Release date: May 21, 2010
U.S. box office: $238.7 million
Why it's bad: Like "Pirates," this sequel came at a point when a previously successful franchise already felt played out. And like "Pirates," it's the lowest grossing in its series in the U.S. The fourth "Shrek" dealt with the big green ogre's insecurities as a husband and father and imagined an "It's a Wonderful Life" scenario for Shrek to see how much of a difference he's made in the lives of others. Sweet in theory, sure, but simply superfluous in execution -- offering little new beyond lame 3D bandwagon-hopping and obnoxious villain Rumpelstiltskin. The result was a sad spectacle of a once fresh and imaginative concept spinning its creative wheels to satisfy a bottom line.

- Geoff Berkshire