Famous Movie Box Office Belly Flops

With the mind-blowing success of The Avengers (not like we didn’t see it coming…) I got to thinking about the poor little movies that didn’t make the box office bust, but eventually wormed their way into becoming cult classics despite their disappointing openers.

If you’re an 80’s freak like me, certainly “Heathers,” “This is Spinal Tap,” “Howard the Duck,” and “Labrynth” come to mind. Perhaps you’ve even think of “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.” (And if you do, I applaud you, that one of my favorite more obscure cult classics.)

But did you know that “The Shawshank Redemption,” “Fight Club,” “The Fifth Element,” and “Scarface” were also first run flops? Even “Citizen Kane,” a film now touted as an American cinema classic, was originally a box office bust.

Among the most famous film duds turned cult classic is the “The Big Lebowski” which now has fans gathering annually in Louisville for movie viewings, bowling parties, and dude mayhem at “Lebowski Fest.”




Also joining the ranks of premiere washouts are "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "The Wiz," and "Office Space," ... which if you haven't seen, you'll still likely recognize the names due to their after-opener cult status.

What's your favorite movie belly flop?  As long as you don't say "Barbarella" we can still remain chums...