The Worst Tom Cruise Movie of All Time, According to Critics
Emily Carr
Published Feb 22, 2026
He's been a romantic lead, an action star, and a household name, but that doesn't mean Tom Cruise hasn't made some career mistakes along the way. No, we're not talking about the controversies in his personal life, which have made him occasional tabloid fodder over the past few decades, but rather the films he's starred in that critics overwhelmingly rejected. Based on the reviews, we're looking at the worst Tom Cruise movies of all time.
We consulted Rotten Tomatoes' ranking of every Tom Cruise film, then headed right to the bottom of the list. The following 16 movies represent the worst reviews the A-lister has ever gotten—even though they include some of his most iconic roles. It's also worth noting that because Rotten Tomatoes ranks films based on an algorithm that weights the number of reviews and the critics surveyed, some movies with higher scores might be ranked below lower scoring entries. Read on to see if any of your favorite Cruise performances earned critics' ire, and for more bad movies with big stars, check out The Worst Will Smith Movies of All Time, According to Critics.
16 Valkyrie (2008)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 62 percent
15 Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 57 percent
14 Top Gun (1986)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 54 percent
13 Oblivion (2013)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 53 percent
12 Knight and Day (2010)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 52 percent
And for more film flops featuring a famous Tom, check out The Worst Tom Hanks Movies of All Time, According to Critics.
11 All the Right Moves (1983)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 61 percent
10 Far and Away (1992)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 50 percent
9 Rock of Ages (2012)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 43 percent
And for more turkeys featuring a big star, these are The Worst Jennifer Aniston Movies of All Time, According to Critics.
8 Vanilla Sky (2001)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 42 percent
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7 Days of Thunder (1990)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 38 percent
6 Legend (1985)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 38 percent
And for more early films from famous actors, here are 30 Celebrities You Forgot Were in Horror Movies.
5 Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 38 percent
4 Lions for Lambs (2007)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 27 percent
And for more Meryl movie misses, check out The Worst Meryl Streep Movies of All Time, According to Critics.
3 Losin' It (1983)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 20 percent
2 The Mummy (2017)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 16 percent
And for more disastrous reboots, check out these 18 Movie Remakes That Totally Flopped.
1 Cocktail (1988)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 7 percent
And for more bad movies from years past, revisit The Worst Movie That Came Out the Year You Graduated.
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