10 Movies That Flopped Hard in the 2000s but Were Actually Great

October 25, 2023 10:00 am

Here's a list of 10 movies from the 2000s that didn't quite make the box office cut but are, in fact, downright awesome.

1. Donnie Darko (2001)

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Remember when Jake Gyllenhaal wasn't a Hollywood big shot? In Donnie Darko, he's a troubled teen seeing a psychiatrist for his dark visions. One of these visions, a monstrous rabbit named Frank, tells him the world will end in 28 days. Throughout the film, Donnie wrestles with these visions while also navigating teenage life. There are weird time loops, airplane engine crashes, and creepy bunnies. With a budget of $4.5 million, Donnie Darko initially made only $7.5 million at the box office, having become iconic years later.

2. Sunshine (2007)

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Imagine being cooped up in a spaceship with a handful of people and your only job is to reignite the sun. No pressure, right? That's the task of the "Icarus II" crew in Danny Boyle's Sunshine. All goes well until they decide to pick up a distress signal from "Icarus I", the ship that failed the same mission seven years earlier. From that point, it's a string of malfunctions, mistakes, and sabotage. All the sci-fi tropes you love are here – claustrophobia, existential questions, and fiery explosions. Despite its brilliance, it made only $32 million against a $40 million budget.

3. Grindhouse (2007)

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If you love Tarantino and Rodriguez, this double-feature was a treat that many skipped. First up, Death Proof, where Kurt Russell is a stuntman who uses his car to murder young women. Second, Planet Terror, a zombie apocalypse flick where Rose McGowan gets a machine gun leg (and it's as awesome as it sounds, yes). It's action-packed, gory, and incredibly self-aware. Although a cool concept, the film only grossed about $25 million against a $53 million budget.

4. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

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Before RDJ became Tony Stark, he was Harry Lockhart in this neo-noir comedy. A small-time thief turned actor, Harry teams up with private investigator Gay Perry to solve a murder mystery. In typical Shane Black fashion, it's a web of interconnected crimes, mistaken identities, and sarcastic quips. Val Kilmer, playing Gay Perry, absolutely steals the show. Almost criminally underrated, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang made only $15.8 million at the time against a $15 million budget.

5. Frailty (2001)

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Directed by and starring Bill Paxton, Frailty is a psychological thriller that keeps you guessing. Paxton plays Dad, a loving father who one day tells his sons he's been visited by an angel. This angel has given him a list of demons disguised as people, and guess what? Dad and his sons have to kill them. One son, Adam, believes his dad; the other, Fenton, thinks he's gone mad. Frailty ended up its theatrical run with a worldwide total of $17.4 million against a $11 million budget.

6. The Fountain (2006)

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Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain is a somewhat bizarre tale of love and immortality told across three timelines. First, you've got Tomás, a conquistador looking for the Tree of Life. Then there's Tommy, a scientist trying to find a cure for his wife's cancer. Lastly, there's a bald Tom floating through space with a tree (just go with it). All played by Hugh Jackman. Its $35 million budget only brought in $16 million, which is a darn shame for such a visually arresting film.

7. Children of Men (2006)

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Imagine a future where women can't get pregnant. Sounds like a nightmare, right? Well, Clive Owen plays Theo, who's tasked with protecting a woman who's miraculously pregnant. The world's in chaos, governments are collapsing, and people are desperate for a glimmer of hope. Its box office gross of $70.5 million didn't do justice to its $76 million budget, but this movie remains a must-watch.

8. A Scanner Darkly (2006)

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This one's a trip – literally. The film uses rotoscoping to give it a trippy animated look. Starring Keanu Reeves, it's set in a future where a new drug called Substance D has swept the nation. Reeves plays an undercover cop spying on his friends to find the source. It's a downward spiral into addiction and paranoia. It barely scraped together $7.7 million against a $8.7 million budget, but it's a visual trip worth taking, if only for Keanu.

9. The Fall (2006)

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A paralyzed stuntman tells a fantastical story to a young migrant girl in a Los Angeles hospital in the 1920s. The lines between the story and reality blur as the film progresses. With exotic locations spanning 20 countries and no CGI, every frame is a painting. However, the artistry didn't pay off financially – it only grossed $3.7 million against a $30 million budget.

10. Idiocracy (2006)

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This satirical sci-fi comedy tells the story of Joe, an average guy, and Rita, a prostitute, who participate in a hibernation experiment. They wake up 500 years later to find society has dumbed down to an alarming degree. Now the smartest people alive, they try to fix things. At the box office, it was a complete dud, earning just under half a million against a $2.4 million budget. And yet, years later, Idiocracy gained almost a cult-like status.