[[quoteright:350:[[TylerPerry http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/criticaldiss_6590.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"Well, ''I'' liked it."]]
->"''I've made hundreds of legendary records that people talk about that didn't sell.''"
-->--'''Jerry Wexler'''

Critical Dissonance is polar opposition of public to critical opinion. For instance there's a music album the critics love, but the general public doesn't share their high praise for said album, or vice versa where the critics hate it but the general public loves it.

Critics may look down on a [[ItsPopularNowItSucks popular work]] on principle, denouncing it as LowestCommonDenominator garbage that's all flash and no substance. Conversely, the public may see a work beloved by the critics as boring, [[TrueArtIsAngsty angsty]] and [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible pretentious]] drivel engineered solely to [[OscarBait win awards]] from [[StrawCritic boring, angsty and pretentious Academy members]].

Sometimes later opinions can match, and then we have VindicatedByHistory, but not always.

Some media are less affected by this than others. Since comedy relies on what an individual finds funny, this is the genre of movie most likely to spur on Critical Dissonance. One critic may find a movie hilarious while another finds it tacky. Art - all kinds, not just abstract - is notoriously subject to this. And architects get hit with it all the time.

In general, this trope has historically been uncommon with video games, partly due to the [[ReviewsAreTheGospel far greater reliance on reviews]] among gamers, and partly because the technical side (gameplay, graphics, etc.) tends to carry more weight with games than with books or TV. Additionally, good gameplay is much more black-and-white than a good story, writing, or acting. When Critical Dissonance does occur with games, it is more often than not because gamers thought that the critics had been overly kind (like the FourPointScale), or had even been [[MoneyDearBoy paid upfront by the publishers as part of an advertising and/or first look article special]]

Niche media may particularly suffer this because some or all of the critics assigned to review it aren't members of its target demographic, or [[SmallReferencePools don't even have a basic knowledge of the genre]]. To look at it another way, if the business model involves an audience who will actively seek it out, those people will be predisposed to enjoy it, whereas critics who see it out of professional necessity will not have that selection bias.

Some more 'official' ways to measure Critical Dissonance are either comparing a media's revenue to its reviews, or that somehow get nominated for both 'best' and 'worst' awards.

See also CriticalBacklash, CriticProof, BiasSteamroller, ItsPopularNowItSucks, OpinionMyopia, EightPointEight and OscarBait. Could overlap with PopCultureIsolation and AcclaimedFlop. Contrast with CultClassic where a work tends to have neither critical acclaim nor general popularity, but is enjoyed by die hards. Possibly the cause of MainstreamObscurity.
----
!!Examples

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Art]]
* Abstract art by established artists in general. Might be a work of genius to critics, worth millions of dollars to collectors, but the general public goes, "What the hell is so special about [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible a blank canvas/a black square on white ground/paint splattered at random]]?"
* On the rare occasions public input is sought on architecture, it tends to favor classicism, stateliness, and pre-Bauhaus ornament. For generations, though, architecture criticism (and practice) has been a largely [[NoExportForYou closed shop]] dedicated to either [[TheJetsons spare modernism]] or deconstructive, [[PostModernism pomo]] building-block structures.
* The works of Thomas Kinkade, "Painter of Light," are so enormously successful that his distributor claims that his works can be found in one American home in twenty. Art critics lambast his SugarBowl themes and subjects while dishing out backhanded praise for his marketing savvy.
* Almost exactly the same things said for Kincade apply to Scottish painter Jack Vettriano except replace SugarBowl themes with softcore porn as the core criticism. Like Kincade, Vettriano makes more money of prints of his paintings than selling the works himself, they are popular in coffee shops and Italian restaurants. Scottish sculptor David Mach has called this attitude to Vettriano's paintings "artworld snobbery".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]
* [[http://whatculture.com/film/10-movies-critics-loved-that-fanboys-hated.php Here are 10 examples]], though mostly on BrokenBase or HypeBacklash as all earned money in the box office. Unsurprisingly, 7 are sequels\prequels\reboots, while one is GenreAdultery (RobertRodriguez going out from banditos and horror to ''SpyKids''), one is [[ItsPopularNowItSucks popularity-induced hatred]] (''Film/{{Titanic}}) and one for fans of [[InternalAffairs the original work]] (''TheDeparted'').
* The entire career of Creator/MichaelBay is built upon this. The only film of his to get any respect from critics is ''Film/TheRock''.
** ''Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen'' deserves special mention, as it has been noted by many in the media as one of the best examples of this trope in modern film. The movie was one of the biggest box office successes of the decade, but was violently trashed by both critics and fans of [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers the original cartoon]].
** Happening again with the third film, ''Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon''. So far it's received terrible reviews from critics but audience consensus seems to be more mixed..
** Earlier, ''WesternAnimation/TransformersTheMovie'' (1986) got trashed by critics for being "a 90 minute film about toys". Despite this, it's a fan favorite, even among some newer Transfans.
* Similarly, the films of RolandEmmerich.
* ''KissKissBangBang'' was a critically acclaimed flop at the box office, but most people who ''did'' see it really enjoyed it. The film was later named Most Overlooked Movie Of The Year.
* The original ''NightOfTheLivingDead'' if you believe that. Initial reaction by the critics was mixed to negative, while horror fans thought it was groundbreaking (but even some of them were shocked by it). A decade later it was VindicatedByHistory. Creator/RogerEbert tried to explain the critical dissonance, saying "I don't think the audience really knew what hit them." His review mentions that he saw the movie at what was a typical location for horror movies of the time (read: monster movies with awful special effects) - a kiddie theater.
* ''Film/{{Taken}}'': the public loved it but critics were lukewarm to negative about it.
* ''TheBoondockSaints''. An example: film critics gave it 17% on RottenTomatoes while fans gave it over 90%.
* The Wesley Snipes crime drama ''Sugar Hill'' (not to be confused with the blaxploitation/zombie film of the same name) is considered an urban cult classic. Critics were less enthused by the film, although lone critic Roger Ebert said it was one of the best films of 1994.
* ''Film/TheNotebook'' has considerable praise by the general public, but major reaction from critics was mixed. A good example of this is the IMDB rating (7.9 out of 10) compared to the RottenTomatoes rating (52%).
* Movie critics in general tend to be biased against [[SciFiGhetto genre films]] (horror, fantasy, sci-fi). Of particular note in horror are the ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' and the ''{{Saw}}'' series: the first movies of each franchise received only mediocre reviews while the sequels have been dismissed nearly on principle, but both have gathered a devoted following among horror fans.
** There are exceptions to this, but the genres have to be toned down. For instance, critics are a little bit more accepting of LowFantasy to HighFantasy, Psychological/Supernatural Thrillers to pure Horror, and [[MohsScaleOfSciFiHardness Hard Sci-fi to Pulp Sci-Fi]]. To be fair, this also goes for the viewing public as well. Exemplified by ''Film/TheLastExorcism'' below.
* Summer blockbusters likewise tend to fare much better with the audience than the critics; one of the modern {{Trope Codifier}}s was ''Film/IndependenceDay''. The dissonance here arises from professional critics approaching the movies on a much different level, and with entirely different expectations, than the intended audience.
* The live-action ''Film/AlvinAndTheChipmunks'' movies (''The Squeakquel'' in particular) have received nothing but hate from most critics. That hasn't stopped the three films from being financially successful. The fact that ''The Squeakquel'' outsold ''Disney/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'' made Disney fans join the critics, and it got worse in 2011 when the third film (''Chipwrecked''), while not as high a grosser as the previous two entries, outperformed ''Film/TheMuppets'', ''Film/{{Hugo}}'', ''ArthurChristmas'', ''Film/TheAdventuresOfTintin'' and ''Film/WeBoughtAZoo'' -- ''all'' of which received significantly better reviews.
* Both 2000s ''Film/FantasticFour'' movies were disliked by the critics in general, but both were box office hits. However, unlike more acclaimed superhero movies such as ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' and ''Film/TheAvengers'', audiences weren't particularly fond of it, either.
* All five live-action ''Film/ResidentEvil'' movies got negative reviews, but they were successful at the box office.
* ''Film/TheAssassinationOfJesseJamesByTheCowardRobertFord'' was a ''massive'' critical success and made nearly every Film of the Year list of that year, topping several, and was particularly praised for its lead performances, music and cinematography. It flopped and made a measly $15m, about half of its budget, and only received nominations for Best Supporting Actor and Cinematography, winning neither. It very likely failed due to its somewhat slow pace and running time (the titular event occurs about two hours into the movie, [[EndingFatigue but the movie continues for another half hour]]), and possibly due to its {{Deconstruction}} of popular HollywoodHistory by portraying ([[ShownTheirWork accurately]]) the title AntiHero as a cold, violent, AxCrazy sociopath rather than a brave and daring RobinHood-type.
** Ditto for ''KillingThemSoftly'', which re-teamed ''Jesse James''[='=]s star Creator/BradPitt with director Andrew Dominik. It opened to critical acclaim, hailed by many critics as one of the best crime dramas in years... and also received an "F" Cinemascore from moviegoers, one of only two movies that year (the other being ''Film/TheDevilInside'', which saw far more agreement between critics and moviegoers) to be [[MedalOfDishonor dishonored]] in such a manner. Needless to say, it bombed in theaters and became Pitt's lowest-grossing wide release film in nearly two decades.
* All of the films of FriedbergAndSeltzer were panned by professional critics and Internet reviewers alike, but (apart from ''Disaster Movie'') they all made enough money to be profitable given their low budgets.
* ''{{Gothika}}'' made back more than triple its $40m budget despite being critically reviled.
* ''Film/TheThing1982'' retroactively is this. It counts due to the fact that people like it now, but most mainstream critics haven't changed their negative opinions about it, unlike say ''Film/BladeRunner''.
** ''Film/TheThing1982'' was slammed by critics after its release, mainly due to the gore and a plot that was perceived as needlessly depressing. After it hit the VHS market though, the movie gained a significant cult following and is [[VindicatedByHistory nowadays considered one of the greatest sci-fi horror films of all time]]. One popular theory for the dissonance says it was due to being released so close to the decidedly more family friendly ''Film/ETTheExtraterrestrial'' and the unfriendly aliens put a lot of critics off.
* ''Film/PatchAdams'' was panned by critics and a lot of people hate it (including the man it's based on), but it was successful at the box office.
* The first ''HomeAlone'' film got mixed reviews and the second was utterly panned, but both were box office successes, have become beloved Christmas fixtures and Kevin's [[TheScream scream face]] has become almost as much of a pop culture icon as the Munch painting that inspired it.
* It may be hard to believe, but there was a time when SergioLeone's {{spaghetti western}}s, every Creator/StanleyKubrick film and ''Film/{{Psycho}}'' weren't taken seriously by a good chunk of professional critics, despite being popular from the start. They have thankfully all been VindicatedByHistory.
* The 2009 Canadian sci-fi/horror film ''Film/{{Splice}}'' was a critical hit due to being different than most horror films. Audiences, meanwhile, got turned off by it for the same reason.
* ''Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld''. A critical darling, that nobody cared about outside the [[CultClassic cult following]]. Selling big time on home video, due to positive word-of-mouth, and the slight success of the [[ComicBook/ScottPilgrim comic series it was based on]].
* ''TheHurtLocker'' was widely acclaimed by critics, who applauded what they saw as a realistic war movie, but not so much by viewers. In fact, some former and current military personnel that have seen it, especially Iraq vets, felt that it was unrealistic to the point where it was almost insulting. It became the lowest grossing Best Picture AcademyAward winner of all time -- and some moviegoers have argued that [[AwardSnub the award should have gone to]] ''Film/{{Avatar}}'' or ''InglouriousBasterds''.
** [[Creator/KathrynBigelow The director]]'s next film, ''Film/ZeroDarkThirty'', on the other hand, experienced this in the opposite direction. It too received critical praise, yet it was criticized not by soldiers, but by ''anti''-war activists due to what they saw as [[UnfortunateImplications a positive depiction]] of the {{CIA}}'s EnhancedInterrogationTechniques.
* ''Film/{{Avatar}}'' itself is an example of a film where critical opinion has soured considerably since its initial release -- and that's keeping in mind that even at the time, much of the debate was about whether its technical wizardry made up for a lackluster story (unflatteringly summed up as "''Film/{{Dances With|Wolves}} [[RecycledInSpace Aliens]]''"). The film has remained popular and beloved with audiences, though.
* ''Film/TheHangover Part II''. Critics bashed it (for among other things, [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks recycling the plot]] [[VulgarHumor while adding gross-out factor]]), [[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/why-hangover-ii-is-a-193388 audiences loved it]].
* ''{{WesternAnimation/Cars}} 2'' was not well-received by critics (38% on Rotten Tomatoes) but audiences flocked to see it like they did with the first.
** Considering Pixar's track record to that point, people found it hard to believe that they had stumbled.
* Creator/JohnnyDepp's 2000s and 2010s films at Disney -- the ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' sequels (the original was critically acclaimed) and ''Film/AliceInWonderland'' -- have been pilloried by critics, complete with cries of despair that he's squandering his gifts by sticking with such LargeHam, {{Spectacle}}-driven fare instead of the more challenging roles he built his artistic reputation on. Nevertheless, audiences flock to them (the third and fourth ''Pirates'' films and ''Alice'' have all pulled down grosses of over a billion dollars '''each''' worldwide).
* Terrence Malick's ''TheTreeOfLife''. Althought at the time of its premiere critics were divided (receiving both booes and standing ovations at the Cannes), it went on to achieve a 85% at ''RottenTomatoes''. It has been known that certain cinemas have received complains of people asking for their money back. It's no help that the film may be the most beautiful examination of life or the biggest example of how TrueArtIsIncomprehensible. Moviegoers hated it.
* ''TheButterflyEffect'' got a 33% rating on Rotten Tomatoes but a 7.7/10.0 on IMDB. It was also a box office success.
* As shown by the page image, the works of TylerPerry get consistently negative reviews from critics, but fan response (more specifically the ''actual'' target demographic) is positive.
* ''Film/{{Moonraker}}'' is widely thought of as one of the worst ''Film/JamesBond'' movies, if not ''the'' worst, but it was the highest grossing film in the franchise until ''Film/GoldenEye'' was released.
** Only if not adjusting for inflation, then the title still belonged to ''Film/{{Thunderball}}'', being in the top 10 highest grossing films of ''all time'' internationally. It took nearly 50 years for [[Film/{{Skyfall}} another Bond film]] to surpass it.
* The ''Film/{{Underworld}}'' movies all got mediocre-to-negative reviews from critics, but each one was a box office hit and audience reviews were much more favorable.
* ''Film/{{Haywire}}'' was well-received by critics (80% on Rotten Tomatoes), who are usually familiar with StevenSoderbergh's films, but hated by audiences (a D- on Cinemascore) who expected more of a Hollywood-style action film (the film was even promoted as being like the director's ''OceansEleven''). The same thing happened with the director's ''{{Contagion}}'', which had an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes but a C- on Cinemascore (but least was profitable with over $135 million worldwide, unlike ''Haywire'', which barely recouped its budget).
* ''Film/OneForTheMoney''. A whopping 2% on RottenTomatoes and bombed at the box office, but fans are somewhat more forgiving once it reached DVD and Blu-ray.
* The film adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/TheLorax'' has received very mixed reviews from critics with a RottenTomatoes score of 57%. Audiences, to put it mildly, are less divided.
* ''WildHogs'' has a whopping 14% average based on over 100 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite that, it returned over 4 times its Budget in the Box Office, and Audience Reaction was far more positive (it holds a 72% on Rotten Tomatoes.)
* ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie'' did poorly with critics, but ended up being the highest grossing anime film released in the United States. While most audiences certainly didn't love it because of its inaccessibility to those unfamiliar with the series, it did fairly well with fans. Same goes for the other ''Film/{{Pokemon}}'' movies.
* ChrisFarley and DavidSpade's movies together, ''TommyBoy'' and ''Film/BlackSheep'', were both poorly received by critics (the former made Creator/RogerEbert's [[RogerEbertMostHatedFilmList "Most Hated Films" list]], and Gene Siskel proudly said the latter was one of only two movies he'd ever walked out on in 26 years of reviewing), but they were well received by audiences.
* ''ActOfValor'' was poorly received by the critics (29% on Rotten Tomatoes) but the audience as a whole (particularly support-our-troops Republicans) tend to love it (84% on the same website).
* Creator/OrsonWelles' most famous movie, ''Film/CitizenKane'', was received with critical acclaim and box office indifference (mostly caused by being backlashed by no one else but William Randolph Hearst himself).
* ''TheLifeOfDavidGale'' earned a lot of hatred from critics and failed at the box office, but users on IMDb were more forgiving, as it has a 7.3/10 and [[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/life_of_david_gale/ 80% of users on Rotten Tomatoes enjoyed it (in contrast to a 19% score)]].
* Creator/AdamSandler's 90's films are very prone to this trope. Especially ''Film/TheWaterboy'', which was panned by most critics but was one of the highest grossing movies of 1998.
** Sandlers entire career is the living proof of this, both ways. Not a single one of the movies that he has been in that cracked 50% on Rotten Tomatoes has made back its budget. Meanwhile, every single one of his movies that came in under 50% was successful with audiences.
** Conversely, 2002's ''PunchDrunkLove'' ended up being Adam Sandler's most critically acclaimed movie, but also his least financially successful one.
** 2012 seems to have been the year everyone came into agreement about Sandler, however; both ''Jack and Jill'' and ''That's My Boy'' were slammed by critics and, significantly, failed to make back their budgets (at least in America).
* The original ''[[Film/{{Gojira}} Godzilla]]'', when it first premiered in Japan just nine years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, was utterly hated by critics, who felt that it was exploiting the tragedy in the name of {{spectacle}}. [[TooSoon It didn't help]] that, in March of the year it came out, a Japanese fishing boat was exposed to radiation from the nuclear test at Bikini Atoll, producing history's first victim of the hydrogen bomb.
* ''Film/{{Scrooged}}''. Critics absolutely hated it when it came out -- it holds an abysmal 33 rating on Metacritic -- yet audiences loved it, and today it's regarded as a Christmas classic and one of BillMurray's best movies.
* Creator/StanleyKubrick's adaptation of ''Film/TheShining'' was so poorly received that it was nominated for two [[GoldenRaspberryAward Razzies]] (one for Shelley Duvall for Worst Actress, the other for ''Kubrick for Worst Director''). In a talk with Kubrick, StevenSpielberg even admitted to Kubrick that he didn't like it (though said conversation and rewatches eventually led him to improve his opinion). [[VindicatedByHistory While its stature has greatly improved since then, coming to be regarded as one of the great horror films of the era]], Creator/StephenKing still regards it as one of the worst adaptations of his work, mainly due to the liberties that Kubrick took with his story.
* ''TheNightOfTheHunter''
* ''LetMeIn'' got rave reviews from film critics, but did so-so at the box office. Some people believe that the low turnout was due to people who refused to go see it out of sheer bitter spite (or on simple principle) because it's an American remake of a foreign film.
** What really killed ''Let Me In'' was distributor RelativityMedia (who acquired the film from Starz due to buying the Overture distribution outlet from them) giving the film the InvisibleAdvertising treatment. There were few trailers or TV spots released and the film wasn't even listed on Relativity's website. Not helping was the film that the company chose to open it the same day as ''Film/TheSocialNetwork'' (a film Relativity co-financed with Sony).
* ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull'' was well liked by most critics and has a [[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/indiana_jones_and_the_kingdom_of_the_crystal_skull/ 78% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes]]. Yet its score on IMDB is 6.4 ([[IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom the other]] ContestedSequel has a 7.6), and hardcore fans felt it was disappointing, possibly as they had NostalgiaFilter.
* Similarly, the ''Franchise/StarWars'' prequel trilogy received far more respect from the critics than the mainstream opinion might have you believe: ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' scored 67% on Rotten Tomatoes and ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' 80% on their original releases. (''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' was Fresh too, but with the 3-D re-release, was pulled down to a Rotten 57%.)
* ''LawAbidingCitizen'' earned $126 million worldwide and has a good IMDB score of 7.2 out of 10. Reviews were mostly scathing due to plot holes and [[DarknessInducedAudienceApathy excessive violence]].
* ''Film/CloudAtlas'' received mixed but mostly positive reviews (RogerEbert gave it four out of four stars and called it one of the most ambitious films ever made) and was nominated for a number of awards. Audiences, however, roundly ignored the film, and it ended up becoming a BoxOfficeBomb.
* ''SuckerPunch'' started to become a cult classic after not scoring highly with critics and at the box office.
* ''{{Equilibrium}}'' has a 37% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but has a score of 7.6 out of 10 on IMDB.
* ''Film/{{Dredd}}'' has gotten generally favorable reviews, but more or less bombed.
** In [[AmericansHateTingle Britain]], the film opened at #1 in the Box Office Chart and did a lot better overall.
** [[VindicatedByHistory Though now it's a hit on DVD]] and Netflix is re-opening the option for a sequel.
* Among the movies in Phase One of the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, Rotten Tomatoes lists ''Film/IronMan2'' as the second least well-received (75%), yet it also became the third highest-grossing of those movies (behind ''Film/IronMan'' and ''Film/TheAvengers''). Inversely, ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' has the third-highest RT rating (behind those two as well), but also, the second-lowest box office gross (above only ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk''), and the lowest IMDB score.
* The ''PoliceAcademy'' series was always critically panned. Some will try to tell you that only the first film was good, but even that received a critical drubbing (RogerEbert rated the original '''no stars''', something he almost never did). The series' reputation is so bad that any time it's referred to in other fiction, it's ''always'' intended as a TakeThat, ''never'' as an affectionate ShoutOut. And yet the original spawned six sequels, which doesn't happen to a series if absolutely nobody likes it.
* The action film ''Billy Jack'' and its sequel, ''The Trial of Billy Jack'', were viewed as jokes by critics in TheSeventies, but they were so popular with audiences that Tom Laughlin, the star, director, and co-writer of the films, organized an essay contest in which fans wrote rebuttals to the terrible reviews that ''Trial'' received.
* The first part of Peter Jackson's adaptation of ''Film/TheHobbit'' has received mixed reviews, even without considering the debate over the High Frame Rate version (it helps that it's overlong and was a ToughActToFollow to a [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings really acclaimed trilogy]]). Nonetheless by the end of only its third weekend in release has already earned greater than half a ''billion'' dollars globally (and finished its BO run with over a billion, the second Tolkien movie to do so). While barely registering as "fresh" at 65% on Rotten Tomatoes among critics, audiences give it a much higher 80% Fresh.
* ''Film/DropDeadFred'' is widely despised by critics and has a low 7% rating on RottenTomatoes, but has remained popular with many members of the public and has since become a CultClassic in their eyes.
* ''Film/AGoodDayToDieHard'' has been utterly savaged by critics, but opened at #1 at the box office and did really well. Audiences are much more accepting of this entry in the ''Franchise/DieHard'' movies.
* ''Film/DoctorZhivago'' recieved negative reviews at the time of its release, but audiences didn't care and it became one of the most popular movies of the 1960s. Ditto for director David Lean's next film, ''Ryan's Daughter'', which got even worse reviews and middling box office returns, but was a smash hit in London.
* ''[[Film/StreetFighter Street Fighter: The Movie]]'' was very negatively received by critics, but that didn't stop it from grossing ''lots'' of money during the holiday season of 1994.
* ''Film/OzTheGreatAndPowerful'' has received mixed reviews, but is proving to be a box-office success.
* ''[[Film/HanselAndGretelWitchHunters Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters]]'' made back its $50 million budget at the box office worldwide despite less than stellar reviews from critics.
* ''Film/IdentityThief'' was despised by critics (including Rex Reed), but that didn't stop it from becoming a box office juggernaut.
* Oh boy, ''Film/{{Juno}}''. Highly acclaimed by critics, and made lots of money at the box office, but is one of the most despised movies on the internet. Just go to its [=IMDb=] page, you'll see that ''the entire first page'' of reviews considered the most helpful are all negative.
* ''ScaryMovie'' 5 on ''RottenTomatoes'' has a critical rating of 5% and an audience rating of (brace yourselves) ''79%''.
* ''Film/TheGreatGatsby'' got mixed reviews from critics with a rating of 50% but it reached No.2 in the box office when it was first released.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Literature is generally much more enjoyable when one reads at his/her own leisure, so when school students are forced to read a classic novel from beginning to end for a school assignment, they tend to walk away hating said novel by the time the assignment is over, in spite of their merit and significance. ''Literature/GreatExpectations'' is probably the most infamous example of this type of CriticalDissonance; other examples include ''TheScarletLetter'', ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudice'', ''Literature/JaneEyre'' and ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird''.
* A fan of the cult-classic book (and movie) ''MommieDearest'' would probably be shocked to find how much critics ''hated'' it. Faye Dunaway said she wished she didn't act in that movie after it hurt her career.
* DanBrown's books tend to get this, but none as much as ''TheDaVinciCode''. Absolutely despised by critics, but some of the most successful books out there. That being said, a study found that, in the UK, ''TheDaVinciCode'' is the book most frequently donated to charity shops. The public certainly ''bought'' many copies of it; that's not to say they ''enjoyed'' it.
* The ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' Saga gets a mention here too. Extremely successful (in its target market, at least), but there's a much larger number of people who will avoid it like the plague.
* ''FiftyShadesOfGrey'' is in the same boat, which is fitting considering it began life as a Twilight fanfic. It's sold remarkably well, but generally anyone who majored in literature or English will despise it.
* The MikeHammer books by Mickey Spillane were hated by critics back in the day, and to a great extent they still are. On the other hand, in 1980 Spillane was responsible for seven of the top 15 bestselling books in America, and his books have been adapted into successful movies, TV shows and {{radio drama}}s.
* The ''Literature/LeftBehind'' series of Christian apocalyptic fiction fits into this, as the critical response to the books called it out on dull, unlikable characters participating in an IdiotPlot only made possible by an ostensibly LikeRealityUnlessNoted Earth populated with {{Flat Earth Atheist}}s. However, among its target demographic of church-going Baptist families who buy most of their literature from Christian-branded bookstores, it sold amazingly well and is regarded as one of the best pieces of explicitly "Christian" fiction.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''FullHouse'' and many other "T.G.I.F." family sitcoms had a large amount of this. Critics '''despised''' ''Full House'', yet it was a ratings smash, and started off the Olsen Twins' career (which also had Critical Dissonance -- RogerEbert once stated that they had no talents any normal person could have).
* On a similar note, ''SavedByTheBell'' was mostly trashed by critics during its heyday yet went on to become one of the most popular kid shows of the early-90's. Now the show's success was largely because, until then, Saturday Morning television was dominated mostly by [[AnimationAgeGhetto cartoons]] and other shows aimed at young children. And a good number of families didn't yet have Cable. Nonetheless, the series is fondly remembered by those who watched it in the early-90's, albeit mostly for its NarmCharm.
* Many popular sitcoms in the modern era apply. ''TwoAndAHalfMen'' is so hated even Chuck Lorre admits it, yet it's one of the highest-rated shows in its era. ''AccordingToJim'' always got solid ratings, despite being considered one of the most plain, generic, and dull sitcoms of all time.
* Early (pre-1965) television in general was often dismissed by critics as the entertainment equivalent of junk food, to the point where, in 1961, none other than the chairman of the FCC described it as a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasteland_Speech "vast wasteland"]].
* The fifth season episode of ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', "The Rough Patch", exemplifies this on a single-episode scale. It was the culmination of the writers' attempts to break up Robin and Barney throughout the entire season after the entire fourth season had been spent getting them together. The episode was highly rated by critics for the exaggeration by Future!Ted's narration in the form of Barney's fat suit and Robin's haggard appearance. This had the effect of undoing over a season's worth of CharacterDevelopment for Barney and broke up what is the FanPreferredCouple for a large portion of the fanbase because the writers wanted to prove that the relationship wouldn't work, despite the chemistry the two actors displayed.
* The comedy ''Series/MrsBrownsBoys'' has been slated by critics, who hate its bawdy humour, yet is very popular with the viewing public.
* ''I'll Fly Away'' was a MASSIVE critical darling but had terrible ratings. Most seem to blame it on the setting. [[AudienceAlienatingPremise It was set during the late 1950s and early 1960s....''in the south'']], so yeah. I'll Fly Away did however win two 1992 Emmy Awards (Eric Laneuville for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing in a Drama Series for the episode All God's Children, and for series creators Joshua Brand and John Falsey for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Miniseries or a Special), and 23 nominations in total. It won three Humanitas Prizes, two Golden Globe Awards, two NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Drama Series, and a Peabody Award. However, the series was never a ratings blockbuster, and it was canceled by NBC in 1993, despite widespread protests by critics and viewer organizations.
** After the program's cancellation, a two hour movie, ''I'll Fly Away: Then and Now'', was produced, in order to resolve dangling storylines from Season 2, and provide the series with a true finale. The movie aired on October 11, 1993 on PBS.
* ''TheWire'' was hugely acclaimed and is now regarded as one of the greatest TV series of all time, but hardly anybody watched it when it aired, and it suffered from frequent {{award snub}}s. Some blamed this on the fact the cast was mostly black, and thus didn't have a [[MinorityShowGhetto broad enough appeal for white audiences]].
** ''HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'' suffered similar problems but, unlike its SpiritualSuccessor, it managed to win a few notable awards and last a good seven seasons on the Network's faith alone.
* The {{HBO}} series ''{{Girls}}'' is praised by critics, but is [[LoveItOrHateIt polarizing]] among most viewers.
** The show receives extensive coverage with lengthy reviews and feature articles on many TV review websites, such as AV Club, to the point where it is often referenced in reviews for other shows. Despite this, the highest rated episode got just upwards of 1 million viewers, which is less than even the lowest rated NBC show. It doesn't help that it comes on a channel that many Americans don't get.
* ''Single Ladies'' on VH1 is generally critically reviled, but is generally well received by female audiences. It also has [[TestosteroneBrigade some appeal to male viewers]] thanks to the cast of Lisa Raye, Denise Vasi, Charity Shea, and formerly Stacy Dash.
* Any TV series created by BryanFuller or JuddApatow. These shows have a tendency to be popular with critics, but get [[TooGoodToLast cancelled quickly due to low viewership,]] with some exceptions.
* ''{{Chuck}}'' was a critical darling that earned rave reviews from critics, and was a perennial contender in many viewers' choice awards categories. Unfortunately, it received only a cult following and ratings dwindled throughout its five-season run in what many fans viewed as a bizarre combination of SavedByTheNetwork and ScrewedByTheNetwork.
* Likewise, Joss Whedon's ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' was critically lauded, but thanks to heavy doses of ExecutiveMeddling and ScrewedByTheNetwork, was never able to find an audience.
** Then there's ''Film/{{Serenity}}'', with a strong 82% Fresh rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and near-universal acclaim from fans of the series (89% Fresh among audiences). Unfortunately, that failed to translate into box office success and the film failed to break even.
* Critics adore ''Series/{{Happy Endings}}'', although that hasn't translated into a ratings success. ABC started their ''own'' [[http://screenrant.com/save-happy-endings-abc-canceled/ "Save the Show" campaign]]; that may or not be a good thing.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* The Levellers album ''Hello Pig'' was regarded by many critics to be the band's breakthrough that was going to catapult them mainstream. deviating from their formula. Of course, the fans hated it.
* A lot of Music/MichaelJackson's later work suffers from this. Critics liked them, but the public were usually split. One explanation is that he reverted back to his R&B roots later in his career causing a BrokenBase (among other issues, of course.).
* Speaking of Jackson, Music/JanetJackson's ''Damita Jo'' album falls into this category. Fans think it could have done well, while critics bashed it post Super Bowl controversy.
* A lot of Music/{{Eazy-E}}'s solo work (sans EP ''It's On 187um Killa'', and debut album ''Eazy-Duz-It'') is hated by critics and is usually criticized for being cartoonishly violent, especially the 51/50 album. But the fans feel that 51/50 was a genuinely good album.
* Almost every VH1 ''You Oughta Know'' and MTV ''BUZZ'' artist counts. Critics gush over these artists (usually for good reasons), [[HypeAversion but the general public seems to be indifferent]].
** Bumblebeez: Critics said they were gonna be huge and be the Australian version of the Neptunes.
** Leela James, and almost every other Neo-Soul artist. D'Angelo, Music/AliciaKeys, and Maxwell are the only ones that ever had huge success, and only Alicia has been able to maintain it (Although to be fair Alicia tweaked her sound on her last two [=CDs=], less soul and more generic power pop ballads). It also probably had something to do with the evolution of the term "neo-soul" itself. In the 90s, it was ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: a new wave of artists who approached their music with the same philosophy as classic soul musicians. But as these artists found mainstream success around the turn of the millennium, "neo-soul" came to be applied to any black singer who appealed to people over 25. Because of this, many fans who took the term to heart [[CompletelyMissingThePoint failed to see what the big deal was]] and gave up on the genre altogether.
*** This is a problem with [[MusicIsPolitics labeling and the industry in general]]. There's the top 40 pop music targeting teens and young adults. And then there's...[[MyFriendsAndZoidberg ''Everything/Everyone else'']].
** Hip-Hop act Little Brother, possibly derailed by ThePowersThatBe, depending on who you ask.
*** It didn't really help either that the group went on hiatus around the time they were getting hyped.
** Ditto for rap group Dead Prez had huge buzz leading up to their debut album. When the album dropped critics ate it up, but the public mostly ignored it.
** Critics claimed that the unassuming neo-psychedelic act The Mooney Suzuki were supposed to be the band that changed AlternativeRock in the 2000s. Then Music/TheStrokes and Music/TheWhiteStripes happened.
*** Critics later turned their backs on the group, as their last two albums were received poorly, despite the fact that the title track from their third album ("Alive & Amplified") finally became the minor hit that had long eluded them.
** Indie rockers The Brian Jonestown Massacre are loved by critics but seem to intentionally sabotage themselves every time another wave of hype and potential commercial breakthrough comes their way.
** Many music critics were expecting big things from indie band The Lemonheads, who were supposed to be the next Music/{{Nirvana}}, or at least the New Important Alternative Band of the 90s. The band never found a breakthrough single and just sort of disintegrated.
** Most of MTV's "Buzz" artists didn't pan out. With a few notable exceptions (Music/{{Garbage}}, Music/FooFighters, Music/{{Beck}}), the bands featured became [[CultClassic cult favorites]] at best and OneHitWonder flame-outs at worst (anyone remember Jimmie's Chicken Shack?).
*** A lot of BET's ''Next'' artists didn't pan out either. So much so they don't even attempt to break buzz worthy artists anymore. In fact they ignore them and stick to the more accessible artists.
** Enigmatic R&B singer Res is a solid example of this trope, Critically acclaimed but her career just fizzled out
** And before Res there was Davina (remember her!?).
** Nikka Costa: critics were saying she was gonna be huge...well.
** Some are already cynically predicting this for Grace Potter & The Nocturnals.
** Before Res but after Davina there was also Amel Larrieux. A critical darling who got rave reviews but was shunned by both the public and music networks.
* JustinBieber has had some favorable reviews by critics and has a large fanbase, but to say he's unpopular on the internet in general is a '''massive understatement.'''
* The alternative rap group Arrested Development's second album was dismissed by critics but a lot of fans felt it's an overlooked masterpiece due to HypeBacklash. Fans (especially overseas fans) felt that America let a outstanding group fall through the cracks.
* Music/BillyJoel may be the TropeCodifier. Throughout his career he has received mostly unfavorable or mediocre reviews from several critics. Try telling that to the fans who bought all of his multiple Gold and Platinum records.
** Music/{{Queen}} was also a victim of negative press in the 1970's, even though they were hugely successful (especially in the UK) and are now considered to be one of the greatest rock bands of all time.
* Music/ToriAmos's 1996 album ''Boys For Pele'' was bashed by critics when it was released. Nevertheless, it's a fan favorite that is considered to be among her best work.
** The album has found itself VindicatedByHistory, as by the late 2000s many music critics and experts have also come to acknowledge it as being one of the best from its genre and time period. It has been theorized that the album's poor response at the time was due to its sound being such a dramatic departure from Amos' first two albums.
** Music/KateBush's 1982 album ''The Dreaming'' suffered this too.
* For both Music/LedZeppelin and Music/BlackSabbath, their first few albums were critically panned originally (though in both cases most critics retroactively praised their early stuff).
** May be true of many of the acts made popular in the 1970s. The albums and concerts of Music/{{Queen}}, Music/{{Journey}}, Music/PaulMcCartney and Music/{{Wings}}, Music/EltonJohn (at least after he wore outrageous costumes), and a lot of the arena rock and ProgressiveRock supergroups had poor (or grudgingly favorable) reviews, but sold millions. May have connections to [[ItsPopularNowItSucks professional jealousy]], [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks changes in style]], [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks burnout]], [[FollowTheLeader hang-ups with keeping up with the next big thing]] (punk, bar bands, synth-pop, new wave, indie rock) or perhaps it needed to be VindicatedByHistory. Granted, some records may have simply been [[{{Filler}} substandard]], but often the bad reviews came [[CausticCritic regardless of the quality of their work]].
* King's X are regularly named as one of the best rock groups of the 90s and have a very strong fanbase of seemingly just a few hundred people.
* HURT is a modern rock band that critics generally love, and their Vol. II album is considered one of the very best albums of rock period by critics and fans. They have a devoted fanbase and sell well enough to keep making music, but they are widely obscure to the general public, so much so that they aren't known well even amongst the Internet.
* Music/MarvinGaye's ''Here, My Dear'' album. It later became VindicatedByHistory
* Music/NineInchNails's album ''The Fragile'' was rated very high by critics (it was ''Rolling Stone'''s album of the year when it came out for example) but didn't sell all that well - it went to #1 in October 1999 and then proceeded to have the largest decline in the Billboard chart's history. Considering the band's later success VindicatedByHistory comes into play.
** The decline from #1 should have been expected, since the rabid fans had waited five years for a new album and were going to buy anything Trent put out on Day One, but the album failed to produce a hit single for the casual fans to grab onto ("Starfuckers, Inc." came closest). And while it wasn't a bad album, most of those songs were pretty rare to hear live after the Fragility tour, with only "The Wretched" and its instrumental lead-in, "The Frail," becoming live staples.
* Dionne Farris: ''Wild Seed Wild Flower'' album. Rave reviews but only produced one hit called "''I Know''".
* Most of Terence Trent D'arby's later music.
* Anastacia, a singer who has [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff world wide acclaim from the music buying public]]... [[AmericansHateTingle except in America]] where she's from. On the other hand American critics love her though.
** One explanation is that her style of music doesn't fit the very format driven American radio stations. Essentially too soulful for A/C stations, and not [[ButNotTooBlack urban enough for urban radio stations]], and not popish enough for top 40, and not rockish enough for rock stations..Basically PopCultureIsolation due to GenreRoulette. Essentially she's in a self made musical purgatory.
* There are a number of Classic Rock-era albums that earned high marks from critics, and often appear on "greatest ever" lists, but have gone mostly unnoticed by the public, including Love's ''Forever Changes'', the Zombies' ''Odessey & Oracle'', and the Pretty Things' ''Parachute'' (which was Rolling Stone's album of the year for 1970).
* In probably the most extreme case, Music/MichaelBolton managed to sell 50 million records worldwide despite being ''savaged'' by critics. Strangely, he still sells despite even [[DeaderThanDisco the public's backlash against him.]]
* Like Anastacia and King's X, Mother's Finest was a heavily critically acclaimed funk rock band of the mid to late 70s. But because their music was either not rock enough or not funk/soul/R&B enough they never really broke out.
* Music/BlackEyedPeas are frequently panned by critics and a frequent target of parody and satire (especially their song "My Humps"). That doesn't seem to affect either the buying public (they spent an unprecedented 26 straight weeks holding the number 1 and 2 top charting singles in mid-2009) or Grammy voters (6 wins out of 16 nominations).
** Weirdly, before ''Elephunk'', their situation was actually ''reversed''. For their first two albums, they were known as a critically acclaimed AlternativeHipHop trio that sold very few albums. Then came Fergie...Which brought UnfortunateImplications.
** Nonetheless, the HypeBacklash from their terrible Super Bowl performance effectively destroyed their popularity and ended their career; In a period of six months, they went from being one of the biggest bands in America to having to fight off rumors that they are breaking up.
* Music/LizPhair's [[SelfTitledAlbum self-titled]] and [[ItsPopularNowItSucks unapologetically commercial]] fourth album turned her into a piñata for critics, who felt that she had [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks sold out her indie roots]] by going in a radio-friendly pop-rock direction. Pitchfork Media went as far as to give the album a ''0.0 out of 10'', one of the few times that it has "awarded" such a score. Yet the album also gave Liz her first and only Top 40 single with "Why Can't I?". Clearly, "selling out" worked.
* Indie rock band Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians' first two albums were extensively praised by critics. Nonetheless, they never became more than a one-hit wonder with their 1988 single "What I Am".
** A couple years after they faded into obscurity, frontwoman Brickell married Paul Simon.
* 70s progressive rock as a genre has never really gotten much respect from mainstream rock critics, who consider it insufferably pretentious, yet bands like Music/{{Yes}}, Music/JethroTull and Music/EmersonLakeAndPalmer were hugely popular and still have devoted followings.
* Music/QueenLatifah's ''Black Reign'' album. Mixed reviews from critics but most hip-hoppers and hip hop publications see it as a classic Hip-Hop album that produced one of the most iconic rap songs "U.N.I.T.Y." some even say the song "Just Another Day".
* Within Music/FleetwoodMac, Lindsey Buckingham has always ([[JustifiedTrope justifiably]], because of his skill and innovativeness) been something of a critics' darling but never has had any really big-selling solo albums, whereas Stevie Nicks, particularly in the 1980s, regularly took a pasting from rock critics while amassing a huge fan following as a solo artist. (Over the past decade or so, though, critics have taken a more positive view of Nicks; this may partly be due to the number of new-generation artists who cite her as a favorite or an influence.)
* Some of Music/TupacShakur's posthumous releases are this. Critics dismiss them as cheap cash ins. But some of the earlier ones are seen as genuinely good albums. Specifically ''R U Still Down? (Remember Me)'', and ''Still I Rise''.
* Music critic J. Eric Smith decided to see [[http://web.archive.org/web/20090609160649/http://jericsmith.com/sacredcows.htm which albums get more praise from critics than copies sold.]]
* Music/JanelleMonae gets rave reviews from critics but the general public pretty much knows nothing about her. Her albums have all mostly been {{Hitless Hit Album}}s.
* During the same time frame of the aforementioned Amel, and Res there was Rhian Benson. Another critical darling that was ignored by the public and mainstream radio.
* Many Canadian acts, largely due to record companies [[ExecutiveMeddling mishandling or poorly marketing]] critically-acclaimed groups or artists:
** If you were to judge The Rheostatics (a now-defunct Canadian rock group) solely by the opinions you find of them online, you would think they're one of the most important Canadian bands of the past century, and more critically acclaimed than even most current Canadian artists (to the point that two of their albums, ''Melville'' and ''Whale Music'', are consistently ranked as one of the top ten Canadian albums '''of all time'''). In actuality, they only one minor hit ("Claire" in 1994) and never sold that many records commercially, even at their peak in the 90s.
** Poor, poor Fefe Dobson. All of her albums have been critically acclaimed, but each one has tanked. One critic from NOW magazine blamed this on the fact that the industry didn't know how to market a black rocker chick from [[CanadaEh Scarborough, Ontario]].
** Esthero was an indie queen who received tons of critical accolades for her three studio albums, as well as her collaborations with various artists (including [[Music/BlackEyedPeas Will.i.am]] on the "Yes We Can" track from 2008 and co-writing songs for Music/KanyeWest's ''808's and Heartbreak'' and Timbaland's ''Shock Value II''), but all her solo work has failed to generate sales, and she's still mostly unknown in Canada and the States.
* Cher Lloyd's debut single, ''Swagger Jagger''. Nobody's quite sure what it means, the song was critically panned, but shot straight to number one upon release.
* Music/{{Rush}} have rarely or never gotten good reviews, particularly in TheSeventies, but their album sales have almost always been strong, and the have a hardcore, devoted following (and plenty of respect from musicians' publications for their virtuoso playing).
** And now they've been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!
* In the late 1970s and early 1980s, most music critics dismissed the entire Music/HeavyMetal genre as being loud, stupid, and offensive. Mainstream publications like ''Rolling Stone'' pretty much ignored metal entirely. But within a few years Heavy Metal would become one of the biggest music genres on the planet, with metal bands selling millions of albums and filling arenas.
* 65daysofstatic's ''[[NewSoundAlbum We Were Exploding Anyway]]'' was perhaps their most critically well-reviewed album. Yet on user-driven sites such as [[http://www.rateyourmusic.com Rate Your Music]], it is one of their lowest-rated albums.
* TheBeeGees, both within and apart from their [[DeaderThanDisco disco period]], were one of the most successful acts of TheSeventies, but were constantly slammed by critics, especially after they fell out of style. They gained more respect towards the end of their career, even getting into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
* Country music is a weird example of this, with the dissonance being within the general public. Outside of the American Midwest and the South, country music isn't very popular. In fact, New York City has no country music radio stations at all. In the Northeast, liking country music (other than alternative groups, crossover pop artists, or legends) is seen as akin to liking NASCAR, and will get you called a hillbilly or redneck (or racist). It doesn't help that the majority of people who listen to country music ''only'' listen to country music, thus limiting interaction with fans of other genres (other than maybe classic rock). However, simply based on numbers country music could be considered the most popular genre of music in America. And within the genre itself...
* "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus was one of the most hated songs of all time in ''any'' genre, but the album was one of the best-selling of all time (not to mention one of the ''very'' few country-pop crossovers between the end of the ''UrbanCowboy'' era and Music/ShaniaTwain's breakthrough in 1995). Adding insult to injury was the fact that the song was a CoverVersion, and a BlackSheepHit that didn't well represent Cyrus' style or body of work. And much of his success was in the country charts; ABH was his only true pop crossover hit.
* Music/BradPaisley. His albums still get high praise from critics, even those who starkly avoid the FourPointScale (such as ''Slant Magazine'' and Allmusic). However, a glance at any country music forum will find that many think he has been extremely complacent and lacking the creativity of his earlier albums — main criticisms include severe VocalDecay, failed attempts at humor, cliché ballads and unremarkable guitar work. This may be finally catching up to him, as his late-2011 single "Camouflage" was widely panned and is his first chart entry in 12 years to miss the top 10.
** Perhaps he listened to the criticism, as his 2013 album ''Wheelhouse'' found him ditching longtime producer Frank Rogers in favor of self-production, leading to a highly varied sound that critics are split between calling great and adventrous, or overstuffed and pretentious. But those on either side agree that the LLCoolJ duet "Accidental Racist" was a huge misstep.
* The output of Music/RascalFlatts after switching to producer Dann Huff (namely the albums ''Me and My Gang'', ''Still Feels Good'' and ''Unstoppable'') was generally considered mediocre to dreadful by most music critics. Main points of criticism included bombastic production, overwrought vocals, and bland lyrics. However, their streaks of Top 5 country hits and multi-platinum sales were unharmed. The group generally won back critical acclaim by returning to a less bombastic, more substantial sound after they moved to Big Machine Records following the closure of their previous label, Lyric Street.
* The crops of country hitmakers in the new tens are usually rock-influenced acts like Music/LukeBryan, Music/JasonAldean, Music/BrantleyGilbert, and Florida Georgia Line, who are all criticized for their heavy rock influence, over reliance on party jams, and Bryan's preference of sex appeal over musical integrity. Despite heavy criticism, their albums are among the best selling in the genre.
** Other acts are criticized for singing way too many songs about being a country boy. Doesn't stop them from constantly hitting the Top 10.
* [[Music/ThreeEleven 311's]] 1997 album ''Transistor'' wasn't received very well by critics, but it's generally beloved by fans.
* Believe it or not The Pharcyde's debut and sophomore album got lukewarm to mixed reviews from critics. But high critical acclaim from hip-hop fans. They would later become VindicatedByHistory.
* While adored by fans, Imagine Dragons' debut album ''Night Visions'' was critically lukewarm.
* Alternative rap group Digable Planets Sophomore album Blowout Comb, received massive praise and was considered far beyond their debut. But the album more or less bombed when released. Some music critics believe that the Afrocentric militant tone of the second album made it less accessible and off putting to white listeners, which was believed to be their primary listeners of their first album.
* Little Dragon is basically critical darlings, but their record sales is pretty much stagnant.
* Raphael Saadiq solo albums has had consistent critical acclaim but was never able to fully cross over for some reason. Interestingly enough his old band Tony! Toni! Toné! was pretty huge in [[TheNineties the early to mid 90's]].
* {{Opeth}}'s 2011 album ''Heritage'' got very positive reviews from critics, averaging a 72/100 on Metacritic. However, at the very least half the fanbase doesn't like it at all, mainly because they are afraid the band won't make another album in their SignatureStyle, as frontman Mikael Akerfeldt said he was "bored with metal".
* {{Megadeth}}'s 1997 album ''Cryptic Writings'' was praised by critics, with some even calling it the band's best album since ''Rust In Peace''. Fan reaction, however, was far more varied. Time has only worsened the album's popularity among fans, with many citing it as the beginning of the band's DorkAge.
* Unsurprisingly, TheJonasBrothers. Boyband first, 'legitimate musicians' second to critics, while their fanbase (even the ones that aren't teenyboppers) love them. (Notable exception being their NewSoundAlbum ''Lines, Vines and Trying Times'', but even the critics hated that one.)
* Although Music/JohannSebastianBach was esteemed as a performer, his music was considered, in its day, to be old-fashioned and not of much interest, with Bach's sons Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Johann Christian Bach being much more highly regarded as composers. Today, J. S. Bach is considered one of the greatest (if not ''the'' greatest) composer of all time, and while his son's music is still played it's definitely not considered to be in the same category.
* "[=MacArthur=] Park" by Richard Harris has often been called the worst song ever by critics, but was a commercial success in 1968 and has been hailed by the public as a classic. It's not hard to see why; the music and Harris' beautiful singing voice more than makes up for any silly lyrics it may have.
* Downplayed: {{Deadmau5}}'s "Album Title Goes Here" got even 2 stars by some reviews. It is one of his best sold albums.
* DeathMetal band Music/{{Six Feet Under}} has been well-liked by critics since their formation, even earning critical acclaim for their album ''Undead'', released in 2012. However, many death metal fans absolutely '''despise''' them. Most of the criticism comes from their simplistic music and Chris Barnes' weakened vocals, but the [[CattleDecapitation Travis Ryan]] incident has led many people to believe the rumors that Barnes is an asshole. However, some haters tend to enjoy their two latest albums, the aforementioned ''Undead'' and this year's ''Unborn''.
* The Music/{{Metallica}} album ''St. Anger'' actually got pretty decent reviews from critics upon release. However, you wouldn't know it from the insane amounts of punishment it got from fans. Enough that [[CreatorBacklash the band themselves have removed the album almost entirely from their live setlist]] (despite this, the band considered that the album was necessary because working around the CreatorBreakdown kept them together). Granted, the backlash against the album seems to have subsided a bit during the last few years [[note]]Much of its backlash was directed more at the band itself than the album, as they picked up a lot of hate during the last few years for instances like the [[DigitalPiracyIsEvil Napster suit]] and an ill-conceived musical collaboration with rapper JaRule[[/note]], but not nearly enough for it to be VindicatedByHistory.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theater]]
* This is actually fairly common in Musical Theater. Les Miserables, which has been running for 27 years without pause in London, and has played to over 60 million people world wide, was derided when it first opened, being accused of being glum and mawkish.
* Similarly WeWillRockYou was panned when it was first released, but word of mouth kept it alive, and turned it into a sellout show that is still running a decade later.
* Even Wicked got butchered in reviews, but it is a huge fan-favorite.
* One review of Romeo and Juliet's [[OlderThanSteam premiere]] described it as "a mawkish melodrama which, God willing, will see no second performance."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* Franchise/FinalFantasy:
** VideoGame/FinalFantasyII: One of the only English reviews of the game was positive due to the story. Everyone else [[ScrappyMechanic hates the gameplay with a passion.]]
** VideoGame/FinalFantasyV: Fans mainly call it mediocre for decidedly lacking in characters and story, critics like the [[BreatherEpisode non-serious tone]] and [[JobSystem class system]].
** VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII: Arguably the VideoGames TropeCodifier for HypeBacklash. Critics love this game, fans are a BrokenBase ranging from either "one of the best of the series/all time" to "not all that great".
** VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII: Critics liked this one, generally, but fans are more polarized.
** VideoGame/FinalFantasyX: Also a receiver of major HypeBacklash.
** VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII: While reviews were mostly positive, it received major backlash from the fanbase because of its linearity. Despite that, it had enough of a fanbase to get a direct sequel.
** VideoGame/{{Final Fantasy XIII-2}}: Western critics gave it throwaway "average" scores to "punish" SquareEnix for ''XIII'' being what it was and also for the debacle surrounding ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV''; certain fans found it to be a significant improvement.
* ''{{Okami}}'', lauded as one of the most beautiful games of all time, yet sold poorly - contributing to the closure of CloverStudios.
* The Nintendo {{Wii}}, as well as many of its games. The dissonance goes both ways. This can likely be explained (in a few cases) by the critic falling outside the target demographic.
* The ''ArmyOfTwo'' series is one of the few video games to achieve commercial success while still getting poor/mixed reviews.
* Another such game is ''JawsUnleashed'', which sold over 250,000 copies on the Xbox alone despite having a Game Rankings score of 54%. GameSpot later gave the game the "Worst Game Everyone Played of 2006" award accompanied by a video where Alex Navarro expresses his outrage at this game having outsold ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'' ''five times''.
* ''VideoGame/DeusExInvisibleWar'' was given decent ratings by reviewers. Fans however, weren't so kind.
** ''Invisible War'' is interesting because most fans of the original will be the first ones to say that it's a decent game in its own right, [[ToughActToFollow it just doesn't hold up to the original]].
* ''SonicChronicles'', like the above example, received relatively decent reviews but was utterly trashed by fans.
** Both episodes of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4'' were the same way.
** ''SonicUnleashed'' goes about it the other way, however: The game received mixed reviews from critics, while fans, though admitting it was nowhere near perfect, think it was a huge step in the right direction for the series. Though no one was particularly fond of the [[ScrappyMechanic Were]][[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent hog]].
** ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' is also a good example. Critics didn't like some of the missions or the camera, but most fans consider it the best in the series, some even going as far as to say the games got worse from there (Until ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' and ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations''). ''Sonic Adventure 2'', on its debut on the Xbox Live Arcade, placed 3rd in sales overall, showing that this was not a mere product of its time.
* ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil''. If you compare its sales figures to its reviews, you'd be justified in the belief that its sales are entirely due to critics buying copies for everyone they know, and that's it.
* The works of TimSchafer suffer from this big time. The most obvious example is ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'', which has received rave reviews and is one of the worst selling games of its gaming generation, likely due to [[ScrewedByTheNetwork/VideoGames the publisher giving it terrible advertising]] (although it is well-liked by those who actually bought it). Schafer's most successful game, ''VideoGame/BrutalLegend'', underperformed too, but sold much more than ''Psychonauts''.
* ''VideoGame/SilentHill4: The Room'' holds an average score of 76 on Metacritic. Most fans of the series are far less kind, citing multiple frustrating gameplay elements and having to go through each area of the game twice.
** On the other hand, ''VideoGame/SilentHillDownpour'' clocks in with a pathetic 4.5 out of 10 on IGN, with other sites giving it slightly better, but still poor reviews. Fans, on the other hand, are contending whether it is better than ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'', which previously held the indesputed title of best game in the series. Other reviewers, like [=GameSpot=], were kinder, and gave it a similar score to 2.
* ''{{Homefront}}'' got a fairly middling reception from critics, due to a combination of ItsShortSoItSucks and not breaking out of the bounds of the "military FPS" formula. Hasn't stopped it from selling over a million units.
* ''[[LegendOfDragoon The Legend of Dragoon]]'' received mediocre scores across the board. Players, on the other hand loved the game.
* ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' may never see re-release because of this. Criticism from test audiences and the [[SarcasmMode brilliant]] marketing slogan of "This Game Stinks" made it quite a hated game by critics. After a brief bit of VindicatedByHistory, it is now regarded as one of the best comedy games of all time, as well as an above-average RPG.
** Actually, it is planned for release on the Wii U's Virtual Console.
* ''VideoGame/MortalKombat3''
* ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} V'' was given good reviews by the gaming press, but a quick look at the Amazon, Metacritic and [=GameSpot=] reviews shows that this trope is in full effect here.
* LostPlanet 2 got mixed reviews from critics but the public seems to think more highly of it.
* ''VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptunia'': This game caters heavily towards otaku who love other Nippon Ichi games. Almost everyone outside of that group (including reviewers) hated it. There's a whopping 40 point difference between its [[http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/hyperdimension-neptunia professional and user reviews on Metacritic]]. No reviewer gave it a positive review. No user gave it a negative review, outside of the way [[ScrappyMechanic healing worked]].
** This applies to [[HyperdimensionNeptuniaMk2 the second game in the series]] as well.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyro'' trilogy. Critics tended to give them mediocre to outright bad reviews, with a few exceptions (like the PolishedPort of the second game available on the GameBoyAdvance). However, they managed to get fans (though not necessarily classic Spyro fans), and even spawned their own unique fanbase.
** Speaking of which, the next ''Spyro'' reboot, ''VideoGame/{{Skylanders}}''. Positive reviews from critics, and as evidenced by impressive sales, a huge hit with the kids; but the reboot is out-and-out loathed by fans of the previous entries of the franchise.
* ''AlphaProtocol'' was absolutely savaged by reviewers who claimed it to have a broken combat and stealth system as well as a seemingly endless supply of {{Game Breaking Bug}}s...but players ''loved'' it, quickly elevating it to CultClassic levels.
* Similarity, the 2010 ''VideoGame/{{Splatterhouse}}'' remake was mostly panned by critics whose complaints ranged from [[CameraScrew a wonky camera]] and an overreliance on gore. Player feedback, however, was generally much more positive.
* ''VideoGame/{{NieR}}'': Panned by critics for subpar graphics and too many fetch quests, loved by users for the deep, engaging story and killer soundtrack.
* ''VideoGame/GotchaForce'': Critics were mixed about this game, but mostly had lower reviews for it. On the other hand, its score is a solid 2.1 points higher among users on [[http://www.gamespot.com/gamecube/action/gotchaforce/review.html GameSpot]]. It's still got something of a cult following, due to the insane level of ReplayValue, [[SoBadItsGood comically bad dialogue]], and lots of [[GottaCatchEmAll borgs]] to choose from.
* ''[[VideoGame/{{Kirby}} Kirby's Air Ride]]'' has a similar situation as Gotcha Force with the mixed critics with a lot of critics panned for the one button mechanics and the lack of depth while it's receiving much higher user score due to the major multi-player focus and City Trial.
* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'': Most critics liked it very much for its good graphics, interesting characters, and GreyAndGreyMorality, but a lot of fans hated it for [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks diverging from the gameplay structure found in the original game,]] as well as the more subtle but still significantly reduced emphasis of the effect your choices have on the world. It had a [[DarkerAndEdgier gritty feel]] similar to that of the first game, only instead of being able to [[EarnYourHappyEnding improve the country of Ferelden]] in one or two very meaningful ways (that the player chooses), [[PlayerPunch everything]] you do in [[WretchedHive Kirkwall]] makes things worse, and players complained about the [[ShaggyDogStory ending]]. This is a rather dramatic example of critical dissonance - Metacritic shows the average critical review to be an 82%, and the average player review to be 42%.
** On the other hand, the fandom is mostly [[BrokenBase divided]] equally as to their stance on their game, with some viewing it as even better than the first. Those who defend the game also point out the FanDumb over the common complaint that the dungeons recycled environments, pointing out the ''first'' game often did the exact ''same'' thing!
* An even ''more'' dramatic example is ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', with the average player review on Metacritic being 22% and the average critic review being 95%. This can be traced to the (to many) unsatisfactory endings, a possible raid by 4chan's /v/, as well as hate for ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' that seeped into hate for [=ME3=]. Also worth noting is that the PC version, which requires use of EA's extremely unpopular Origin service and caused some people installation problems, has a much lower player review score than the console versions. Many people were up in arms about the day one DLC, as well as homosexual romance options.
* The biggest and ''most'' dramatic example? Not from a BioWare game but from a Blizzard game, the much-anticated ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' to be exact. The average critic review is 87%, Playbase review? 35%. Through this is due to server problems from overloading, the conversial Auction Houses, the fact that you can only play online, severe lag spikes as well as many GameBreaking and server-crashing bugs that came with launch. Luckily most of these bugs were fixed in the first few days, but it was too little, too late in the eyes of many gamers.
** The most well known error, "Error 37", seemed to have generated a MemeticMutation.
** The dumbed down/axed game features from ''[[VideoGame/{{Diablo}} Diablo II]]'' didn't sit too well for returning VideoGame/{{Diablo}} fans (Ex: lack of attribute/skill system, boring gear itemization, forced to follow the linear story). Add in the fact that said story in additon with it's cheesey acting isn't exactly award winning to the fanbase as a whole.
* ''{{Pathologic}}'' is a bit of a special example, due to it being a [[GenreBusting really bizarre game]]. Some reviews (even positive ones) don't even call it a game. Many critics disliked Pathologic and warned against playing it, saying that it wasn't fun in the slightest and was far too bleak. Most fans of the game ''completely agree'' with this, but love the game's plot and atmosphere nonetheless.
* While Sony's [[PlayStation3 PlayStation Move]] has been more critically acclaimed, it hasn't captured the public imagination as much as the {{Wii}}mote and the {{Kinect}} has. [[http://tompreston.deviantart.com/art/Hypocrisy-157038537?q=1&qo=1 Some have even argued that the Move's praise]] is mere HypocriticalFandom.
** The real problem isn't HypocriticalFandom (as the Move was agreed by critics to be better while the Kinect had a disastrous demo that launched the "I'm Han Solo" meme), but marketing. Sony barely marketed the Move while Microsoft poured millions into marketing the Kinect. Even today, Sony still treats the Move as an afterthrought (which makes the fact that it's sold 9 million units ''very'' surprising) while Microsoft has even developed alternate uses for the Kinect (such as use in science classes and medical colleges).
* ''HogsOfWar'' was not looked kindly upon by critics, but it remains a CultClassic amongst gamers for its great humour, excellent voice acting, awesome music and overall being a great party game. As such, its fanbase is small, but fiercely devoted.
* ''[[ModernWarfare Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3]]''. As of November 20, 2011, [[http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-3 it holds an 89 on Metacritic while the User Score is at 3.2]], with over two thousand negative reviews. It still managed [[http://www.vgchartz.com/article/88431/modern-warfare-3-tops-93m-first-day-biggest-industry-launch-ever/ to sell 9 million units on its launch day]].
** ''Call of Duty'', post-''Modern Warfare'', is this trope in GENERAL--each entry has been critically acclaimed and favorably reviewed but the series seems to have a memetic status among large parts of the gamer community as a symbol of everything wrong with video gaming.
* ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'' has a fairly minor but notable version of this. Audience: very popular (was a Greatest Hits game) but [[ContestedSequel incredibly divisive]] among ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' fans. Critics: Unanimous praise (is one of a handful of games to get a perfect 10 from GameSpot, for instance).
* ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'' seems to be having quite a bit of this. It's had relatively mixed reviews, but the game is adored by the many regular non reviewers who have played it, especially fans of {{Anime}}. [[http://www.gametrailers.com/game/asuras-wrath/13829 Here's an example from GameTrailers.]]
* ''MetroidOtherM'': Seemed to get mixed, but generally favorable reviews from critics. Fans, on the other hand, were much more divisive.
** In contrast, ''Metroid Fusion'' received very good reviews from critics (and is considered one of the best games on the GBA). However, many fans rank it much lower due to its linearity and contrast with the series theme exploration.
* [[FireEmblemAkaneia Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon]] actually got hit with this so badly that [[http://www.serenesforest.net/fe12/faq.html some fans were convinced it recieved bad reviews, sold poorly and was the reason the next game didn't get localized!]] All completley untrue, it actually got a respectable Metacritic average of 81 and sold reasonably well. Fans weren't nearly as kind, mostly due to suffering a major case of SeinfeldIsUnfunny, and the [[ScrappyMechanic controversial sidequest requirements.]]
* ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken''. It's received decent reviews but is getting heavily bashed by fans for a number of reasons (mostly due to the gem system and the various [[http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-03-07-street-fighter-x-tekken-on-xbox-360-does-not-support-local-co-op-when-online shady]] [[http://www.destructoid.com/full-dlc-characters-found-on-street-fighter-x-tekken-disc-223138.phtml business]] [[http://www.complex.com/video-games/2012/07/sony-exclusive-street-fighter-x-tekken-characters-pac-man-and-mega-man-not-coming-to-xbox-360 practices]] involved in its development). It doesn't help that Capcom has become more and more disliked by gamers due to the various controversies they've stirred up, as summarized in [[http://www.superphillipcentral.com/2012/08/five-reasons-why-capcom-leaves-bad.html this]] article.
* According to some of the analysts from Game Trailers, they believe the ''Franchise/{{Bioshock}}'' franchise is heading this way. Calling it a critical darling with middling sales.
** ''VideoGame/{{Bioshock Infinite}}'' seems to be suffering from this trope greatly. Critics loved it, sales have been great, but general opinion from the gaming community is that it's really bad.
* ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'', great reception but lagging sales. Oddly enough, the [=PS3=] version was the best-selling version, despite the [=X360=] version being widely considered the superior version.
** ''VideoGame/{{Madworld}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Vanquish}}'', also made by Platinum Games, got excellent reviews, but lackluster sales.
* ''{{Driver}} 2'' was disliked and considered inferior to the original by most critics, but the majority of the Driver fandom loved it and many consider it to be the best Driver game released.
* DoubleDragon Neon: Most gamers seem to love this game and have a ton of fun playing it, especially co-op, but a few critics, notably IGN, hate this game, citing clunky gameplay (which isn't really clunky, just slower), and sometimes not enjoying the 80's style GenreThrowback elements. Most can agree the soundtrack is great though.
* Roguelikes in general tend to get the shaft from professional reviewers. ''PokemonMysteryDungeon'', ''ShirenTheWanderer'' and ''Izuna'' all received incredibly vitriolic reviews from critics, but to the userbase, they're some of the best games on the DS.
* {{VideoGame/Battlezone 1998}} was loved by critics when it was released, gaining scores above 80% in gaming magazines and winning several innovation awards. It flopped in the market though, supposedly becauase consumers didn't know what to make of the Realtime Stragegy/Tank Simulation/First-Person Shooter genre mix.
* ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros'' for the NintendoDS received a 96% from The Official Creator/{{Nintendo}} Magazine, but its relatively easy gameplay has made it unpopular with many fans of the Mario games, with many people agreeing that ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii'' is the superior game.
* The ''MarioParty'' series is usually met with scorn from critics who constantly cite how the series' graphics are dated and that [[ItsTheSameSoItSucks the series never seems to add anything new]]. Fans on the other hand like the collection of mini-games to play and the gimmicks used on every board. ''Mario Party 9'' had both camps do a complete turnaround where the critics gave the game some praise for actually trying something different while the fans blasted the game for [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks trying something different.]]
* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'' is praised by critics for adding new elements to the game and having maps better than the ones from the original game. Fan opinion is very mixed because it has a zombie outbreak taking place in the daylight, melee weapons, and characters that aren't as memorable as the original survivors.
* ''VideoGame/JetSetRadio'', despite having gotten excellent reviews for its original release, got very mediocre reviews for the HD re-release, citing its "dated" gameplay and graphics, and horrible camera angles (however, the HD version lets you adjust the camera with the mouse or right analog stick, which adds to much better camera control than in the original version). Sega fans, on the other hand, loved it and thanked Sega for bringing back one of their favorite games from them.
* ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}'' got excellent reviews but suffered from poor sales.
* ''VideoGame/LostOdyssey'' received middling reviews from Western critics for being a ClicheStorm of the JRPG genre. Its fans thought it was more {{Troperrific}}.
* ''[[MaddenNFL Madden 13]]'' and ''[[NHLHockey NHL 13]]'' have been praised by many critics for their new features and heavily revamped gameplay. The response to both games among fans, however, has been far more polarizing (as the Amazon.com review pages for both games demonstrates).
* VideoGame/ResidentEvil6 is a weird example as it not only split the fans but the critics as well. At best you could possibly make the argument that the fans had mixed opinions but still ''leaned'' positive, but the critical reception was all over the place.
* ''VideoGame/OperationDarkness'' has a Metacritic critic score of 46 and a user score of 7.1. Professional critics cited problems such as poor camera control, dull graphics, and a lack of in-game tutorial while fans enjoy it for its unique gameplay elements and positively absurd storyline.
* ''VideoGame/ZombiU'' got somewhat positive reviews from critics, but it hasn't been very well received by the public, strangely, it sold surprisingly well, despite it being an M-rated exclusive on a family-targeted console.
* SpecOpsTheLine got multiple praise for its impressive storytelling but didn't sell very well.
* ''VideoGame/DmCDevilMayCry'' was a textbook case of this trope both before and after the game was even released. Critics praised it, giving the game scores mostly around 8s and 9s. The user response, though, especially from fans of the original ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' games, has been overwhelmingly negative, bashing on how the writing is immature, the characters are unlikeable, the combat makes getting SSS ranked combos too easy, lack of a lock-on function, etc. As of this writing, the averages for critic scores and user scores on Metacritic are 86 and 44 respectively. Also, it was a top game in January sale charts, but only because there were no other major releases at that time, selling only roughly 600,000 out of expected 2 million (now 1.2 million after revising the sales projections) as of this writing, with global sales dropping sharply after the first week.
** Vergil DLC: Critics bash it for going back to the stone age of earlier DMC games, while the gamers admit that even it is not good as previous games, it is a step in the right direction.
* In a similar situation, ''VideoGame/DeadSpace3'' has been, for the most part, well recieved by critics. In terms of fan reception, however, the reaction has been very mixed. While some like it for being a well done action game, others felt that it lacked the horror the other two games had.
* Really common within the ''Franchise/MetalGear'' franchise. In Metacritic and other sites ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' ranks as the best ''Metal Gear'' game but several fans dislike it for its convoluted story, overuse of cutscenes, and Raiden. ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' stands as the most popular game in the franchise by fans and creator Hideo Kojima himself but sites rank it lower due to a lack of a 3D camera (for its original release anyway). ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' took a bigger spot but fans tend to dislike it due to its excessively long cutscenes and [[spoiler:everything explained by nanomachines]]. Another case happens with the spinoff ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'' which is reflected in Metacritic and Gamerankings whose user review score are considerably higher than the ones from the critics.
* ''VideoGame/SimCity'' ([[RecycledTitle 2013 release]]), much like ''[[VideoGame/DMCDevilMayCry DMC]]'' and ''VideoGame/DeadSpace3'', is also suffering the same exact thing, as evidenced by its poor user reviews in metacritic. Much of this can be attributed to the critics reviewing it in a controlled environment where the network connectivity served to give some minor enhancements to gameplay. However, when released there was a connectivity fiasco (similar to ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'') which almost completely broke the game. In EA's rush to fix the issue, many features had to be disabled or dialed down, resulting in the players getting a much worse game experience after they buy it than the reviewers had before it came out.
* Anything from [=SUDA51=]:
** ''VideoGame/{{Killer7}}'' got very mixed reviews and suffered from poor sales, but the very few gamers that played it quite enjoyed it, and agreed that it was one of the best action games on the Gamecube.
** ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'' was adored by critics and gamers alike, but sales were very poor. It sold 40,000 in Japan, and 208,000 in America. It also doesn't help that the Wii is a family-friendly console, thus most Wii owners weren't interested. Despite poor sales, it still ended up getting a sequel.
** ''VideoGame/LollipopChainsaw'' got a mixed to average reaction from critics. Gamers, on the other hand, found the game to be very good, but too short. It became [=SUDA51=]'s best-selling game of all time, selling 700,000 copies a mere ''two months'' after release. In addition, view counts for most [=YouTube=] videos of it usually range from 300,000 views to 4 million.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Originals]]
* WebVideo/TheCinemaSnob is made as a response to this trope. Brad Jones created his snob-persona to {{MST}} {{Exploitation Film}}s because he felt it was weird that film critics panned those films for lacking qualities they weren't supposed to have.
* {{Moviebob}} addressed this trope in [[FilmsDiscussedByMoviebob his reviews]] of ''The Eagle'' and ''KnightAndDay''. He feels that the reason for the disconnect between critics and the "average" moviegoer is because critics watch and pick apart hundreds of movies per year as part of their job and have learned how to spot every trope and plot twist from a mile away, making them much more receptive to original, offbeat movies that go against their expectations. Meanwhile, people who don't see more than one movie a week (i.e. most non-critics) can better appreciate films that are {{cliche|Storm}}d but well-made on the technical side, and find arthouse films that [[GenreBusting challenge "traditional" genre boundaries]] to be off-putting.
* A good percent of the stuff reviewed on TheBadWebcomicsWiki is this.
* Film School Rejects' list of [[http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/features/10-classic-movies-that-critics-hated-dbell.php?all=1 "10 Classic Movies That Critics Hated"]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* The DisneyAnimatedCanon has a few examples, especially during its "Dark Age" (c. 1970 - 1988):
** ''Disney/RobinHood'' was critically ''reviled'' upon its release, and still doesn't warrant very positive reviews upon re-releases. Audiences, however, have always loved it and considered it a classic.
** ''Disney/TheBlackCauldron'' is somewhat of a bona fide CultClassic, despite its very lukewarm critical reception.
** ''Disney/OliverAndCompany'': critics hated the animation, the characters, cited the plot as a ClicheStorm.. still, though it's not a very popular film at all, it does have its fair share of fans.
** ''{{Pocahontas}}'' was reviewed as "pretentious" and hated for being historically inaccurate. Despite this, it's still in league with Disney's most popular films of all time, the main character is still a DisneyPrincess and people still have great love for it - though it must be said, ''Pocahontas'' has so far failed to be VindicatedByHistory.
** ''AtlantisTheLostEmpire'' is the biggest CultClassic in the Disney canon, despite being thrashed violently by critics.
** ''BrotherBear'' is well-liked in the Disney fandom, yet it received only 38% positive reviews on RottenTomatoes.
** It works the other way around, too. Critics have great appreciation for some of WaltDisney's own classics, but movies such as ''Disney/{{Pinocchio}}'', ''{{Fantasia}}'' and ''Disney/TheJungleBook'' are often criticized as "boring" or "too scary" by fans on the internet.
* ''WesternAnimation/AlmostNakedAnimals''. The series ''really'' hasn't gone over well with fans (ratings from TV.com and IMDb have hovered in the 2.0 to 3.0 range), but the few mainstream reviewers who did pay any attention to the show found it decent. It was also nominated for a Gemini Award, sold lots of merchandise, and been green-lit for a third season — things that do not usually happen to shows ranking ''that'' low with viewers.
* ''WesternAnimation/PinkyElmyraAndTheBrain'' is typically seen as an unneeded ReTool of a series that was already doing fine, not to mention the entire concept was simply lit by ExecutiveMeddling, to the point that it went unmentioned when the original ''Pinky and the Brain'' series was released on DVD. Critics loved it though, and it won several Emmy awards during its really short run.
[[/folder]]
----