Random Hugely Popular Movies That Originally Flopped (16 items)

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  (#5) Fight Club

  • Brad Pitt, Jared Leto, Helena Bonham Carter, Edward Norton, Meat Loaf, Eion Bailey, Lauren Sánchez, David Lee Smith, Edward Kowalczyk, Holt McCallany, Zach Grenier, Bob Stephenson, Christina Cabot, David Andrews, Brian Tochi, Matt Winston, Ezra Buzzington, Carl Ciarfalio, Tim De Zarn, Jim Jenkins, Richmond Arquette, Philip Hawn, Leonard Termo, Thom Gossom Jr., Charlie Dell, David Jean Thomas, Paul Dillon, Michael Shamus Wiles, Stuart Blumberg, Marcio Rosario, Pat McNamara, Michael Arturo, Markus Redmond, Tommy Dallace, Rachel Singer, George Maguire, Robby Robinson, Paul Carafotes, Peter Iacangelo, Joel Bissonnette, Christopher John Fields, Scotch Ellis Loring, Eugenie Bondurant, Eddie Hargitay, Kevin Scott Mack, Mark Fite, Evan Mirand, Sydney 'Big Dawg' Colston, Bennie Moore, Chad Randau, Lou Beatty Jr., Matt Cinquanta, Joon B. Kim, Michael Girardin, Christie Cronenweth, Baron Jay, Hugh Peddy, Tyrone R. Livingston, Andi Carnick, Owen Masterson, Rob Lanza, Van Quattro, Trey Ore, Jawara, Gregory Silva, Valerie Bickford, Alekxia Valdez, J.T. Pontino, Dierdre Downing-Jackson, Anderson Bourell, Todd Peirce, Louis Ortiz

  Fight Club is a darkly comic drama based on Chuck Palahniuk's 1996 novel of the same name. It follows a man who is discontented with his unfulfilling white-collar job, so he forms a fight club with a soap salesman. The two become embroiled in a strange relationship where reality is not always as it seems.

  The film failed to meet the studio's expectations at the box office, and the critical reception was mixed. It simply was too dark for mainstream audiences and the twist ending left viewers with very polarized reactions.

  Its real success came when it was released on DVD. Ten years after its premiere, it finally found its audience and sold six million copies. 
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  (#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.
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  (#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.
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  (#15) The Searchers

  • John Wayne, Natalie Wood, Vera Miles, Ward Bond, Lana Wood, Harry Carey, Jr., Ken Curtis, Jeffrey Hunter, John Qualen, Hank Worden, Antonio Moreno, Henry Brandon, Olive Carey, Walter Coy, Beulah Archuletta

  The Searchers is a 1956 Western film based on a novel by Alan Le May. It follows a middle-aged Civil War veteran who spends years looking for his niece who was abducted.

  Although it wasn't considered a complete commercial flop, its critical reception was poor. Many complained that it was repetitious and too long at 119 minutes, which in today's moviegoing world, is considered within normal range for a feature-length film. There were also complaints that for such a simple story, the plot was not adequately apparent.

  The film received several awards, which helped to reignite interest in the film, and it is now considered one of the best films in the genre. 
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  (#10) Heathers

  • Winona Ryder, Shannen Doherty, Christian Slater, Glenn Shadix, Patrick Labyorteaux, Lisanne Falk, John Ingle, Phill Lewis, Kim Walker, Renée Estevez, Josh Richman, Aaron Mendelsohn, Jeffrey Weissman, Penelope Milford, Mark Carlton, Christie Mellor, Bess Meyer, Jennifer Rhodes, Jim Trenton, Jon Matthews, Jeremy Applegate, Kirk Scott, Mark Bringelson, William Cort, Larry Cox, Lance Fenton, John Zarchen, Chuck Lafont, Stuart Mabray, Sherrie Wills, Adrian Drake, Curtiss Marlowe, Betty Ramey, Carrie Lynn, Kevin Hardesty, Kent Stoddard, Andrew Benne, Sylvia Tobias

  Heathers is a dark teen comedy that follows a girl who is a member of the most popular clique at her high school, although she dislikes the other girls' cruel behavior. She and her boyfriend team up to confront the clique leader, Heather. They accidentally poison her so they attempt to make it look like it was self-inflicted.

  The film only took in one-third of its production budget and was pulled from theaters after five weeks.

  Its success mirrored the success of its rising stars: Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, and Shannen Doherty. After their careers took off, Heathers was revisited by their fans and became much more popular than when it was in theaters. 
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  (#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. 

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