Summary
- Art like movies in the 80s wasn’t always appreciated at the time but went on to be regarded as masterpieces by modern audiences.
- Films like The Thing and Blade Runner, while flops in the 80s, are now recognized as influential classics in the horror and sci-fi genres.
- Despite initial box office failure, films like The Princess Bride and Labyrinth have since become beloved fantasy classics with enduring appeal.
Art sometimes requires a good amount of time before it can be fully appreciated, and this was certainly the case for some of the most fondly-remembered movies of the 80s. One of the most iconic decades in film history, the 80s were responsible for the birth of dozens of popular franchises and hundreds more beloved one-off stories. But the era’s audiences weren’t always as kind to films that have gone on to become highly-regarded by modern cinephiles.
In some cases, the timing of a given film’s release simply wasn’t ideal, causing them to be overshadowed by more prominent releases during their theatrical run. Other times, the culture of the 80s simply wasn’t ready for certain tones, themes, and stories that seem strangely more suitable for future audiences’ values. Yet these ill-fated films have gone on to be highly-rated by most who see them, providing hope for the box office flops of recent years.
10 The Thing
1982
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The Thing (1982) RHorror Sci-FiMystery
Release Date June 25, 1982 Distributor(s) Universal Pictures Runtime 109 minutes Franchise(s) The Thing
These days, John Carpenter’s The Thing is regarded as a masterclass in horror that few films have been able to achieve the same level as. Taking place in a remote research facility in Alaska, the movie describes an isolated crew’s struggle to survive in the wake of an invasion from a shapeshifting parasitic alien life form. From the tense drama of the paranoid crew in the search for imposters to the ground-breaking special effects, The Thing feels like the perfect horror movie in many respects.
Sadly, audiences of the 80s didn’t seem to agree. The Thing made only 13.8 million dollars on a budget of 15 million, not able to recuperate the losses of its intricate production value. Much of this failure can be attributed to the fact that the film was released at the same time as Stephen Spielberg’s beloved E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which presented a much more lighthearted, family-friendly take on alien life. Far from a four-quadrant movie, The Thing was left to languish in failure before being recognized as the masterwork it is.
Far from a four-quadrant movie,
The Thing
was left to languish in failure before being recognized as the masterwork it is.
9 Blade Runner
1982
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A daring neo-noir and the foundation for live-action cyberpunk movies, Blade Runner was another beloved sci-fi classic that wasn’t identified as such the year it came out. Loosely based on author Phillip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Blade Runner takes place in a distant future where sentient androids have become commonplace. Rife with striking set design, breathtaking cinematography, and a brilliant performance by a young, hungry Harrison Ford, Blade Runner had the makings of an instant hit from the beginning.
Unfortunately, moviegoers of the 80s couldn’t seem to fully recognize this. While the film did manage to turn a profit, it could only manage a meager 5 million before ending its theatrical run. While Blade Runner is recognized as a classic today, audiences didn’t seem to learn the lesson of the first film’s failure, as the critically-acclaimed sequel Blade Runner 2049 was a similar financial failure.
8 Big Trouble In Little China
1986
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Big Trouble in Little China 
4.0 PG-13ActionAdventureComedyFantasy
Release Date May 30, 1986 Distributor(s) 20th Century Runtime 99 minutes
The Thing wasn’t Kurt Russel’s only star vehicle of the 80s to be left by the wayside until later years could properly appreciate it. Once again, John Carpenter joined forces with Russel to direct his unique action-fantasy, Big Trouble in Little China. The film stars Russel as a good-natured, but dim American trucker who becomes embroiled in an ancient conflict regarding the immortal Chinese sorcerer Lo Pan, who seeks to return to his former strength in order to rule the world.
The premise of Big Trouble in LIttle China was simply too weird for 80s audiences, who perhaps weren’t ready for an American action hero to take the backseat to a largely Asian-American cast of more important characters. Regardless of how influential Big Trouble in LIttle China ended up being later on in life, it left yet another black smear on Russel and Carpenter’s box office record. In the end, the film lost around 14 million dollars at the domestic box office.
7 The King Of Comedy
1982
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Among legendary prestige filmmaker Martin Scorsese’s many movies, The King of Comedy was famously a massive flop. Scorsese once again teamed up with longtime collaborator Robert De Niro, who had by this point won an Academy Award just the previous year, to tell the story of a failed comedian who goes to great lengths to jumpstart his career. Yet even De Niro and his Oscar weren’t enough to save The King of Comedy from being ruled out as a divisive dud within Scorsese’s filmography.
Today, The King of Comedy is far more respected, lending obvious influence to films like Joker. But at the time of its release, the film was a huge disappointment for Martin Scorsese, making only a pitiful 2 million dollars against a budget of 19 million. To this day, Scorsese makes no attempts hide his disappointment with 80s audiences for allowing the brilliant drama to fail.
Martin Scorsese also produced
Personality Crisis: One Night Only
(2022) and
Killers of the Flower Moon
(2023).
6 The Princess Bride
1987
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The Princess Bride PGFantasyFamilyAdventure
Director Rob Reiner Release Date October 9, 1987 Writers William Goldman Runtime 98 minutes
The 80s were a great decade for fantasy movies, as exemplified by brilliant deconstructions of the genre like The Princess Bride. Loosely based on a book of the same name, The Princess Bride uses the framing device of a grandfather telling his grandson a bedtime story to convey the tale of a lost princess who is pursued by her childhood sweetheart, facing a great many dangers in order to win her love. At the same time, the cheeky, self-aware film makes modern references and deconstructs the fantasy genre, like a sort of prototypical version of Shrek.
While not a box office flop on the same level as other pop culture giants of the 80s, The Princess Bride was no smash hit. Making 30 million dollars on a 16 million dollar budget, the film just barely managed to roughly break even once advertising costs were taken into account. Luckily, the movie has found a home in the hearts of many viewers since as one of the most beloved fantasy-comedies of all time.
5 Labyrinth
1986
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Labyrinth PGFantasyFamilyAdventureMusical
Director Jim Henson Release Date June 27, 1986 Writers Terry Jones Runtime 101 minutes
It’s rare for movies starring famous musicians in a lead role to work out well, but David Bowie’s Labyrinth has remained an enduring dark fantasy hit with all ages. Paired with the genius puppetry of the legendary Jim Henson, David Bowie stars in the film as the inscrutable Goblin King, a mysterious ruler of a far-away realm who kidnaps a young girl’s baby brother after she accidentally wishes for him to in frustration. As bizarre of a premise as this sounds, Labyrinth is both a musical and visually creative work of art.
Between the animatronics, puppets, sets, and star power of David Bowie, Labyrinth ended up costing around 25 million dollars to produce. Sadly, this number was never seen again at the box office, which took home a measly 14.5 million dollar haul. At once too weird for general audiences and too dark for concerned parents, Labyrinth‘s failure is an utter condemnation of the tastes of 80s audiences.
4 Highlander
1986
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Highlander ActionAdventureFantasy
Director Russell Mulcahy Release Date March 7, 1986 Studio(s) 20th Century Runtime 116 minutes Budget $19 million
An utterly unique film, Highlander feels like one of those rare movies destined to be a cult classic from its very inception.Highlander stars Sir Sean Connery as an ancient immortal being from the Scottish highlands, whose destined battles with fellow immortals prove the film’s tagline that “There can be only one.” Strikingly shot with beautiful visuals, gore galore, and epic sword battles, Highlander is a science ficiton action movie for the ages.
That being said, 80s theaters didn’t seem to agree. Highlander grossed only a paltry 12.9 million dollars on a budget of 16 million, with lavish fantasy sets and Connery’s high-profile fee eating up the bulk of the production. While the film eventually did gain enough relevance as a cult classic to create a franchise, the release of the widely-hated second installment ruined what good will the HIghlander name was able to accrue over time.
3 Brazil
1985
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Brazil (1985) R
Release Date December 18, 1985 Studio(s) Embassy International Pictures , Brazil Productions Distributor(s) Universal Pictures Runtime 142 Minutes Main Genre Sci-Fi
Helmed by the renowned Monty Python alum Terry Gilliam, Brazil is a heady dark comedy that explores a dystopian science fiction world. The movie centers around a small-time government bureaucrat who is accused of alarming crimes thanks to a clerical error gone out of control, and is quickly put through the ringer of state-sanctioned punishment with only his fantasies to keep him company. The philosophical questions and daring images posed by Brazil have made it a favorite film of many elite critics in the present day.
Brazil‘s charm and themes were tragically lost on 80s audiences, however, who gave the film back only 9.9 million dollars of its 15 million-dollar budget. This was far from the worst box office flop of Terry Gilliam’s movies, almost par for the course for the visionary director’s abysmal monetary track record. Still, Brazil is far and away one of the highest acclaimed features of Gilliam’s to fall flat on its face in its theatrical release.
2 Heathers
1988
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While bold-budgeted fantasy and science fiction movies with elaborate sets and costly special effects are not surprising to find fail, even low-budget comedies like Heathers are capable of disappointing producers at the box office. True to its name, the movie centers on four teenage girls, most of whom are named “Heather”, whose lives are thrown into chaos when a new girl in school begins murdering other students and staging their deaths as suicides. Today, Heathers is widely regarded as one of the smartest and most daring comedies of the era.
The dark humor of the film had a lot less precedence in past decades, though it’s easier to appreciate in recent years
In fact, Heathers may have been altogether too daring for the more squeamish comedy lovers of the 80s. The dark humor of the film had a lot less precedence in past decades, though it’s easier to appreciate in recent years, seeming tame by comparison to modern comedies. Despite a lean 3 million dollar budget, Heathers made only a whopping 1 million dollars back at the box office, failing even what low expectations such a cheaply-made movie had.
1 UHF
1989
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The parody movie has become something of a lost art form in recent years, a genre that UHF serves as a brilliant time capsule of. Starring the one and only Weird Al Yankovic, UHF tells the story of one man’s desperate bid to save his local-broadcast TV station, famous for its offbeat and hilarious programming. While delivering plenty of jokes, UHF also manages to parody typical “save the kids” plots of feel-good 80s movies in a manner only Weird Al could lovingly pull off.
While some of the comedy in UHF has aged poorly today, it’s still fondly-remembered as a parody movie icon. Despite being closer to the references it makes, however, audiences of the late 80s weren’t impressed with Weird Al’s cinematic efforts, affording the film a pittance of 1 million dollars profit before considering advertising. Even though it’s considered a quintessential 80s film today, UHF failed to captivate movie lovers of its native decade.