The Worst Period Movies of All Time

Big historical backdrops can make a film feel instantly grand, but they also raise the bar on craft, casting, and accuracy. When those pieces don’t come together—whether because of poor reception, eyebrow-raising creative choices, or costly misfires—the result is a period movie remembered for the wrong reasons. Below is a researched list pulling from box-office records, trade coverage, reputable histories, and review aggregators to keep things verifiable and concrete.

Each entry focuses on clear, factual markers: budgets and grosses; critical reception; awards and nominations; and, where relevant, well-documented controversies over accuracy or casting. Sources are cited so you can check the numbers and claims yourself.

‘The Conqueror’ (1956)

RKO cast John Wayne as Genghis Khan, a decision widely recorded as miscasting, and the production later became infamous for filming near U.S. nuclear test sites; numerous cast and crew cancer cases fueled a long-running controversy, covered in depth by national outlets and historians. Contemporary and retrospective write-ups also document the film’s poor reception and its frequent inclusion in “worst films” roundups.

Beyond reputation, there are documented financials and review records. Box-office tallies and archive entries show modest domestic grosses by modern standards, and the film’s Rotten Tomatoes page preserves the critical consensus that hardened over time. Recent coverage has revisited the production’s fallout concerns in light of broader “downwinders” reporting and documentary treatments.

‘Alexander’ (2004)

Oliver Stone’s epic carried a widely reported nine-figure budget and closed with a worldwide gross that trades and databases classify as a commercial disappointment. Those figures are easily confirmed in box-office ledgers.

Critically, the film’s low approval on review aggregators is well documented, and it’s notable for an unusual post-release history: three separate re-cuts (Director’s Cut, “Revisited: The Final Cut,” and an “Ultimate Cut”), each cataloged in studio and reference entries.

‘The Other Boleyn Girl’ (2008)

Production notes and release materials are straightforward: location work is documented, and critical reception landed in the mixed zone per aggregator records.

The film also drew sustained pushback from historians for compressing timelines and dramatizing disputed allegations. Historian-led critiques and mainstream history magazines have detailed where character portrayals and plot points diverge from the record.

‘Gods of Egypt’ (2016)

Financial reporting shows a very high production budget against a worldwide gross that barely cleared that figure; databases and trades summarize the film as a money-loser after costs.

The release was also a case study in pre-release casting controversies: the director and studio issued public apologies regarding the lack of diversity, covered by major outlets and trades, while aggregators logged low critical scores at launch.

‘King Arthur: Legend of the Sword’ (2017)

Budget and gross figures are consistently reported across industry trackers, with trade analyses breaking down why the film is cited as a major box-office failure. Those pieces also note the attempt to launch a franchise that stalled after weak receipts.

Critically, review aggregators recorded poor scores, and UK and U.S. press chronicled the film’s troubled development and underperformance, placing it among its year’s biggest flops.

‘Robin Hood’ (2018)

Official records and trade reporting show the film’s budget around the nine-figure mark and a worldwide gross well below that, with a detailed year-end analysis quantifying the studio’s loss. Aggregators also register a low approval rating.

Box-office databases list a relatively weak domestic total and note the soft opening frame during a crowded holiday corridor, reinforcing why the title is frequently cited in annual flop roundups.

‘The Legend of Hercules’ (2014)

Financial databases document a sizable budget and worldwide gross that didn’t recoup production costs.

Critically, the film’s extremely low approval rating is recorded by review aggregators, and it earned multiple Golden Raspberry nominations, all listed by mainstream outlets that cover the Razzie nominations and winners each year.

‘Revolution’ (1985)

Reference entries and ledgers record a costly production that returned a very small U.S. gross, making it a classic example of a period-set box-office bomb.

On the critical side, aggregator pages preserve a very low approval rating and consensus language noting miscasting and a ponderous script; contemporary reviews cited by those databases reinforce that reception.

‘Pompeii’ (2014)

Databases detail a large production budget and a worldwide gross hovering just over that figure, alongside domestic opening and run statistics that show limited legs.

Review aggregators log a sub-fresh score and a consensus summarizing why critics found it lacking as a sword-and-sandal spectacle, even as some viewers responded to the disaster-movie angle.

‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’ (2014)

Industry trackers list the production budget and theatrical rollout metrics, and box-office pages show a domestic total markedly below typical tentpole returns.

The film drew heavy criticism over casting choices; the director publicly framed the financing calculus behind those decisions in interviews, and contemporaneous coverage noted boycotts and low critical scores. All of that is recorded in mainstream outlets and on aggregator sites.

Think we missed a title that belongs here? Drop your pick in the comments and tell everyone why it deserves a spot.