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'War of the Worlds' remake sinks to the bottom at this year's Razzie Awards

A screenshot from the all-out winner of the 46th annual Razzie Awards, War of the Worlds, starring Ice Cube.
Amazon Prime Video
A screenshot from the all-out winner of the 46th annual Razzie Awards, War of the Worlds, starring Ice Cube.

A surveillance industry take on HG Wells' 1898 classic sci-fi novel War of the Worlds starring Ice Cube cleaned up at the 46th Annual Golden Raspberries, or Razzie Awards.

The Razzies are a parody of the Academy Awards, and celebrate Hollywood's most embarrassing efforts every year ahead of the mainstream ceremony on Oscars weekend.

War of the Worlds won five Razzies in total: worst remake, worst actor, worst screenplay, worst director, and worst picture. Critics panned the movie; it scored abysmally low ratings on Rotten Tomatoes.

In a news release about its selections, members of the Golden Raspberry Foundation, a voting body of more than 1,200 movie fans, journalists, and film industry professionals from the U.S. and around the world, described the direct-to-video War of Worlds remake as a "cult hate-watch classic" and "a near sweeper of our $4.97 trophy."

Razzie voters awarded Ice Cube with the Worst Actor award for his role as a Department of Homeland Security surveillance expert in this film. They also anointed Australian star Rebel Wilson Worst Actress for her "not-quite-believable performance as an action hero in Bride Hard with weaponized curling irons."

Neither the Worst Actor nor Worst Actress winners immediately responded to NPR's requests for comment about these dubious honors.

The Razzies for worst supporting cast went to Scarlet Rose Stallone for Gunslingers, and all seven of the CGI-enhanced dwarves in Disney's live-action Snow White remake. "It cost a fortune and lost a fortune," the Razzie press release said of the latter. (According to Forbes, the film lost $170 million of its massive $300 million budget.) "Perhaps cursed by Walt himself for having ignored his dying wish for it never to be remade."

The winner of this year's Redeemer Award – an accolade bestowed upon a previous Razzie nominee or winner for making a critical or commercial comeback – went to Kate Hudson for her Oscar-nominated performance in Song Sung Blue. Hudson's name has shown up on Razzie hit lists over the years for her performances in My Best Friend's Girl (2008), Mother's Day (2016) and Music (2021).

The Razzies were launched in 1981 by Hollywood publicist John J. B. Wilson to "celebrate" the least compelling movies of 1980. The top prize winner that year was Can't Stop the Music.

Full list of 46th Razzie Award Winners:

WORST PICTURE - War Of The Worlds (2025)

WORST ACTOR - Ice Cube / War Of The Worlds (2025)

WORST ACTRESS - Rebel Wilson / Bride Hard

WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Scarlet Rose Stallone / Gunslingers

WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR - All Seven Artificial Dwarfs / Snow White

WORST SCREEN COMBO - All Seven Artificial Dwarfs / Snow White

WORST PREQUEL, REMAKE, RIP-OFF or SEQUEL - War of the Worlds (2025)

WORST DIRECTOR - Rich Lee / War Of The Worlds (2025)

WORST SCREENPLAY - War Of The Worlds (2025) / Kenny Golde, Marc Hyman

RAZZIE REDEEMER AWARD – Kate Hudson / Song Sung Blue

Copyright 2026 NPR

Chloe Veltman
Chloe Veltman is a correspondent on NPR's Culture Desk.
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