Success in Hollywood is a game of roulette. It takes a combination of script, production team, talent, and promotion to produce a hit film. All the boxes checked doesn’t guarantee a successful run at the box office. Even if a movie receives the title “box office bomb,” its fate isn’t sealed. Now and then, a film gains a dedicated following and earns the moniker of “cult classic.” Cult films develop a devoted fan base, a subculture and some even include choreographed audience participation *cough The Rocky Horror Picture Show cough*.
Films that focus outside the mainstream or take on cultural taboos, or low-budget pictures, are some of the more popular movies to amass followings. Several films near the end of the late 1990s developed cult followings, like Fight Club (1999), The Big Lebowski (1998) and Office Space (1999), which all found their commercial success mostly in DVD sales. Some cult classics stay golden through the ages, while others fade as times change.
15 Never Gets Old: The Princess Bride Remains One Of The Most Quoted Films Of All Time
“My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” The Princess Bride has gained popularity since the introduction of meme culture, the priest’s muddled, “maywwidge.” A tale featuring pirates, rats of unusual size and castles, where Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright) and Wesley (Cary Elwes) fight for their happily ever after.
14 Can’t Rewatch: Revenge Of The Nerds Is A Big Nope
Revenge of the Nerds grossed sixty million dollars off a six million dollar budget (mostly from rentals and home-media). Initially panned by critics, the 1984 comedy follows Lewis (Robert Carradine) and Gilbert (Anthony Edwards), two nerds studying Computer Engineering and their journey to take down one of the campus' fraternity houses, Alpha Betas.
13 Never Gets Old: Napoleon Dynamite Will Always Be Hilarious
The 2004 low-budget comedy Napoleon Dynamite stars Jon Heder as the socially awkward titular oddball. Set in Idaho, Napoleon lives with his grandmother (Sandy Martin) and Kip (Aaron Ruell) and befriends a boy at school named Pedro (Efren Sánchez) and Deb Bradshaw (Tina Majorino). From tater tots to llamas, the film is a riot.
12 Can’t Rewatch: Sixteen Candles Features Some Sketchy Moments
Director John Hughes defined the cinematic landscape of film in the 1980s. Some classics, like The Breakfast Club, hold up after thirty-five years of cultural change, others weren’t so fortunate. Sixteen Candles falls into the latter category, laden with blatant sexist and racist scenes, LGBTQ slurs and sexual harassment galore.
11 Never Gets Old: Bottle Rocket Remains A Fan-Favourite
Bottle Rocket, the 1996 crime-comedy marks the directorial debut for Wes Anderson, based on his 1994 short film of the same name, and started the acting careers of brothers Luke and Owen Wilson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Anderson. A commercial failure at the box office, the film earned praise from critics and started Anderson’s career.
10 Can’t Rewatch: Breakfast At Tiffany’s Belongs On The Back Burner
Audrey Hepburn will forever remain iconic, as will the gloves, pearl, tiara, and little black dress she wears in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The film won the Academy Award for Best Original Song with “Moon River,” but Mickey Rooney in the role of Japanese landlord Mr. Yunioshi makes the film a challenge to watch.
9 Never Gets Old: Why Labyrinth Remains A Classic Is No Maze
Teenage Jennifer Connolly plays Sarah, a girl whose little brother won’t stop crying, so she calls on Jareth the Goblin King (David Bowie) to take him away, and she must complete the Labyrinth in time to save her brother, Tobey. The 1986 film co-stars puppets produced by the Jim Henson company.
8 Can’t Rewatch: Audiences Try To Forget American Beauty
Sometimes, the details of an actor or director’s personal life can taint the reputation or the viewing experience of a film, which is most certainly the case for 1999’s American Beauty, starring Kevin Spacey. Spacey plays Lester Burnham, a man who lusts after the teenage girl-next-door, and there’s a specific “ick-factor.”
7 Never Gets Old: David Lynch’s Eraserhead Is Timeless
The black and white 1977 experimental body-horror directed, written and produced by David Lynch, Eraserhead is his directorial debut. The film garnered little attention when it first premiered, but after years of midnight showings developed a following and earned critical praise. Jack Nance stars as the Man in the Planet.
6 Can’t Rewatch: Story Problems Sunk Overboard
The 1987 rom-com Overboard is a testament to the still-thriving relationship between Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. Beyond that, the film doesn’t hold up well after more than thirty years, despite its cult-classic-status. Joanna (Hawn) is spoiled and rude, but Dean (Russell) takes advantage of a woman with amnesia.
