2018 Razzies: ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ and ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ lead the pack
Blowing a dishonorable raspberry at the worst movies of the year are the recently revealed nominations for the 2018 Razzie Awards. While notable stinkers such as Transformers: The Last Knight, Fifty Shades Darker and The Emoji Movie are given repeated and deserved mentions on the list, Darren Aronofsky’s mother! has taken quite the blow, too. The divisive movie, simultaneously celebrated and derided by critics and audiences alike, received a whopping three nominations in total: Aronofsky for Worst Director, Jennifer Lawrence for Worst Actress, and Javier Bardem for Worst Supporting Actor. Bardem was also nominated in the same category for his performance in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Maintaining its penchant for amusingly specific categories, the 2018 Razzies have also introduced an award for the Worst Screen Combo. Fifty Shades Darker landed a nomination for Any Combination of Two Characters, Two Sex Toys or Two Sexual Positions, while Transformers was nominated for Any Combination of Two Humans, Two Robots or Two Explosions. Johnny Depp, star of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (hilariously retitled Dead Careers Tell No Tales), scooped a nod for his “worn out drunk routine”. Seems fair to us. The Razzies, otherwise known as the Golden Raspberry Awards, are a fun mainstay in the run up to the Oscars. The nominees are typically revealed ahead of the Oscar nominations, with the event taking place on the evening before the Academy hosts its lavish ceremony. Since its inception, the makeshift ceremony has grown considerably, and nominated stars have turned up to accept their awards in person. Halle Berry (Catwoman), Sandra Bullock (Gravity), Tom Green (Freddy Got Fingered), and director Paul Verhoeven (RoboCop) all managed to see the fun side. This year marks the 38th iteration of the event, originally conceived by film industry veterans John J.B. Wilson and Mo Murphy as a pot-luck Oscars dinner party where they’d celebrate bad movies after the televised event. Despite its comedic nature, in an interview with BBC News, Wilson insisted that the awards don’t stem from a “place of hatred”, but rather a deep desire to have a “good time”. Wilson also criticized the Oscars for being “sterile”, adding that it “really should be fun”.
2018 Razzie Winners
The nominations told only half the story. When the actual winners were announced on March 3, 2018, The Emoji Movie swept Worst Picture along with several other categories. Fifty Shades Darker picked up Worst Remake, Rip-off or Sequel and earned Kim Basinger a Worst Supporting Actress trophy. Tom Cruise took Worst Actor for his turn in The Mummy, proving that big studio budgets did not shield anyone from the raspberry. The results gave the 2018 cycle a tidy close that the nomination list alone could not deliver.
Evolution of Razzie Categories
Worst Screen Combo, introduced with such fanfare in the 2018 nominations, refused to stay a one-off gag. The category has appeared in nearly every ceremony since, adapting to whatever pairings the year’s films offered. Recent examples include awkward matches from the 2025 Snow White remake, showing that the Razzies continue to reward the kind of chemistry that never should have happened on screen.
Recent Razzie Ceremonies
By 2026 the awards reached their 46th edition, still doling out raspberries the night before the Oscars. War of the Worlds dominated the 2025 film slate, claiming Worst Picture and several other trophies. The ceremony also featured the Razzie Redeemer Award, a newer category that spotlights actors or directors attempting career turnarounds. The addition keeps the event current without softening its core mission.
Notable Razzie Recipients Over Time
Some winners still show up in person, though the practice has become more selective. Halle Berry’s appearance for Catwoman set the bar early, and a handful of later recipients have followed suit. Most recent ceremonies rely on video clips or pre-taped acceptance speeches, preserving the irreverent tone while acknowledging that not every honoree wants to collect the prize on camera.
The 2018 nominations captured a moment when Hollywood’s biggest franchises and prestige experiments alike found themselves in the same raspberry barrel. Adding the winners, the category’s staying power, and the awards’ continued run through 2026 rounds out the picture without changing the original playful spirit. The Razzies remain the unofficial pre-Oscar roast that keeps the industry honest in its own slightly mean-spirited way.
