The widely panned movie musical Cats and four of its stars have been nominated for Razzie awards, an annual ritual that lampoons the worst of cinema.
James Corden, Judi Dench, Rebel Wilson and Francesca Hayward received Razzie acting nominations for their Cats roles, in which they wore digitally created fur. Oscar winner Dench was singled out for “looking suspiciously similar to the Cowardly Lion from Wizard of Oz”, organisers said in a statement announcing the nominees.
Cats received eight Razzie nominations, tying for the lead with Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral and Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo: Last Blood. All three films are in the running for worst picture, alongside psychological thriller The Fanatic and horror flick The Haunting of Sharon Tate.
Cats, an adaptation of the Broadway musical, was released in December and drew widespread ridicule from critics. The $95m production flopped at the box office, taking in $69.7m (£54m) worldwide, according to the website Box Office Mojo.
The tongue-in-cheek Razzies were created in 1980 and serve as an antidote to Hollywood’s Academy Awards ceremony, taking place on Sunday.
John Travolta received two Razzie nominations this year for The Fanatic and Trading Paint, as did Anne Hathaway for The Hustle and Serenity. Her Serenity co-star Matthew McConaughey was also nominated.
It was not all bad news. Eddie Murphy was nominated for the Razzie Redeemer award for his role in Dolemite is My Name, along with Jennifer Lopez in Hustlers and Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems. The redeemer award goes to a past Razzie nominee or winner who has recently earned acclaim.
The Razzies are voted for online by about 1,000 Razzie members from more than 24 countries, who sign up online and pay a $40 membership fee.
