Critic-Proof Flicks

by Carrie Rickey

Published Jul. 1, 2009, 1:28 p.m. ET

Around our house we call Transformers 2 " The Revenge of the Box Office." In just a week Michael Bay's critically-drubbed sequel to his diverting 2007 machine dream has already grossed $419 million worldwide. The steaming pile of steel is on track to be the most popular film of the year.

Transformers 2 is a textbook example of the critic-proof flick, one that draws on audience goodwill generated by its first installment. Other examples: the Back to the Future, Pirates of the Caribbean and Matrix sequels and also the Star Wars prequels.

Other titles? This list from filmmisery is a good place to start, although it does not include groaners such as The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo, live-action films based on the beloved TV cartoons. Your nominations? Are critics are out of touch with pop tastes? Is the critic-proof flick the product of what happens when good marketing happens to bad movies? Your theory?