There are a lot of different genres in the movie world. Action, horror, comedy, romance… Most movie fans are already familiar with these genres and likely have a favorite that they gravitate toward when they’re getting ready for a movie night. But, there’s another genre that most people aren’t quite as familiar with: mockbusters. Mockbusters are movies that were created in order to capitalize on a trend or style of movie. They often have a relatively low budget and were made to make a ton of money and are often made to look similar to a high-profile movie that recently hit theaters.

Mockbusters are often the type of movie that people think of when they think about movies that are “so bad they’re good” and watch them for the laughs. These movies are typically made with the aim of maximizing their profits, not necessarily because they want to make the best movie they can. Despite this, there are still a lot of people that enjoy watching mockbusters because they can be so fun to watch.

To see 10 of the best mockbusters, ranked by their popularity on IMDb, keep reading!

Avengers Grimm (2015)

Avengers Grimm is an action-adventure movie that was released in 2015. This movie was designed to draw in fans of Once Upon a Time and features the same beloved fairy tale characters. Another similarity to the show is the fact that they’ve all been magically transported to modern times, but this show definitely has more of an action film vibe than that fantasy show has.

In this movie, Rumplestiltskin has launched an evil plot and has escaped from the world of fairy tales and gone into the modern world. When he goes through the Magic Mirror and into the real world, Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Rapunzel are taken with him. These princesses are forced to battle Rumplestiltskin and take him back to the fairy tale world.

Atlantic Rim: Resurrection (2018)

We’ve all heard of Pacific Rim, the movie about giant monsters that come out of the sea and torment the people of Japan, right? But what about Atlantic Rim: Resurrection? This movie is one that was released in 2018 and is a sequel to Atlantic Rim.

Both movies in the Atlantic Rim series are mockbusters inspired by Pacific Rim. These movies are set in the US rather than Japan like Pacific Rim, but still feature gigantic monsters coming out of the ocean to terrorize the city that the movies are set in. While the first one was set in Los Angeles, Atlantic Rim: Resurrection is set in Florida and features monsters that are much stronger and more ready to fight than the first film in the series.

The Coed And The Zombie Stoner (2014)

Comedic movies can have a variety of settings, but college is definitely one of the most popular settings for comedic movies. For people that like to laugh, watching movies like Accepted and Neighbors are always a good choice. But of course, the mockbuster genre has released quite a few comedic movies and The Coed and the Zombie Stoner is one of them.

This movie follows an academically-focused sorority girl who falls for a zombie. The fact that her new beau is undead makes their relationship a little complicated - especially because of the fact that he’s infecting the entire campus with his zombie virus. Uh oh! This sorority girl is tasked with finding a cure for her school before it’s too late.

AE: Apocalypse Earth (2013)

AE: Apocalypse Earth is an action-adventure movie with a science-fiction flair that was released in 2013. This movie was released around the same time as After Earth and was clearly made to capitalize on the popularity and hype that was building around that movie.

AE: Apocalypse Earth is a movie that is set shortly after aliens descend on the Earth. There’s a mass evacuation to get people off the planet and away to safety, but this evacuation causes a group of survivors to crash land on a foreign planet inhabited by mysterious creatures.

Troy The Odyssey (2017)

Historical movies are always really popular. Movies and TV shows that depict life at some point in the past - be it a few decades ago or even several centuries ago - often do really well and there’s a huge selection of them out there. From shows like The Crown to movies like Selma, people love seeing life as it was in another time period.

Troy the Odyssey is a movie that was released in 2017 and is a retelling of Iliad. The movie follows Odysseus as he makes the long journey back home after fighting for a decade in the Trojan War. Many movies and TV miniseries have been made over the years that show Odysseus’ journey and adventures as he tries to make his way home.

Adventures Of Aladdin (2019)

Disney has been on top of the live-action remakes of their movies lately. In 2019, their live-action adaptation of Aladdin was released and it had many Disney fans heading back to the theaters to experience the magic of this ancient fairy tale adaptation all over again. Considering that the movie was so hyped up by Disney fans, it should be no surprise that a mockbuster version of the film was also released and became pretty popular.

Adventures of Aladdin is a mockbuster that was released in 2019 and created to capitalize on the popularity of the new version of Aladdin. This movie is based on the same story as Disney’s Aladdin and follows the same basic story with the impoverished Aladdin finding love and wealth through the help of a magic lamp.

Village Of The Giants (1965)

The mockbuster genre is definitely not a new one. These types of movies have been around forever and Village of the Giants is a classic example of that. This movie was released in 1965 but is still among the most popular mockbusters on IMDb.

This film is loosely based on an H.G. Wells story and has become a cult classic over the years in the science fiction genre. The movie follows a group of rebellious teenagers who get into a world of trouble after they manage to get their hands on a chemical called “Goo” that causes them to grow to be absolutely enormous.

D-Day (2019)

D-Day is a war movie that was released in 2019 and was released to capitalize on the popularity of military films that have been released recently. For instance, movies like Dunkirk and American Sniper have been hugely successful in recent years.

This movie follows a group of American soldiers who are tasked with the dangerous job of trying to take out a group of German machine guns. The movie was released in 2019, the 75th anniversary of the real-life event that inspired the film.

The Final Level: Escaping Rancala (2019)

Released in 2019 to capitalize on the popularity of movies like 2017’s Jumanji remake, The Final Level: Escaping Rancala is an action-adventure movie with a science-fiction twist. This movie’s tagline referred to it as “Jumanji Meets Ready Player One” which is definitely a good description for what this mockbuster was going for.

This movie follows a manager of an arcade who discovers that her brother was magically transported into the dangerous world of one of the games in the arcade. In order to save his life and bring him back to the real world, she and two of her friends follow him into the world of the game where they’re put face-to-face with all kinds of danger.

Dauntless: The Battle Of Midway (2019)

Dauntless: The Battle of Midway was released in 2019 and is a war movie set in the 1940s.

After an intense battle, the two-man crew of a plane finds themselves forced to abandon their plane and dive into the ocean to wait for rescue. As time goes on, the two of them begin to wonder if they’re ever going to be found or if they’ll be spending the last days of their life, floating and alone in the wide, open ocean.