While Chris Pratt’s new sci-fi thriller, Mercy, is not shaping up to do terribly well at the box office, reviews are starting to come in during its opening weekend from both critics and fans. Interestingly, they are probably the prime example of the “elite” class and internet pundits being in something of a bubble when it comes to the actor, and audiences don’t agree with their assessment.
Mercy currently has a wild critic and audience Rotten Tomatoes score split, 20% versus 81%, a full 61% difference. But looking back, this is part of a pattern where Pratt-led, non-MCU projects please audiences far more than critics. Some of the more prominent examples:
- Mercy – 20% critic score, 81% audience score, +61% Pratt Gap
- The Electric State – 14% critic score, 67% audience score, +53% Pratt Gap
- The Terminal List – 41% critic score, 93% audience score, +52% Pratt Gap
- Jurassic World Dominion – 29% critic score, 77% audience score, +48% Pratt Gap
- The Garfield Movie – 36% critic score, 79% audience score, +43% Pratt Gap
- The Superman Mario Bros. Movie – 59% critic score, 95% audience score, +36% Pratt Gap
- The Tomorrow War – 51% critic score, 76% audience score, +25% Pratt Gap
The Electric State
Netflix
Those are the bigger gaps. The ones that are more even are his first two Jurassic Park movies and all of the Guardians films. But you can see the trend here. Critics hate some of these, but audiences usually love them, and if you wonder why you keep seeing Pratt in everything under the sun, well, this is why.
Chris Pratt already has a number of projects lined up, namely a return to three of these. That would be The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and then The Terminal List season 2, which will air about four years after the first, given how busy he’s been. Apparently, there is another Garfield project lined up as well.
Pratt is also hoping (or hiding) that he will return as Star-Lord in the MCU, as previously it was teased that he would return after Vol. 3. He has not been announced for Avengers: Doomsday, however.
Chris Pratt reminds me a bit of The Rock in this vein, a crowd pleaser who is more appealing to audiences than critics, very much so. I mean, even Black Adam got an 87% from audiences compared to a 39% critic score. Red Notice, the most popular Netflix movie of all time until KPop Demon Hunters, had a 92% audience score to a 37% critic score.
So, when are we getting a Chris Pratt + The Rock team-up project?
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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2026/01/24/mercy-rotten-tomatoes-scores-break-a-common-chris-pratt-narrative/
