10 Movie Flops That Found Their Way to Cult Classic Status

The box office isn’t always the greatest judge of a film’s true worth. Some of the movies we absolutely love today crashed and burned when they first hit theaters, only to be discovered and passionately embraced by viewers years later. These cult classics prove that sometimes the most influential films just need time to find their people.

From weird sci-fi visions that were way ahead of their time, to dark comedies that mainstream audiences just weren’t ready for, these films went from financial disasters to beloved cultural touchstones. Their journeys from box office bomb to must-see cinema show that sometimes the most interesting art takes the scenic route to success.

10 The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Despite racking up seven Oscar nominations, The Shawshank Redemption tanked at theaters, pulling in just $16 million against its $25 million budget. The film got steamrolled by Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump, and even Tim Robbins joked that nobody could remember its clunky title. But after those Oscar nods and a huge push in the VHS rental market in 1995, this prison drama finally found its audience. Today, it’s pretty much a permanent fixture at the top of IMDb’s highest-rated films and has become the movie everyone seems to love—turns out those themes of hope and redemption really struck a chord.

9 Blade Runner (1982)

Ridley Scott’s moody sci-fi noir barely scraped by with $33 million against its $28 million budget, making studio execs sweat. Critics couldn’t decide if they loved it or hated it, and folks who showed up expecting Harrison Ford to basically be Han Solo again got a slow-burn philosophical meditation instead. That rain-soaked dystopian Los Angeles, though? It’s influenced just about every sci-fi cityscape since. It wasn’t until the 1992 director’s cut that people really started to get what Scott was going for. Now with multiple re-releases and a hit sequel in 2017, Blade Runner has cemented its status as sci-fi royalty.

8 Fight Club (1999)

David Fincher’s adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s novel face-planted at the box office, bringing in only $37 million domestically on a $63 million budget. Fox had no idea how to market the thing—they tried selling it as a straightforward action flick when it’s really a twisted satire about masculinity and consumer culture. But Fight Club absolutely exploded on DVD, eventually raking in over $100 million in home video sales. The film’s examination of male identity crisis and that mind-blowing twist ending made it the defining movie for a generation of disaffected young men. And let’s face it, we’re all still breaking that first rule by talking about it constantly.

7 Donnie Darko (2001)

Richard Kelly’s mind-bending drama had the worst timing ever—it was released right after 9/11, with its airplane disaster subplot making it practically radioactive to American audiences. The movie scraped together a pitiful $398,386 in its initial US release. Its trippy narrative about time travel, parallel universes, and doomsday prophecies left mainstream moviegoers scratching their heads. But Donnie Darko found a foothold in the UK market first, which helped spark its eventual cult status. Jake Gyllenhaal’s breakthrough performance and that supremely creepy Frank the Rabbit costume have made it required viewing for anyone who likes their movies weird and philosophical.

6 The Iron Giant (1999)

Brad Bird’s animated gem bombed spectacularly, earning a measly $23 million against its hefty $75 million budget. Warner Bros. completely dropped the ball on marketing, basically rushing the film into theaters with barely any promotion. Set during the Cold War paranoia of the 1950s, this touching story about a boy and his giant alien robot friend dives into themes that hit way harder than your typical kids’ movie. Thanks to DVD releases and repeated TV airings, The Iron Giant gradually found the love it deserved. Today, critics regularly gush about it being one of the greatest animated films ever made, with its gorgeous hand-drawn animation and ending that makes grown adults ugly-cry.

5 The Thing (1982)

John Carpenter’s reimagining of the 1951 sci-fi classic got absolutely savaged upon release, with critics calling it “instant junk” (ouch!). Making just $19.9 million against its budget, the film had the misfortune of competing with the much friendlier alien story E.T., which was busy melting hearts that same summer. Audiences and critics recoiled from the film’s stomach-churning special effects and bleak, everyone-might-be-the-enemy vibe. Fast forward to today, and those same gross-out practical effects by Rob Bottin are hailed as revolutionary. The Thing has been completely reassessed as a masterpiece of horror that still makes viewers paranoid decades later.

4 Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971)

Gene Wilder’s unforgettable performance as the world’s weirdest candy maker couldn’t save this film from flopping at just $4 million, not even covering its modest budget. Heck, even Roald Dahl hated the adaptation of his book, and Wilder’s performance. The film’s surprisingly dark undertones freaked out family audiences, and the marketing completely missed its unique charm. But then TV reruns introduced the film to new generations, who fell for its imaginative world, catchy songs, and Wilder’s brilliantly unhinged performance that balanced whimsy and menace. Today, it’s considered a children’s classic that adults might appreciate even more than kids do.

3 It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Frank Capra’s Christmas staple was such a box office disaster that it actually helped bankrupt its studio, Liberty Films. Despite five Oscar nominations, the film barely broke even, with post-WWII audiences finding its darker themes a bit much for their holiday cheer. The film’s path to becoming a seasonal tradition is actually thanks to a paperwork screw-up—in 1974, someone forgot to renew the copyright, accidentally making it public domain. TV stations pounced on the chance to air it for free during Christmas, and the rest is history. Now, it’s practically illegal to make it through December without watching Jimmy Stewart learn that no man is a failure who has friends.

2 Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)

Edgar Wright’s hyperactive comic book adaptation killed it at Comic-Con but died at the box office, pulling in just $49.3 million when it needed way more to break even. The movie got crushed by The Expendables (go figure), and its frenetic visual style—blending video games, comics, and indie rock energy—was just too much for 2010 audiences to handle. In the years since, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World has built a die-hard following that appreciates its innovative style, offbeat humor, and a cast that’s now basically an Avengers-level collection of stars including Chris Evans, Brie Larson, and Aubrey Plaza before they were household names.

1 The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

The ultimate cult movie, The Rocky Horror Picture Show was such a flop in its original run that it earned just $22,000 before being pulled from theaters. But then something magical happened—midnight screenings where fans showed up in costume, brought props, shouted callbacks, and turned watching a movie into a full-on participatory ritual. This campy musical tribute to B-movies, anchored by Tim Curry’s legendary performance as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, defied all logic to become the longest-running theatrical release in history, playing continuously in some theaters for decades. Not bad for a film about a “sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania.”