Hollywood movies: Box office bombs that later became cult classics

There have been times when some movies, which are today regarded as classics, slipped under the radar when they released. Those kinds of films could be critically acclaimed or could have the best stars yet something lacked and they failed to work at the box office. Here are a few such Hollywood classics

The Shawshank Redemption 1994

The Shawshank Redemption was inspired by Leo Tolstoy's short story God Sees the Truth, But Waits. The movie was directed by Frank Darabont and stars Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman in lead roles. The film, which is the highest-rated movie on IMDb, was barely able to recoup its $25million budget in the first three weeks. The film ended up making only $28million despite having received critical praise at the time of its release. The Shawshank Redemption climbed the ladder of popularity slowly and steadily. Only after bagging seven Academy Awards nominations, the film became a success in the video rental market. In 1997, Ted Turner acquired the rights to the movie and started playing it regularly on his flagship channel, making it a staple in American households.

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The Fight Club (1999)

The Fight Club is an American film adapted from Chuck Palahniuk’s book with the same title. It was directed by David Fincher and stars Brad Pitt along with Edward Norton. The movie which is now considered a cult classic tanked at the box office by making only $37 million against its $63 million budget. According to reports, the film suffered because of its poor marketing strategies.

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Heathers (1988)

Heathers is an American dark comedy film, written by Daniel Waters and directed by Michael Lehmann. The movie stars four teenagers and is a high school drama touching upon the topics of peer pressure, bullying and other things every high school student can relate to. The movie failed at the box office, being able to earn only $1.1 million in theatres against a reported $3 million budget. Things changed for this film only after its VHS release in 1989 and the sales market transformed it into a cult classic.

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