A movie may often have the right formula for becoming box office gold – top directors, great actors, excellent script, but that doesn’t always equate to immediate success. Certain films, and even remakes of popular films, often open to lackluster performances in theaters, as was the case with the new version of “West Side Story” directed by the iconic Steven Spielberg whose commercial successes have had a significant impact on not just the film industry but pop culture as well but it didn’t translate to strong ticket sales in this instance.
However, all hope isn’t lost for this remake. It may have a revival like many other films that didn’t perform well upon release but eventually became classics, seeing considerable success through rentals, streaming, and even in theatrical re-releases. Many have become popular as a result of their prevalence on streaming platforms and other media which makes you wonder how they ever failed in the first place.
Using an index based on audience and critic scores from Rotten Tomatoes and ticket sales figures from The Numbers, 24/7 Tempo has assembled a list of iconic films that flopped before becoming timeless classics. These movies bombed at the box office when they were first released, and have since gone on to enjoy an almost cult classic status. (Then there are film sequels like “A Quiet Place: Day One,” which has done so well in its opening weekend, that some critics believe it bests the original.)
It’s not exactly clear why these now-iconic movies once did so poorly in theaters. Sometimes the film wasn’t marketed properly. Other times, it rolled out to stiff competition and floundered as a result. Whatever the case, they prevailed in the end and even out-paced certain contemporaries in terms of lasting cultural value. Examples include “Office Space,” “Fight Club,” and “The Shawshank Redemption,” all of which underperformed at the box office. (For a list of movies whose fortunes didn’t revive, here are Hollywood’s biggest movie flops of all time).
Here are iconic films that flopped before becoming timeless classics:
25. Blade Runner (1982)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (338,132 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (121 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $123.2 million (13.4 million tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $87.2 million
24. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (98,282 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 76% (176 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $20.4 million (2.2 million tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $39.9 million
23. The Wild Bunch (1969)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (34,261 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (63 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $3.3 million (358,749 tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $38.7 million
22. Brazil (1985)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (103,103 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (49 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $25.6 million (2.8 million tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $38.7 million
21. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (75,039 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (54 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $15.2 million (1.7 million tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $81.8 million
20. The Iron Giant (1999)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (204,968 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (142 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $56.7 million (6.2 million tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $90.5 million
19. Ed Wood (1994)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (107,299 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (65 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $13.1 million (1.4 million tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $40.4 million
18. Mulholland Drive (Original Title was Mulholland Dr.) (2001)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (189,369 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (181 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $33.7 million (3.7 million tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $24.3 million
17. Tremors (1990)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (240,282 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (44 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $36.2 million (3.9 million tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $21.7 million
16. Almost Famous (2000)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (325,177 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (174 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $80.5 million (8.8 million tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $102 million
15. 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (394,530 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (224 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $94.8 million (10.3 million tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $63.9 million
14. True Romance (1993)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (192,545 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (54 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $28 million (3.1 million tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $27.7 million
13. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (203,542 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (182 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $24 million (2.6 million tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $21.4 million
12. Gattaca (1997)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (208,849 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (64 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $25 million (2.7 million tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $71.8 million
11. Serenity (2005)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (313,280 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (187 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $57.6 million (6.3 million tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $55.7 million
10. Dazed and Confused (1993)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (236,467 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (62 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $17.6 million (1.9 million tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $15.3 million
9. Children of Men (2006)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (531,198 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (255 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $97.7 million (10.7 million tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $106.3 million
8. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (301,866 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (51 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $20.3 million (2.2 million tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $24.3 million
7. Office Space (1999)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (325,914 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 80% (102 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $22 million (2.4 million tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $18.1 million
6. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (328,609 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 79% (138 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $12.6 million (1.4 million tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $7.6 million
5. American History X (1998)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96% (479,979 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (87 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $13.1 million (1.4 million tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $19.5 million
4. Fight Club (1999)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96% (1.1 million votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 79% (179 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $182.5 million (19.9 million tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $117.7 million
3. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 98% (887,061 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (77 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $63.8 million (7 million tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $56.1 million
2. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (878,111 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (53 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $22.2 million (2.4 million tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $16.7 million
1. Donnie Darko (2001)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (31 million votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (118 reviews)
- Worldwide box office, adj. for inflation: $12.2 million (1.3 million tickets)
- Est. production budget, adj. for inflation: $7.3 million
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Courtesy of Universal Pictures.