20 Great Films That Flopped At The Box Office From ‘Digger’ To ‘Fight Club’ And ‘Citizen Kane’
Don’t worry, Tom Cruise, you’re in great company among iconic films that bombed at the box office, only to eventually find their audience as cult classics.
Cruise’s latest film, Digger, written and directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, hasn’t quite drawn the theater crowds expected for an epic about the world’s most powerful man embarking on a frantic mission to prove he’s humanity’s savior before his own disaster destroys everything.
Despite a stacked cast featuring Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Jesse Plemons, the reported $125 million epic opened to just $8 million domestically and $20 million worldwide. At a current worldwide total of $35 million, it’s fair to say the box office wasn’t quite saved.
Still, box office bumps are hardly unprecedented for eventual classics. While many high-profile stumbles never recover, history shows that some go on to recoup and vastly exceed their original investments. The 1975 midnight phenomenon, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, starring Tim Curry, famously overcame an initial theatrical flop to gross over $120 million since it’s release, against a $1.2 million budget.
Similarly, the Coen brothers’ The Big Lebowski struggled to find its footing during its initial run before turning its $15 million budget into a profitable $48.3 million worldwide victory.
Take a look back at a few other major theatrical misfires that went on to become timeless cult classics.
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DIGGER – 2026
Released: Oct 2, 2026 (US)
Budget:$160M
Opening weekend:$8MGross (US & Canada):$14.4M
Gross (World):$35.3M -
MOTHER! – 2017
Released: Sep 15, 2017 (US)
Budget:$30M
Opening weekend:$7.5MGross (US & Canada):$17.8M
Gross (World):$44.5M -
JENNIFER’S BODY – 2009
Released: Sep 18, 2009 (US)
Budget:$16M
Opening weekend:$6.9MGross (US & Canada):$16.2M
Gross (World):$31.6M -
SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK – 2008
Released:Feb 5, 2009 (NL)
Budget:$20M
Opening weekend:$172.2KGross (US & Canada):$3.1M
Gross (World):$4.7M -
THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU – 2004
Released: Dec 25, 2004 (US)
Budget:$50M
Opening weekend:$113.1KGross (US & Canada):$24M
Gross (World):$34.8M -
DONNIE DARKO – 2001
Released: Jan 19, 2001
Budget:$6M
Opening weekend:$110.5KGross (US & Canada):$2.5M
Gross (World):$8.6M -
FIGHT CLUB – 1999
Released: Oct 15, 1999 (US)
Budget:$63M
Opening weekend:$11MGross (US & Canada):$38M
Gross (World):$102.4M -
THE BIG LEBOWSKI – 1998
Released: Mar 6, 1998 (US)
Budget:$15M
Opening weekend:$5.5MGross (US & Canada):$19.5M
Gross (World):$48.3M -
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION – 1994
Released:Oct 14, 1994 (US)
Budget:$25M
Opening weekend:$727.3KGross (US & Canada):$28.8M
Gross (World):$29.4M -
THE PRINCESS BRIDE – 1987
Released: Oct 9, 1987 (US)
Budget:$16M
Opening weekend:$206.2KGross (US & Canada):$30.9M
Gross (World):$31.1M -
LABYRINTH – 1986
Released:Jun 27, 1986 (US)
Budget:$25M
Opening weekend:$3.5MGross (US & Canada):$13.7M
Gross (World):$16.1M -
BRAZIL – 1985
Released:Dec 18, 1985 (US)
Budget:$15M
Opening weekend:$30.1KGross (US & Canada):$9.9M
Gross (World):$10M -
DUNE – 1984
Released:Dec 14, 1984 (US)
Budget:$40M
Opening weekend:$6MGross (US & Canada):$31.4M
Gross (World):$31.5M -
BLADE RUNNER – 1982
Released: Jun 25, 1982 (US)
Budget:$28M
Opening weekend:$6.2MGross (US & Canada):$32.9M
Gross (World):$41.8M -
THE THING – 1982
Released:Jun 25, 1982 (US)
Budget:$15M
Opening weekend:$3.1MGross (US & Canada):$20.1M
Gross (World):$20.9M -
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW – 1975
Released: Sep 29, 1975 (US)
Budget:$1.2M
Opening weekend:$135KGross (US & Canada):$115.7M
Gross (World):$120.2M -
WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY – 1971
Released:Jun 30, 1971 (US)
Budget:$3M
Opening weekend:$526.6KGross (US & Canada):$2.6M
Gross (World):$2.7M -
THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER – 1955
Released:Jul 27, 1955 (US)
Budget:$795K
Opening Weekend:$6,233Gross (World):$12.8K
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IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE – 1946
Released: Jan 7, 1947 (US)
Budget:$3.2M
Opening weekend:$44KGross (US & Canada):$1.5M
Gross (World):$11.5M -
CITIZEN KANE – 1941
Released:Sep 5, 1941 (US)
Budget:$839.7K
Opening Weekend: $77,134Gross (US & Canada):$1.9M
Gross (World):$2M