Well, it’s official.
We’ve now officially watched the worst scene in a movie of all time.
There’s no way this movie was successful; I bet it was a total flop.
Whats up guys!
I’m your host Joce and welcome back to Top 10: Beyond the Screen.
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Stick around until the end of the video where I’ll do some comment shoutouts.
So, not all movies are a success.
It’s true, some of them can be a total flop.
But there are also movies that just need some time, maybe even a second chance.
That’s why today I’m talking about the Top 10 Movies That Originally Flopped But
Are Now Iconic.
Let me know in the comments which one of these movie flops is now your favourite.
Let’s jump in!
10) Starting us off in the number 10 spot is the iconic Fight Club.
It’s now a huge hit but when it first came out in October 1999, it didn’t do as well
as you’d think.
Today, the movie is considered to be one of director David Fincher’s best movies; however,
it was more of a flop than anything when it first came out.
Twentieth Century Fox didn’t know how to sell a movie about consumerism misguided masculinity
to a general audience.
Fight Club’s early reviews didn’t help pack theatres either as it received a mixed
response from film critics.
Rosie O’Donnell hated Fight Club so much that she revealed its twist ending on her
talk show.
Brad Pitt who took the lead in the movie, said “she gave away the ending on national
television.
It’s just unforgiveable”.
SO I guess any friendship that was there is now gone.
The budget for the film was $63 million and only made $37 million at the box office.
They didn’t even break even with their budget.
But Fight Club eventually found an audience on home video, and Fox sold more than 6 million
copies which took in an additional $100 million.
Talk about turning things around.
9) At number 9 we have Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory.
The whimsical movie based on the classic novel has become a must-watch over time, but when
it first premiered it didn’t do very well at the box office back in 1971.
The movie took home $4 million from the box office, which wasn’t much more than their
$3 million dollar movie budget.
But since the movie was profitable, Paramount Pictures decided not to renew its seven-year
copyright, and Warner Bros bought the rights in 1977 for $500,000.
Under the new ownership, they licensed the movie and got it to TV broadcast where it
found a wide audience after repeated airings.
That eventually led to home video sales and the rest is history.
8) Sliding into number 8 we have Blade Runner.
While Blade Runner is one of the most influential science fiction movies ever made, it was considered
just another sci-fi flick when it was released in the summer of 1982.
It only took home 6.5 million its opening weekend, which may seem like a lot of money
to us but not compared to the other iconic movies that were also premiering.
The total box office revenue was $27.5 million which didn’t even match their budget of
$28 million.
So they didn’t even break even.
However, audiences re-discovered the movie on VHS and DVD throughout the 80s and 90s
as Warner Bros re-released it with a director’s cut.
Also, in 1993 the Liberty of Congress picked it for the United States National Film Registry,
which helped the movie eventually take off even more.
7) In number 7 we have one of my favourite movies as a kid, The Iron Giant.
My sisters and I had this movie on replay I swear.
The movie has many admirers today, but was way under-performed in theatres when it first
came out in 1999.
Apparently it was due to poor marketing campaigns.
Although critics loved it, not many people saw it when it was first released, which made
it a complete flop.
The movie made $31 million in box office sales, which was nothing compared to their estimated
70-80 million dollar budget.
Yikes, they lost a lotttt of money.
If you haven’t seen it, The Iron Giant follows a young boy as he tries to protect a space
robot from government interference.
The story was so unique it was later praised by fans and critics.
Over the years it began growing a massive following in television and home video sales.
It was even re-released in theatres in 2015.
Which was super exciting for fans like me.
6) Alright guys at number 6 we have Labyrinth.
The musical fantasy debuted back in 1986 and had a poor box office number.
Which is incredibly surprising seeing as it starred rock icon David Bowie as one of the
main characters.
It was directed by Jim Henson who was, and I quote, “devastated” when the movie flopped.
The budget for the film was $25 million and they only made $12.9 million back in the box
office.
It’s definitely considered a flop when you only made back half your budget.
But despite low numbers, critics actually enjoyed the film itself and praised Bowie’s
performance and Henson’s puppetry work.
It wasn’t until the tragic death of Jim Henson that more critics and movie lovers
watched the film and fell in love with it.
Now, it’s even more iconic following the death of David Bowie just a few years ago.
If you haven’t seen this one; you’re really missing out!
5) Half way through our list at number 5 is It’s A Wonderful Life.
While it’s a staple of the holiday season NOW, it received little attention from audiences
when it was released in 1946.
This was mainly due to its dark narrative and subject matter.
The film lost RKO Pictures $525,000.
The budget for the movie was 3.8 million dollars and they took home only 3.3 million from the
box office.
It didn’t become popular in the United States until 1974 when National Telefilm Associates
failed to renew its copyright because it was considered such a box office flop.
However, TV networks gobbled it up because they didn’t have to pay royalties to air
it.
Which led to the 1980’s where hundreds of home video distributors released it on videotape,
expanding its reach around the world.
Over time, it became a holiday classic which we know it as today.
4) In spot number 4 we have The Shawshank Redemption.
The movie had a very positive response from critics and even had some recognition in the
Academy Awards, but when it premiered in 1994 it couldn’t find an audience in theatres.
The budget for the now-legendary film was $25 million dollars and it only made $16 million
in box office.
Yet another movie that didn’t break even with its budget.
People started noticing Shawshank Redemption when Warner Bros released it on VHS the following
year, where it quickly became one of the top video rentals across the country.
I guess good things take time.
In 1997, the cable network TNT bought the rights to air it which helped the movie find
a larger audience with frequent and repeated viewings.
The movie is currently on the American Film Institute’s best 100 movies of the past
100 years and is also on the #1 film on IMDB’s Top 250 List.
Impressive.
3) At number 3 we have another holiday classic, A Christmas Story.
Although it is known as a classic now; initially it was a sleeper when it first premiered back
in 1983.
Critics were not sure what to think of it upon its release.
One New York Times pieced called it “less funny than a TV sitcom”.
It was a flop in critic’s eyes but actually made profit in box office revenue.
The budget for the film was 4 million dollars and the movie made 20.6 million in total.
Not bad margins when you’re talking money, but it didn’t take off the way they were
expecting it to.
However, over the years it found fans on TV and is now considered a must-watch for many
families during the holiday season.
It even has its own 24-hour marathon on both TNT and TBS.
I’d say it’s done pretty well, those critics were wrong on this one.
2) Here we are at number 2 with Hocus Pocus, a different holiday classic and one of my
absolute favourites.
The legacy of Hocus Pocus is huge now, especially during the month of October.
But when the witchy film debuted in 1993 it wasn’t viewed as a financial success.
In other words, it was a flop.
It was released the same day as Free Willy and dropped from the top 10 after just two
weeks.
It received mixed reviews from critics, but over time fans came to enjoy it as a silly
supernatural adventure.
The movie got a second wind, almost like a second chance, through DVD sales and TV syndication.
It’s now a staple for Halloween movie marathons every year.
I watch this movie every year at Halloween; I’ve always wanted to dress up as one of
the witches.
Maybe this year.
1) Taking our number 1 spot is The Room.
This movie is actually famously known for being so terrible.
It’s been called one of the worst movies ever put on screen in the entire world; people
often make fun of how poorly it did when referencing it.
The movie was created and directed by Tommy Wiseau who was confident that his movie would
be the next big thing.
He spent a total of $6 million on the budget, having no doubt that he would earn it all
back, no problem.
Well… problem.
BIG problem.
The movie only made $1,800 in the box office.
That’s coffee change in the movie world.
He was in quite a shock after spending the whopping 6 million dollars.
But, over time, word of mouth helped to make the film more popular and more people began
attending midnight screenings throughout the years.
This movie is what inspired “The Diaster Artist” which came out in 2017.
The movie stars brothers James and Dave Franco, where James transforms himself into Tommy
Wiseau.
We get to see the different side of The Room and follow the story of how this aspiring
filmmaker uses his crazy passion to create the flopped movie.
It gives you a completely different look and people began saying that The Room was very
underestimated.
Samuel Koca says – Charlotte Queen of Potatoes, Jonny King of Bacon, Rebecca Queen of Cheese.
So Jocelyn, what are you the queen of?
– ouuuu PICKLES!
I love pickles.
Deserted Pikachugirl says- It’s a magic popcorn bucket…
I mean, who doesn’t want one?
– Touche ! Thomas Sanders says- Jocelyn you are so hilarious!!
– well I’m glad someone thinks so
Matthew Boyajian- more videos like this one please..a part 2.
If you agree with me reply and like.
– YES.. if you agree leave a comment I want to know what you guys want to see!
Alright guys, that’s it for today!
Don’t forget to give this video a thumbs up if you like it and let me know in the comments
which one of these movies is your favourite!
I’m your host Joce, I’ll see you next time!