Hollywood movies that bombed at the Box Office but became cults later

Now and then, a movie hits the theatre with an average response only to shake the world with its popularity years later. While some emerge as critically acclaimed, others fall into the pit of mixed reviews. Yet they have one thing in common i.e. they bomb the box office. We have penned down such movies which everybody thought were flops just before they received the cult classic label.

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1. Shawshank Redemption

This evergreen classic movie did not garner much attention when it hit the theatres. The reason cannot be poor reviews as it was highly applauded by the critics. Competition amongst the then released movies was the main issue. Moreover, Shawshank Redemption opened in just thirty-three theatres over the first weekend. When it approached for wider screening in its fourth week, it could not emerge victorious in battle with the then spectacular flicks including Pulp Fiction, The Specialist and The River Wild. This classic flick managed to earn only $28 million against a budget of $25 million.

Shawshank Redemption was nominated for seven Oscar awards. The film’s luck changed in 1997 when Ted Turner acquired Castle Rock Entertainment and played this movie almost every day on TNT. Shawshank earned immense recognition and became a staple in households worldwide. Furthermore, it has been topping IMDb’s Top 250 list from the past.

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2. Heathers

Heathers created quite an impression on the young audience. This dark comedy flick was a helm of Michael Lehmann. Loved by the 80s people, Heathers boasted of young ladies including Christian Slater and Stranger Things actor Winona Ryder in lead roles. This movie earned just $1.1 million against a budget of $3 million. This provocative movie revolves around the teenage girls who attempted murdering the members of their high school's popular group. In 1989, Heathers got a second bite at the cherry by getting increased sales from home rental and sales market which transformed the teen movie into a classic cult.

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3. Fight Club

Fight Club is based on Chuck Palahniuk’s novel by the same name. This epic movie faced several obstacles including interference at the studio, problems with the release date and finally ended up with picking up the marketing campaign over the director’s wishes. Helmed by David Fincher, Fight Club’s results were dissatisfying at the box office. Against a budget of $63 million, this flick managed to earn about half the budget amount domestically. Before it arrived on DVD, this movie was a disaster with a quite poor response at the international box office. Later on, the Brad Pitt starrer film turned out to be the highest DVD seller in Fox’s history.

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