The Worst Parody Movies of All Time

Parody is tough to nail: it needs sharp cultural references, airtight joke construction, and a clear target. When those pieces don’t line up, the results can be forgettable at best and infamous at worst. The films below are frequently cited for weak reception and franchise fatigue, with data points like credited creators, budgets, grosses, runtimes, and distributor details that explain how they landed with audiences and reviewers.

To keep this grounded, each entry includes verifiable facts such as who made the film, who released it, and how it performed in theaters. Sources include Box Office Mojo for financials and release specifics; Wikipedia for consolidated credits; and, where useful, Rotten Tomatoes pages that summarize critical reception.

‘Disaster Movie’ (2008)

‘Disaster Movie’ was written and directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, produced with Peter Safran, and released by Lionsgate; credits list Christopher Lennertz as composer and Shawn Maurer as cinematographer, with a listed runtime of 87 minutes and a reported budget of $20 million. The ensemble includes Matt Lanter, Vanessa Minnillo, Nicole Parker, Crista Flanagan, Tony Cox, and Kim Kardashian in her feature debut.

Financially, the film opened over the late-August holiday frame and finished with $34.8 million worldwide on the reported $20 million cost; Box Office Mojo records the domestic run and date range, while Wikipedia consolidates the worldwide total and opening frame figures.

‘Epic Movie’ (2007)

‘Epic Movie’ is credited to writers-directors Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer and producer Paul Schiff, with 20th Century Fox handling distribution; technical credits include music by Edward Shearmur and cinematography by Shawn Maurer, and the listed runtime is 85 minutes on a reported $20 million budget.

The film debuted at #1 in North America and concluded with about $86.9 million worldwide; Box Office Mojo’s yearly table shows the domestic total, while The Numbers and IMDb corroborate the opening weekend and global finish.

‘Meet the Spartans’ (2008)

‘Meet the Spartans’ was written and directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, stars Sean Maguire, Carmen Electra, Ken Davitian, and Kevin Sorbo, and credits Christopher Lennertz for music and Shawn Maurer for cinematography; it was released by 20th Century Fox with a listed runtime of 83 minutes and a reported $30 million budget.

Box Office Mojo’s release page logs the late-January rollout, PG-13 rating, widest theater count, and runtime; the film ultimately grossed roughly mid-$80 millions worldwide according to IMDb’s box-office summary and Wikipedia’s consolidated figure.

‘Date Movie’ (2006)

‘Date Movie’—a romantic-comedy spoof—was directed by Aaron Seltzer and co-written with Jason Friedberg, starring Alyson Hannigan and Adam Campbell, with Fox as distributor; the reported budget is $20 million and the runtime is 83 minutes. Wikipedia’s production notes track the project’s setup at Regency and its February release by 20th Century Fox.

Box Office Mojo lists the U.S. opening weekend just over $19 million, the PG-13 rating, and the release window; year-end tables record a domestic gross of $48.5 million, with Wikipedia summarizing a worldwide finish near $85 million.

‘Superhero Movie’ (2008)

‘Superhero Movie’ was written and directed by Craig Mazin, produced by Robert K. Weiss and David Zucker under Dimension Films, and distributed domestically by MGM; credits include James L. Venable (music) and Thomas E. Ackerman (cinematography), and the listed budget is $35 million.

Box Office Mojo records a domestic opening of $9.5 million and a U.S. total around $25.9 million, with international markets bringing the worldwide figure into the low-$70 millions across EMEA and other territories. The release-group page details territory-by-territory grosses and confirms MGM as domestic distributor.

‘Scary Movie 5’ (2013)

‘Scary Movie V’ continued the franchise under Dimension Films with a PG-13 rating and an 88-minute runtime; the reported production budget was $20 million. Wikipedia’s overview anchors the release date and summarizes the film’s position as the lowest-grossing entry in the series.

Box Office Mojo reports a $14.16 million domestic opening and a worldwide total of about $78.4 million, with distributor, theater count, and release window noted on the film’s page.

‘Vampires Suck’ (2010)

‘Vampires Suck’ was written and directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, released by 20th Century Fox, and produced through Regency and 3 in the Box; listed credits include Christopher Lennertz (music) and Shawn Maurer (cinematography), with a reported $20 million budget and an 82-minute runtime.

Box Office Mojo records a domestic opening of $12.2 million and a worldwide total of $80.55 million, with a domestic/international split close to 46/54. Those figures, plus the release timing, are detailed across the title and release pages.

‘The Starving Games’ (2013)

‘The Starving Games’ is a ‘Hunger Games’ parody written and directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer; industry databases track its international-first rollout, with country-level grosses logged for markets including Italy and Germany.

IMDb’s box-office summary lists a worldwide total a little under $3.91 million, with The Numbers and territory pages reflecting small theatrical footprints, particularly in Europe; Box Office Mojo’s market tables illustrate that most revenue came from outside North America.

‘Fifty Shades of Black’ (2016)

‘Fifty Shades of Black’ was co-written by and stars Marlon Wayans, directed by Mike Tiddes, and released domestically by Open Road Films; Wikipedia’s production notes outline acquisition and filming timelines, and Box Office Mojo confirms a 92-minute runtime and R rating.

Box Office Mojo lists a $5.90 million U.S. opening and a worldwide total of $22.23 million, with roughly even domestic and international shares; the month view for January confirms the opening-weekend placement and theater count.

‘Superfast!’ (2015)

‘Superfast!’—a send-up of the ‘Fast & Furious’ series—was written and directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer and released by Ketchup Entertainment; Wikipedia consolidates credits, notes the VOD-plus-theatrical release pattern, and records a gross around $2.1 million.

Box Office Mojo’s release-group page tallies $2,075,731 worldwide, reflecting an almost entirely international rollout, while IMDb mirrors that worldwide figure in its box-office summary.

‘Stan Helsing’ (2009)

‘Stan Helsing’ is a horror-parody title with critic and audience pages on Rotten Tomatoes that aggregate reviews from outlets such as the Los Angeles Times and Variety; those pages provide documented reception history and release context.

Box Office Mojo lists scattered international grosses—including Italy and Russia/CIS—with no significant domestic total captured in the compiled dataset; IMDb summarizes the worldwide figure in the low-seven-figure range.

Have a pick you think belongs here—or one you’d defend? Share your thoughts in the comments.