Retroactively a Classic

[Tan Djarka]

Lately I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos with a reoccurring theme: films that tanked in theaters but found their audience on video, and have since become classics or at least attained cult status. Films like Blade Runner, The Thing, The Hidden, or Night of the Creeps. What does it say about me that I saw most of these during their initial theatrical run? Coincidence or visionary?

Have you had the same experience?

 

[Tan Djarka]

I guess that sounds like I only saw movies in the 80's. I also saw stuff like Dark City and Johnny Mnemonic too... But that's just the 90's. I swear I've seen movies since then!

 

[Captain Dunsel]

It’s A Wonderful Life
A Christmas Story
The Wizard of Oz (it’s apparently true)

All considered “disappointments” at the box office, but later found an audience via home viewing.

It tells me that sometimes films will miss their audience…until they are stuck at home with nothing better to do.

 

[Tan Djarka]

I don't know if the first and third really qualify in the context of my supposition. They were originally broadcast during holiday gaps in local programming because they were cheap in syndication. The audience didn't find them. There was nothing else to watch!

 

[DarthWilder]

This makes me think of Rocky Horror Picture Show, except that it was not elevated through video but instead by late night movie runs with live performance.

 

[laellee]

For me, I watched everything (and I loved all of those), and found that many of the absolute best movies have been low budget, poorly released or flopped. One of my go-tos is still Night of the Comet (1984).

And screw opening box-office numbers too. Shawshank Redemption flopped hard at the box office, and movies like Paul Blart 2 made great money out of the gate. Go figure.

 

[Laspector]

This is Spinal Tap.

 

[TimDRX]

Blade Runner 2049 was a lil bit of history repeating. Fantastic movie, totally bombed.

Turning Red is a surprising one - easily the best Disney Pixar movie in decades, funny, well written, cute character designs, wonderful animation. It got shifted to streaming only and had a very limited theatrical release, so it's considered a box office bomb. Not sure how popular it is, never see it come up much. It's a shame their live action reboot dreck makes so much money, when a genuinely great original movie like this flops.

 

[Tan Djarka]

BR2049: a sequel to a movie that tanked 35 years previous. What could go wrong?

 

[Captain Dunsel]

The Rocketeer is another…

It was buried by Termintor 2: Judgement Day at the theaters and is now considered a classic due to home viewing.

 

[batguy]

The Rocketeer is another…

It was buried by Termintor 2: Judgement Day at the theaters and is now considered a classic due to home viewing.

Having a weak box office in 1989-94 is sorta like being one of the weaker guys in the Spartan army.

 

[AJTaliesen]

Having a weak box office in 1989-94 is sorta like being one of the weaker guys in the Spartan army.

It probably doesn't count because it's still not a cult classic yet, but 35 years later and I still believe in UHF, which was a hilarious movie that had the single worst release date in the history of cinema. the timing of the release is arguably one of the most on-brand things ever for a Weird AL movie.

Other films in cinemas that month: Batman, Lethal Weapon 2, Honey I shrunk the Kids, Ghostbusters 2, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Dead Poets Society, When Harry met Sally, Weekend and Bernies, Star Trek 5.....and UHF...a weird Al movie about a UHF TV station, which isn't even a thing anymore.

 

[JPH]

I guess that sounds like I only saw movies in the 80's. I also saw stuff like Dark City and Johnny Mnemonic too... But that's just the 90's. I swear I've seen movies since then!

Didnt Buckaroo Bonzai bomb at the box office?

Then mass petitions and Blue Blaze irregulars

 

[batguy]

It probably doesn't count because it's still not a cult classic yet, but 35 years later and I still believe in UHF, which was a hilarious movie that had the single worst release date in the history of cinema. the timing of the release is arguably one of the most on-brand things ever for a Weird AL movie.

Other films in cinemas that month: Batman, Lethal Weapon 2, Honey I shrunk the Kids, Ghostbusters 2, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Dead Pests Society, When Harry met Sally, Weekend and Bernies, Star Trek 5.....and UHF...a weird Al movie about a UHF TV station, which isn't even a thing anymore

Yeah, the summer of 1989 was ridiculous.

The summer of 1999 was up there too.

 

[ZeroSum]

Fight Club failed at the box office and didn't take off until DVD. Something I didn't realise until I read the book written by one of the producers a few years later.

 

[Cappy]

Brian DePalma's Phantom of the Paradise. Only made 43K worldwide on initial release.
Found wider success thru the soundtrack and over time. Still being shown in Theatres in Winnepeg
and Paris 50 years after release. Has been cited as inspiring George Lucas with Darth Vader and
Daft Punk's with their esthetic. One of my favorites. A superior movie, in my opinion to Rocky Horror.
Great opening narration by Rod Serling.