10 Fantasy Movies That Bombed At The Box Office But Had Comebacks Later

Fantasy is a genre riff on cult classics, meaning that There are many fantasy movies that bombed at the box office but made a comeback, And came to be beloved by audiences later. Underrated fantasy movies from the 1970s and 1980s are especially common in this category, as many of them come across as tacky due to being produced before the advent of modern CGI. That’s not to say there aren’t some recent fantasy movies that flopped for a variety of reasons before people discovered their merits.

Even movies with hilariously unconvincing practical effects have come to be appreciated for their wacky charm and heartwarming spirit. As animation is taken more seriously in Hollywood, some underrated animated fantasy movies are also gaining more attention and praise. For a long time, fantasy was a difficult genre to integrate into highbrow entertainment Due to the extensive world-building and massive production costs, while box office challenges today make things difficult for all movies. However, despite the circumstances at the time of release, some fantasy movies made surprising comebacks.

10

Labyrinth (1986)

Domestic gross: $13.7 million | Worldwide total: $14.6 million

Labyrinth Has all the trappings of a standard fairy tale: a heroine who makes a wish she wants to take back, a purely evil villain, lots of magical creatures, etc. Labyrinth Didn’t quite land with audience Back in the day. His biggest selling point is David Bowie, which was undoubtedly the point of casting a musical star as the Goblin King. Although it was considered one of the best Jim Henson Creature Shop movies, Labyrinth is also disconnected in comparison to the Muppets movies working with an established premise.

of course Labyrinth It’s a better movie to watch at home anyway. The adorable Muppets-like goblins aren’t nearly as terrifying as the story makes them out to be, while Sarah’s adventure is too simple to hold in a theater. however, Labyrinth Works well as an indulgent fantasy adventure Where the point is not for it to be scary but fun. It has become a kind of comforting dose of nostalgia from the days of the golden age of Jim Henson.

9

Hocus Pocus (1993)

Domestic gross: $49.3 million | Worldwide total: $50.8 million

Hocus Pocus is also too clichéd and too wacky to serve as a huge box office success. It was also released in the summer of 1993, apparently aiming to be a summer blockbuster, which is completely unclear with the sorting of the movie. Hocus Pocus Important Legacy is in being a goofy Halloween classic, And trying to hit Summerween notes didn’t work for him. Once people figured it was perfect for the Halloween season, Hocus Pocus Taken off as a cult classic.

Hocus Pocus is brought up (or watched on Disney + Nowadays) every year for Halloween parties, delighting viewers of all ages with the laugh-out-loud antics of the Sanderson sisters. The performances of the main trio are perfect, while all the most typical Halloween iconography creates an overblown holiday aesthetic. Hocus Pocus is a movie that is not meant to be taken too seriously, Which is part of the reason the sequel didn’t work and Hocus Pocus 3 is a bad idea.

8

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Domestic gross: $113 million | Worldwide total: $115.7 million

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a strange, out-of-this-world experience, which is what made it an incredible cult classic. Like many strange fantasy movies, Rocky horror Flopped when it first came out largely because it was too funny. Over time, there was an ardent fan base that loved it for just that reason, leading to interactive and theatrical screenings that are still happening today. Tim Carrey’s performance as Dr. Frank-N-Furter may be the only one more iconic than the Sanderson Sisters in the realm of campy horror movies.

Larushka Ivan-zade tells (by BBC) the deep history of Rocky HorrorFrom a forgotten musical play to a box office flop to the title that “[defines] What we mean by a ‘cult’ movie,” As well as the importance for LGBTQ+ people and communities. Ivan Zade also noticed that Rocky horror Faced several challenges during the pandemic when it could not be screened in traditional cinemas. however, It is unlikely that Rocky horror will ever fade In understanding.

7

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Domestic gross: $93.3 million | Worldwide total: $208.2 million

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves became a Netflix favorite after its box office failure, demonstrating an equally tumultuous setting for fantasy movies in the modern day. It was definitely meant to be a comedic, enjoyable action movie that was never going to win any awards, with stars like Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez and Regé-Jean Page thrown in for good measure. however, Honor among thieves Proves that pure enjoyment is not likely to make a profit Now.

With many people expect that Honor among thieves would be available for streaming before too long, they probably wrote it off as not important enough to see in theaters. With so many bad movies based on IP coming out, potential audience has reason to believe that Honor among thieves Wouldn’t be anything special. Still the movie has shockingly high ratings; Once the price of a ticket is no longer standing in this way, Honor among thieves Became a fan favorite of D&D players and fans of the actors.

6

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Domestic gross: $87.6 million | Worldwide total: $101.7 million

The Nightmare Before Christmas Not technically a box office flop, just a disappointment for the Disney executives. With a budget of $24 million and needing to make two and a half times that much to break even, The Nightmare Before Christmas turned a modest profit. The Netflix documentary The movies that made us Still characterizes this as an unremarkable opening, while widespread adoration of The Nightmare Before Christmas’ Aesthetics and music came later.

Disney’s working relationship with Tim Burton has long fluctuated, as executives never understood his spooky visions and shelved The Nightmare Before Christmas Biz Burton became very successful working with other studios. The results of The Nightmare Before Christmas Arguably come down to both sides of the argument. The movie wasn’t the massive box office hit Disney was hoping for, but they’ve undoubtedly made all the money back over the years through merchandise because of its incredible legacy.

5

Stardust (2007)

Domestic gross: $38.6 million | Worldwide total: $137.5 million

Stardest is nowhere near as composed or sophisticated as CoralineThe other major movie adaptation of one of fantasy legend Neil Gaiman’s novels. The book Stardest is also much darker than the movie, Delving more into the violent and sexual aspects of the story. Die-hard fans of the novel would have been disappointed by the unfaithful adaptation, while those who knew nothing about the source material probably found it cheap. At this point, high-quality CGI was present in Hollywood, however StardestIts effects look like cartoon slapstick.

Once you pass the cheesiest parts of StardestIt is an immensely enjoyable and even romantic movie. Robert De Niro’s performance as Captain Shakespeare is a highlight that no one remembers, while the story plays with the conventions of the fairy tale romance in a surprisingly good way. Stardest showcases an idealized romance that goes wrong against one based on unconditional love, With some beautiful settings and costumes as a backdrop.

4

Hugo (2011)

Domestic gross: $73.8 million | Worldwide total: $185.8 million

The idea of ​​Martin Sorcese directs Hugo May have raised a few eyebrows at the time. The legendary creator of crime sagas suddenly appealing to adapt a whimsical classic children’s novel about the story of a groundbreaking French filmmaker would have been news. It’s not like though Hugos “failure” will last long As soon as it was back with Scoorsese’s usual sweep of Oscar nominations, everyone started paying attention to it.

Issues with marketing a movie that may not appeal to all ages possibly contributed to its failure. Hugo‘s box office flop is also attributed to competition with The Muppets And The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (via The Los Angeles Times). It was later established by movie critics and the Academy that Hugo is a visually stunning masterpiece Which tells a powerful story about finding family and the history of cinema, making it a success in the long run.

3

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)

Domestic gross: $33.4 million | Worldwide total: $51.7 million

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World It flopped for all the reasons one might expect: it was too campy and too weird, full of references that only a select number of people would get and stars who weren’t as famous then as they are now. Lisa Laman also argues (via Collider) that marketing made the mistake of only advertising it to the nerd culture the movie most appeals to through Comic-Con rather than trying to get the word out to the rest of the public. yet Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Eventually became the emblem of the nerd culture That grew beyond this demographic.

Laman also argues that as the conservatively considered to be geeky became much more popular, more people were able to enjoy the references of the movie. The star also became a lot more famous, allowing the movie to draw attention from the fans of Chris Evans, Brie Larson, Kieran Culkin and Anna Kendrick. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World has always been loved by video game, anime and Edgar Wright fans, Which allowed it to gather its cult after its initial release until even more people loved it.

2

Treasure Planet (2002)

Domestic gross: $38.2 million | Worldwide total: $110 million

Treasure Planet is one of Disney’s most expensive failures that exists in the same cult classic realm as The Black Cauldron – but is arguably the better movie. Treasure Planet has a strong narrative, As it is essentially Treasure Island With a more uplifting ending. The visuals are beautifully dynamic, showing the cosmos through which the characters sail in a setting that is technically sci-fi but is still imbued with a bit of classic Disney fantasy.

These are all things that people loved Treasure Planet In the years after its release. However, at the time, Treasure Planet was a major box office bomb due to its expensive production costs and competition with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. In the post-Disney Renaissance days, the traditional 2D cell animation of Disney’s regular animated movies was struggling To keep up with Pixar turning out hit after hit, and Treasure Planet is one of the victims.

1

The Princess Bride (1987)

Domestic gross: $30.8 million | Worldwide total: $31 million

Everyone loves The Princess Bride, Still held in high regard as possibly the best fantasy cult classic of all time. The plot is not that of an epic fantasy and demonstrates some confusing motivations at some points, but this is not the type of movie that needs to adhere to strict logic. Robin Wright, Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin’s performances are iconic, while all the superficial elements of the story – the costumes, the jokes, and definitely the action – are absolutely perfect.

It’s hard to imagine that the classic adventure filled with some of the most quotable lines in cinematic history was ever considered a disappointment. When it first came out, The Princess Bride Got strong reviews but was only a “modest” Business success (via BFI). Director Rob Reiner said:

“I think we had a real marketing problem with Princess Bride. It was hard to categorize, and I think the title also scared a lot of people. It sounded like a children’s fairy or something.”

yet The Princess Bride And many other fantasy movies took years to come, when a typical theatrical release didn’t give movie fans enough time to appreciate all they had to offer.

Source: boxofficemojo.com, BBC, The Los Angeles Times, Collider, BFI