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Classic films that tanked at the box-office

post #1 of 61
7/23/05 at 2:09pm
Thread Starter 
Reading up on Tim Burton's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (which is doing great business) where the original (now condsidered a classic by many) didn't do well at all at the boxoffice back in 1971 grossing little more than $1,000,000.

This was also true of "Once Upon a Time in the West" (which is screening at the Arclight this coming Wed in L.A.) this film also did very poorly in theaters but is now considered a classic.

How many classic films are there that were box-office bombs?
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post #2 of 61
7/23/05 at 2:16pm
Didn't "The Wizard of Oz" not do too well at the Box Office at the time? Also, "It's A Wonderful Life"? "Fight Club"
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post #3 of 61
7/23/05 at 2:18pm
How many classic films are there that were box-office bombs?

The list is longer than you think with some exceptional films. Just a few off the top of my head.

The Night of the Hunter
Ace in the Hole/The Big Carnival
It's a Wonderful Life
The Alamo
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post #4 of 61
7/23/05 at 2:24pm
I forgot High Noon and The Ox-Bow Incident. Again, this list is very long and you can have a field day naming such films.
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post #5 of 61
7/23/05 at 2:27pm
Blade Runner is a big one.
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post #6 of 61
7/23/05 at 2:42pm
there have been many down thru the years,
but Hulk was the last one i recall
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post #7 of 61
7/23/05 at 2:43pm
The Wizard of Oz did not tank by any means. The film was the most expensive made at MGM up to that time, and did very well in most of the venues it played. It didn't make a profit for the studio, however, until a re-release after WWII.
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post #8 of 61
7/23/05 at 2:47pm
The Wizard of Oz did not tank by any means. The film was the most expensive made at MGM up to that time, and did very well in most of the venues it played. It didn't make a profit for the studio, however, until a re-release after WWII.

From what I've read about The Wizard of Oz, MGM thought this film wasn't going to be a big box office, but hoped to break even on it. However, it took 20 years for it to recoup it's investment in the film which was helped by repeated viewings on television.
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post #9 of 61
7/23/05 at 2:52pm
The Shawshank Redemption
Blade Runner
Fight Club
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post #10 of 61
7/23/05 at 6:08pm
The King of Comedy
Office Space
Once Upon a Time in America
Rudy
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post #11 of 61
7/23/05 at 6:21pm
Carpenter's The Thing
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post #12 of 61
7/23/05 at 6:48pm
I thought Cinderella Man was really good and it did not do well.
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post #13 of 61
7/23/05 at 7:02pm
Once Upon a Time in America


I was going to say that but the version that premiered in America and got such a low gross would not have become a classic.
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post #14 of 61
7/23/05 at 9:04pm
Citizen Kane is a big one, as is 12 Angry Men.

Several Disney films that are now regarded highly by audiences flopped in their original release, including Fantasia.
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post #15 of 61
7/23/05 at 9:37pm
As someone else mentioned. "Its a Wonderful Life" was not well recieved by the critics. And now its a classic.
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post #16 of 61
7/23/05 at 9:52pm
"The Rocky Horror Picture Show". Wasn't it not initially a success but became HUGE when introduced in Midnight re-releases in theaters.
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post #17 of 61
7/23/05 at 10:11pm
It did not take 20 years to recoup the investment......the film was in the black after the 1949 re-release. And the box office returns in 1939, while not Gone With the Wind numbers, made MGM happy. This is well documented in every Oz book written, and I'm sure it will be discussed in John Fricke's new commentary.
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post #18 of 61
7/23/05 at 10:21pm
Vertigo is a notable one that didn't do all that well either critically or financially on its first release.
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post #19 of 61
7/23/05 at 10:38pm
It did not take 20 years to recoup the investment......the film was in the black after the 1949 re-release. And the box office returns in 1939, while not Gone With the Wind numbers, made MGM happy. This is well documented in every Oz book written, and I'm sure it will be discussed in John Fricke's new commentary.

Well, I have a book by The Hollywood Reporter about box office hits that says it took 20 years, but either way, the film was in the red after its initial theatrical run in 1939.
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post #20 of 61
7/24/05 at 5:58am
'Blade runner' and I'm glad it tanked big time, otherwise we would've had 3 bad sequels by now.
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post #21 of 61
7/24/05 at 7:48am
I thought Cinderella Man was really good and it did not do well.


That's probably due to the movie's title.
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post #22 of 61
7/24/05 at 8:30am
Though I doubt "Cinderella Man" will ever be considered a classic. There are lots of "good" movies that don't do well for one reason or another. We're talking about those that have gone on to have a life beyond death.
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post #23 of 61
7/24/05 at 8:38am
DUCK SOUP (1933), now widely considered to be the Marx Bros. best film as well as one of the greatest comedies ever made, bombed at the box office.
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post #24 of 61
7/24/05 at 9:17am
Highlander is a pretty obvious one.

Jason
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post #25 of 61
7/24/05 at 9:27am
I woundn't say Highlander is a classic, its a great film but I don't think it has reached classic status.
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post #26 of 61
7/24/05 at 9:35am
Quote:
I woundn't say Highlander is a classic, its a great film but I don't think it has reached classic status.


Maybe not among film buffs, but among sci-fi/fantasy fans, it is a classic.

I'd probably put Gattica on the list as well.

Jason
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post #27 of 61
7/24/05 at 10:19am
Gattaca is THE sci-fi film of the 90s.
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post #28 of 61
7/24/05 at 10:32am
Citizen Kane is often cited as a movie that bombed critically and financially. As far as I can recall, it did respectable business worldwide and made a profit (albeit not a large one). Plus, it won an Oscar for best screenplay, and was nominated for best actor, art direction, cinematography, director, editing, film score, picture, and sound editing, Hardly the sign of a flop.

Back on topic:

Playtime (Jaques Tati)
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post #29 of 61
7/24/05 at 10:48am
The Magnificent Ambersons? (I mean it's listed for preservation and all)
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post #30 of 61
7/24/05 at 11:42am
Quote:
Citizen Kane is often cited as a movie that bombed critically and financially.


I thought Citizen Kane did very well critically, except, maybe, by those critics employed by Hearst.
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