18. Wet Hot American Summer
When it was released, Wet Hot American Summer’s distributor played the movie in only 15 theaters, leading to an abysmal gross of $295,000. Even though it triumphantly premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, the little promotion it received practically killed it. Thanks to the success of many of its stars who were relatively unknown when the movie came out, the film found its own success. Cable channels and TV networks were eager to air the movie that brought stars like Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, and Bradley Cooper to the forefront. Once people actually got a chance to see it, many became big fans of the film, and Netflix even produced a prequel and sequel series.
17. Flash Gordon
Star Wars had made sci-fi cool again and the film even had a soundtrack with songs from Queen but even those factors couldn’t put it above $27 million at the box office. Originally, audiences couldn’t grasp that the film’s camp aesthetic was intentional but audiences that caught it on TV saw the vision. The film’s belated popularity was also helped by Seth McFarlane making it an integral part of his hit comedy Ted, which star Sam Jones had a supporting role in.
16. UFH
Weird Al was a force to be reckoned with when it came to comedy and music but his popularity wasn’t enough for
the film to open higher than 11th place or earn more than $6 million. All of the massive blockbusters in 1989 easily overshadowed this film but people finally got the opportunity to see it once it went to cable and they liked what they saw.
15. PCU
When PCU hit screens in the spring of 1994, the college comedy mustered up a measly $4 million. With it airing on cable, audiences were drawn to the film poking fun at “political correctness” as discussion surrounding it became more and more prevalent.
14. Idiocracy
Mike Judge’s Idiocracy was dropped into only 130 theaters with no trailer, no press, and no advertising. Naturally, the film only made $444,093 at the box office because people didn’t even know it existed. Once it hit cable, the political satire spoke to people as it eerily mimicking what was going on in real life. The appreciation for this film has gained more and more traction with each ridiculous year.
13. Three Amigos!
Everyone thought Three Amigos! would be a smash hit. Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Chevy Chase were a comedy dream team. But the reviews weren’t good and they had to go up against Eddie Murphy, who was hot coming off of 48 Hrs. and Beverly Hills Cop. Moviegoers didn’t get the slapstick comedy they were used to from the trio but TV watchers tuned into the frequent airings on HBO and the humor drew in more and more audiences.
12. Overboard
Overboard premiered in 7th place on its debut weekend, barely beating Leonard Part 6. All of the other movies in theaters at that time grabbed audiences’ attention from this film and it left theaters with only $26 million. When it started airing on cable, channel surfers were pulled in by its charm and the real-life couple’s onscreen chemistry.
11. It’s a Wonderful Life
It’s a Wonderful Life was not always the holiday classic we know it to be. America was coming out of WWII so the depressing George Bailey was not the character that audiences wanted to see. However, the film fell into the public domain so TV stations started airing it for free. More eyes saw the movie, leading to a renewed appreciation from critics and viewers and solidified its status as a Christmas classic.
10. Clue
A movie based on a board game wasn’t an appealing premise to most in 1985. Since it came off as a cheesy gimmick and had 3 different endings, it only garnered $14 million. The mid-80s saw HBO and The Movie Channel gain more significance and they needed movies they could air in nonpeak time slots. The channels included all 3 endings, which got viewers discussing which one was the best. As more people discovered it, its reputation grew.
9. Road House
While Patrick Swayze was still riding high from Dirty Dancing’s success, the audiences differed wildly from that film to this one. When it wasn’t being completely panned, people were calling it “so bad it’s good,” leading to its weak $30 million gross. It turns out, “so bad it’s good” movies work well for TV. Channel surfers were pulled in by its insanity and in 2020, it was the most-replayed movie on basic cable with 83 airings across 10 networks.
8. Office Space
Weirdly, Office Space flopped hard. It only made about $10 million when it was released in theaters. Frequent airings on HBO about a year after it left theaters made up for its lackluster showing at the box office. People catching it on TV found it heavily relatable and started telling their friends and coworkers about it. Word-of-mouth shot it to one of the top workplace comedies.
7. Caddyshack
Caddyshack is widely considered an 80s comedy classic so it’s shocking that it only earned $39 million when it was released. Of course, it had to go toe-to-toe with Airplane that year, which made more than double that. Once its theatrical run was complete, HBO ran it incessantly and it was on so frequently that it drew a lot of audiences in and the movie’s reputation grew exponentially.
6. Hocus Pocus
One of the more infamous blunders of Disney was releasing this Halloween film in July. The plan to release it while kids were on summer break didn’t work so well as it only made $44 million. ABC Family did right by the film and began airing it on Halloween annually in 1998. Now, it’s a staple that fans catch every October.
5. A Christmas Story
Somehow when this film was released in mid-November of 1983, it opened in 3rd place behind Amityville 3-D and The Big Chill (which was in its 8th week). The film faded fast as it got closer to Christmas and left theaters with a total gross of $19 million. Luckily for A Christmas Story, TNT came along and started airing 24-hour marathons of it on Christmas starting in 1997, which is still in effect today.
4. The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz made less than $3 million at the box office, which isn’t bad for 1939 but it didn’t cover the budget and promotion. The film received mostly positive reviews but the negative ones were as bad as they could get. Since television was relatively new in 1956, stations needed content to air so they ran The Wizard of Oz every year. This continued for decades, helping the film endure for generations. It ran on CBS, NBC, and The CW frequently and is now a staple on TNT and TBS.
3. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Shockingly, the OG Gene Wilder classic only made $4 million at the box office (comparatively, that year’s #1 film, Fiddler on the Roof made $40 million). Audiences were looking for edgier, grittier films that year, and although there are pretty wild scenes in the movie, it just didn’t cut it. However, once it hit TV on a regular basis, children and adults both fell in love with it for different reasons, and its appeal endured for years.
2. The Princess Bride
When this film opened in 1987, it received rave reviews but it was hard to sell to the public as its title made it sound like a sappy, fairytale romance aimed at teen girls. The film barely grossed $30 million but once it started airing on TV, it reached all kinds of audiences and fans began to quote it endlessly, helping it to catch on even more.
1. The Shawshank Redemption
Although it’s an award-winning film, its initial release made just $28 million at the box office. The combination of a “confusing title”, a lengthy runtime, and it being a Stephen King story that wasn’t a horror most likely led to it flopping. Once it began airing frequently on TNT, more and more people were exposed to it and it became an all-time classic as well as the highest-rated movie on IMDb.
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If you haven't seen this give it a shot.
I fell across it (On T.V) and it's hilarious.
Side note: These two are married (and have been) for a very long time.
Good chemistry.
Not married. Just living together.
#8 I loved that movie as a kid.