Box office success is a poor measure of a movie’s quality, and some great actors do their best work in commercial flops. Box office receipts are also affected by marketing campaigns, timing, and several other factors that have nothing to do with the content of the movie itself. There have been plenty of brilliant box office bombs over the years, proving that money isn’t everything.
A movie’s commercial viability is well beyond an actor’s control, so it’s not uncommon to see brilliant performances in movies which underwhelm at the box office. Great movies have a good chance of having their reputations restored in the years following their release. This means that an actor can suddenly see one of their forgotten gems being recognized as their best and most popular movie.
Related 8 Recent Box Office Flops I Think Will Be Cult Classics In The Future
The 2020s have seen plenty of promising films utterly flop at the box office, but I believe some are destined for greatness as cult classics.
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10 Jeff Bridges
The Big Lebowski (1998)
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Director Joel Coen , Ethan Coen Release Date March 6, 1998 Cast Julianne Moore , Jeff Bridges , Steve Buscemi , John Turturro , John Goodman , David Huddleston , Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Jeff Bridges has been a powerful presence in both comedies and dramas for decades. He won an Academy Award for his performance in Crazy Heart, and he has had memorable roles in movies including Tron, The Fisher King and Iron Man. Amid all this success, Bridges is most associated with his character from The Big Lebowski, known only as “The Dude” to his close friends.
The Big Lebowski
is now a touchstone of modern comedy, but its underwhelming box office receipts meant that it took a while to amass a cult following.
Bridges delivers a deadpan comedy masterclass in The Big Lebowski. Despite being hurled into a gritty crime mystery, the Dude just wants to get a new rug and go bowling. Bridges reacts to everything which is thrown at him with a stoic expression or a quasi-philosophical non-sequitur. He hoovers up most of The Big Lebowski‘s best quotes, turning ordinary lines into hilarious gags. The Big Lebowski is now a touchstone of modern comedy, but its underwhelming box office receipts meant that it took a while to amass a cult following.
9 Judy Garland
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
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Director Victor Fleming Release Date August 25, 1939 Cast Margaret Hamilton , Jack Haley , Judy Garland , Bert Lahr , Ray Bolger
The Wizard of Oz was MGM’s most expensive movie of all time when it was released in 1939, but it earned just $3 million on a $2.7 million budget. Despite some positive reviews and five Oscar nominations, it seemed as if MGM’s big gamble had failed to pay off. It was only when The Wizard of Oz was re-released a decade later that it finally became a big financial success.
It was only when
The Wizard of Oz
was re-released a decade later that it finally became a big financial success.
Judy Garland was just 16 when she filmed The Wizard of Oz, and it is still her most famous role. The Wizard of Oz is often cited as one of the most-widely seen movies of all time. It was revolutionary at the time for its use of Technicolor, but its fantastical charm has ensured that it remains a delight long after the technical novelty has worn off. Garland’s performance is outstanding for such a young star.
8 Morgan Freeman
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
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Director Frank Darabont Release Date October 14, 1994 Cast Tim Robbins , Morgan Freeman , Bob Gunton , William Sadler , Clancy Brown , Gil Bellows , Mark Rolston , James Whitmore
Morgan Freeman brings a lot of warmth and humanity to The Shawshank Redemption, the Frank Darabont classic based on a Stephen King novel. He plays Red, an inmate at Shawshank who thinks he has seen everything until Andy arrives with a radical new perspective. The Shawshank Redemption was initially a box office flop, but it received a more profitable re-release after being nominated for seven Oscars.
Columbia Pictures omitted Stephen King’s name from the film’s marketing, fearing that audiences would expect a horror movie.
The Shawshank Redemption went up against both Forrest Gump and Pulp Fiction at the box office. This stiff competition, coupled with the general lack of enthusiasm for prison movies, ensured that The Shawshank Redemption flew under the radar for most people. Another issue with the film’s release was that Columbia Pictures omitted the fact that The Shawshank Redemption was based on a Stephen King novel from its marketing, fearing that audiences would then expect a horror movie.
7 Rachel Zegler
West Side Story (2021)
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Director Steven Spielberg Release Date December 10, 2021 Cast Mike Iveson , Ansel Elgort , Ariana DeBose , Yassmin Alers , Iris Menas , Rachel Zegler , Annelise Cepero , Corey Stoll , Josh Andrés , Josh Andrés Rivera , Rita Moreno , Jamila Velazquez , Brian D’Arcy James , David Alvarez , Rory Curtiss Cook , Jamie Harris Expand
Steven Spielberg’s first musical was showered with praise when it was released, but this didn’t translate to box office success. West Side Story made just $76 million on a budget of $100 million. There is still time for it to build the audience that it deserves in the coming years. West Side Story will always be compared to the 1961 movie adaptation, but Spielberg’s version is a brand-new synthesis of throwback style and expressive modern filmmaking that sets it apart.
Steven Spielberg’s first musical was showered with praise when it was released, but this didn’t translate to box office success.
Rachel Zegler delivers a superb performance as Marìa, showcasing her singing as well as her dramatic talents. She is still a rising star in Hollywood, although if West Side Story had caused a bigger splash, she could be much more famous by now. Zegler is set to star in Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White, which will certainly surpass West Side Story‘s financial performance, but it remains to be seen if it lives up to the original.
6 Clive Owen
Children of Men (2006)
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Director Alfonso Cuarón Release Date January 5, 2007 Cast Julianne Moore , Clare-Hope Ashitey , Clive Owen , Chiwetel Ejiofor , Michael Caine
Clive Owen starred in several critically-acclaimed movies during the 2000s, including Spike Lee’s heist movie Inside Man and the crime anthology Sin City. While these two movies were huge commercial hits, the same cannot be said for Children of Men. Alfonso Cuarón’s dystopian thriller only received a limited release, so it didn’t have a good chance of breaking even at the box office.
The long takes in the action scenes are particularly effective, and they bring the best out of Owen.
Children of Men was immediately praised by critics when it was released, and it has influenced a whole generation of sci-fi movies. The long takes in the action scenes are particularly effective, and they bring the best out of Owen. He is captivating in the movie’s quiet moments, but he also sells the frantic panic of the postapocalypse perfectly. His career-best performance certainly deserved a bigger audience.
5 Gene Wilder
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
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Director Mel Stuart Release Date June 30, 1971 Cast Jack Albertson , gene wilder , Peter Ostrum , Denise Nickerson , Julie Dawn Cole
Gene Wilder is remembered as one of the funniest actors of his generation. His collaborations with Richard Pryor and Mel Brooks resulted in some of his best work, but he is most fondly remembered as the titular chocolatier in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Although author Roald Dahl famously despised the adaptation, it has gone down as a classic for those who love the book and those who have never read it.
Although Roald Dahl famously despised the adaptation, it has gone down as a classic for those who love the book and those who have never read it.
Wilder always maintains an air of mystery as Willy Wonka. There are some scenes, like the nightmarish boat ride, which suggest that he has a darkness within him. It’s no coincidence that he introduces himself to the public with a practical joke. He is a lovable trickster with more layers than an everlasting gobstopper. Despite his captivating performance, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory made just $4 million on a budget of $3 million. Factoring in marketing costs, this constitutes a significant loss.
4 Tim Curry
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
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Director Jim Sharman Release Date August 15, 1975 Cast Richard O’Brien , Peter Hinwood , Tim Curry , Barry Bostwick , Nell Campbell , Patricia Quinn , Susan Sarandon , Meat Loaf
Jim Sharman’s musical horror comedy has helped to define what a cult movie is over the years. Almost half a century later, fans are still attending midnight screenings dressed as their favorite characters and responding to the action on screen like a pantomime, but it took a while for The Rocky Horror Picture Show to achieve such success. It opened with a limited release, and ticket sales were so poor that a Halloween night premiere in New York City was canceled.
Tim Curry’s flashy, flamboyant performance as Dr. Frank-N-Furter is central to
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
‘s appeal.
Tim Curry’s flashy, flamboyant performance as Dr. Frank-N-Furter is central to The Rocky Horror Picture Show‘s appeal. His gender-bending character has helped the musical become a staple of queer culture in both the US and the UK. It was the role that put Curry on the map, and although he has given memorable performances in Clue, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, The Hunt for Red October and more great films, it’s the one he is most remembered for.
3 James Stewart
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
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Director Frank Capra Release Date January 7, 1947 Cast James Stewart , Thomas Mitchell , Lionel Barrymore , Donna Reed , Henry Travers
There’s some debate over James Stewart’s best movie, since he was such a prominent figure in Hollywood for decades. His collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock produced some of his best work, including Vertigo and Rear Window, and he won an Academy Award for The Philadelphia Story. It’s a Wonderful Life is as good a contender as any of his other classics, even if it wasn’t appreciated at the time of release.
It’s a Wonderful Life
received a general release in January 1947, which is much too late for a Christmas movie to have any hope of achieving box office success.
Despite receiving positive reviews and five Oscar nominations, It’s a Wonderful Life registered a loss of over half a million dollars for RKO Radio Pictures. It’s a Wonderful Life received a general release in January 1947, which is much too late for a Christmas movie to have any hope of achieving box office success. The movie gained a new surge of popularity decades later when it started being shown on TV, and it has since been recognized as a Christmas classic.
2 Ed Norton
Fight Club (1999)
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Director David Fincher Release Date October 15, 1999 Cast Brad Pitt , Meat Loaf , Edward Norton , Jared Leto , Helena Bonham Carter
20th Century Fox didn’t quite know what to make of David Fincher’s Fight Club. Several studio executives hated the finished product, and they commissioned a marketing plan designed to reduce any losses. Fight Club wasn’t advertised as widely as it should have been, and some trailers emphasized its fight scenes to make it look like an action movie. It has since been recognized as a 1990s classic, and one of Fincher’s very best movies.
20th Century Fox didn’t quite know what to make of David Fincher’s
Fight Club.
Fight Club isn’t an action movie, but it doesn’t neatly fit into any one category. It is a psychological thriller and a dark comedy about modern living rolled into one. Ed Norton’s performance is essential in striking the right balance. While Brad Pitt seems to have a lot of fun as the eccentric and erratic Tyler Durden, Norton’s more reserved performance provides a relatable angle for the audience.
1 Orson Welles
Citizen Kane (1941)
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Director Orson Welles Release Date September 5, 1941 Cast Orson Welles , Joseph Cotten , Dorothy Comingore , Agnes Moorehead , Ruth Warrick , Ray Collins
Often touted as the greatest film ever made, Citizen Kane is the ultimate proof that box office receipts are not the best measure of a movie’s quality. Citizen Kane charts the life and death of Charles Foster Kane, a narcissistic newspaper magnate based on William Randolph Hearst, among others. When the film was initially released, Hearst threatened legal action, and he forbade any mention of it in his newspapers.
Welles went on to act in classics such as
The Magnificent Ambersons
and
The Third Man
, but it’s hard to argue that he ever surpassed
Citizen Kane.
Hearst’s actions undoubtedly had an impact on Citizen Kane‘s commercial viability. Although it received plenty of glowing reviews, Orson Welles’ directorial debut failed to recoup its budget. Welles was just 25-years-old when he co-wrote, directed and starred in Citizen Kane. He went on to act in classics such as The Magnificent Ambersons and The Third Man, but it’s hard to argue that he ever surpassed Citizen Kane.