Great flops [View all]
There are many great movies that initially flopped at the box office. Some recovered later, after TV revenue kicked in or when re-released at the theaters, and some achieved cult status later on. Here are a few; if you'd like to add some, go ahead.
The Wizard of Oz - Made for a budget of $2.8 million (a lot in 1939), the initial release saw the film make $3 miilion, not enough to cover all the release and promotion expenses. It broke even after a re-release some years later, and became successful after TV airings. Now it is a beloved classic, but first it was a bomb.
It's a Wonderful Life - The budget was $3.18 million and the take was $3.3 million, resulting in a loss for RKO studios of some $525,000. Frank Capra was financially ruined and never made another picture. When the copyright lapsed in 1974, no one picked it up... and TV stations across the country aired it for free - no royalties due. The exposure made it popular and today it is regarded as one of the best Christmas movies of all time.
Blade Runner - With a budget of $30 million and a gross take of $41.8 million, it wasn't a complete loss but was considered disappointing, as promotional and advertising costs made it technically a failure. It is now a cult favorite, one of the best science fiction movies of all time, and they even made a sequel - which was also a financial failure.
The Thing (1982) - One of the most unnerving science fiction movies ever was made with a budget of $15 million and earned less than $21 million, again not covering all the costs. It's likely this failure was because the movie was overshadowed the year it was released by the saccharine but ridiculously popular E.T. the Extraterrestrial, one of the biggest box office successes of the 80's.
Okay. There are a few. They're all terrific movies, worth the time it takes to watch them. Do you have any?
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