Blade Runner 2049 and 4 Other Brilliant Movies That Failed at the Box Office
Films with vivid stories of failure and incredible future success.
It's hard to believe, but many films that we now consider classics were not successful when they were first released. In fact, most of them did not live up to financial expectations, crashing and burning at the box office.
1. Children of Men, 2006
Alfonso Cuarón's dark, post-apocalyptic drama, shot by Emmanuel Lubezki, often appears on top lists of the 21st century's best films – and deservedly so.
Despite the critical acclaim, however, the film barely managed to recoup its budget. With production costs of $76 million, it collected only $36 million in the US and another $70 million worldwide. However, Cuarón did not have to be upset about this injustice for long. Six years later, he got his revenge with Gravity.
2. The Iron Giant, 1999
Almost no list of the best animated movies of all time is complete without Brad Bird's film about the friendship between a boy and a giant robot, The Iron Giant.
However, viewers did not immediately recognize this masterpiece. The year it was released, 1999, the film became one of Warner Bros.' biggest flops, grossing only $20 million on a $70 million budget.
3. Blade Runner 2049, 2017
Similar to the original film, Blade Runner 2049 quickly gained cult status among fans of thoughtful science fiction. However, it was a box office flop.
With a budget of $150 million, the film failed to reach even $100 million in the US. Only its worldwide gross allowed it to break even.
Blade Runner 2049 is a huge achievement in cinematography, perhaps the most artistically expressive science fiction film of the decade. However, viewers were clearly put off by the length and measured pace of director Denis Villeneuve.
4. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, 2007
Andrew Dominik's film is considered one of the greatest revisionist Westerns of the 21st century and one of cinematographer Roger Deakins's greatest achievements.
The film has long held cult status in niche circles. However, at the time, the melancholic and leisurely film, with its lengthy 160-minute runtime, failed to connect with viewers.
Despite its $30 million budget, the film grossed only $4 million in the US and an additional $15 million worldwide. Not even the participation of A-list star Brad Pitt, who plays the legendary outlaw Jesse James, helped.
5. Fight Club, 1999
David Fincher's Fight Club, now an icon, didn't resonate with the public at the time. The problem wasn't the film itself but rather the bizarre marketing campaign that 20th Century Fox ran.
While Fincher wanted to market the film boldly and provocatively, Fox chose to focus on the word "Fight" in the title and promote the film at boxing matches and other martial arts events.