50 classic films that flopped when they were first released

"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" had a limited release to less than 10 cities when it premiered in 1975. Although critic reviews were favorable, the film was pulled early from theaters due to low ticket sales.

"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" became a cult classic through years of midnight screenings, with fans and audience members encouraged to interact with the film through call-outs, props, and sing-alongs.

Although it's now a staple in many holiday movie collections, "It's A Wonderful Life" performed poorly at the box office in 1946. The movie's success took a turn for the better when it was picked up by TV networks in 1974 when the movie's copyright expired.

Repeat viewings helped it get recognized as a warm, moving touchstone in American households each Christmas.

The whimsical movie based on Roald Dahl's classic novel has become a must-watch over time. It didn't fare well at the box office when it first premiered in 1971, making only $4 million, not much more than its $3 million budget.

After Paramount Pictures reportedly failed to renew its distribution deal for "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," Warner Brothers bought the film rights and brought it to TV, where it found new appreciation.

Dubbed by many as the worst film of all time, the 2003 melodrama "The Room" initially only made $1,800 off of a $6 million budget.

Over time, word of mouth helped to make the film popular and more and more people began attending midnight screenings through the years.

It later inspired the biopic "The Disaster Artist," starring Dave Franco and James Franco, which detailed the making of "The Room."

Although "Blade Runner" is a visually stunning film that inspired many sci-fi movies, it didn't make a ton of profits when it was released in 1982.

However, critics and fans had a lot of positive things to say about the film.

Unfortunately, the sequel "Blade Runner 2049" shared a similar fate as its predecessor at the box office in 2017. Fortunately, it was also adored by fans and critics alike.

Even though it's now one of Jeff Bridges' most notable films, "The Big Lebowski" finished sixth in its opening weekend because it was overshadowed by the massive successes of films like "Titanic" and "The Wedding Singer."

Love for the film has grown over time, with fans quoting iconic lines and even forming their own film-inspired religion of "Dudeism."

Like Tommy Wiseau's "The Room," "Troll 2" also found a cult following for its reputation as one of the worst films of all time.

The 1990s horror movie follows a family who is terrorized by goblins who turn their victims into plants before eating them. Fans found the accidental humor in the absurd goblin fest and still flock to screenings.

Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, and Adam Goldberg may be huge film stars today, but they were not as well-known when they starred in Richard Linklater's irreverent stoner comedy in 1993.

Without marketability to mainstream audiences, it only made $8 million on a $6.9 million budget. As time passed and the cast's star power grew, however, "Dazed and Confused has become a classic in the coming-of-age genre.

"Heathers," a dark comedy about a high school student who murders her classmates, has gained a following over the years for its biting humor. It premiered in 1989 and starred Winona Ryder as the unforgettable Veronica Sawyer.

Unfortunately, with a budget of $3 million, "Heathers" only made $1.1 million domestically. It gradually gained acclaim, in part due to Ryder's rise to fame.

The film's popularity has inspired a stage musical of the same name as well as a television reboot that aired in 2018.

"Donnie Darko" might not have been the easiest film to market— the 2001 film centers on a teenager, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, who is stuck in a time paradox and suffering from psychotic episodes that feature a man in a rabbit suit.

It earned only $110,494 on its opening weekend and wasn't released internationally until a year later. Since then, it's gained success as a DVD rental and cemented itself as an iconic film in the indie-horror genre.

"Fight Club" may be constantly referenced today, but it didn't initially impress many critics when it came out in 1999.

The film follows a dismal soap salesman (Edward Norton) who joins a fight club led by Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt).

The Chuck Palahniuk novel-turned-film proved too dark for mainstream audiences, but it would go on to sell 6 million DVD copies when people gave it a second chance.

The slice-of-life film "Office Space" perfectly captured the mundane nature of cubicle life, but failed to capture the attention of filmgoers in 1999.

Just as raunchy comedies like "American Pie" were winning big at the box office, wry satires like "Office Space" fell through the cracks in the late '90s — only bringing in $10.8 million.

Over time, the comedy has gone on to become one of the top films listed on many critics' lists, allowing a new generation of fans to discover it.

"Citizen Kane" has established itself firmly in film history as one of the most revered films ever made, but it only made about $1.5 million when it was released in 1941.

Historians have pointed to William Randolph Hearst as the man who impeded the film's initial success since its villain was blatantly inspired by Hearst himself. The influential newspaper tycoon forbade the press from mentioning it by name.

Now, the film has 99% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, which is no easy feat.

Although the $2.77 million budget of "The Wizard of Oz" seems low today, it was incredibly expensive back in 1939. It faced some pretty harsh reviews and didn't recoup its costs at the box office when it premiered — and it wouldn't for decades.

Like other movies on this list, TV syndication would help "The Wizard of Oz" gain the adoration it deserved from film lovers and critics alike.

It goes without saying that 1994 was a big year for movies: "Pulp Fiction" and "Forrest Gump" both premiered to immense acclaim. Unfortunately, "The Shawshank Redemption" received less attention when it was released that same year.

The moving prison drama later found an audience on television and is now listed as the top-rated film on IMDb by its users, topping films like "The Godfather," "12 Angry Men," and "Schindler's List."

It also has rave reviews on Rotten Tomatoes from audiences and critics.

"Vertigo" is now widely considered to be one of Alfred Hitchcock's greatest movies, but it was poorly received upon release in 1958.

The film explores the life of an ex-cop with a fear of heights and his whirlwind romance, based on the thrilling novel by Pierre Boileau, Thomas Narcejac, and Geoffrey Sainsbury.

It was considered a box-office flop and a failed thriller and made $3.2 million domestically.

Although it is loved by fans today, "Clue" had a rough start when it opened in 1985.

Made with a $15 million budget, it only made $14.6 million while airing in theaters. It wasn't helped by indifferent and middling reviews from critics, including Roger Ebert.

Over time, however, the wonderful cast and fun concept of the film have won over newcomers, and is another film on this list that has become a television staple.

"Monty Python and the Holy Grail" director Terry Gilliam has a slew of movies that gained recognition long after they were released — and "Brazil" is one of them. The 1985 film had a $15 million budget and only generated $9.9 million domestically.

The political satire, based partially on "Nineteen Eighty-Four," could not appeal to mass audiences.

Gilliam reportedly had to fight the studio on a final cut of the movie, which may have dissuaded the average moviegoer from attending the film. Now, "Brazil" is praised as a masterpiece in the science-fiction genre.

The 1971 drama "Harold and Maude" focused on a 20-year-old who falls in love with an 80-year-old woman. The non-traditional romance, filled with drama and dark humor, failed to attract crowds at the theaters.

Many found it depressing, and it was unable to break even at the box office.

Years later, critics and film lovers would begin to reevaluate their harsh stances on the film and they eventually celebrated it for its artistic merit.

The absurd, dark adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's novel "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," directed by Terry Gilliam, did not fare well in movie theaters.

From an $18.5 million production budget, the psychedelic 1998 film grossed only $10.6 million.

It was very polarizing for critics and was generally viewed as a visual spectacle that was aimless and lacked drive. Today, the movie, which starred Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro, is celebrated by fans for its bizarre and innovative style.

The Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert fantasy film "Highlander" follows a Scottish Highlands warrior who is cursed with immortality.

The 1986 action-packed melodrama was plagued with conflicts on set and a weak box office debut that only managed to recoup about a third of its $16 million budget.

However, it still managed to become a cult hit in the '80s as a video rental and garnered multiple sequels and two television shows.

Today, "Highlander" fans still find charm in the cheesy special effects and bombastic plotting.

The 1999 action-crime thriller "The Boondock Saints" followed two devout Catholic brothers as they slaughter Boston criminals in God's name.

The $6 million budget only made back $30,471 at the box office, but it found a second life as a video rental when the studio struck a deal with then-popular rental chain Blockbuster to promote the thriller as an exclusive.

Although many audiences have since fallen in love with the film, most critics still rate the film poorly on Rotten Tomatoes.

The 1997 sci-fi thriller "Event Horizon" focused on a rescue crew in space that investigates a missing ship. The film, starring Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, and Kathleen Quinlan, was compared to other space horror movies like "Alien" upon its release.

Despite generating a gross of $27 million worldwide, the movie was considered a bomb since it cost an estimated $60 million to make.

Even though critics ran it through the mud, "Event Horizon" found fans as a niche space cliffhanger with surprisingly strong visual effects for its time.

"The Thing" is now celebrated as one of the strongest entries in the horror genre, but the 1982 John Carpenter masterpiece was first viewed as a financial and critical dud.

Filmed with a $15 million budget, the sci-fi horror scraped by making $19.6 million domestically.

It was despised by many critics, including David Denby of New York magazine, who said it was "more disgusting than frightening, and most of it was just boring." Later, many would regret their first impressions as it gained acclaim over the years.

In the 2006 comedy "Idiocracy," a soldier (Luke Wilson) is placed under hibernation for hundreds of years and wakes up to discover he's now the smartest man alive.

The Mike Judge satire cost $4 million to produce and only generated half a million in worldwide ticket sales. A huge element of its failure was the complete absence of a marketing campaign — it did not release movie trailers, ads, or press kits.

It's now one of Rotten Tomatoes' "150 Essential Comedy Movies."

The slick, visually stunning "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World" featured director Edgar Wright's signature cinematic style and a talented cast but lost big at the box office.

The 2010 film had a massive production budget of $85 million, it only made $47.6 million in theaters worldwide.

Like most flops on this list, the film was later helped by home media and streaming sales.

In "Plan 9 from Outer Space," aliens conspire to raise the dead on Earth to save humans from themselves. The 1957 sci-fi B-rated movie was sold as a double feature until it moved to television.

"Plan 9" was relatively unknown until it gained notoriety as one of the worst movies ever made in the 1980s. As newcomers watched the film to see it for themselves, a cult following grew, and fans saw the humor in the previously obscure sci-fi flick.

"Jupiter Ascending," starring Mila Kunis, Eddie Redmayne, and Channing Tatum, was an intergalactic sci-fi adventure directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski, released in 2015.

The film was unbelievably expensive to make with a production budget of $179 million and only made $19 million on its opening.

Additionally, it didn't fare well with critics who generally found it to be visually pleasing but narratively incomprehensible. However, it generated a small but strong following among sci-fi fans.

With big names like Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Bradley Cooper, Amy Poehler, and Molly Shannon, it's a shame the 2001 film did so poorly at the box office.

At the time of its release, however, most of the cast was still relatively unknown. The movie, which followed summer campers in 1981, was made with a $1.8 million budget, and it produced $295,206 at the box office.

As the stars skyrocketed to success, the movie gained a cult following. Netflix has since produced both a prequel and sequel television series starring the original cast.

"The Iron Giant" follows a young boy as he tries to protect a space robot from government interference.

The sentimental and moving film has many admirers today, but underperformed in theaters in part due to a poor marketing campaign.

Although critics loved the 1999 animated film, not many saw it upon release, leading to $31 million in box office sales on a $70 million budget.

It would later be praised by fans and critics alike, garnering a cult following in television syndication and home-video sales. It was even re-released theatrically in 2015.

The 1983 Christmas classic, "A Christmas Story" was initially seen as a sleeper hit when it first premiered.

Critics were not sure what to think of it upon release, and a particularly scathing New York Times piece by Vincent Canby called it less funny than a TV sitcom and "exceedingly busy."

It has since found fans on TV over the years and is a must-watch for many families during the holiday season.

The 2012 science-fiction action movie "Dredd" was based on the postapocalyptic comic-book series "Judge Dredd." The film starred Lena Headey and Karl Urban and cost an estimated $50 million to make. It only earned $41 million in theaters.

Critical reviews were mostly positive, but "Dredd" only grew a following when it went to home video.

The 2006 James Gunn flick "Slither" was a comedic horror film starring Nathan Fillion and Elizabeth Banks. It follows an alien parasite as it terrorizes a small town.

In total, "Slither" grossed over $12.8 million worldwide and couldn't recoup its $15 million budget. But critics liked it for the low-budget horror homage it was.

The 1974 sci-fi comedy "Dark Star" was another John Carpenter film that struggled to find its legs at the box office. It started as a student film and became Carpenter's first theatrical debut.

It was made on a slim $60,000 budget and was released to just 50 theaters. It developed its cult following when it was released on video cassette in the early 1980s.

The Wachowskis' 2008 film "Speed Racer" was an action-packed spectacle based on the 1960s animated show of the same name.

It was created on a $120 million budget and made $93.9 million at the box office, struggling to compete with Marvel's "Iron Man" which was released the week before.

Critics generally panned it at first, and it was even nominated for several Razzies — a parody award honoring underachieving movies. Since 2008, "Speed Racer" has popped up on many critical lists as an underrated and overlooked film.

"Death to Smoochy" was a 2002 dark comedy directed by Danny DeVito starring Robin Williams, Edward Norton, Catherine Keener, and John Stewart. It focused on a children's TV show host and the world of kids' entertainment.

Its $50 million budget made it lose big at the box office when it generated only $8.3 million.

The film has gained a following of fans, especially since Williams' passing in 2014.

The 1992 film "Newsies" was deemed one of Disney's lowest-grossing live-action movies of all time.

Starring Christian Bale, the movie musical cost $15 million to make, but only grossed just under $3 million. Years later, the flop was turned into a top-grossing Broadway musical and has developed a loyal following of fans.

The cultural legacy of "Hocus Pocus" is huge now, especially during October.

But when the witchy film debuted in 1993 it was not seen as a financial success. It was released the same day as "Free Willy" and dropped from the top 10 after two weeks.

It received mixed to negative reception at first, but fans came to enjoy it over time as a silly supernatural adventure. The movie got a second wind through DVD sales and TV syndication and is now a staple for Halloween movie marathons every year.

Kathryn Bigelow has earned immense acclaim for films like "The Hurt Locker" and "Zero Dark Thirty," but her horror film "Near Dark" performed poorly in theaters when it premiered in 1987.

The vampire film only made $3.4 million at the box office, even though film critics gave it fairly positive reviews. Today, it still stands as one of the highest-reviewed horror films of all time.

In 1986, Jim Henson's musical fantasy "Labyrinth" debuted to poor box-office numbers. The creative film, which starred rock icon David Bowie, cost $25 million to make and only made about half of its budget back in theaters.

Despite low numbers, critics generally enjoyed the film, praising Bowie's performance and Henson's puppetry. Following Henson's death, more critics and film-goers watched the film and fell in love with it.

Taking place over the course of a single day, the drama "Empire Records" detailed the lives of record store employees in 1995. It starred Renée Zellweger, Ethan Embry, and Liv Tyler.

Although it has found its fans over time, "Empire Records" was derided by critics and made less than $300,000 at the box office. Today, fans see it as a gem in the '90s coming-of-age genre.

Like "Empire Records," "Can't Hardly Wait" was another coming-of-age film that was lambasted upon release and adored in later years. The 1998 teen-party flick starred Ethan Embry, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Seth Green.

It performed well at the box office but was ignored and panned by many critics.

In the decades since, many have returned to the film and reversed their negative rulings, recognizing it as a fun high school film and a product of its time.

The 1997 sci-fi action film "Starship Troopers" followed a group of futuristic military soldiers and their space mission against aliens called the Arachnids.

It had an expensive budget, but it made back its money at the box office. The film was lampooned by critics who thought it was gory and poorly plotted.

General audiences found the fun in it and praised the film, inspiring the filmmakers to create four more films, board games, and a video game.

David Lynch's 1984 adaptation of the novel "Dune" was a sprawling sci-fi epic that failed to recoup its $40 million budget with only a $27.4 million gross.

Critics largely gave it negative reviews. Film critic Roger Ebert called it an "incomprehensible, ugly, unstructured, pointless excursion into the murkier realms of one of the most confusing screenplays of all time."

Plans for sequels were dropped upon its failure at the box office. However, many fans of the novel appreciate Lynch's interpretation and still screen it today.

Decades later, "Dune" has been remade — and it has a sequel.

John Carpenter makes his third appearance on this list with the martial arts comedy "Big Trouble in Little China." The 1986 film starred Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, and James Hong —and involved bandits, sorcerers, and centuries-old curses.

It had an estimated $25 million budget and only reaped $11.1 million at the box office. Carpenter has referenced the success of James Cameron's "Aliens" as a factor in his film's box-office failure.

Following its financial losses and a slew of middling reviews, Carpenter vowed to become an independent filmmaker. Like many of his other works, "Big Trouble in Little China" later found success with fans and critics alike when it was released for home video.

The 1995 drama "Showgirls" followed a woman's journey from stripper to showgirl in Sin City. It grossed $37.7 million from a $40 million budget.

The mature content proved too much for critics, but it lived a profitable second life as a video rental.

The graphic film has since been reevaluated as a satirical work of art and deemed a "gay cult classic" by some and a "trash cult classic" by others — even though many viewers and critics are still skeptical of the movie.

Released after Steven Spielberg's hit 1982 film "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial," "Mac and Me" suffered comparisons to the many themes the two sci-fi family films shared.

The 1988 film was also plagued with excessive product placement, which didn't help the film's case.

With a 7% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, "Mac and Me" is regarded as one of the worst films ever made. Even still, it has gained cult status and become part of a running gag actor Paul Rudd does when he's on some talk shows.

In "Man on the Moon," Jim Carrey famously went method for his portrayal of comedian and entertainer Andy Kaufman.

The 1999 biopic also starred Danny DeVito, Courtney Love, and Paul Giamatti. From a budget that's estimated to have cost $82 million, it only generated $47.4 million in theaters.

It wasn't commercially or critically successful, but his performance granted Carrey a second consecutive Golden Globe award for best actor.

The film received renewed attention following the documentary "Jim and Andy: The Great Beyond."

Like most Disney films, animated features like "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" will always find their fans despite how well they fare critically.

The 2001 fantasy adventure featured the voice talents of Michael J. Fox, Leonard Nimoy, and Claudia Christian. It followed a crew's underwater voyage for the lost city of Atlantis.

Although it earned back its budget, and more, it was still considered a disappointment by Disney standards at the box office. It even reportedly had a pre-planned theme park attraction and television series canceled due to its underperformance.

Unlike most movies on this list, "Saw" over-performed at the box office to a massive degree. The 2004 horror movie made $103 million off of a $1.2 million budget over an 18-day shooting schedule.

Despite its commercial success, critics couldn't get on board with the film's gore and torture.

On the other hand, filmgoers enjoyed the thriller, and a cult following spurred a multi-film franchise.

This story was originally published on November 7, 2018, and most recently updated on April 11, 2024.