(#3) The Big Lebowski
- Julianne Moore, Jeff Bridges, Tara Reid, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sam Elliott, Asia Carrera, John Turturro, Flea, Mark Pellegrino, Peter Stormare, Aimee Mann, David Thewlis, Ben Gazzara, Jon Polito, Dom Irrera, Carlos Leon, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Wendy Braun, Jack Kehler, Christian Clemenson, Marshall Manesh, David Huddleston, Harry Bugin, Richard Gant, Leon Russom, Peter Siragusa, Mike Gomez, Torsten Voges, Irene Olga López, Philip Moon, Paris Themmen, Kiva Dawson, Warren Keith, Lu Elrod, Luis Colina, Jerry Haleva, James G. Hoosier, Jesse Flanagan, Jennifer Lamb, Gérard L'Heureux, Terrence Burton, Ajgie Kirkland, Robin Jones
Jeff Lebowski, a slacker and bowling enthusiast, is mistaken for a millionaire with the same name. The loafer Lebowski is assaulted as a result of mistaken identity. The millionaire Lebowski's wife is taken and he enlists the help of the other Lebowski, along with his bowling buddies, to free her.
Its poor box office performance was attributed to timing, as it went up against the mega-hit Titanic.
With strong performances from John Goodman and Jeff Bridges and a wide variety of memorable supporting performances, the movie prompted more than 90 festivals in 30 cities and even inspired its own religion.
(#14) Brazil
- Robert De Niro, Bob Hoskins, Ian Holm, Jim Broadbent, Michael Palin, Katherine Helmond, Jonathan Pryce, Ian Richardson, Peter Vaughan, Charles McKeown, Sheila Reid, Barbara Hicks, Derrick O'Connor, Bryan Pringle, Kathryn Pogson, Kim Greist
Brazil is a 1985 dystopian science fiction film that follows a low-level bureaucrat as he escapes the monotony of his day-to-day life by daydreaming of himself as a hero saving a damsel in distress.
The film did poorly at the box office, generating less than two-thirds of its production budget. As an audacious dark comedy filled with strange, imaginative visuals, it just didn't appeal to most audiences.
It found acclaim after receiving several awards, including two Oscar nominations.
(#6) The Shawshank Redemption
- Morgan Freeman, Rita Hayworth, Tim Robbins, Clancy Brown, James Whitmore, William Sadler, Jeffrey DeMunn, Bob Gunton, David Proval, Gil Bellows, Jude Ciccolella, Mark Rolston, Paul McCrane, Ned Bellamy, Frank Medrano, Brian Delate, Don McManus, Bill Bolender, Joseph Ragno, Neil Giuntoli, Larry Brandenburg, Ken Magee, James Babson, Neil Summers, Rohn Thomas, Alfonso Freeman, V.J. Foster, Dion Anderson, Brian Libby, Gary Lee Davis, John D. Craig, Richard Doone, Dorothy Silver, Brian Brophy, Joe Pecoraro, Alonzo F. Jones, Alan R. Kessler, Paul Kennedy, James Kisicki, Robert Haley, Fred Culbertson, Mack Miles, Brad Spencer, Michael Lightsey, John R. Woodward, John Horton, Charlie Kearns, Gordon Greene, Ron Newell, Renee Blaine, Eugene C. DePasquale, Claire Slemmer, Scott Mann, Dennis Baker, Morgan Lund, Harold E. Cope Jr., John E. Summers, Donald Zinn, Dana Snyder, Cornell Wallace, Rob Reider, Chuck Brauchler
The film centers on a man who is sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison for taking the lives of his wife and her lover. While in prison, he develops a friendship with another inmate as he navigates the severity of prison life.
The Shawshank Redemption had a lackluster financial performance when it hit theaters in 1994. Many attribute its underperformance to its title, which may have misrepresented the film as a sad downer against a gray depressing backdrop.
After seven Oscar nominations , the film rebounded and is now widely considered a classic.
(#11) Wet Hot American Summer
- Bradley Cooper, Elizabeth Banks, Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, Janeane Garofalo, Christopher Meloni, Molly Shannon, David Hyde Pierce, Michael Ian Black, H. Jon Benjamin, Michael Showalter, Joe Lo Truglio, David Wain, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Marguerite Moreau, Zak Orth, Kyle Gallner, Judah Friedlander, Samm Levine, Ken Marino, Marisa Ryan, Kevin Sussman, Nina Hellman, A.D. Miles, Donna Mitchell, Peter Salett, Whitney Vance, Gideon Jacobs, Greg Korin, Gabriel Millman, Jake Fogelnest, Christopher Cusumano, Cassidy Ladden, Ian Helfer, Joe Bryan, Keith Oney, Jordan MacLean, Avi Setton, Madeline Blue, Joseph Kariuki, Christi Berlane, Matt Carmeci, Jacob Shoesmith-Fox, Mike Carrera, Benjamin Coppola, Stephen O'Brien, Angel Berlane, Christopher Connors, Timothy Gasiewski, Kathleen Pandolfo, Zachary Montgomery-Wicks, Danny Hopkins, Christine Loebsack, Sandra Kennedy, Kevin Thomas Conroy, Bob Walz, Liam Norton
The movie follows a group of summer campers and counselors all trying to complete their unfinished business before the last day of summer camp ends in 1981.
It was a complete commercial flop at the box office, making less than 20% of its production budget. This may be attributed to the critical reviews, which most were not favorable. Critics denounced the film, citing the script as the primary reason for their displeasure with the film.
The film's success grew along with the success of its talent. It had many big names involved: Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Bradley Cooper, Amy Poehler, and Molly Shannon. As these actors became more successful, so did Wet Hot American Summer. Netflix revitalized the storyline for an eight-episode revival called Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp.
(#8) Blade Runner
- Harrison Ford, Daryl Hannah, Sean Young, Rutger Hauer, Edward James Olmos, M. Emmet Walsh, Joanna Cassidy, James Hong, William Sanderson, Brion James, Joe Turkel, Morgan Paull, Monty Pyke, Kevin Thompson, John Edward Allen
Set in a dystopian future Los Angeles of 2019, synthetic humans are bio-engineered to work on off-world colonies. When a fugitive group of synthetic humans escapes back to Earth, a weary cop reluctantly agrees to hunt them down and bring them in.
A hefty production budget made it nearly impossible for the film to become financially successful, especially considering it was up against E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Rocky III.
Blade Runner earned two Oscar nominations in 1982, allowing it to reemerge. The visual effects were quite spectacular for its time and this, coupled with its Oscar nomination, brought it back into the spotlight.
(#12) Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
- Anna Kendrick, Chris Evans, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aubrey Plaza, Michael Cera, Bill Hader, Thomas Jane, Jason Schwartzman, Alison Pill, Brie Larson, Brandon Routh, Mae Whitman, Clifton Collins, Jr., Ellen Wong, Kieran Culkin, Johnny Simmons, Mark Webber, Ingrid Haas, Erik Knudsen, Don McKellar, John Patrick Amedori, Joe Dinicol, Matt Watts, Will Seatle Bowes, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Tara Mason, Satya Bhabha, Chantelle Chung, Nelson Franklin, Hope Larson, Joe Vercillo, Dan Cristofori, Kristina Pesic, Alexander Narizini, Kerr Hewitt, Abigail Chu, Michael Lazarovitch, Marlee Otto, Jung-Yul Kim, Ben Lewis, Ryan Allen, Tennessee Thomas, Joshua William James, Keita Saitou, Shôta Saitô, Walter Gasparovic, Mark LeRoy, Chuck Little, Maurie W. Kaufmann, Christine Watson, Celine Lepage, Craig Stickland, Emily Kassie, Jessica Martins
The story follows a bass guitarist for a garage-rock band. When he meets the girl of his dreams, he learns he must defeat her seven evil exes to be with her.
The film failed at the box office, grossing only half of its production budget. It went head-to-head with large budget films like The Expendables and Eat Pray Love that outspent Scott Pilgrim vs. the World in promotional dollars.
The movie rebounded with home media and streaming sales. It is like many films that failed at appealing to the masses, once it received enough exposure on online streaming platforms, it found its niche audience and became a cult hit.
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Sometimes it can be hard to explain why good movies fail after released. Many films were criticized and even ignored in the early stage of their release. Some of the greatest films did not achieve the expected commercial success at the time and were even regarded as failed films for a long time. Regardless of the reason, a few years later, the failure has withstood the test of time and finally became classic movies in the hearts of a new generation.
This page includes 16 entries, there is a list of hugely popular movies that originally flopped, such as famous movies It’s A Wonderful Life, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, etc. You can share them with your friends.
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