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Box Office Bombs That Were Actually Pretty Good

Quite a few of my favorite movies are not necessarily movies that were big financial successes.

Blade Runner is considered one of the best science fiction films ever made. It's beautifully made and I dare say that Ridley Scott never made a film as great as that one afterward.

But did you know that it came out at roughly the same time as E.T. and The Thing? All three of those films competing at once. Can you imagine? No wonder it didn't make a lot of money.

But Blade Runner isn't the only example of a film that saw more of an audience well after its initial release. Far from it.


People shared their thoughts with us after Redditor Okwar3191 asked the online community:

"What's a movie that bombed at the box office but was actually pretty good?"

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

"The Shawshank Redemption notoriously bombed at the box office and went on to receive critical acclaim."

TooSpicyforyoWifey

This is an excellent example. It's one of the most popular films of the last 30 years but if you lacked context, you'd think otherwise.

The Thing (1982)

"The Thing."

"One of my all-time favorite horror movies! I understand it's regularly taught in film schools, not just for the practical effects, but for the paranoia that was central to the story. You never knew, even at the very end, who was genuinely human and who was an imitation."

PianoManGiddey

Good call! The Thing is probably director John Carpenter's finest film — yes, even better than Halloween.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

"For the classic film it is, the 1971 Willy Wonka film didn’t do well at the box office and earned lower than the budget was for it."

justmoochin

A good choice. I'm not a fan of it myself but there's no denying it's a classic. Quite a surprise that it didn't make a lot of money back in the day.

Clue (1985)

"Clue. Given its current reputation, it's hard to believe it didn't make its budget back."

MrQuizzles

This is partly because of the way it was marketed — instead of the film having three endings that aired one after another, they released three separate cuts, each with its own ending.

The schtick was that you wouldn't know which ending you were going to see, and that you could see it multiple times to try to see the other endings. Needless to say, audiences didn't find that prospect appealing.

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

"It's a Wonderful Life is probably the biggest example of this. It was an absolute flop at the box office. It almost killed the studio that made it."

"At one point there was some debate about ownership of it and nobody wanted it so TV networks could air it without paying anyone. That's when it started getting shown on TV constantly around Christmas, and it gained it's status as one of the best Christmas movies of all time."

dilejoso

A phenomenal movie. I'm glad it was made and that it found a second life on television.

Tremors (1990)

"Tremors. I saw Tremors late at night, probably on USA, during a stretch of insomnia. It was far better than it had any right to be."

[deleted]

Tremors is incredible and immensely rewatchable. And correct — it totally flopped back in the day.

The Princess Bride (1987)

"The Princess Bride."

"They didn't know how to market it. Is it a fantasy film? Is it an action film? Is it a comedy? Is it for kids? All the reasons it became a classic are the same reasons they couldn't get people into the theaters to see it."

GardenGnomeOfEden

This is a blessing in disguise, as they never felt the need to make 2 Princess 2 Bride and retroactively ruin it.

The Iron Giant (1999)

"I don't know if it "bombed" but Iron Giant was supposed to get a sequel and they decided not to do it because apparently the first movie didn't do well enough in theaters. I would have loved a sequel."

idratherchangemyold1

I love Iron Giant, but I'm glad it didn't get a sequel.

I think I'm happier imagining all of the iron giant's body parts scaring the bejesus out of passersby as they crawl their way toward the head.

Galaxy Quest (1999)

"Galaxy Quest. Galaxy Quest and Kung Fu Hustle are my two desert island choices. I can always watch either one and be completely happy to do so."

[deleted]

The victim of poor marketing. The marketing team decided to go with the goofy comedy for kids was the right way to sell it, when it reality it was semi-serious comedy aimed at adults that just happened to be kid friendly.

Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

"Big Trouble in Little China. The history of John Carpenter films."

Joseluki

Indeed.

See the aforementioned The Thing.

Chances are that your favorite movie wasn't necessarily a box office success. Be glad it was made — it's no doubt brought a lot of joy to you over the years!

Have some movies of your own to share? Tell us more in the comments below!

Things People Secretly Love But Would Never Admit To In Public

Reddit user sweet_chick283 asked: 'What do you secretly love that you would never admit to in public?;

Collection of VHS tapes
Bruno Guerrero/Unsplash

What makes us all unique is our passions and the things we love, whether it's singing in the shower, reading books, or listening to specific music artists.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where we are judged for our various tastes and interests thanks to social media, and it makes us consciously selective about sharing the things we love on the internet.

Curious to hear about people's personal desires under anonymity, Redditor sweet_chick283 asked:

"What do you secretly love that you would never admit to in public?"

These aren't really chores for the following Redditors.

Good Clean Fun

"Mopping, im a janitor and generally hate my work... but damn mopping is so good."

– MrDDog06

"When you have a great rhythm going it is something special. I get the same feeling while I vacuum, but won’t let my wife know I enjoy it."

– Bogus_34

Act Of Unwrinkling

"Ironing clothes. A dozen of them. Can’t explain how it relaxes me. I told one person and they looked at me like I’m crazy."

– eerie_white_glow

"My mum misses the days when dad would be out on a Friday night, my brother out with friends and me upstairs quietly playing PS1. She would pour herself a Bacardi & Coke and do the ironing while watching her TV shows."

"I'm sure she doesn't really miss it now that we've moved out and they've retired but it was her wind-down after a busy working week so I can see how people can find it relaxing."

– xdq

Our solo actions can spark joy.

Big Brother Is Watching

"pretending to be on the Truman show and whenever im in my house i act all inconspicuous so they dont know that i know that they’re watching me."

– Bec_121

"C’mon man, you’re not supposed to let him know. You signed a contract when signing up for live views. I’m reporting you."

– doeswaspsmakehoney

The Multi-Tasker

"Playing video games naked at home while eating cheese."

– thickening_agent

Releasing The Kraken

"I love the feeling when you've eaten good fibre and let out a solid long train log in the toilet. That feeling is heavenly."

– therapoootic

"Even better when it’s a clean wipe and not a poo crayon."

– TheWarmestHugz

Ultimate Comfort

"My (male 41) weekend routine is coming home from work, make hot chocolate, start a fire, dress in a ugly pink nightgown made for old ladies and watch forensic files."

– crazyloomis

Some people are obsessed with collecting things.

So Kawai

"Sanrio stationery stores. All those different multicolor pens, a thousand kinds of erasers, spiral bound notebooks galore... my kids sadly have absolutely no appreciation for this wonderland..."

– HavingNotAttained

It's A Staple

"Office supplies have a weird, special place in my heart ever since I was a kid. They don't even have to be 'cute' necessarily."

"Japan's legendary stationery stores is unironically a reason I want to go."

– _CozyLavender_

Not Caring Anymore

"The older I get the shorter that list gets. Not because I love less things, but because I don't care about hiding it."

– Bi-Beast

"YES!! I'm 53 now. I'm working my first job in public since 2006. Today is Halloween and we're allowed to dress up so I am sitting here waiting to go to work dressed as a VERY bad Wednesday Addams. My bf said I'd 'look stupid' because no one else will probably dress up and I'm like, 'WHO CARES!' My makeup looks horrible and not like I practiced, but I DO NOT CARE! I'm having fun with it anyhow and I don't care if my coworkers dress up or not. I'm bein' ME! :)"

– deanie1970

Honorable mentions start here.

The Savior

"Picking up worms from the street and sidewalks when it rains and moving them into the dirt so they don’t burn in the sun, every time it rains I do this."

– sky_kitten89

Hero Of The Moment

"Yoooo I scoot SO many snails and worms. I work as a tech/mechanic at an automotive shop, I had a peoject car towed to my house the other day and it was covered in snails. I saw them when the tow guy/coworker was unloading and I was like, 'oh! It comes with free snails!' and began moving them. He laughed then realized and said, '... Oh, you're serious. Uh... Okay.'"

"I don't care who knows it. These little things barely can look out for themselves, why shouldn't we if we can take a moment to help? I don't care what happens next, it probably doesn't matter overall but I can help this moment."

– chris14020

Why should some of the hidden desires mentioned above have to be secret?

Redditors opening up about some of these would make them a hit at parties–no shaming.

As a matter of fact, I'll totally be down for a Forensic Files viewing party where we all make hot chocolate, light the fireplace, and cozy up together in our respective pink ugly nightgowns for old ladies.

historical reenactors
Sigmund on Unsplash

We've probably all heard some variation of the saying "Truth is stranger than fiction."

Real life isn't just strange, it can also be downright ridiculous.

History is riddled with moments of absurdity.

So ridiculous that people have a hard time believing real life is, well, really real.

Keep reading...Show less