25 Beloved Classics Movies That Were First Epic Fails at the Box Office

Ridley Scott’s arthouse answer to “Star Wars” initially received mixed reviews in addition to suffering an underwhelming box office performance. The story follows a futuristic bounty hunter (Harrison Ford) as he tracks down a group of rogue synthetic humans. Multiple versions exist, including a so-called director’s cut and “The Final Cut” – a 2007 version, and the only one over which Scott had complete control.

Brad Pitt co-produced and stars in this arty Western drama, which sums up its plot in the overlong title. After it bombed, a loyal cult following helped bring it back into theaters for a series of revival screenings.

Sam Peckinpah’s gritty Western tells the story of aging outlaw, who enact one final job against the backdrop of a waning era. It was originally edited down by the studio and then later restored and re-released in its full runtime.

From Monty Python alum Terry Gilliam comes this dystopian comic fantasy with loose ties to Orwell’s “1984.” Set in an oppressive future, it follows a low-level bureaucrat (Jonathan Pryce) on a liberating adventure. Critic Roger Ebert was among its earliest detractors, claiming the story was “hard to follow.”

This sprawling historical drama centers on a group of young criminals who drift apart in their later years. It was heavily recut and restructured for American theaters and thereby butchered without director Sergio Leone’s consent. Longer versions have since been restored to widespread acclaim.

Brad Bird’s animated adventure spent years in development before arriving on the big screen to lackluster ticket sales. It tells the story of a young boy and his giant alien robot friend, who must flee from government authorities. Home video rentals and subsequent television airings have helped turn it into a cult classic.

In the wake of a dismal box office performance, Tim Burton’s biopic about cult icon Ed Wood took on a cult life of its own. Johnny Depp plays the eccentric title character, who refuses to let a lack of talent get in the way of his Hollywood dreams. It won two Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Martin Landau.

Arthouse legend David Lynch expanded upon a rejected TV pilot to create one of the greatest films of the 21st century, if not all time. It reimagines Los Angeles as a literal city of dreams, plunging two women into the heart of a surreal mystery. New generations of filmgoers and older ones alike are still trying to uncover its many secrets.

This horror comedy opened to largely positive reviews but underwhelming box office numbers, becoming a smash hit on the home rental market. It has since spawned a mini-franchise, which includes direct-to-video sequels and a short-lived TV series.

Cameron Crowe followed his blockbuster “Jerry Maguire” with this semi-autobiographical dramedy. It takes place in the 1970s and puts a teenage journalist (Billy Crudup) on the road with an emerging rock band. Despite critical acclaim and an Academy Award, the film didn’t catch on with audiences until after it left theaters.

Russell Crowe and Christian Bale were both huge stars by the time they appeared in this propulsive Western, the second of two film adaptations of an Elmore Leonard short story. In it, a small-town rancher (Bale) is confronted with various obstacles as he escorts a dangerous criminal (Crowe) to justice aboard a train. The film opened at No. 1 at the domestic box office but ultimately underperformed during its theatrical run.

From a Quentin Tarantino script comes this action dramedy, in which a comic book nerd (Christian Slater) hits the road with his new girl (Patricia Arquette) and a fortune in stolen cocaine. Director Tony Scott injects a stylish sheen and kinetic pace, as the story builds to its ultra-violent conclusion. Initially a box office disappointment, the film is now a beloved cult smash with lasting cultural cachet.

“Lethal Weapon” scribe Shane Black made his directorial debut with this crackerjack crime comedy. Loosely based on a Brett Halliday novel, it finds a former thief turned spontaneous actor (Robert Downey Jr.) investigating a deadly conspiracy. Times (UK) critic Wendy Ide called it a “sarky, sniping film noir homage that assassinates the character of every LA archetype you could imagine.”

This sci-fi mystery welcomes viewers to a dystopian future world, where one’s genetics determine one’s station in life. It opened at No. 5 at the domestic box office, trailing behind movies such as “The Devil’s Advocate” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” Core themes of space travel and DNA testing play out against a noirish backdrop, cultivating a unique aesthetic and lasting prescience.

This space-based adventure culls influence from classic Westerns and picks up where the short-lived TV series “Firefly” left off. Follow a group of rebels as they evade capture from an all-powerful Alliance. Had the film performed better at the domestic box office, a franchise would have surely followed.

Few films capture the spirit of an era quite like this one from Richard Linklater, which takes place in small-town Texas on the last day of school. Fueled by a pitch-perfect soundtrack, the story bounces between various characters and misadventures. A number of key scenes and lines have since become part of the cultural lexicon. This is the film that put Matthew McConaughey on the map and Quentin Tarantino once named it as one of the 10 best films of all time.

Loosely adapted from a novel by P. D. James, this dystopian thriller takes place in a world where humans can no longer reproduce. With the emergence of a pregnant woman comes an escalating series of uniquely gripping action sequences. On BBC’s recent list of The 21st Century’s 100 greatest films – which surveyed 62 established critics – this one landed at No. 13.

This low-key drama features an Oscar-nominated performance from Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays the disabled younger brother to Johnny Depp’s Gilbert Grape. The story takes place in small-town Iowa and captures a melancholic portrait of American life. DiCaprio delivered yet another breakout performance earlier that same year, in “This Boy’s Life.”

Mike Judge’s workplace comedy suffered from a miscalculated marketing campaign, underperforming at the box office and then leaving theaters before word-of-mouth could spread. It soon became an outright phenomenon through TV airings and home rentals, ranking among the best-selling DVDs of its era. To this day, it remains one of cinema’s most enduring and oft-quoted classics.

Darren Aronofsky’s sophomore feature is a stylish but gritty adaptation of Hubert Selby Jr.’s cult novel. Set in and around Coney Island, it follows four drug addicts as they sink into various states of despair. Addiction itself functions as an overarching theme and one that turns everything from food to television into its own sort of drug.

This searing drama chronicles the exploits of a reformed neo-Nazi and his radicalized younger brother. Star Edward Norton and director Tony Kaye wrestled for creative control over the final product, which arguably worked to its advantage. “A work of impressive scale and craft and not a movie that’s easy to dismiss in the end,” wrote critic Andrew O’Hehir for Sight & Sound.

David Fincher’s testosterone-fueled satire roiled studio executives before arriving in theaters, where it didn’t meet box office expectations. It achieved commercial success through the home rental market, prompting critical reappraisals and a massive following. The story of underground fight clubs and anti-capitalist male angst remains controversial to this day.

Based on a Stephen King novella, this historical prison drama was trounced at the box office by the likes of “Pulp Fiction” and “Forrest Gump.” It was then re-released in theaters after receiving seven Oscar nominations, which helped recoup some of the loss. Now considered one of the greatest films ever made, it holds the No. 1 position on IMDb’s list of the Top 250 Movies.

Five children win exclusive access to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory in this fantasy-based musical. It receded from the public consciousness soon after its release, only to be revived years later through TV broadcasts and home video sales. In 1996, a 25th anniversary theatrical re-release earned $21 million at the box office.

A demonic rabbit and mysterious countdown thrust this surreal sci-fi drama and its title character toward a harrowing conclusion. Featuring a plane crash as a major plot point, the film quietly rolled in and out of limited theaters soon after 9/11. Re-releases, home rentals, and powerful word-of-mouth have helped turn it into one of the foremost cult smashes of its time.