Sci-fi, perhaps more than any other genre, lends itself to producing cult classics.
These films and many others demonstrate that time can reshape perceptions.
Indeed,many beloved sci-fi movieswere actually critical duds or box office failures when they first came out.
Image by Zanda Rice
Here are ten that bombed at the box office only to later become cult classics.
“A Scanner Darklyis a roto-scoped dystopian sci-fi from the great Richard Linklater (Before Sunrise, Boyhood).
It takes place in a future where the war on drugs has escalated to an all-time high.
Image via Warner Bros.
Nevertheless,A Scanner Darklyhas a small but growing following of devoted fans.
In time, it looks like more audiences will appreciate its depth, experimentation, and undeniable uniqueness.
Lena’s husband, Kane (Oscar Isaac),is the only person to enter and return.
Heck, evenBarack Obamais a fan.
8Titan A.E.
It’s circling the drain.
Image via Netflix
“Titan A.E.is an animated sci-fi adventure targeted toward adult audiences, something one doesn’t see every day.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t really a mass audience for this kind of film at the time.
I can get you anything.
The story kicks into gear after he stumbles upon a recording that implicates powerful figures in a heinous crime.
This isSolarismeets28 Days Later, with major slasher movie vibes thrown in for the third act.
The film is very reflective,drawing on sourceslikeA Clockwork Orangeand the writings of philosopherSlavoj Zizek.
Image via 20th Century Fox
3Event Horizon (1997)
Directed by Paul W.S.
A decade beforeSunshinetread similar ground, this horror movie successfully fused old-fashioned scares with a sci-fi setting.
Fortunately, it sold well on home video and has developed a cult following.
And then it’s won.”
Critics were also initially icy toward the film.
Image via 20th Century Fox
Image via United International Pictures
Strange Days is a dystopian science fiction thriller set in the closing days of 1999 Los Angeles, where an ex-cop turned street hustler sells illegal virtual reality experiences. As society teeters on the edge of chaos, he becomes entwined in an underworld conspiracy involving murder and corruption that challenges his ideals.
Image via Fox Searchlight Pictures
Image via Universal Pictures
Image Via Paramount Pictures
Image via Warner Bros.
Image via Universal Pictures
