Summary
Some movies don’t always get the respect they deserve, but rewatching them reveals that their bad reputations may be unearned. There are plenty of great movies that were discarded too soon, either by fans who were expecting something different or critics who didn’t resonate with a movie’s general appeal. Often, these movies see their reputations being rehabilitated a few years later.
People tend to view movies within broader contexts, either based on the careers of the directors and actors involved, or based on how a movie fits into a franchise. However, it’s often better to approach a movie with as few preconceived notions as possible. Movies shouldn’t be judged based on how they conform to what is expected of them. When this does happen, some good movies get wrongly discarded as flops.
10 Box Office Flops That Eventually Became Cult Classics
A movie’s financial success isn’t always an indicator of its quality, and some box office bombs have been still found passionate cult followings.
Wes Anderson has a devoted following, butThe Life Aquaticis one of his rare movies that doesn’t enjoy such broad acclaim. It rarely comes up in the conversation of thebest Wes Anderson movies, either among his fans or critics.The Life Aquaticisn’t as universally popular asThe Grand Budapest HotelorRushmore, but it deserves more love. It has just a 57% Rotten Tomatoes score.
The Life Aquaticisn’t as universally popular asThe Grand Budapest HotelorRushmore, but it deserves more love.
Buoyed by a likable performance from Bill Murray,The Life Aquaticis a playful adventure about a marine biologist styled after Jacques Cousteau who embarks on a journey to find a rare leopard shark. It marked a turning point in Anderson’s evolution as a filmmaker, as he leans further into his idiosyncratic style, but there is real substance beneath the layers of stop-motion creatures and retro kitsch.
Vanilla Skyis an ambitious psychological thriller about the nature of reality and perception. Such a confident and experimental story was always going to split opinions, butits 43% Rotten Tomatoes score is surprisingly harsh. The 72% audience score suggests that critics may have been unkind toVanilla Skywhen it was first released. The Tom Cruise movie has amassed a cult following over the years.
With the benefit of hindsight, more fans have realized thatVanilla Skyhas plenty of original thoughts to offer.
Vanilla Skyquestions the line between dreams and reality. This was a more popular concept in movies when it first came out, so it’s possible thatVanilla Skylooked like it was following trends. With the benefit of hindsight, more fans have realized thatVanilla Skyhas plenty of original thoughts to offer. It’s an intriguing puzzle box of a movie that didn’t deserve its negative reaction.
After Tim Burton and Michael Keaton both declined to return to the Batman franchise, Joel Schumacher and Val Kilmer took over.Batman Foreveris more colorful and a lot louder than the two movies which came before it, and this jarring change upset many critics and fans. However,Batman Foreverhas a lot of positives when it isn’t being directly compared to Tim Burton’s movies.
Batman Foreveris more colorful and a lot louder than the two movies which came before it, and this jarring change upset many critics and fans.
Val Kilmer is both a fun Batman and an interesting Bruce Wayne. His character highlights the movie’s changing approach, which is inspired by comic books and classic cartoons. To help sell this tone,Jim Carrey is given carte blanche to indulge his wacky impulses. His delightfully hammy performance is a joy to watch, and it works well alongside Tommy Lee Jones' Two Face.
The Coen brothers have been able to marry critical acclaim with audience appeal throughout their careers, butHail, Caesarfailed to win many people over.Hail, Caesardoesn’t have a story as compelling as some of thebest Coen brothers movies, but its haphazard style is perfectly designed to reflect the nature of Eddie Mannix’s work as a Hollywood fixer, and the hectic pace of the movie industry.
The Coen brothers have been able to marry critical acclaim with audience appeal throughout their careers, butHail, Caesarfailed to win many people over.
WhatHail, Caesarlacks in story, it makes up for with its cast of absurd characters.There are plenty of memorable scenes strung together, such as Hubie, the tough-talking Western star being thrust onto the set of a Merchant-Ivory-style drama.Hail, Caesaralso gets a lot of Channing Tatum’s communist agent, George Clooney’s pampered, ignorant movie star, and Tilda Swinton’s set of journalist twins.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakensends with the exciting tease of Luke Skywalker’s return to the franchise. The way thatThe Last Jedihandled his character is still hugely controversial. There are several legitimate criticisms ofThe Last Jedi,but a lot of the negative commentary about the movie has focused on how it fits into the franchise and how it meets the expectations of hardcore fans.Critics and more casual fans have been far kinder toThe Last Jedi.
The Last Jedialso boasts some of the sequel trilogy’s best action scenes, and some interesting visual choices from director Rian Johnson.
The Last Jedihas a lot going for it. The movie’s ethos is best summarized by a brief scene toward the end when a force-sensitive child is shown looking up to the stars. This suggests that anyone can be special, which is more interesting than times whenStar Warshas doubled down on the idea that powers are inherited.The Last Jedialso boasts some of the sequel trilogy’s best action scenes, and some interesting visual choices from director Rian Johnson, such as the Holdo maneuver, although this is also divisive among fans.
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Adam Sandler established a consistent pattern. Every couple of years, he would release a massively popular comedy that made hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office, and critics would trash the movie. This worked for all parties involved, as critics got to reinforce a narrow view of comedy movies, but there are some cases where they were plain wrong.Big Daddyis a comedy masterpiece with just 39% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Sonny is one of Adam Sandler’s funniest characters, but he also shows a lot of heart in his unexpected relationship with Julian.
Adam Sandler’s brand of humor has often been accepted with the caveat that it’s a “guilty pleasure” or that it’s “dumb comedy”. If comedy makes people laugh, it isn’t dumb, and it shouldn’t make anyone feel guilty.Big Daddyshowcases Sandler at his best. It confronts his manchild archetype with the reality of raising an actual child. Sonny is one ofAdam Sandler’s funniest characters, but he also shows a lot of heart in his unexpected relationship with Julian.
Unchartedis a bad adaptation of the classic PlayStation games, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad movie by any means. Fans of the game were puzzled to see Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg cast as Nathan and Sully, since they are much younger than their video game counterparts. Although it looks like a sequel,Unchartedborrows some of the game’s most iconic images, like the plane fight fromUncharted 3.
Unchartedis a bad adaptation of the classic PlayStation games, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad movie by any means.
Unchartedhas a massive gulf between its critical success and its reputation with audiences. It has a 40% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, but a 90% audience score. Director Ruben Fleischer put up similar numbers with hisVenommovies. There is a lot of excitement for apotentialUncharted 2.The games have a lot of untapped potential for a movie franchise if Holland Wahlberg decide to return.
Jordan Peele made a remarkable directorial debut withGet Out,and the horror movie was always going to be a tough act to follow.Us,released two years later, was a moderate success, but it didn’t achieveGet Out’s level of prestige.Uswas marked down by many as a difficult second movie, little more than a project that Peele needed to get out the way. This isn’t a fair reflection on the movie’s quality.
Usis the kind of movie that should be rewatched and chewed over, but there are still scenes with a gut-punch impact on first viewing.
Usis a little more mysteriousthanGet Out.The Tethered can be interpreted in many different ways. They could represent Black Americans, indigenous Americans, the working class, or a number of other disenfranchised groups.Usis the kind of movie that should be rewatched and chewed over, but there are still scenes with a gut-punch impact on first viewing, like the death of the Tyler family.
The Killeris one of 2023’s most underrated movies. It was released on Netflix to mediocre reviews, and some of its stylistic choices drew a lot of criticism. In particular, the movie’s excessive narration has been divisive. Throughout David Fincher’s career, he has sought to explore the depths of criminal psychology.The Killeris a natural extension of the work he did inSeven, ZodiacandMindhunter.
Some ofThe Killer’s stylistic choices drew a lot of criticism. In particular, the movie’s excessive narration has been divisive.
The Killeris even better on a rewatch, as the movie reveals some of its hidden details and the subtleties of the protagonist’s actions become apparent. Michael Fassbender delivers a captivating performance as a contract killer whose personal world suddenly crashes into his professional life. His constant narration reveals a lot of what he’s thinking, but it’s also important to note what he’s not saying.
Children love Pixar movies and dinosaurs, so a Pixar movie about dinosaurs should have been a slam dunk. In reality,The Good Dinosaurwas met with an underwhelming response, and an equally disappointing financial return.The Good Dinosaurwasn’t quite what audiences were hoping for, but it doesn’t deserve its status as Pixar’s most forgotten movie. It should be rewatched with fresh eyes.
With Pixar making more sequels than ever before, a follow-up forThe Good Dinosaurwould be a great way to double down on the movie’s good qualities.
With Pixar making more sequels than ever before, a follow-up forThe Good Dinosaurwould be a great way to double down on the movie’s good qualities.The Good Dinosaurtells a heartwarming story of friendship and family. It lacks a compelling villain to help drive the plot, but the atmospheric feeling suits the movie perfectly.The Good Dinosauris also one of the most visually stunning animated movies of recent times, with some of its landscapes looking incredibly realistic.
