15 Movies That Were Massive Box Office Flops But Managed To Find Their Audiences Later

Budget: $25,000,000
Box office earnings: $28,428,150
When you think about The Shawshank Redemption, you probably think of it as an ageless classic and tribute it for cinematic immortality. However, it didn’t really pop at first. While it made a noble $3,428,150 when it came out, it is still considered one of the biggest box office fails. Despite it being well-received by critics, it only gained more significant popularity after making a splash at the Academy Awards. The makers of the film can now also enjoy successful home video sales.

Budget: $28,000,000
Box office earnings: $39,342,912
The famous Ridley Scott’s science fiction film was first shown in theatres in 1982. Rotten Tomatoes claims the film “was a box office and critical bust upon its initial exhibition, but its unique postmodern production design became hugely influential within the sci-fi genre, and the film gained a significant cult following that increased its stature.” It remains a fan-favorite among science fiction fans and even got a sequel 35 years later.

Budget: $3,000,000
Box office earnings: $4,000,000
This American musical came out in 1971 starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka, but was seemingly overlooked by audiences at the time of its initial release. The now-iconic family classic had a budget of 3 million dollars, but only manage to make one million dollars profit during its original theatrical release. However, it seems people only needed some time to start to appreciate this gem.

Budget: $70,000,000
Box office earnings: $137,515,140
Matthew Vaughn’s romantic fantasy adventure released in 2007 is based on Neil Gaiman's 1999 novel of the same name and stars Claire Danes, Charlie Cox, Sienna Miller, Ricky Gervais, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, and a few other great stars. It was off to a decent start with good critical reviews. However, it didn’t earn its lot at the box office, especially in the US. However, it found a way to fans’ hearts via various streaming services and has earned a cult following since its initial release.

Budget: $3,180,000
Box office earnings: $3,300,000
While this 1946 Christmas fantasy drama is now considered to be a cinematic classic, it faced a rocky start at the beginning. With a $3.7 million dollar budget, it only managed to earn back $3.3 million. However, it didn’t have to wait long for the success as it was nominated for five Academy Awards the same year and remains one of people’s favorite Christmas movies of all time.

Budget: $63,000,000
Box office earnings: $101,187,503
Despite how hard to believe this movie actually made this list and the fact that probably most people consider it to be an undying cinematic classic at this point, Fight Club didn’t really do that well at the box office when it first came out in 1999. Despite that technically it didn’t make a loss at the box office, it didn’t live up to the expectations at first and wasn’t immediately financially successful. However, it managed to turn it around and become one of the generation-defining movies for many millennials.

Budget: $28,000,000
Box office earnings: $39,514,713
Even though this 1993 American comedy horror film is now watched all around the world during Halloween and has become a seasonal favorite, it was released during summer. It received mostly negative and mixed reviews from critics upon its release and lost Disney approximately $16.5 million. However, becoming a seasonal favorite, which resulted in a yearly spike in home video sales, turned Hocus Pocus into a commercial success after all.