{"id":123890,"date":"2021-02-10T18:38:02","date_gmt":"2021-02-10T23:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=123890"},"modified":"2021-02-10T19:12:50","modified_gmt":"2021-02-11T00:12:50","slug":"9-box-office-duds-that-became-cult-classics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/9-box-office-duds-that-became-cult-classics\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Box Office Duds That Became Cult Classics"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2F9-box-office-duds-that-became-cult-classics%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=123890&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GettyImages-159836427.jpg?w=1200&amp;h=800&amp;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span>Box office debacles follow a predictable trajectory. They hit theaters, audiences aggressively steer clear of them and their studios hope ancillary markets can clean up the financial mess.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The following films didn\u2019t break that template. They shattered it in epic fashion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>These flops found a stunning second life following their theatrical rollout. Some proved ahead of their time while others suffered from faulty marketing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>A few couldn\u2019t live up to their pre-release hype but found a fresh audience seeking something different.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>No matter the reason, these films became cult classics and we can\u2019t stop watching them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>The Shawshank Redemption<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span>Ask a friend what\u2019s the one film they can\u2019t stop watching once they find it on cable. Chances are this Stephen King adaptation will come up early and often.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Yet \u201cThe Shawshank Redemption\u201d earned an ordinary $28 million back in 1994, a sign audiences didn\u2019t want to see Andy Dufresne marinate in jail for a crime he didn\u2019t commit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>That changed dramatically over the years. It\u2019s currently IMDB.com\u2019s most popular film \u2026 ever, eclipsing no. 2 \u201cThe Godfather.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Star Tim Robbins credits his characters\u2019 bond with Red (Morgan Freeman) as a key<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/movies\/2019\/10\/13\/tim-robbins-shawshank-redemption-25th-anniversary-interview\/\"><span>driver of its enduring success<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201c\u2026there are very, very few films that are about the relationship, the friendship between two men that doesn\u2019t involve car chases or being charming with the ladies and those kinds of buddy movies. This one is about a true, deep friendship that lasts. And part of me thinks that people want or need that kind of story to be told.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Office Space<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span>Mike Judge is no stranger to the pop culture zeitgeist. His MTV series \u201cBeavis &amp; Butt-head\u201d became a sensation, making \u201cstars\u201d out of two dimwits rendered in impossibly crude animation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>His follow up, \u201cKing of the Hill,\u201d expertly mined Texas tics for warm-hearted laughs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>You couldn\u2019t blame Judge for trying to leverage that fame into a big-screen career, but his 1999 comedy \u201cOffice Space\u201d managed a paltry $10.8 million haul.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Back to the MTV salt mines for Judge, right? Not quite. \u201cOffice Space\u201d took off on home video, with countless Nine-to-Five types relishing its anarchic spirit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The film\u2019s precious details, from Gary Cole\u2019s unctuous boss to the mind-numbing TPS reports that keep the company afloat, made it a pure cult classic. The film had another impact on its audience. The story\u2019s \u201cCarpe Diem\u201d spirit made plenty of people change their career paths, with<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2019\/film\/news\/office-space-20th-anniversary-mike-judge-flair-assclown-1203142304\/\"><span>often positive results<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI haven\u2019t had anyone say they quit their job after watching the movie and wound up on welfare,\u201d Judge told Variety.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Idiocracy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span>How crazy is Hollywood? So crazy that after Judge\u2019s \u201cOffice Space\u201d proved the ultimate slow-burn smash they all but buried his follow-up feature.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Today, movie goers adore 2006\u2019s \u201cIdiocracy\u2019s\u201d prescient look at our present world, one where rank stupidity yields instant fame and fortune. Take a gander at TikTok if you disagree. How many followers would the \u201cOw, My Balls\u201d account have today?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Fifteen years ago, Fox sheepishly dropped the film into the marketplace with nary a support system in place. Naturally, it flopped hard, earning less than $1 million ($444,093, to be exact). Once again, Judge\u2019s instincts were spot on. The film\u2019s absurdist take on U.S. culture, as seen through the eyes of a dim Everyman (Luke Wilson) who wakes up 500 years in the future, became the director\u2019s second straight cult hit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.laweekly.com\/mike-judge-maya-rudolph-and-terry-crews-talk-10-years-of-idiocracy\/\"><span>Judge\u2019s main regret<\/span><\/a><span>? \u201cI don\u2019t know why I can\u2019t make a movie that\u2019s a hit when it comes out,\u201d he cracked during a 10-year anniversary screening of the film.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Big Trouble in Little China<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span>Kurt Russell probably swaggers in his sleep. The actor added a dash of John Wayne to his performance as trucker Jack Burton, a blowhard who gets mixed up with Asian mysticism on steroids.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The film still under-performed, big time, netting just $11 million in 1986. Years later, fans started to appreciate director John Carpenter\u2019s quirky vision and humor.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Originally conceived as a western, \u201cChina\u201d may have suffered from branding overkill. Carpenter himself dubbed it an \u201caction\/adventure\/comedy\/kung fu\/ghost story\/monster movie.\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>That\u2019s both a mouthful and brutal to market. It didn\u2019t help that the publicity machine for the film played up the \u201cWho is Jack Burton\u201d question, one many audience members greeted with a shrug.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The romp needed time to marinate in the minds of movie goers. It did that and then some, sparking a sequel to star Dwayne Johnson. Just don\u2019t expect to see Carpenter<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/big-trouble-little-china-sequel-john-carpenter-response\/\"><span>lining up to watch it.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThey want a movie with Dwayne Johnson. That\u2019s what they want. So they just picked that title. They don\u2019t give a s\u2013t about me and my movie. That movie wasn\u2019t a success.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>This Is Spinal Tap<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span>Director Rob Reiner\u2019s mockumentary, a term that didn\u2019t exist at the time, might be the most quotable comedy of all time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In 1984, that yielded a pedestrian $4 million box office haul and little career momentum for its talented cast.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>And then rock fans got to know David St. Hubbins and the rest of Tap. It was love at 42<\/span><span>nd<\/span> <span>sight. How could you not watch the comedy over, and over, again, picking up new nuggets each time?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Reiner\u2019s current status as the premier Trump Derangement Syndrome victim makes it easy to forget how good his directorial debut proved at the time. It\u2019s pitch perfect from start to finish, with amazing cameos (Billy Crystal! Fran Drescher!) and details that only grow funnier over time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It helped that the songs, like \u201cBig Bottom\u201d and \u201cListen to the Flower People\u201d were actually good, and silly, making the experience feel awkwardly real.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Flash Gordon<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span>The minds behind this 1980 flop figured they had another \u201cStar Wars\u201d on their hands. After all, George Lucas himself tried, and failed, to snag the rights to the comic book hero. Everyone from<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/culture\/film\/flash-gordon-at-40-the-greatest-superhero-film-ever-made-1.4314604\"><span>Sergio Leone to Federico Fellini<\/span><\/a> <span>flirted with the project.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The overhyped sci-fi adventure, drenched in Queen harmonies and kitsch, earned just $27 million amidst withering reviews, although Roger Ebert sang its praises.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Flash\u2019s story didn\u2019t end there.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The film\u2019s cornball humor and gaudy FX eventually endeared itself to the masses. It was nothing like \u201cStar Wars\u201d or other sober sci-fi from the era, but that\u2019s what made it so irresistible.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Decades later, star Sam Jones played himself in full Flash regalia in the 2012 comedy \u201cTed\u201d (and its sequel), a loving nod to the film\u2019s cult film status.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Heathers<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span>Why would anyone, let alone new kid on the block Christian Slater, attempt to out-jack Jack Nicholson on screen? Better yet, why would teens rally around a film following a budding serial killer? Black comedies are a tough sell at theaters anyway, but this seemed even darker than most.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>All that logic held up as \u201cHeathers\u201d limped to a $1 million box-office run in 1989.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The team behind the movie said \u201cHeathers\u201d offered a nasty retort to the John Hughes comedies of the era.<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/film\/2018\/aug\/04\/michael-lehmann-on-the-legacy-of-heathers-cult-teen-film\"><span>Future stars Heather Graham and Jennifer Connelly<\/span><\/a> <span>declined to appear in the film due to its bleak spirit, but that sensibility connected it with audiences following its theatrical pratfall.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>What\u2019s the enduring appeal? Consider how the film cranked the style dial up to 11 and offered killer lines that people still drop with alacrity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Today\u2019s culture adores Hughes films as much as they did in the \u201889s, but there\u2019s always room for a movie eager to zag while everyone else is busy zigging.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>They Live<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI have come here to chew bubble gum and kick a**, and I\u2019m all out of bubble gum.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Wrestler turned actor \u201cRowdy\u201d Roddy Piper croaked that corny line (which he came up with) in the middle of this John Carpenter attack on the Reagan era. Is it any wonder many movie goers heard that clunker of a line and said, \u201cYeah, no thanks?\u201d The $13 million box office haul in 1988 says it all \u2026 for a while.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Taken as part of a ludicrous whole, the signature wisecrack feels just right. So does the rest of the film, which avoids lectures to tell the story of a regular Joe who runs head first into an alien conspiracy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019s the kind of movie you can\u2019t take seriously but one that grows more entertaining with subsequent views. It also has a street fight for the ages, as Piper and co-star Keith David duke it out for what seems like an eternity (it\u2019s actually five minutes and 20 seconds). And it\u2019s glorious.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span>The biggest head scratcher is saved for last.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Few films are as adored as Gene Wilder\u2019s sour tasting treat, yet the film generated less than $1 million back in 1971. Sure, Wilder\u2019s performance is far more nuanced, and twisted, than your average kiddie film. What about the songs, the Oompa Loompas and the lad who defied all the odds to snare that golden ticket?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Audiences didn\u2019t care at the time, but that sure changed. Few films have enjoyed a robust after-life quite like \u201cWonka.\u201d The movie inspired a remake by Tim Burton, a musical and, in 2023, a prequel story.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Based on Roald Dahl\u2019s 1964 novel \u201cCharlie and the Chocolate Factory,\u201d the film could have starred<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/celebrity\/willy-wonka-and-the-chocolate-factory-trivia-and-facts\/\"><span>Peter Sellers or even one of the Monty Python players<\/span><\/a><span>. Instead, Wilder snagged the role and made it as mysterious and bold.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Perhaps the most notable critic of the film was Dahl himself, who resisted any sort of Hollywood remake right up until his death in 1990.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><em>The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><em>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><span class=\"s1\"><em>member<\/em><\/span><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Box office debacles follow a predictable trajectory. They hit theaters, audiences aggressively steer clear of them and their studios hope ancillary markets can clean up the financial mess. The following &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1893148,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[6302,6304,6303,6301,5660,3693],"class_list":["post-123890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-became","tag-classics","tag-cult","tag-duds","tag-office","tag-that"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123890"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123890\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1893148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}