10 Box Office Flops That Eventually Became Cult Classics

Summary

• Cult movies have passionate fan bases, even if they lack mainstream appeal.
• Box office receipts aren’t a good indicator of a movie’s quality, especially if the movie is marketed poorly.
• Some movies can find new audiences when they are syndicated on TV and released on home media.

Box office success has never been a reliable indicator of a movie’s quality, and several cult classics were once financial disasters. By definition, cult movies inspire obsession and devotion among their fan bases, even if they don’t have mainstream appeal. Often, these films are intentionally subversive or experimental, which means that they are unlikely to make a lot of money.

Performing terribly at the box office can often be the first step in a movie’s journey toward achieving cult classic status. Bombing can be a badge of honor for movies with a niche appeal, and this feeling of exclusivity makes fans even more passionate about a movie. When cinephiles become enamored by a movie which they feel is misunderstood or disrespected, cult followings are the next logical step.

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Related 20 Biggest Box Office Bombs Of All Time

From Pixar flops to Western catastrophes to CGI messes and franchises that never took off, these are the 20 biggest box office failures of all time.

10 Under The Skin (2013)

Box office: $7 million

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Under the Skin

Director Jonathan Glazer Release Date April 4, 2014 Cast Dougie McConnell , Lynsey Taylor Mackay , Jeremy McWilliams , Scarlett Johansson , Kevin McAlinden

Scarlett Johansson’s presence wasn’t enough to drive Under the Skin to box office success, and it failed to recoup its budget. The atmospheric sci-fi film stars Johansson as an otherworldly being who roams around Scotland preying on men, luring them into an ink-black abyss that slowly consumes them. With its stark visuals and a pulsating score from Mica Levi, Under the Skin is a unique delight for sci-fi fans.

Director Jonathan Glazer was recently nominated for an Oscar for
Zone of Interest,
but
Under the Skin
remains a relatively obscure gem.

Director Jonathan Glazer was recently nominated for an Oscar for Zone of Interest, but Under the Skin remains a relatively obscure gem. The film uses very little dialogue, and its pacing is deliberately ponderous until it reaches those unforgettable expressionist scenes inside the mysterious black void. This makes it an unusual prospect. It doesn’t appeal to many sci-fi fans, or indeed horror fans, but it has slowly found its audience.

9 Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971)

Box office: $4 million

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Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Where to Watch

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Director Mel Stuart Release Date June 30, 1971 Cast Jack Albertson , gene wilder , Peter Ostrum , Denise Nickerson , Julie Dawn Cole

Gene Wilder’s performance as Willy Wonka has now been recognized for its quirky charms, but Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was not an immediate hit. After a notoriously troubled production which saw author Roald Dahl removed from the project, and the final scene being hastily written just as the money was drying up, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory made just $4 million. This constitutes a loss when factoring in the marketing costs.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
was never financially successful enough to warrant a sequel, although Roald Dahl’s novels do continue Wonka and Charlie’s adventures together.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was never financially successful enough to warrant a sequel, although Roald Dahl’s novels do continue Wonka and Charlie’s adventures together. Nevertheless, the movie reached a new audience as it was shown many times on TV. Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory adaptation in 2005 faced an uphill battle to win over dedicated fans of Wilder’s version.

8 The Thing (1982)

Box office: $19.9 million

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The Thing Where to Watch

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Director John Carpenter Release Date June 25, 1982 Cast T.K. Carter , David Clennon , Keith David , Kurt Russell , wilford brimley

When it was first released, The Thing received a slew of negative reviews. Criticism was mainly directed at the characterization and the plot. The film’s groundbreaking visual effects were its saving grace, and these have held up magnificently over the past four decades. It took a while for The Thing to gain the recognition that it deserves, and it is now seen as an influential classic of the sci-fi and horror genres.

Many horror movies have been inspired by the creeping sense of paranoia and the ambiguous ending of John Carpenter’s cult classic.

Many horror movies have been inspired by the creeping sense of paranoia and the ambiguous ending of John Carpenter’s cult classic, while other movies have copied The Thing more blatantly. While the horrific scenes of sci-fi gore are the most eye-catching element of The Thing, it’s the sly social commentary and the pervasive sense of dread that lives longest in the memory.

7 Blade Runner (1982)

Box office: $41.8 million

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Director Ridley Scott Release Date June 25, 1982 Cast Harrison Ford , Rutger Hauer , Sean Young , Edward James Olmos , M. Emmet Walsh , Daryl Hannah , William Sanderson , Joe Turkel

Ridley Scott has had several massive box office hits over the years, inluding Alien and Gladiator, but he has also had his fair share of bombs. Blade Runner wasn’t quite a disaster, but its modest return of $41.8 million explains why it took so long for a sequel to arrive. Unfortunately, Blade Runner 2049 also failed to break even. Regardless of its mediocre financial results, Blade Runner has gone down as a sci-fi classic.

All self-respecting sci-fi fans know
Blade Runner
now, even though it wasn’t so popular in 1982.

Blade Runner‘s eye-catching visual design and its cerebral approach to the subject of artificial intelligence have influenced sci-fi movies for decades. Blade Runner‘s script is one of its great strengths too. Rutger Hauer’s unforgettable final monologue is the cherry on top of a superb script filled with brilliant quotes. All self-respecting sci-fi fans know Blade Runner now, even though it wasn’t so popular in 1982.

6 The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (2004)

Box office: $34.8 million

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The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

Director Wes Anderson Release Date December 25, 2004 Cast Bill Murray , Owen Wilson , Cate Blanchett , Anjelica Huston , Willem Dafoe , Jeff Goldblum

Wes Anderson’s movies are steady money-makers. Aside from the enormous success of The Grand Budapest Hotel, his movies mostly deliver a healthy but unspectacular return on investment. This is not the case for The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, which failed to break even. It didn’t help that the film’s $50 million budget was far higher than most of Anderson’s other films.

The soundtrack of Portuguese David Bowie songs and the delightful stop-motion creature animations are a joy for anyone.

Despite its middling initial response, The Life Aquatic has been reappraised in recent years. The movie that came right after The Royal Tenenbaums represented a massive leap in Anderson’s signature storybook charm. The Life Aquatic is a melancholy, stylistic treat, and there would be no Fantastic Mr. Fox or Moonrise Kingdom without it. The soundtrack of Portuguese David Bowie songs and the delightful stop-motion creature animations are a joy for anyone, whether they are a fan of Anderson or not.

5 The Iron Giant (1999)

Box office: $31.3 million

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Director Brad Bird Release Date August 6, 1999 Cast Vin Diesel , Christopher McDonald , Harry Connick Jr , Jennifer Aniston , Eli Marienthal

Brad Bird has found immense financial success as a director of animated movies, with Ratatouille and The Incredibles movies now under his belt. Before he became one of Pixar’s go-to men, he directed the gorgeous 2D animated classic, The Iron Giant, a Cold War fable about a boy who befriends a gigantic alien robot. The film cost $50 million to make, but it made just over half of that at the box office.

Time has been kind to
The Iron Giant,
and it’s now considered a masterpiece of animation.

Time has been kind to The Iron Giant, and it’s now considered a masterpiece of animation. TV syndication and home video sales eventually helped the movie find its audience. Although it’s about a 50-foot robot, The Iron Giant is a surprisingly universal tale. The themes of friendship and sticking up for what’s right are relatable to anyone, and it takes a hard heart to resist the giant’s unusual appeal.

4 The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Box office: $16 million (Initial run)

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Director Frank Darabont Release Date October 14, 1994 Cast William Sadler , Tim Robbins , Bob Gunton , Clancy Brown , Morgan Freeman

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The Shawshank Redemption was nominated for seven Academy Awards, but there was a massive gulf between its critical success and its financial success. The Stephen King adaptation had to compete with Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump at the box office, and its initial run in theaters was a big disappointment. After its awards-season success and some positive word-of-mouth, The Shawshank Redemption was re-released, and it fared much better.

Columbia Pictures may have made an error by marketing
The Shawshank Redemption
without using Stephen King’s name.

Columbia Pictures may have made an error by marketing The Shawshank Redemption without using Stephen King’s name. They didn’t want to associate the movie with King, who was best known for his work in the horror genre. The Shawshank Redemption is now seen as one of the best Stephen King adaptations ever, although it has very little in common with many of his other hits.

3 Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)

Box office: $49.3 million

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Director Edgar Wright Release Date August 12, 2010 Cast Michael Cera , Alison Pill , Mark Webber , Johnny Simmons , Ellen Wong , Kieran Culkin

After the success of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Edgar Wright was given a much bigger budget and a lot of freedom for his next project. His adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s series of graphic novels was a hit with critics, but it didn’t come close to breaking even. Wright incorporates visual elements of comic books and video games into Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, giving it a playful feeling.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
has some creative action scenes and a lot of great jokes, but its style is too quirky for some.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World has some creative action scenes and a lot of great jokes, but its style is too quirky for some. Although Scott Pilgrim didn’t win over mainstream audiences, it has cultivated a passionate fan base. This was enough for the original cast to reassemble for the 2023 animated adaptation, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, which is just as inventive, and just as popular with the film’s cult following.

2 Zodiac (2007)

Box office: $84.7 million

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Director David Fincher Release Date March 2, 2007 Cast Robert Downey Jr. , Jake Gyllenhaal , Anthony Edwards , Mark Ruffalo , Brian Cox

Zodiac was a victim of its misguided marketing, which emphasized the mystery thriller’s qualities as a slasher movie. Although there are a few scenes of brutal murder in Zodiac, the story mainly focuses on how the case of San Francisco’s Zodiac Killer inspired deep obsession in the people who followed it. Similarly, Zodiac is designed to draw its audience into the mystery. It’s difficult not to be as fixated as the protagonist.

Zodiac
has gained a devoted audience who understand that the film doesn’t play by the rules of a typical mystery movie, a typical horror movie, or a typical crime movie.

Zodiac also limits its mainstream appeal by refusing to provide an answer to its big mystery. This breaks an important rule of the mystery genre, but it’s far more realistic. There are still no answers about the identity of the Zodiac Killer, and Fincher conveys the frustration of the case brilliantly. Zodiac has gained a devoted audience who understand that the film doesn’t play by the rules of a typical mystery movie, a typical horror movie, or a typical crime movie. Its reasonable box office return still represented a loss, however.

1 Clue (1985)

Box office: $14.6 million

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Director Jonathan Lynn Release Date December 13, 1985 Cast Eileen Brennan , Tim Curry , Madeline Kahn , Christopher Lloyd , Michael McKean , Martin Mull

Based on the board game of the same name, Clue provides an ingenious solution to the problem of adapting something with no real story. Each game of Clue has a different solution to the mystery, so the movie presents multiple endings and asks the audience to choose the one which satisfies them. When it was released in theaters, each showing of Clue had just one of the three endings.

After it was released on home video, people could see the entire movie, and this allowed audiences to appreciate the idea.

Audiences were put off by this gimmick. Clearly, people didn’t want to pay to see a third of a complete movie. After it was released on home video, people could see the entire movie, and this allowed audiences to appreciate the idea. Clue has also been praised for its stylistic character designs and the frantic performance of Tim Curry, the butler who acts as a guide for the audience as well as the guests.

Source: https://www.kidsland.edu.vn
Category: Entertainment