With Andy Muschietti’s The Flash finally here to see, the obligatory “box office projections” and “box office flops” are popping up everywhere. To date, prognosticators are saying anywhere from $75M to $150M over this opening weekend. Since the film needed $220M to get it rolling, that opening weekend may not receive the fanfare it deserves.
Considering all the hype and promotional buzz, and how much was riding on The Flash’s success, being a flop would be devastating for Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Comics Entertainment. Anything outside of earning three times the budget would earn the stank eye of fans and critics worldwide.
What’s interesting about movies dubbed as “box office flops” aren’t necessarily bad movies. There have been countless films that failed miserably during their theatrical run. Usually, when that happens, there is a second chance for a first impression when a film is released for purchase or download.
And if the film is actually good, cinephiles are like, “What the hell is wrong with this movie?” And that’s when it becomes minted as greatness. Do you know any movies like that in your experience? If so, this GVN list is for you. If not, prepare to be stunned by these amazing titles because they all sucked out loud in a theater near you.
Here are the top 10 box office flops that have become all-time favorites.
10. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Typically, when a film is made on a $1.4M budget and makes $114M at the box office, that makes a profitable experience. However, this movie has been around since 1975, and it’s considered the indubitable progeny of cult classics. If you haven’t seen this film at midnight in a teeming and rowdy theater of acolytes, it is one of life’s regrets you didn’t know was yours.
The cross-dressing, queer pride musical of a movie features the rambunctious escapades of Dr. Frank N. Furter, played superbly by Tim Curry. It’s also the longest-running movie of all time because it is still being shown in cinemas to this day, at midnight, in cosplay or drag, to standing ovations everywhere.
9. The Big Lebowski (1998)
The Dude (Jeff Bridges) may abide, but he sure didn’t make much money or fans when first introduced to the public. This Coen Brothers‘ film is one of the most meme’d and quotable movies in the last 100 years. Mistaken identity, a philosophical bum, a rug full of urine, and bowling–what else does a movie need?
Well, butts in seats during a theatrical run would be nice. The $15M budget only turned into $18M of domestic box office receipts is respectable, but when you consider its standing among movie trivia and quoting nerds, this thing belly-flopped harder than Kevin from The Office in a kiddie pool.
8. Office Space (1999)
This is the film that Mike Judge built, and it is the catalyst for all indie movies. Need something quirky? Pop in Office Space and learn how to make a movie a reference whirlwind of greatness. However, this movie was in desperate need of a marketing campaign and more regional screens, as seen by its $12M run on a $10M budget.
It was one of the most unheard box office flops of the ’90s. But saying that today makes zero sense because of its overwhelming notoriety and place in the pop culture symposium of America. Yes, it is that good, that funny, and emblematic of what makes a cult classic.
7. Blade Runner Franchise (1982, 2017)
Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049 are among modern history’s most acclaimed sci-fi films. They are also directed by two of the most acclaimed directors ever, Ridley Scott and Denis Villeneuve, respectively. So, why are they on a list of box office flops? No one cared when they were released.
- Blade Runner cost $28M to produce and missed breaking even by $500K domestically. The global box office was only $41M.
- Blade Runner 2049 cost $170M to produce, and its global box office take was $267M. If that depresses you, not even Harrison Ford‘s return could help its domestic run, earning only $92M.
Despite those abhorrent numbers for those directors, it’s still one of the greats in its genre.
6. The Thing (1982)
Speaking of genre powerhouses in cinema, many Top 10 lists of the best horror movies ever include John Carpenter‘s The Thing. This alien lifeform gets inside a host and destroys anything in its path. It is widely popular and beloved, but not so much when it first emerged. On a $15M budget, it only made $20M in box office take.
There are horror directors today with innovative ideas and a twisted sense of directing who would admit they could never come up with something so sinister and imaginative. Yet, when the trailer came out about this changeling entity in the Arctic, no one cared. Amazing how global warming changed that, right?
5. It’s a Wonderful Life (1947)
Who doesn’t love a great Christmas film? Sure, sitting through some of those Hallmark schmaltz fests feels like a case of Shingles, but for the most part, holiday films are wholesome. Why wouldn’t they all be profitable?
Among the lauded movies of the Yuletide season is Jimmy Stewart‘s It’s a Wonderful Life. This movie is a staple of holiday viewing, except in the late 1940s when it was released in theaters. Frank Capra made this movie for $3.1M, and it barely broke even at $3.3M. Five Oscar nominations later, a legend is born, and every Baby Boomer alive swears they love Clarence getting his wings.
4. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Johnny Depp? He can suck it. Timothee Chalamet? His rendition may be okay. But Gene Wilder? He is Willy Wonka. Period. There are millennials who know how great this movie is–for entertainment and “a world of pure imagination.”
Yet, it only earned $1M more than its $3M budget. There wasn’t an audience for the movie then. For some reason, Wilder and the Oompa Loompas didn’t tickle anyone’s sweet tooth. The screenplay was loyal to Roald Dahl’s book, and it would take about a decade later for fans to be loyal to the movie. Today, it’s an indisputable classic.
3. Fight Club (1999)
David Fincher‘s movies are awesome and complex. But even Fight Club stands out among his own Criterion Collection. Brad Pitt and Edward Norton were stellar. The plot was mesmerizing. And then that ender. Nostradamus didn’t see that coming.
The interesting note on this among box office flops is that the production house, 20th Century Fox, tried to hedge its bets against this movie sucking. So, they saved their marketing budget to protect the negative equity they were certain to get. Well, good planning because it made a modest $101M off a $64M budget. Today, “everyone” has seen it and “no one” hates it. The movie is just that good.
2. Citizen Kane (1941)
AFI calls Orson Welles‘ magnum opus “the best movies ever made.” Yet, it is also one of the biggest box office flops ever too. Not even Orson Welles’ high mystique could help this movie recoup its budget domestically. Globally, the budget of $839K was almost doubled to $1.6M. But, compared to its dubious shadow looming over Hollywood, it was a hayseed of success.
What happened? Well, for starters, the flop was forced.
The film is largely based on William Randolph Hearst, the publishing magnate of the day. Hearst heard that Charles Kane was him, so he fought like hell to make this movie fail. It worked until some years later when it was re-released in 1956. Hearst died at 88 five years prior. Also, a marketing budget was provided. People saw it. Critics praised it. And the rest is motion picture history.
1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Everything Citizen Kane was to one generation is what The Shawshank Redemption is to another. This film is a magnificent story of two men caught in a dark hole trying to find hope. Taken from a Stephen King novella “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption,” the narration of Red (Morgan Freeman) and characterization of Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) are nothing short of soul-penetrating art.
Given its austere reverence in the world, it’s hard to imagine this movie being associated with box office flops. The movie was set in 1947 at Maine’s Shawshank State Prison. Any other location and this movie would have been ignored. A prison break was its catharsis because only when Andy reaches the heavens one can experience how he was held captive in hell.
And despite its pedigree among writers, directors (Frank Darabont), and stars, this $25M movie only made $16M during its theatrical run. You would never know it, given how many Mount Rushmore’s this movie is etched into for the world to see. Was it one of the heftiest box office flops of all time? Nah, but it failed. Is it one of the most liberating movies ever made? Definitely, despite its lack of success.
Since he saw ‘Dune’ in the $1 movie theater as a kid, this guy has been a lover of geek culture. It wasn’t until he became a professional copywriter, ghostwriter, and speechwriter that he began to write about it (a lot).
From the gravitas of the Sith, the genius of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, or the gluttony of today’s comic fan, SPW digs intelligent debate about entertainment. He’s also addicted to listicles, storytelling, useless trivia, and the Oxford comma. And, he prefers his puns intended.
