic, but it was a bad one.

‘Megalopolis’

We applaud Francis Ford Coppola for doing something different, but this movie was joyless and so full of itself. Yes it’s a drama, but it was totally unentertaining.

‘Wonka’

This prequel was nothing more than an unnecessary cash grab. We’re begging studios to move on from this franchise and just let us enjoy the original Gene Wilder movie.

‘The Union’

It wasn’t that “The Union” was terrible, it was just exactly as advertised. The action movie starring Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg offered everything we expected it to, and nothing else. We just want more for Berry.

‘Civil War’

“Civil War” marketed itself as a troubling “what if” tale about America’s divisive political climate. What it actually delivered was a somewhat boring character study of journalists traveling through the war-torn east coast. It promised one movie, then released another.

‘The Front Room’

Brandy did the best she could with this thriller about a disapproving mother-in-law, but it was so ridiculous, we couldn’t take any of it seriously.

‘Borderlands’

Once again the curse of the video game movie strikes. Kevin Hart and Cate Blanchett really should have known better.

Straight From The Root

Sign up for our free daily newsletter.

Latest from The Root

13 Reasons Why 2026 Is Already A Hot Mess

13 Reasons Why 2026 Is Already A Hot Mess

From U.S. airstrikes and political shakeups to celebrity scandals and AI disrupting jobs, 2026 has already delivered chaos that’s impossible to ignore — and we’ve rounded up 13 of the wildest moments so far …
Exclusive: AG Andrea Campbell, More Black Leaders, Celebs Share Life-Changing Lessons

Exclusive: AG Andrea Campbell, More Black Leaders, Celebs Share Life-Changing Lessons

The Root Exclusive Series: Black History Month was established 100 years ago, in February 1926. To commemorate this momentous occasion, 100 Black thought leaders and creators share their collective wisdom and insight for the culture in this ongoing series …
The Internet is Losing Its Mind Over Oprah's Crop Top and  Fly Looks

The Internet is Losing Its Mind Over Oprah’s Crop Top and Fly Looks

Oprah Winfrey has been spotted with bestie Gayle King at Paris Fashion Week. Now, one red carpet look has the internet talking …
Trayvon Martin and Other Black People Who Were Unjustly Killed in America

Trayvon Martin and Other Black People Who Were Unjustly Killed in America

14 years after Trayvon Martin was killed, these other Black men and women were also murdered in shocking similarity …
Austin Police Release Body Cam Footage of Black Shooter at an Austin Bar

Austin Police Release Body Cam Footage of Black Shooter at an Austin Bar

Austin police are piecing together the motive behind Ndiaga Diagne, the Black man who killed three and injured over a dozen in a March 1 mass shooting …
F1 Champion Lewis Hamilton Calls for a Movement to 'Take Africa Back' as He Tries to Bring Racing to the Continent

F1 Champion Lewis Hamilton Calls for a Movement to ‘Take Africa Back’ as He Tries to Bring Racing to the Continent

The first and only Black driver in F1 history is empowering the people of the continent to “take Africa back” from European powers …
Jill Scott's Break From Music is Part of a Growing Trend of Black Women Pausing With Purpose

Jill Scott’s Break From Music is Part of a Growing Trend of Black Women Pausing With Purpose

Jill Scott, Beyoncé, Teyana Taylor and Simone Biles are part of a growing wave of Black women who have embraced the idea of stepping back …
Selma Was Not Just History, It Was a Warning

Selma Was Not Just History, It Was a Warning

Opinion: Sixty-one years after “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, we are once again watching the machinery of state violence turn toward Black and Brown communities …
Melyssa Ford Reveals the Unexpected Remedy That Helped Her Cope With Her Mother’s Death

Melyssa Ford Reveals the Unexpected Remedy That Helped Her Cope With Her Mother’s Death

Melyssa Ford is pulling back the curtain on her mental health journey, proving that sometimes, unconventional healing can help with unimaginable grief …
Big News On Sidney Dorsey, The Ex-Georgia Sheriff Convicted of Murder Conspiracy

Big News On Sidney Dorsey, The Ex-Georgia Sheriff Convicted of Murder Conspiracy

Sidney Dorsey died in prison after serving a life sentence for the shocking 2000 political murder after losing his reelection bid …
Eric Benét's Viral New War Protest Song is Exactly What We Needed

Eric Benét’s Viral New War Protest Song is Exactly What We Needed

The “Spend My Life With You” singer gave us a much-needed soulful protest anthem calling out the Trump administration decision to bomb Iran …
This Viral Content Creator is Keeping Our Black Food Traditions Alive - And Looking Great While Doing it!

This Viral Content Creator is Keeping Our Black Food Traditions Alive – And Looking Great While Doing it!

Sonja Norwood (aka Wick’d Creations) has built a massive social media following sharing the Black recipes you won’t find in cookbooks …
Queen Latifah Death Rumor Spurs This Unusual Development

Queen Latifah Death Rumor Spurs This Unusual Development

After a viral rumor spread on Facebook that Queen Latifah was dead, she hopped on Instagram to address her fans’ concerns …
Viral 'Sinners' Test Footage Has Fans Wanting More Behind-the-Scenes Content

Viral ‘Sinners’ Test Footage Has Fans Wanting More Behind-the-Scenes Content

Test footage from the first days of filming “Sinners” has fans wanting more behind-the-scenes content …
Why Stefon Diggs Is Having The Worst Week Ever, Black Twitter Responds

Why Stefon Diggs Is Having The Worst Week Ever, Black Twitter Responds

The NFL veteran wide receiver has been racking a bunch of L’s this week …
Black America Explodes After Trump Fires Kristi Noem

Black America Explodes After Trump Fires Kristi Noem

Kristi Noem spoke in Nashville during a conference right as Trump dropped the bombshell news of her replacement …
Is the Fear of Getting ‘Too Dark’ in the Summer a Personal Choice for Black Folks or Deep-Rooted Colorism?

Is the Fear of Getting ‘Too Dark’ in the Summer a Personal Choice for Black Folks or Deep-Rooted Colorism?

After a tweet calling out Black folks who avoid the summer sun went viral, a debate about loving one’s complexion versus colorism had the timeline on fire …
What Will Happen to Rep. Al Green Now That He Is Forced into a Runoff Against Rep. Christian Menefee?

What Will Happen to Rep. Al Green Now That He Is Forced into a Runoff Against Rep. Christian Menefee?

Rep. Al Green up against Rep. Christian Menefee– the new kid on the block– in the upcoming Texas runoff election …
Teyana Taylor Wants 'One Battle After Another' Sequel, But Fans Aren't Feeling It

Teyana Taylor Wants ‘One Battle After Another’ Sequel, But Fans Aren’t Feeling It

Though Teyana Taylor’s role in ‘One Battle After Another’ earned her an Oscar nomination, it looks like fans aren’t so hyped to see a spinoff of her character …
Black ‘Klan Whisperer’ Has Led Hundreds Away From White Supremacy —And Has the Robes to Prove It

Black ‘Klan Whisperer’ Has Led Hundreds Away From White Supremacy —And Has the Robes to Prove It

Daryl Davis has used open conversation and music to persuade hundreds to leave hate behind, collecting their Klan regalia as symbols of change …