Money vs Quality: Top 5 Movie Flops That Actually Deserve More Recognition
Despite their low earnings, these five made a mark in the history of cinema.
Financial success doesn't always equate to quality. And the lack of the former doesn't mean a movie is bad. Sometimes movies that flop at the box office are just as good, if not better, than the hits that make hundreds of millions. These five are prime examples.
Runaway Train (1985, 7.2 on IMDb)
Andrei Konchalovsky's action thriller revolves around two convicted fugitives and a young woman who, after the death of the train's driver, find themselves stuck on the vehicle barreling through Alaska in an unknown direction with no one to save them. The characters' lives hang in the balance as they don't know if each minute brings them closer to salvation or death. The film grossed only $7.7 million against a $9 million budget, but was nominated for three Academy Awards.
Children of Men (2006, 7.9 on IMDb)
Adapted from P.D. James' novel of the same name, this dystopian action thriller tells the story of a world where humanity is suddenly struck with infertility. Anarchy ensues as the usual world order gradually collapses, and all of mankind has only one hope of survival – a pregnant woman sought by various factions of the new powers. Theo Faron, a British bureaucrat, signs up to help her, not realizing how much danger he is putting himself in. The movie underperformed at the box office, earning $70.5 million against a budget of $76 million.
Blade Runner (1982, 8.1 on IMDb)
Ridley Scott's sci-fi thriller is set in 2019, which at the time seemed like the distant future. In the movie, real humans exploit replicants, synthetic humans created for hard labor in space colonies, but one day a group of replicants escape and return to Earth, and police officer Rick Deckard is sent to hunt them down and learn what their motives may be. Blade Runner grossed only $41.8 million against a $30 million budget.
The Thing (1982, 8.2 on IMDb)
John Carpenter's sci-fi horror centers on a group of American researchers in Antarctica who encounter an alien life form during one of their missions. The Thing, as they call it, can assimilate and imitate other organisms, including the researchers themselves. Fearing that it may be among them, they develop paranoia and distrust of each other, causing chaos within the group. The film only made $19.9 million against a $15 million budget.
Once Upon a Time in America (1984, 8.3 on IMDb)
Sergio Leone's classic stars Robert De Niro and James Woods as Noodles Aaronson and Max Bercovicz, who rise to fame in their youth as Jewish gangsters who control New York's organized crime during the Prohibition era. Filled with crime, this is a tale of a devout friendship that resulted in the characters giving their lives for each other. The cult film earned only $5.5 million against a $30 million budget.