Pop Culture | Movies | Retro

10 Awesome Movies That Made No Money

We often hear about amazing movies that shattered sales records, but sometimes a great movie slips through the cracks and ultimately doesn't do well. These movies are usually discovered by a wider audience upon getting a video release, only for all of us to realize what we truly missed out on. Here are just a few examples!

1) It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

MoviePoster

One of the most beloved Christmas movies of all time (so much so that it's shown in OTHER Christmas movies, and is often cited by Jimmy Stewart as being his favorite performance), the film actually bombed on its release thanks to its dark subject matter.

MentalFloss

It wasn't until its copyright wasn't renewed in 1974 and TV networks picked it up en masse that people discovered how great it was.

Salon

2) Event Horizon (1997)

Movie Poster Warehouse

Director Paul W.S. Anderson (Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil) turned in his best directorial work with this genuinely creepy and effective sci-fi horror movie. The story of an asteroid mining crew having to investigate the lost ship Event Horizon is the stuff of nightmares, and even inspired the Dead Space video game franchise.

geek.com

Despite featuring a stacked cast of character actors like Sam Neill, Laurence Fishburne, and Jason Isaacs, the film lost nearly $35 Million at the box office, only really finding an audience on home video.

DenOfGeek

3) Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Paramount

That's right, this childhood favorite which is often cited as featuring Gene Wilder's best role was not a success when it first came out.

Providence

Only earning about $1 Million at the box office, Paramount sold the rights to Warner Bros. in 1977, whose offering of the movie for TV broadcast and later home video release would turn it into a classic.

RIP GeneVariety

4) Showgirls (1995)

Annyas

One of the most infamous box office bombs in cinema history, the film lost over $25 Million and effectively ruined Elizabeth Berkley's post-Saved By The Bell acting career. With that said, it's so over the top and unintentionally hilarious that we can't help but love it. Entire books have been written about how this bit of 90s sleaze is actually great!

Film Society of Lincoln

5) The 13th Warrior (1998)

IMP Awards

John McTiernan is a director that needs no introduction, having helmed beloved action movies like the Die Hard franchise, The Hunt For Red October, and of course, Predator. It's a shame then that The 13th Warrior not only was a massive bomb at the box office, but has also been largely forgotten.

IMDB

Antonio Banderas plays a Arab courtier who must journey with a group of Vikings to defend their homeland from a group of cannibalistic tribesmen, and the result is a film that's equal parts chilling and thrilling. Based off Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton (who co-directed the film), it's a completely enjoyable period piece action film that you owe it to yourself to check out.

joblo

Click to the next page to see more box office bombs that are great movies!

6) The Wizard of Oz (1939)

IMP Awards

Yes, you read that correctly. One of the most beloved family films of all time, one which is quoted by literally everyone and is nothing short of iconic, was not a financial success when it came out. It lost $1.1 Million due to its massive production budget and revolutionary special effects.

HistoryLocker

Fortunately, MGM Studios didn't give up on it, and then it was re-released for its 10th Anniversary in 1949, it got the recognition it deserved. It even went on to inspire a movie that's so weird it's amazing, Zardoz.

DecentFilms

7) Titan A.E. (2000)

Fox

The film that ultimately forced Fox's animation studios to close (their only other release had been Anastasia), and the last film to date from beloved animator Don Bluth (An American Tail, The Secret of NIMH, The Land Before Time), Titan A.E. is an animated sci-fi epic that deserved better than it got.

Mind Reels

With a cast that includes Matt Damon, Bill Pullman, Drew Barrymore, Nathan Lane and Ron Perlman, the story about a group of starfarers who have to find a ship capable of rebuilding Earth has plenty of action, humor, and genuine tension to satisfy any sci-fi fan.

Fox

8) Mystery Men (1999)

IMP Awards

This superhero comedy based on a Dark Horse comic book series only made back half its budget at the box office, which is a shame because it's genuinely endearing. With hilarious performances by Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, William H. Macy and Janeane Garofalo, this story about a wannabe group of street-level superheroes holds up well even today.

ScienceFiction.com

9) The Iron Giant (1999)

IMP Awards

Brad Bird's directorial debut after leaving The Simpsons (and before he'd go on to The Incredibles and Ratatouille), The Iron Giant is an absolute masterpiece of animated film that was completely ignored in theaters. An equally spectacular and heartbreaking story about a boy and his robot friend in the 1950s, it's gone on to receive worldwide acclaim since its release on video.

IndieWire

10) Hook (1991)

SuperCultShow

Steven Spielberg's take on Peter Pan was both ignored at the box office and slammed by the critics of the day (even Spielberg himself doesn't look back on it fondly), and to this day we can't understand why. A story of Pan forgetting his past and having to venture back to Neverland to save his children from a vengeful Captain Hook, the movie manages to be a fun family romp while also having some genuine, heartfelt messages about growing up.

Collider

Of course, we can't talk about this movie without mentioning the cast. Robin Williams' performance as Peter Banning / Peter Pan is a constant reminder to how much we lost with his untimely death, Dustin Hoffman is brillian as Captain James Hook, and even the late Bob Hoskins brings a great level of energy as Smee. Of course, who can forget Dante Basco's RU-FI-OOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Bustle

Wanna read about a box office bomb that isn't great? Check out our facts about Batman & Robin!

More Throwbacks

Movies

Macaulay Culkin Clears Up Some Confusion About The 'Home Alone' Recreation

When that amazing new Google Assistant ad dropped yesterday starring Macaulay Culkin recreating all of the iconic scenes from the 1990 classic Home Alone, People absolutely lost their minds. But here's the thing, you watch it once and you're like, "Oh wow, that's hilarious!" But if you watch it a second time, you'll see that they really went all out to recreate it shot for shot. Honestly, it's almost creepy how well they did. Whether he's jumping on the bed:20th Century Fox / YouTube - GoogleUsing his aftershave:20th Century Fox / YouTube - GoogleTrimming the tree:20th Century Fox / YouTube

Movies

Macaulay Culkin Is Back As Kevin From 'Home Alone' And It's Actually Amazing

It's Christmas time, and you know what that means! It's time to watch a family abandon their son in their home and not even call anyone to go take care of him while he fends off burglars and makes an enormous mess of their house! That's right, every year we all gather around the TV and watch Home Alone for the millionth time, enjoying the hilarious antics that young Kevin McCallister gets into. Macaulay Culkin's portrayal of the character is what made the movie work, well, that and the fact that the 'Wet Bandits' were pretty funny. Culkin made a

Movies

A Behind-The-Scenes Look At The New Aladdin Is Here And At Least One Of Our Wishes Was Granted

We've been waiting patiently, okay mostly patiently, since Disney announced that Aladdin was being remade. The cartoon remains one of the most iconic movies of all time, and the fact that they were going to try and bring it to life with real humans instead of the animated versions was kind of concerning. We saw the first trailer a while ago, but the only character we actually saw up close was Aladdin himself. We didn't see how the Genie looked, or Jasmine, or any of the other characters. But now, Entertainment Weekly has given us all the first look at

Movies

The First Look Of The New Sonic Movie Is Here And People Just Spilled Their Rings

We've seen these video game movies come and we've seen them go, but how often have they actually succeeded? Not a lot, right? Well, whether it's the best idea or not, the powers that be have decided to bring one of the most iconic video game characters to the big screen once again. Sonic the Hedgehog has his very own movie coming out next November with Ben Schwartz voicing him, but now that the first poster is here, everyone is talking. Now, the thing is, the poster that everyone has seen isn't even a real look at the design. It's

Movies

'Mrs. Doubtfire' Cast Reunited To Discuss The 25th Anniversary And Robin Williams

The cast of Mrs. Doubtfire reunited and we were all so excited to see what that meant. Now we finally know why they were back together again. With nothing really happening for the last month, we kind of just thought it was maybe a nice dinner. But nope! It turns out it was actually a big interview to discuss the anniversary, the legacy, and of course Robin Williams. The interview is a good 35 minutes of reminiscing and sharing memories that all make us remember the iconic comedy as the treasure it truly is. Pierce Brosnan, Matthew Lawrence, Lisa Jakub,

Movies

Tim Allen Reveals The Original Plan For 'The Santa Clause' Was Way Too Dark For Disney

We've all seen The Santa Clause at least a dozen times, right? It's a Christmas classic and ever since it was released, it has become a staple in our holiday movie schedule. There's something about the movie that manages to keep that Christmas feeling without being way too over the top or corny. I mean, sure, Tim Allen literally becomes Santa, but somehow it all feels like that's totally plausible. The sequels may not have the same realistic feeling, but the original remains iconic. However, Allen just revealed that the original plan for the movie was a lot darker than