These 51 Box Office Hits Faded Into Obscurity A Little Bit Too Soon

2h 43m | Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
 
Starring Brad Pitt, Eric Bana and Orlando Bloom
 
While the poetry attributed to Homer may be timeless, no one will necessarily agree that this nearly three-hour-long Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, and Orlando Bloom production is the best adaptation of Homer's work. Although there are a few excellent performances and solid action set pieces, The Iliad has never been nearly so uninteresting.

1h 50m | Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber
 
Starring Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston and Emma Roberts
 
Sometimes, the story might fade out of our minds, but the memes will always survive, no matter how much we strive to forget them. We’re the Millers is the perfect example of this phenomenon. While it did earn $270 million at the box office and became a subject of a couple of memes, the story didn’t stay long in the mind of many watchers.

1h 37m | Directed by Andrew Stanton and Angus MacLane
 
Starring Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks and Ed O'Neill
 
Having earned $1.028 billion at the box office, Finding Dory may have been the third-highest-grossing movie of 2016, but other Pixar movies seem more remembered and discussed. It is even more puzzling, given how highly regarded Finding Nemo continues to be. Either way, the film is a must-see.

2h 10m | Directed by Peter Farrelly
 
Starring Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali and Linda Cardellini
 
Green Book is a movie that did quite well at the award ceremonies and the box office, earning an impressive $321.8 million. The only problem the movie had was that it had to compete with other great works of art. While it did win the Best Picture Oscar, A Star Is Born and Black Panther got more attention from the audience.

1h 32m | Directed by Peter Berg
 
Starring Will Smith, Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman
 
Hancock might not be on your most-watched superhero movie list. Hancock, which debuted just a few months after Iron Man, generated more money at the box office. Yet Will Smith's intriguing but unsatisfying superhero film has been overshadowed by more than a decade's worth of subsequent entries.

1h 48m | Directed by Peter Berg
 
Starring Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter
 
When it was released, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland caused a storm and showed that the director was still more than capable of crafting a blockbuster hit. But, a more-of-the-same sequel suffered severe financial losses, and the audience’s interest in the movie faded away more quickly than expected.

1h 52m | Directed by J.J. Abrams
 
Starring Elle Fanning, AJ Michalka and Kyle Chandler
 
Although Super 8 made $260 million worldwide on a $50 million budget, J.J. Abrams thought it would connect with audiences in the same way as classic Steven Spielberg movies like E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. However, Super 8 ultimately performed more like The Terminal and The BFG.

1h 23m | Directed by Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick
 
Starring Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling and Steve Carell
 
Dreamworks' adaptation of a comic strip had an all-star cast and received positive reviews from audiences. However, the fact that it failed to spawn a sequel or any significant spin-off has consigned this animated film to the depths of obscurity. It made $336 million worldwide against an $80 million budget.

2h 07m | Directed by Nancy Meyers
 
Starring Mel Gibson, Helen Hunt and Marisa Tomei
 
While Mel Gibson’s character might have asked the question of What Women Want in the movie, outside of it, the audience asked themselves — what is so memorable about the film they just saw? The movie was able to dominate at the box office, earning an impressive $374.1 million, but it did not win against the pressure of time.

2h 04m | Directed by Roland Emmerich
 
Starring Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal and Emmy Rossum
 
Disaster films are frequently products of their period, forgotten in favor of the next star-studded Hollywood disaster. The underlying material for Roland Emmerich's climate change disaster film is unusual: a mostly fictional, partially factual book written by paranormal radio personality Art Bell. The movie did well, earning $552.6 million.

2h 18m | Directed by Ron Howard
 
Starring Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor and Ayelet Zurer
 
Ron Howard, Tom Hanks, and Dan Brown worked together to create a three-movie franchise. The second movie of this series was Angels & Demons. While it grossed $485.9 million at the box office, it was the complete opposite, with ratings from the critics and reception from the audience. It is one of the most forgettable sequels ever.

1h 56m | Directed by Garry Marshall
 
Starring Julia Roberts, Richard Gere and Joan Cusack
 
Runaway Bride acts like a reminder of the more famous Julia Roberts and Richard Gere pairing in Pretty Woman. Runaway Bride did earn the studio a whopping $309.5 million. When it came to memorability, it couldn’t rival the more famous and better-written Pretty Woman. You can't defeat a classic.

1h 51m | Directed by Seth Gordon
 
Starring Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy and John Cho
 
This movie might have stolen the attention at the box office, but it couldn't do so with the audience's memories. Identity Thief was a hit in Melissa McCarthy's filmography, garnering an impressive $174 million, but it might be one of the most forgettable movies she was in. It's not a road trip that anyone remembers today.

2h 00m | Directed by Peter Bogdanovich
 
Starring Cher, Eric Stoltz and Sam Elliott
 
Mask, which many people consider to be one of Peter Bogdanovich's finest films, featured a fantastic ensemble that included actors like Cher and Sam Elliott. Regrettably, the movie hasn't survived into the streaming era despite a respectable return and tremendous critical acclaim. The main reason is presumably the film's limited distribution.

2h 02m | Directed by Justin Lin
 
Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Karl Urban
 
Star Trek Beyond made $343.5 million worldwide, roughly on par with its predecessors. However, the franchise enraged a sizable portion of its audience with public lies about Star Trek Into Darkness and J.J. Abrams' departure from the director's chair, making this movie the underdog of the trilogy.

1h 49m | Directed by Howard Zieff
 
Starring Goldie Hawn, Eileen Brennan and Armand Assante
 
The movie was such a box office hit that it gave rise to a brief sitcom that couldn't equal the comedic rhythm of Private Benjamin. Although the performance of Goldie Hawn got universal praise from everyone, the movie got eclipsed by other comedies of that period, like History of the World, Part I.

1h 51m | Directed by Sidney Poitier
 
Starring Gene Wilder, Richard Pryor and Georg Stanford Brown
 
The comedic team of Wilder and Pryor is one for the ages, and the film showcases each of their strengths to the fullest. Stir Crazy was one of the highest-grossing films despite having a small budget. It made an astounding amount of money. Yet, it created a tremendous impression upon its first release but faded into obscurity after some time.

1h 56m | Directed by Robert Stevenson
 
Starring Hayley Mills, Dean Jones and Dorothy Provine
 
Hayley Mills, the daughter of Sir John Mills, produced six films for Disney before this screwball comic thriller. A significant cast included Roddy McDowall, Ed Wynn, and Elsa Lanchester. Mills was "the" celebrity in 1965 and undoubtedly contributed to the movie earning $28.1 million at the box office.

1h 33m | Directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker
 
Starring Bette Midler, Danny DeVito and Judge Reinhold
 
When you put Danny DeVito in your movie, you know it's going to be great. He brought the needed star power into the film, helping it earn $71.6 million at the box office. Since Ruthless People is a dark comedy distributed through a Disney-affiliated company, it wasn't on the streaming menu.

2h 38m | Directed by Roland Emmerich
 
Starring John Cusack, Thandiwe Newton and Chiwetel Ejiofor
 
Based on mistaken theories about impending Mayan doom, memorability wasn't in anyone's mind when 2012 got produced. But it's unlikely that anyone was severely disappointed, as any film that predicts the end of the world in a particular year isn't going to age like wine. When it mattered, the film did well, earning $791.2 million.

2h 15m | Directed by Tony Gilroy
 
Starring Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz and Edward Norton
 
Directed by Tony Gilroy, The Bourne Legacy is about another CIA operative, not Jason Bourne, and it tries to expand the world with more action and story. It had a modestly successful run at the box office, but the critics and fans weren’t quite so accepting. After this movie, the franchise returned to Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass.

1h 45m | Directed by Adam Shankman
 
Starring Steve Martin, Queen Latifah and Eugene Levy
 
While this movie might have brought in some money at the box office, when it came to bringing in the audience, it wasn't as successful. The weird and quite funny pairing of Steve Martin and Queen Latifah wasn’t quite charming enough to stay in the memories of many watchers. The movie was a box office hit, earning $164.7 million.

1h 55m | Directed by Chuck Russell
 
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Vanessa Williams and James Caan
 
Arnold Schwarzenegger played John Kruger in Eraser, a US Marshall and expert in hiding high-profile individuals in the witness protection program. The movie received a lot of hate and negative reviews from the critics of Hollywood. However, the film did earn an impressive $242.3 million at the box office.

2h 07m | Directed by Rupert Sanders
 
Starring Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron
 
In 2011, audiences responded favorably to this expansive retelling of the Snow White mythos, bringing in nearly $400 million at the box office. However, over the following ten years, the movie gradually slipped into the forgotten category, especially after the underwhelming reception to the Stewart-less sequel discouraged many from revisiting it.

1h 51m | Directed by Herbert Ross
 
Starring Michael J. Fox, Helen Slater and Richard Jordan
 
The Secret Of My Success was fast-paced, entertaining, and epitomized yuppie comedy. It also contributed to capturing the 1980s' materialistic office culture. Fox's acting, which is always outstanding, received positive reviews for the film. Despite that, it never became super-popular following its strong box office return.

1h 35m | Directed by Robert Zemeckis
 
Starring Harrison Ford, Michelle Pfeiffer and Katharine Towne
 
What Lies Beneath was Robert Zemeckis's attempt to create a Hitchcock-like movie in the 2000s. Starring well-known actors like Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer, the film garnered $291.4 million at the box office and mixed reviews from the critics. It’s forgettable, thanks to poor story decisions, horrible horror moments, and more.