What do “Taken 3,” “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters,” and “I, Frankenstein” have in common? These movies were not only critically panned (the highest score being a mere 15% approval rating on review website Rotten Tomatoes), these films were also all released in January. The public is usually unaware of the fact that the month of January is known for critical failures. In 2015, there were about 10 films that were critically panned in the first four weeks. There are some exceptions, but for the most part, this is the time of year where films get terrible reviews.

Many people point out that January is not that bad for films, considering critically acclaimed movies like “American Sniper” or this year’s “The Hateful Eight” were released at this time. However, those films do not qualify as January movies as both had a limited release back in December. A better example is last year’s “The Boy Next Door,”a movie critically panned for its lackluster story and weak characters. However, the film made a lot of money ($35 million on a $4 million budget), despite finishing with a mere 10% approval rating on the film review website Rotten Tomatoes.

There have been claims that the lackluster January movies are due to the cold weather. The more expensive movies with more effort put into them have no way to earn money since the bad weather drives people away. Others claim that everybody goes back to school or work and are not in the mood for a moviegoing experience. However, these January movies have a different motive entirely. “The Boy Next Door” is a perfect example of what these bad movies are trying to accomplish. They are taking advantage of the fact that January marks an entirely new year. The public has a fresh start and this also applies to the world of film. Movies are usually compared to one another yearly. When January rolls around, there are no other movies to compare it to. That is why most of the weaker film usually end up there.

There seems to be two extremes in the month of January: terrible movies released in January and Oscar contenders that carry over from December. Despite the weaker movies at this time, there are still some gems that could be seen at this time. “American Sniper” had a limited release in December but gained most of its profit in the month of January, becoming a major box office success. This shows how good movies can shine in the slew in terrible movies being released.

So the next time you consider watching a film in theaters during January, be careful. There are few films that manage to break this curse, but overall it is best to stay away from the movie theater until it has some critical praise behind it. If you look at several reviews, then maybe you can save yourself a few bucks in the process. Let’s hope that this year will be an exception.