box office performance isn’t everything
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our picks for the top 10
box office bombs that gained a cult
following
before we begin we publish new content
every day so be sure to subscribe to our
channel and ring the bell to get
notified about our latest videos for
this list we’re looking at commercial
failures that eventually found a cult
following after their initial theatrical
release we won’t be including movies
that are popular for being bad
so movies like the room plan 9 from
outer space and showgirls won’t be found
here
number 10 Scott Pilgrim vs. the world
chance against an a-lister bro this
movie is certainly an acquired taste the
story follows Micheal Sara’s Scott as he
battles his current girlfriend’s exes
the movie is shot in a very cartoonish
and stylized manner and it comes across
as more of a visual comic book than a
conventional film however mainstream
audiences couldn’t quite handle the
unique content in Scott Pilgrim only
opened v at the box office it quickly
dropped out of the top 10 and grossed
only 47 million dollars worldwide the
movie was considered a huge financial
disappointment but it’s devoted fanbase
has ensured that it isn’t forgotten
Mellie’s not in movie fan circles the
general public forgot about it long ago
I leave you alone forever new thanks
number 9 Donnie Darko it may surprise
you to find that Donnie Darko was
initially met with a very lukewarm
reception while the movie is now
considered a classic that can spawn
hours upon hours of discussion audiences
originally thought it to be a confusing
pretentious mess that said Donnie Darko
was never meant to light the box office
on fire and it was released to a very
small number of screens it can’t just be
a coincidence it ended up grossing a
measly five hundred and seventeen
thousand dollars in the domestic market
and 7 million dollars worldwide and
while the movie recouped its budget it
failed to generate a profit however it
enjoyed very strong DVD sales and
word-of-mouth eventually leading to its
classification as a cult classic
[Music]
number 8 the Iron Giant I guess you’re
not gonna hurt me the Iron Giant is
another classic that initially failed to
make waves the movie received stellar
reviews with some critics even calling
it one of the best animated movies of
all time and while it received a wide
release it generated about five million
dollars during its opening weekend
leading to a hugely disappointing 9th
place finish
theaters quickly got rid of the movie
and it ended up grossing 31 million
dollars on a 70 million dollar budget
leading the president of Warner Brothers
to admit that they got quote slaughtered
luckily the movie enjoyed success on
home video and television syndication
and it’s now regarded by some as an
underappreciated masterpiece number 7
the Shawshank Redemption like most
critically acclaimed Best Picture
nominees the Shawshank Redemption was
adored by critics but found little
praise or attention from the general
movie going public
it was made on a twenty five million
dollar budget and received a wide
release in September of 1994 but it
ended up grossing only 16 million
dollars many theories were posited
regarding its failure including
competition from the equally acclaimed
Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump and
general audiences lack of interest in
prestigious prison drama however it
escaped from its box office prison and
saw great success on home video where it
was quickly labeled a classic I had to
come prisoner to be a crook number 6
office space I’m also going to need you
to go ahead and come in on Sunday – ok
office space is often touted as the
quintessential movie for white-collar
office drones unfortunately it seems as
if general audiences either couldn’t
relate or simply didn’t care while the
film generated good reviews due to its
accurate depiction of white collar life
it grossed only 12 million dollars on a
10 million dollar budget the movie
eventually sold millions of DVDs and saw
success on TV when Comedy Central began
airing the movie in the early 2000s it’s
now known as one of the funniest and
most relatable comedies of the 90s
was even referenced in a Ted Cruz
campaign ad signifying its continued
relevance it’s not that I’m lazy it’s
that I just don’t care
number five Fight Club the first rule of
Fight Club is you do not talk about my
club ban 1999 was loaded with great
movies that bombed at the box office
Fight Club as we’re sure you know by now
is a great movie about consumerism
anarchism and mental illness what it is
not despite its title is an action movie
however Fox ended up highlighting the
fighting aspect in the marketing leading
many to believe that this was a
brainless action movie about fight clubs
the movie drew a young male demographic
and despite earning 100 million dollars
it was considered a financial
disappointment due to its 63 million
dollar budget as its domestic box-office
take was only 37 million dollars the
movie was really Don Home Video and many
people now consider it to be one of the
finest movies of the 90s it’s only after
we’ve lost everything number four the
thing John Carpenter’s 1982 classic is
often thought to be one of the greatest
horror movies of all time it’s renowned
for its intelligence and atmosphere and
its prosthetic effects are often
considered some of the finest in cinema
history however the thing was regarded
as absolute trash upon release it
received scathing reviews for its
revolting violence and relentless
bleakness and its significantly
underperformed at the box office film
fans have continuously argued about its
failure with many pointing to it’s
depressing tone it’s ill timed release
near ET and the over saturation of
science fiction films at the time is
pure nonsense number three the Rocky
Horror Picture Show
[Music]
if there’s one movie that defines the
cult classic
it’s the Rocky Horror Picture Show this
unique musical science-fiction horror
comedy blend was initially met with a
very lukewarm reception and it was
quickly pulled from theaters due to a
lack of interest a Fox executive
eventually talked distributors into
releasing the movie on the midnight
circuit and it was here that Rocky
Horror became a smash hit it’s theater
showings became world renowned for their
weirdness and fan interactivity and it’s
remained in limited theaters for over 40
years making it the longest-running film
in history number 2 Willy Wonka and the
Chocolate Factory
[Music]
Wow Willy Wonka may be a classic today
it was all but ignored upon its initial
release in 1971 while it received good
reviews
Roger Ebert even compared it to the
Wizard of Oz it did poorly at the box
office earning just two million dollars
during its opening weekend and quickly
dropping out of existence it seemed like
just another forgotten children’s movie
until the mid 80s when it found success
on home video and TV its enjoyed
continued success ever since ensuring
that the opelu buzz didn’t have to sing
Willy Wonka a creepy exit song
[Music]
puzzle for you before we unveil our
number one pick here are some honorable
mentions that or his dude nasur Deuter
or you know el duderino if you’re not
into the whole brevity thing I am the
law number one Blade Runner
become a replicant don’t you Blade
Runner has certainly had a storied
history it initially received a
polarized response with some praising
its intricate themes and visuals while
others criticized its unusual narrative
it also underperformed at the box office
the reasons for this are many audiences
were expecting a conventional action
sci-fi thriller I’d it’s slow pace and
complex ideas threw off mainstream
audiences and it was released too close
to similar blockbusters like et and Star
Trek 2 it’s not greater success on home
video and it’s numerous re-edits have
garnered greater critical appreciation
from both critics and audiences it’s now
considered one of the greatest science
fiction movies of all time memories
you’re talking about the memories do you
agree with our picks check out these
other great clips from WatchMojo and subscribe for new videos every day
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our picks for the top 10
box office bombs that gained a cult
following
before we begin we publish new content
every day so be sure to subscribe to our
channel and ring the bell to get
notified about our latest videos for
this list we’re looking at commercial
failures that eventually found a cult
following after their initial theatrical
release we won’t be including movies
that are popular for being bad
so movies like the room plan 9 from
outer space and showgirls won’t be found
here
number 10 Scott Pilgrim vs. the world
chance against an a-lister bro this
movie is certainly an acquired taste the
story follows Micheal Sara’s Scott as he
battles his current girlfriend’s exes
the movie is shot in a very cartoonish
and stylized manner and it comes across
as more of a visual comic book than a
conventional film however mainstream
audiences couldn’t quite handle the
unique content in Scott Pilgrim only
opened v at the box office it quickly
dropped out of the top 10 and grossed
only 47 million dollars worldwide the
movie was considered a huge financial
disappointment but it’s devoted fanbase
has ensured that it isn’t forgotten
Mellie’s not in movie fan circles the
general public forgot about it long ago
I leave you alone forever new thanks
number 9 Donnie Darko it may surprise
you to find that Donnie Darko was
initially met with a very lukewarm
reception while the movie is now
considered a classic that can spawn
hours upon hours of discussion audiences
originally thought it to be a confusing
pretentious mess that said Donnie Darko
was never meant to light the box office
on fire and it was released to a very
small number of screens it can’t just be
a coincidence it ended up grossing a
measly five hundred and seventeen
thousand dollars in the domestic market
and 7 million dollars worldwide and
while the movie recouped its budget it
failed to generate a profit however it
enjoyed very strong DVD sales and
word-of-mouth eventually leading to its
classification as a cult classic
[Music]
number 8 the Iron Giant I guess you’re
not gonna hurt me the Iron Giant is
another classic that initially failed to
make waves the movie received stellar
reviews with some critics even calling
it one of the best animated movies of
all time and while it received a wide
release it generated about five million
dollars during its opening weekend
leading to a hugely disappointing 9th
place finish
theaters quickly got rid of the movie
and it ended up grossing 31 million
dollars on a 70 million dollar budget
leading the president of Warner Brothers
to admit that they got quote slaughtered
luckily the movie enjoyed success on
home video and television syndication
and it’s now regarded by some as an
underappreciated masterpiece number 7
the Shawshank Redemption like most
critically acclaimed Best Picture
nominees the Shawshank Redemption was
adored by critics but found little
praise or attention from the general
movie going public
it was made on a twenty five million
dollar budget and received a wide
release in September of 1994 but it
ended up grossing only 16 million
dollars many theories were posited
regarding its failure including
competition from the equally acclaimed
Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump and
general audiences lack of interest in
prestigious prison drama however it
escaped from its box office prison and
saw great success on home video where it
was quickly labeled a classic I had to
come prisoner to be a crook number 6
office space I’m also going to need you
to go ahead and come in on Sunday – ok
office space is often touted as the
quintessential movie for white-collar
office drones unfortunately it seems as
if general audiences either couldn’t
relate or simply didn’t care while the
film generated good reviews due to its
accurate depiction of white collar life
it grossed only 12 million dollars on a
10 million dollar budget the movie
eventually sold millions of DVDs and saw
success on TV when Comedy Central began
airing the movie in the early 2000s it’s
now known as one of the funniest and
most relatable comedies of the 90s
was even referenced in a Ted Cruz
campaign ad signifying its continued
relevance it’s not that I’m lazy it’s
that I just don’t care
number five Fight Club the first rule of
Fight Club is you do not talk about my
club ban 1999 was loaded with great
movies that bombed at the box office
Fight Club as we’re sure you know by now
is a great movie about consumerism
anarchism and mental illness what it is
not despite its title is an action movie
however Fox ended up highlighting the
fighting aspect in the marketing leading
many to believe that this was a
brainless action movie about fight clubs
the movie drew a young male demographic
and despite earning 100 million dollars
it was considered a financial
disappointment due to its 63 million
dollar budget as its domestic box-office
take was only 37 million dollars the
movie was really Don Home Video and many
people now consider it to be one of the
finest movies of the 90s it’s only after
we’ve lost everything number four the
thing John Carpenter’s 1982 classic is
often thought to be one of the greatest
horror movies of all time it’s renowned
for its intelligence and atmosphere and
its prosthetic effects are often
considered some of the finest in cinema
history however the thing was regarded
as absolute trash upon release it
received scathing reviews for its
revolting violence and relentless
bleakness and its significantly
underperformed at the box office film
fans have continuously argued about its
failure with many pointing to it’s
depressing tone it’s ill timed release
near ET and the over saturation of
science fiction films at the time is
pure nonsense number three the Rocky
Horror Picture Show
[Music]
if there’s one movie that defines the
cult classic
it’s the Rocky Horror Picture Show this
unique musical science-fiction horror
comedy blend was initially met with a
very lukewarm reception and it was
quickly pulled from theaters due to a
lack of interest a Fox executive
eventually talked distributors into
releasing the movie on the midnight
circuit and it was here that Rocky
Horror became a smash hit it’s theater
showings became world renowned for their
weirdness and fan interactivity and it’s
remained in limited theaters for over 40
years making it the longest-running film
in history number 2 Willy Wonka and the
Chocolate Factory
[Music]
Wow Willy Wonka may be a classic today
it was all but ignored upon its initial
release in 1971 while it received good
reviews
Roger Ebert even compared it to the
Wizard of Oz it did poorly at the box
office earning just two million dollars
during its opening weekend and quickly
dropping out of existence it seemed like
just another forgotten children’s movie
until the mid 80s when it found success
on home video and TV its enjoyed
continued success ever since ensuring
that the opelu buzz didn’t have to sing
Willy Wonka a creepy exit song
[Music]
puzzle for you before we unveil our
number one pick here are some honorable
mentions that or his dude nasur Deuter
or you know el duderino if you’re not
into the whole brevity thing I am the
law number one Blade Runner
become a replicant don’t you Blade
Runner has certainly had a storied
history it initially received a
polarized response with some praising
its intricate themes and visuals while
others criticized its unusual narrative
it also underperformed at the box office
the reasons for this are many audiences
were expecting a conventional action
sci-fi thriller I’d it’s slow pace and
complex ideas threw off mainstream
audiences and it was released too close
to similar blockbusters like et and Star
Trek 2 it’s not greater success on home
video and it’s numerous re-edits have
garnered greater critical appreciation
from both critics and audiences it’s now
considered one of the greatest science
fiction movies of all time memories
you’re talking about the memories do you
agree with our picks check out these
other great clips from WatchMojo and subscribe for new videos every day
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