9 Great Movies That Inexplicably Flopped At The Box Office

Money isn't everything... thankfully!
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[@famijher]

It's a Wonderful Life became a Christmas Classic for one reason. The Studio let Copyright lapse by accident, meaning that in the 70's, when TV stations were looking for a Christmas Movie to show for cheap, it was free and clear. So it was shown on TV, all the time.

[@ericthompson3982]

Yeah, Turner bought the rights and just went full tilt with it. And I won't say it's not a good movie, because it is and I enjoy it, but it's one of my least favorite Jimmy Stewart films. Because, honestly, that man was fantastic in everything he did.

[@famijher]

@@ericthompson3982 I've always been a fan of Jimmy Stewart, but my favorite of his films always has been, and always will be "Harvey." He plays the world's nicest man in that.

[@marianparoo1544]

@@famijher I loved Harvey!!!!

[@johnsmith-kc8rk]

William Randolph Hearst wouldn’t allow advertising for Citizen Kane in his newspapers, and also said any theater that showed it would never be able to advertise in a Hearst paper again. That is the main reason it flopped.

[@justsaying14]

Cancel culture at it's best 👌

[@carastone3473]

@@justsaying14this isn’t like modern day ’cancel culture’ though; this is more like one rich person uses his influence to blacklist someone he hated.

[@livinginvancouverbc2247]

Citizen Kane was harsh look at Hearst. He had spies get hold of the script and he was enraged when he read that 'Rosebud' was the only thing he ever enjoyed. Rosebud was his petname for his mistress's, you know, it looked like a rosebud.

[@wasallai]

The Nice Guys with Ryan Gosling and Russel Crowe should have been the start of an epic series

[@BOTHthosearetaken]

You know that weird thing where a forgotten film becomes a tv series? The Nice Guys would be fantastic for that

[@deborahblackvideoediting8697]

I loved that film. It was so entertaining, and the chemistry between Gosling and Crowe was great.

[@aljawad]

Donnie Darko was another victim of 9/11, just about a few weeks after the attacks and the ensuing war the public had little interest in the movies - let alone a deeply surreal film.

[@Cookieboymonster1962]

I always loved the quote from Frank Capra about It's a Wonderful Life. He said, "Someone asked me once if I thought it was the best film I ever made. I replied I thought it was the best film anybody ever made."

[@jfess1911]

I remember being disappointed when I watched Citizen Kane. It had a lot of tropes and cinematic shots that I had seen before, so it did not seem that unique. Only later did I learn that it had originated many of those things, which is a large part of the reason it is so important.

[@davehood2667]

Didn't realize you were watching the original that everyone else ripped off eh?

[@samali9342]

I was in absolute shock at how good Children of Men was.

[@tomdevlin5412]

I had the opposite reaction.

[@TeeMeeBeeWee]

An excellent film. Better on the second watch.

[@veseyvonveitinghof]

...there must have been 2 "children of men" because the one i saw sucked big time...

[@tomdevlin5412]

@@veseyvonveitinghof I agree it started off ok and went down hill fast.

[@NKA23]

I remember coming out of "Zodiac" and being totally flashed by the movie's attention to authentic details of the case and the era it takes place in. I loved it. By I also saw some kids coming from the movie ranting about how stupid the ending was, because the they didn't know that it was based on a real case in which the serial murderer famously never got caught. I think this caused a lot of negative word-of-mouth from many young movie goers. They simply didn't get, that the movie wasn't about the serial killer, but about the struggle of the people who tried to catch him and failed and what impact it had on their lives.

[@KidFresh71]

"Children of Men" is certainly one of the bet sci-fi films of the past 30-40 years. I put it up there with Blade Runners and Blade Runner 2049, and Dune 1 & 2.

[@tomdevlin5412]

It’s right there with Santa Claus VS the Martians

[@lefantomer]

I resisted "Shawshank" for a long time because I thought it was one of those "murderer has a come to the altar moment in prison and becomes a saint" movies. Instead, it is SHAWSHANK! I'm just sorry for the time I missed.

[@AndrewSnarls]

Nice, I own copies of 8 out of the 9 movies listed here.

[@BlackHammer0891]

Running Scared (2006) featured a Paul Walker who was on fire, and incredible direction/storyboarding Same with Lucky Number Slevin. And if Zodiac came out just 8 years earlier it would have been a critical darling and box office success

[@NegativeROG]

Lucky Number Slevin is a TOTALLY underrated movie!!!

[@paulhilton6426]

It's not even remotely inexplicable that Children Of Men wasn't a box office hit - It's a darkly depressing alternative movie, shot in a very unusual style by an auteur, that raises some very uncomfortable questions about society. It's almost an arthouse film, and as such, it was never going to be a hit with the general public, despite being an excellent movie. And am I seriously the only person on Earth who thought Scott Pilgrim was mindless crap?

[@troublemaker240]

Feel bad for furiosa, it really was pretty good, the marketing screwed it up

[@livinginvancouverbc2247]

The creepy computer-generated face in the advertising made me not want to watch.

[@lt231]

Nahh the movie is a mess, you end up caring more about Inmortal Joe and Thor than furiosa, and just when you think you are going to see the great clímax the big battle the movie is like: There was a great war, but we will not show it, How could George Miler Drop the ball so hard?

[@johnsmith-kc8rk]

It’s a Wonderful Life didn’t really lose money. Remember, the studios owned the theaters at that time so they weren’t splitting the box office with anyone else.

[@skidart9063]

When I saw Scott Pilgrim at the theatre , it was so packed people were watching in the aisles. Don't know if it was because I was at a theatre near Toronto. I thought it would of been massive

[@deborahblackvideoediting8697]

Children of Men is a masterpiece. It's very bleak and chilling, but damn it's so compelling. Clive Owens is fantastic. I was happy when Shawshank Redemption started to finally receive the attention it deserved, but that hasn't really happened for Children of Men. Nice to see it on this list.

[@leestamm3187]

It's Clive Owen, with no "s."

[@WarTheory]

Shawshank was very poorly reviewed…I give it a chance one night and couldn’t believe how good it was….

[@leestamm3187]

Any serious film buff knows that box office success has little to do with quality. Lots of big blockbusters are trash, and lots of really good movies flop.

[@trevordossen5271]

This list should include 'The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford.' The film is an absolute triumph of movie making, especially the cinematography by Roger Deakins. Grossed about $18 dollars on popcorn.

[@jaygee6738]

Children of Men was such a damn good film. The car chase from inside the car was so damn good.

[@CalamityCannon]

I'm always surprised by how many people have never seen it. The story, pacing, performances, striking visuals, bold and challenging film sequences. It's just spectacular

[@sarahprice659]

Fantastic movie. I honestly don’t know if I could handle watching it again. Not soon, anyway.

[@CaseyWinehouse]

I remember wanting to see it in theaters but didn’t get the chance because I was 13 and my parents weren’t the type to take me to movies. Then I forgot about it until I saw a Robot Chicken Lego parody of it. I finally saw it on streaming about two years ago and I loved it. Had I seen it as a kid in the theater I’d probably have considered it one of my favorite movies.

[@daveofyorkshire301]

Children of Men was NOT a sci-fi... It's closer to post-apocalyptic drama action...

[@lightbearer313]

Post-apocalysm is a category of SF.

[@squarebarrel]

Shawshank Redemption released the same day Forrest Gump and people went and saw that instead. But yeah Shawshank is one of my all time favorite movies.

[@jpkanter1]

Why is The Thing not on this list?

[@journeysands2622]

Good question. I still don't understand why it flopped😢

[@dinomonzon7493]

Its A Wonderful Life is one of the Best X'Mas films. Its box office failure is similar to that of The Wizard of Oz's. Initially failing, yet later being recognized as a classic.

[@marianparoo1544]

Some yelled and screamed that it was socialist propaganda.... Good for socialism!

[@drstevej2527]

That’s because it didn’t have intellectual property rights protections. That means everyone anywhere could air it over and over which they did for decades without paying any studio or filmmaker. That is why it became a classic.

[@PhantomFilmAustralia]

We can thank the lapsing license of the film. Because the deadline for obtaining the rights had been missed, commercial television stations were able to air it completely free. Since it didn't cost a penny to air, every television station played it for their audiences every year for Christmas for years, until it became somewhat of a tradition. Had it been licensed, there is a very good chance that we wouldn't even know this film even existed.

[@Vim-Wolf]

Ah, Donnie Darko. I stumbled across this on TV late one night when I couldn't sleep. After watching it I thought I'd never sleep again.

[@alexius23]

It’s a Wonderful Life was James Stewart’s first film after serving in WWII. Unlike some actors Stewart was in the front line as a B-24 bomber pilot. As a Colonel he led his squadron in deadly missions. In retrospect it is clear that Stewart was suffering from PTSD when he made this movie.

[@SilverSpectre266]

I remember seeing Scott Pilgrim for the first time. Never heard of it. Never saw a single trailer. Never saw a single article. Never even heard of the comic before. Me and a group of friends just decided to go to the movies one day, since we were already nearby, and watch whatever movie had the closest showing time. It ended up being Scott Pilgrim. None of us even know what it was, but we saw the poster on the wall of the theater after already buying our tickets, so we thought it would be a good time...all of us ended up loving it. It had no rhyme or reason, it was just fun. It didnt need to explain all the weird pop art comic stuff, and obvious video game inserts, and we didnt care for any logic or reason. We just took it for what it was and watched and loved every bit of it.

[@TeeMeeBeeWee]

Jealous of that experience. Love it when you go to a movie knowing nothing and it’s a good time. Wish I’d seen it in theater.

[@hlyknightx]

Shaun of the dead or hot fuzz are the only correct answers for Edgar wrights best film

[@casinodelonge]

Jimmy Stewart was 100% legend.

[@snsdkbopper7819]

I’ve seen 4 on this list, Donnie Darko, The Iron Giant, It’s A Wonderful Life, & Shawshank, and they were all good in their own way.

[@Mike__B]

"Everybody Wants Some" was not a good movie, if you told me "this went straight to video" I wouldn't have doubted it for a second. And even if it was the 'spiritual successor' to Dazed and Confused (with a lot less chemistry in it), that's not the type of movie you go to a theater to watch.

[@Sarappreciates]

This feels like beating a dead horse, but Labyrinth flopped at the box office, but now it's a fairly well known cult classic for fantasy genre fans and music lovers alike. I think it took a toll on Henson. Though I was a teen when he died, I cried my eyes out when Jim Henson passed away. I've been a fan for life. Now that David Bowie is gone too the film is even more special. I still long for the sequel to be made into a decent film.

[@cm03591]

no blade runner 2049?

[@ericthompson3982]

Word.

[@kylec2761]

But it’s not inexplicable since the original also flopped

[@chadrogers507]

Children of men was a great movie. Donnie Darko is weird, but an intriguing movie. Zodiac is another movie that I really like.

[@rodpitcock6730]

Jake Gyllenhaal is my favorite actor. If you have not seen “night crawler” please do yourself a favor and see it

[@sluggo0202]

I have no beef against Jake Gyllenhaal, and Donnie Darko was really cool in a mysterious way, but there's something generic about his performances. I can't put my finger on it, but when I see he's the lead, I immediately know the film will smack of irrelevance.

[@BaldingClamydia]

Scott Pilgrim didn't do well because if you weren't already a fan you may have found it boring, silly, and cheesy. Speaking from person experience here. I was actually a little annoyed at how much the people around me liked that movie, I think it's terrible :D

[@SolCresta3405]

Scott Pilgrim had the unfortunate timing of opening up against The Expendables.

[@BlackHammer0891]

Nah it’s just not everyone is a gamer, so when you talking box office draw in that category, the IP has to be top notch( Mario Bros)

[@uwcb1]

Those movies have two very different audiences..

[@SolCresta3405]

@@BlackHammer0891 But I’m a fan of both, I still think opening the movie against The Expendables was one of the worst ideas they ever thought of.

[@SolCresta3405]

@@uwcb1 But I’m both.

[@ZachNyhus]

It should be pointed out that one of the primary reasons for Donnie Darko’s box office failure was the fact it was released in October of 2001, just a few weeks after the 9/11 terror attacks. The public was *not* in the right headspace at the time to receive a unique film like Donnie Darko… 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@davidbeppler3032]

Next do the opposite. Bad movies that made BANK in the box office then quickly went away.

[@johnjamesleahy4065]

What's the name of the movie where Orson Welles plays a Nazi hiding out in a small town I think??1 of my favorite parts of the movie is when he's in a telephone booth speaking to someone and he's drawing little Nazi signs on the telephone booth Like whether or not he's aware, he definitely missed it and is still "obsessed" with it!

[@MelchVagquest]

Everybody Wants Some was just delightful! A proper homage to the college comedies of yesteryear

[@joefelice5062]

Children of Men is one of my favorites of all time.

[@56postoffice]

Both *"John Carter"* and *"Dredd"* are very good films. Unfortunately, they were released in 2012, same year *"Avengers Assemble"* came out. Also, *"John Carter"* suffered because of poor marketing from Disney. Another is *"Night of the Hunter"* featuring Robert Mitchum's finest performance and directed by Charles Laughton. The film had poor reviews and suffered at the box office, Laughton took the criticism badly it became his only directorial effort. The film btw is now seen as a classic of American cinema.

[@xcoder1122]

For me John Carter was totally boring. A firework of special effects, but totally boring predictable story and the acting was also only mediocre.

[@melissawickersham9912]

The Rocketeer also suffered due to poor marketing and an unfortunate release date sandwiched between at least two major blockbusters.

[@devinthadude88able]

Baby Driver is my favourite Edgar Wright movie!!! Also Donnie Darko ……I didn’t care for it. Only told an ex that I did because I thought we would!

[@rsmac11]

Meh, I saw Children of Men in theaters. I should have loved it, but I just didn't. I still think it's kinda boring despite the plot (and the people fawning over 15 section action scenes like it was "super impressive"). Did like Scott Pilgrim though.

[@SilverSpectre266]

In contrast, a couple years back I remember googling to reviews for a bunch of movies and shows I loved as a kid. Its insane how many had some really, and I mean REALLY low scores. But I loved them. And some are cult classics to this day. Shame movies never get the appreciation until decades or so later.

[@carlosericdiaz6875]

The Thing would have made this a 10 “literally and figuratively”?

[@ericthompson3982]

I know I'm gonna get torched for this (and I want to clarify that I'm otherwise a huge Edgar Wright fan), but I really was not a fan of Scott Pilgrim. I mean, visually it was cool, but I hated literally all of the characters and felt like the story really lazily capitalized on the notion that being whiny, emotionally uninvested garbage people is somehow... heroic? And the entire premise is, let's face it, a little gross.

[@leann848]

Edgar Wright's best films are in his Cornetto Trilogy with Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz

[@stevecowder4774]

Agreed, Children of Men is WAY overlooked. And definitely one of Clive Owen’s better movies. Zodiac is also very good. A great cast and David Fincher puts out another excellent, spook fest.

[@jerryschramm4399]

I'd add "Jason and the Argonauts" to that list. Also, "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent". We always want something different, but when something like this, or "The Good Guys" comes around, we stay home. Most recently, you have "Furiosa" and "The Fall Guy" that were excellent, but were ignored. But the execrable "Barbie" made over a billion dollars? There is no justice.

[@Lukecash2]

Barbie was a good film,

[@johnjamesleahy4065]

8 SECONDS withROCK HUDSON!!!

[@masudaharris6435]

Children of Men being on this list particularly surprised me. The box office defies logic sometimes.

[@Bintexas]

iirc- IAWL was released in July. Not a good time of year for a Christmas movie to premier.

[@andreadaleyutronebel5894]

It's a Wonderful Life underperformed but it was not a flop

[@MyAlan999]

Having just recently watched the 'trailer' for Children of men , I'm really not surprised it flopped ..... Honestly the worst trailer I think I've ever seen and it's a great movie

[@HighHeelKnight]

I was immensely surprised that Scott Pilgrim did poorly at the box office. I saw the film and thought, "This is awesome! This is going to be a mega hit!" Oh well.

[@jackmackakaheavyguyhaiku545]

My favorite Edgar Wright films are Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz. Maybe my favorite flops of all time include Idle Hands and Mallrats.

[@misterj1oleclair]

Best Edgar Wright movie is Hot Fuzz.

[@warrenwiley5656]

100% agree. It's one of my "watch every year" movies. (List includes Jaws, Star Wars, 13th Warrior, Inside Man & others)

[@misterj1oleclair]

@@warrenwiley5656 all good movies.

[@haalstaag]

I was an extra on Children of Men

[@kojikicklighter371]

Mulholland Drive could be on this list.

[@liloiax22]

Whenever a video about movies that failed to turn a profit at the box office but are _ABSO‐FUCKIN'‐LUTELY_ worth a watch gets posted... _"Scott Pilgrim vs. the World"_ is inevitably going to be mentioned at some point in the video and I know that it's a really good movie but honestly, I'm sick and tired of having to hear all about how _"Scott Pilgrim vs. the World"_ was ahead of its time, turned out to become an all-time classic, etc. etc. Please at least try to find a few newer examples instead of taking the easy way out and just continue to include _"Scott Pilgrim vs. the World"_ ... _NOT JUST ONCE, NOT TWICE, NOT THRICE..._ but _OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN!!!_

[@omega2279]

I, for one, went to see Zodiac in the theater and loved it. Every actor nailed it.

[@MIKELIN8]

Everybody Wants Some is a nice film showing a coming of age by young men going to college and trying to blend in with a championship baseball team.

[@ProfessorEchoMedia]

That SCOTT PILGRIM movie stunk. But DONNIE DARKO was superb.

[@soullessmin]

Scott Pilgrim has been my favourite movie for 14 years!

[@robertliimatta9517]

The best Edgar wright film is Shaun of the dead

[@General_Zod99]

never seen wonderful life or citizen kane. no desire to see either one lol

[@gatocorps]

Hate critics 😂

[@chance20m]

I won't say which ones because I don't feel like an argument, but I'd say about half of the movies on this list are overrated.

[@user-pp5iy6ur8s]

Children of Men was shot well, but all the characters were stupid and acted illogically and against their own interests. And can anyone tell me one good reason that the military, who were disciplined enough to halt an assault on command, would just let the two most important people in HISTORY leave? Looked gorgeous, but the plot and writing were trash.

[@killingragethrowback]

Shawshank is number 1. It's popular in the US, It was about escaping prison. It was made in the US. The US has more people in in prison than any other country. Do you see the pattern?

[@tomdevlin5412]

Shut up and dig.

[@All5Horizons]

“One of the most unique…” doesn't make sense. Something is unique or it isn’t. There aren’t degrees or rankings of it.

[@ChaoticYak1]

Yes! I see that over and over again and unique means literally one of a kind. If it's not the only one, it's not unique. It can be rare or uncommon, but not unique.

[@All5Horizons]

@@ChaoticYak1 See, you get it!

[@erinlizzie09]

I love The iron giant.

[@leemarie414]

I loved Scott Pilgrim! It had everything but boobies and blood! But when it comes to The Zodiac....well, everyone knows the killer was never caught and any documentary on him has ended with ka-ka! Just because an A lister movie star is gonna star in it doesn't change the fact that we all know there is no ending. Who's gonna Goa and pay to see that?

[@Thrythlind]

Is Hudson Hawk on this list?

[@playerthirteen9695]

Of course great movies don't gross much...Many want to flip their brains off, not have to think or read subtitles, gosh....Top grossers are constanyly the mindless likes of Transformers and Fast and Furious.

[@Auntydaren]

Sorry but although it’s a wonderful life has some Christmas in it it’s not the whole story, it not now nor ever was a Christmas film. It a heartwarming tail of a small time family man who dreams of travel but because of circumstances has to stay home and support his family.

[@BClarke]

I am still waiting for “Everybody Wants Some” to get the cult classic status it deserves.

[@BOTHthosearetaken]

A world where nobody can get pregnant and there are no kids should have had far more boning. Sorry CoE but that is on you

[@OccuBot2011]

EVERYBODY WANTS SOME is not that good of a movie. It’s really not. NOR does it deserve to be on lists like this.

[@korymulanax3362]

Scott Pilgrim was not a good movie. It's the definition of over hyped.

[@brianartillery]

All these movies I own on DVD or Blu-ray - except Citizen Kane, which is possibly the dullest movie I have ever sat through. Yes, it is technically brilliant, but get past the matte shots, extended tracking shots, etc., and whatever is left, is yawn inducing. Let me put it this way; I have seen it once, and it bored me. I have seen the five hour version of Abel Gance's 'Napoleon' (1927) three times now, and I'd happily watch it again.

[@CassandraY]

I put Citizen Kane in the same category as Grapes of Wrath or Of Mice And Men. Amazing in their own right, but so dated that many of the nuances are lost to us. They are classics, but people need to stop holding them up as THE bar to reach. Just so fucking boring.

[@newmie01]

Scott pilgrim is a masterpiece, watched it so so many times.

[@CaseyWinehouse]

Sucks.

[@paulthomson2288]

About 2 or three of these are good movies the rest are just forgettable.

[@cenationofjnu]

Children of men is indeed very good. Must watch.

[@gakabler]

If one more person/site tells that "Children Of Men" is fantastic I might explode! The movie is completely UNWATCHABLE!!! Whatever the writers and director was trying to accomplish it was completely lost on screen. I could not get through it, it was simply that awful!!!

[@dstripedape978]

BOOM 💥 💥 💥

[@warrenwiley5656]

I feel the same way about Chinatown, & also any Woody Allen movie. I never felt interested enough to watch Children of Men.

[@tomdevlin5412]

Plot: no more babies, 15 minutes in, look she’s pregnant.

[@keiththorpe9571]

"Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World" is def in my Top 10 movies of all time. It was so clever, wonderfully stylish, just the epitome of 'Cool'. Loved it, love it to this day.

[@CaseyWinehouse]

Really? Cuz I’ve tried watching it 3 times as a fan of most of Michael Cera’s work and I just can’t get through that piece of shit movie.

[@lt231]

Well most of those films were boring as feck, i struggle to stay awake on children of men, Zodiac i felt asleep at the middle, Doni Darco also weird and boring, the iron gigant well i never watch it so i cant tell, the surprise is Scot Pilgrim, that is actually entretaining i guess geeks and otakus didnt had money for the tickets

[@CaseyWinehouse]

Scott Pilgrim is a terrible movie. I’ve tried and tried again to watch it and I can’t do it. I’m even a decent fan of Michael Cera. But that movie sucks ayass.

[@AkodoHirozumi]

Hill I will die on: Citizen Kane is two hours of self-aggrandizing, its horribly boring, and has the most hollow meaningless ending.

[@tomdevlin5412]

Anything on this list can be replaced by multiple black n white films.

[@dxc12345]

Fight club? Girl with the dragon tattoo?

[@michelduthin5053]

you forgot Blade Runner and Furiosa.........

[@andydee1304]

To be fair, Scott Pilgrim is utter garbage. It's wall-to-wall cringe. Dreadful movie from an otherwise great filmmaker.

[@ericthompson3982]

Yeah, I wasn't a fan by any stretch.

[@johnsmith-kc8rk]

Cringe isn’t a real critique

[@ericthompson3982]

@@johnsmith-kc8rk It kind of is.

[@andydee1304]

@@johnsmith-kc8rk Good thing I wasn't critiquing it, Einstein.

[@ottonormalo4638]

Funny accent...

[@brendanlazaroo7668]

Scott Pilgrim deserves so much more love

[@mikeburkhart8336]

The 1986 Animated Transformers movie was dismissed by critics, didn't do well the theaters,yet since then has become a cult classic and my personal favorite animated film ever.

[@amelierenoncule]

Are you Insane...or just remiss, mon ami, in not touching on the grande, "Howard the Duck" ?