For every major film studio, box office success is the key goal. Any movie that premiers in theaters is expected to make millions of dollars. After all, financiers tend to invest a lot of money, not only in production but also in marketing. Regrettably, success is never guaranteed in an industry where audiences are spoilt for choice. Some projects flop, messing up the accounting books and disappointing the directors.
Surprisingly, there were unusual times when movies flopped at the box office but made enough money in the home media market to enable them to become profitable. In the age of streaming services, this phenomenon is rare.
But back when films were only released on discs after their theatrical runs, some of the projects reached more people through movie stores and online marketplaces. Consequently, the box office flops broke even or made more money than the studios had anticipated.
10 Idiocracy (2006)
Idiocracy
- Release Date
- September 1, 2006
- Runtime
- 84
In Idiocracy, United States Army librarian Joe Bauers Joe Bowers (Luke Wilson) is selected to participate in a military-suspended animation experiment. As he is in a state of stasis, the facility gets shut down because of a scandal, and he is forgotten. When he finally wakes up in 2505, he discovers that the average human intelligence has decreased so much that he is now the smartest alive. When the president finds out about this, he appoints him secretary of the interior and tasks him with solving every problem the government is facing.
A Silly Yet Intellectually-Stimulating Film
Idiocracy’s other cast members include popular actors like Terry Crews and Maya Rudolph, yet audiences never felt it was worth a ticket. Upon its release, it only made a dismal $444,093. Thankfully, comedy and sci-fi fans later got word of how brilliantly the film tackled the themes of consumerism, anti-intellectualism, dysgenics, commercialism, and overpopulation. After the DVD release, the revenue ballooned to $9.09 million, about eight times its budget.
9 Dredd (2012)
Dredd
- Release Date
- September 7, 2012
- Director
- Pete Travis
- Cast
- Karl Urban , Rachel Wood , Andile Mngadi , Porteus Xandau Steenkamp , Jason Cope , Emma Breschi
- Runtime
- 96
Before Karl Urban starred in one of the greatest R-rated superhero shows, he was Judge Dredd in Dredd. His character exists in the dystopian city of Mega City One where law enforcement officers are known as “judges,” and are granted carte blanche to act as judge, jury, and executioner. After getting paired up with the rookie, Cassandra (Olivia Thirlby), Dredd chooses to go after the notorious drug lord, Ma-Ma (Lena Headey).
Ghosts from the Past?
Dredd made $41 million, against a budget of $45 million. Various factors could be blamed for the failure. According to Karl Urban, it was all because of the lack of marketing. He claimed there was “zero audience awareness,” adding that “Dredd represents a failure in marketing, not filmmaking.” The audience phobia could also be tied to the fact that the previous Dredd movie starring Sylvester Stallone was extremely underwhelming. Why pay to say another?
Perspectives changed when the movie hit the DVD market. Audiences quickly realized this was a much better adaptation with great performances, mindblowing special effects, deadpan humor, and good old-fashioned beatdowns. The film topped Amazon’s home media charts, and in the UK, sales were even higher, thanks to a rumor that a sequel was being planned.
8 Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World introduces audiences to the young and talented bass guitarist Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) as he is seeking ways to make himself an A-list star. Thanks to his work, he has no problem getting romantic partners. However, things become complicated when he starts dating the Amazon courier, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Her seven exes gang up against him, doing everything to prevent him from being with her.
Not Just Another Romantic Action Comedy Movie
The film only made $49.3 million, way below its $85 million budget, but cinemagoers who might have snubbed it, thinking it was just another romantic action comedy, were soon proved wrong. Critics widely praised Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World for its transmedia narrative, while award bodies quickly recognized its awesomeness, granting it 59 nominations. Having heard good things about it, many people purchased the DVD, resulting in sales of over $30 million.
7 Donnie Darko (2001)
Donnie Darko
- Release Date
- October 26, 2001
- Director
- Richard Kelly
- Runtime
- 113
Events in Donnie Darko kick off during the 1988 American presidential election. Teenager Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) sleepwalks out of his home one night and bumps into a monstrous demonic-looking rabbit-like figure named Frank, who informs him that armageddon will happen in precisely 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. When he heads back home, he finds out that a jet engine crashed into his bedroom, hence he might have been killed. Baffled, he sets out to uncover the mystery surrounding the previous occurrences.
External Factors Were to Blame
Donnie Darko was widely praised for its emotionally rejuvenating plot, so why did it perform so poorly? Jake Gyllenhaal wasn’t a well-known actor at the time. Worse still, the film’s intended advertising material included a crashing plane, something that would have been considered appropriate since the September 11 attacks had occurred the same year. There was, therefore, no proper marketing, resulting in a dismal $517,000 gross. Fortunes later changed. After a few years, the sci-fi psychological thriller had grossed over $10 million in home video sales.
6 Showgirls (1995)
Showgirls
- Release Date
- September 22, 1995
- Runtime
- 131 Minutes
Way before Jennifer Lopez examined the world of exotic dancing in Hustlers, there was Showgirls, an awe-inspiring film about chasing the American dream. The story mainly revolves around Nomi (Elizabeth Berkley), an aspiring showgirl who moves to Las Vegas to chase opportunities. Things begin looking for her when she gets a job at a popular strip club and befriends the popular Stardust Hotel employee Molly (Gina Ravera).
Another meeting with Stardust’s best dancer, Cristal (Gina Gershon), and her boyfriend, Zack (Kyle MacLachlan places her much closer to glory, but she soon learns the dark side of the business.
The Nature of the Content
As is the case with many other Paul Verhoeven movies, Showgirls has numerous explicit scenes. It thus earned itself an NC-17 rating, becoming the first film under such a classification to be given a widespread theatrical release. Understandably, the audience restriction messed with the money taps, hence only $37.8 million was made at the box office against a budget of $40 million.
Thankfully, MGM didn’t have to worry too much about the failure to break even. Most people would prefer to watch this kind of film privately, so the numbers shot up when the home media option became available. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the film grossed a whopping $100 million in DVD sales.
5 John Carter (2012)
After finding success with the Pixar animated films Finding Nemo and WALL-E, director Andrew Stanton chose to go the live-action route with John Carter. Based on the first installment in the Barsoom series of fictional novels, the sci-fi action flick follows Confederate army captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) as he tries to stop civil unrest between warring kingdoms of Mars.
Signs of Doom Were There
According to Vulture, various Disney insiders had spotted signs of doom way before the film was released. An executive described it as having one of “the worst marketing campaigns in the history of film,” since no one knew who John Carter was, yet close to $300 million had been spent on the budget. Still, the optimism made sense since the script had been penned by Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Chabon.
The movie was also made when big-budget blockbusters, notably those from Marvel Studios, were all doing well. Surprisingly, most theater seats remained empty. Despite that, the film performed extremely well in home media, making $36 million in just its first week alone.
4 The Wolfman (2010)
The Wolfman stars Anthony Hopkins as an aristocrat who returns to his ancestral home of Blackmoor after many years to find his missing brother. He does so at the request of his brother’s fiancé, but upon setting foot in the region, he learns about an ancient curse turning residents into werewolves every time the moon rises. Unwilling to allow the menace to continue, he seeks ways to stop it.
An Oscar Win
Anthony Hopkins can do no wrong. And when Benicio Del Toro is also in the picture, the result is expected to be spectacular. Well, The Wolfman has incredible performances. Additionally, the characters fit so well within their surroundings that the movie was awarded the Oscar for Best Makeup.
Critics were divided and audiences were initially skeptical too. Despite being hoisted by a heavy $150 million financial war chest, the gothic horror only made $142 million. Thankfully, it still broke even after making $27.8 million in domestic video sales.
3 Heathers (1988)
Heathers
- Release Date
- March 31, 1989
- Director
- Michael Lehmann
- Runtime
- 103
Standing up to bullies is advisable, which Veronica (Winona Ryder) initially does in Heathers. However, things turn dark when she and her new boyfriend, J.D. (Christian Slater), confront her school’s ‘mean girls’ clique leader, Heather Chandler (Kim Walker). Heather dies, so they fake a suicide. Thinking the matter is settled, Veronica soon realizes that J.D. has been deliberately killing students he hates.
Critics Initially Hated It
Critic reviews always affect box office figures, and Heathers initially suffered from heavy panning. Many reviews praised how the film highlighted teen anguish, but they poured vitriol on the excessive levels of violence. Contemporary reviews would show critical acclaim, prompting a DVD release in 1999. Having, initially, only made $1.1 million at the box office, the black comedy found itself in numerous homes and raked in over $5.5 million.
2 Office Space (1999)
In Office Space, Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston), a disgruntled programmer at a Texas-based software company, begins attending hypnotherapy sessions to help him avoid depression. One day, his therapist dies before snapping Peter out of his blissful state. This causes him to be carefree and unruly, to the point where he and his friends plot to take down the company using a computer virus.
Adored by Celebrities
With its mixture of witty one-liners and corporate-appropriate themes, Office Space sure is a game. It was thus shocking for it to only make $10.8 million against a production budget of $10 million. Director Mike Judge might have frowned at these figures, but good things were coming.
According to the man himself, the movie became so big that Jim Carrey and Chris Rock personally called to offer praise. Madonna invited him to dinner too. At the end of it all, the film had made an extra $10 million in video sales.
1 Fight Club (1999)
Fight Club
- Release Date
- October 15, 1999
- Runtime
- 139
In Fight Club, a depressed unnamed white-collar employee (Edward Norton) suffering from extreme insomnia befriends the soap salesman Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) and decides to form an underground club with him as a way to escape their woes. Participants include fellow men who are fed up with their lives. After a while, both friends fall for the same woman, resulting in one of cinema’s greatest love triangles.
Marketing Squabbles
Fight Club has been re-released several times after witnessing cult growth, but during its original theatrical run, it only grossed $37 million against a $65 million production budget. To date, David Fincher and producer Art Linton believe that the studio’s poor marketing strategy is to blame, notably, the decision to air the commercials during WWE events. This watered down the film’s true appeal, which lay in its social satire elements.
For the home media release, Fincher supervised everything, making him one of the first-ever filmmakers to actively participate in a film’s DVD release. His efforts paid off and, according to Variety, the movie went on to make approximately $55 million in video and DVD rentals.
