Top Flops.

[Harry Lime]

I think HEAVEN'S GATE doesn't really fit the nature of this thread which I think perhaps mistakenly) is dedicated to major flops that were later regarded as classics. While HEAVEN'S GATE, along with WATERWORLD, is a king among flops, it has not yet proven to become a classic (and hopefully our taste will never sink so low that it does).

You're right, Mud. I was going more for flops that turned out to be regarded as good movies later. Thereore "Ishtar" doesn't really qualify although it was a catastrophic flop, like most of Keving Costern's (Water World, The Postman.) Heavan's Gate was a good addition - actually not a bad movie.

Harry Lime

 

[Doh!]

Another favorite of mine: "Sweet Smell of Success." Every line of dialogue is a winner but nobody appreciated it when it was originally released.

Burt Lancaster should've been nominated for Supporting Actor.

 

[jake_fink]

Howard the Duck was a flop and is now considered a classic.

 

[jake_fink]

 

[MudInYerEye]

Even the sainted CITIZEN KANE was a bit of a flop. Not to mention MR. ARKADIAN and F FOR FAKE.
Chaplin's LIMELIGHT as well.

 

[Senator Jack]

I just watched The King of Comedy last night for the first time since it came out 23? 4? years ago. I had forgotten how uncomfortable it is to watch DeNiro act the schmuck for an hour forty-five.

Just as uncomfortable is Wilder's 'Kiss Me Stupid'. What a bizarre picture! An hour and a half of a priapic Dean Martin, and then Ray Walston going off with the hooker. I see that picture as the line Hollywood recrossed some thirty years after the Hayes Commission.

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[Sefton]

Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch (1969) Lost money at the box office and is now considered one of the best modern westerns.

Michael Powell's Peeping Tom (1960) Critics (at the time) and audiences hated it and it was pulled from theaters. A great and disturbing film about the nature of voyeurism that makes you uncomfortable in a number of ways. Though provoking film that's often cited by Martin Scorcese as one of his favorits movies. This film very nearly ended Powell's career as a major director. Powell directed the classics Black Narcissus (1947) and The Thief of Bagdad (1940) among others.

 

[The Wolf]

As far as modern movies go...

No-one saw "Buckaroo Banzai" at the movies but since video its fanbase has grown.
No-one saw "Highlander" and the critics tore it apart. The over-seas audience and video audience took to it so well it was followed by lack lustre sequels and an international television series.

You might laugh but I believe "Hudson Hawk" will get a following or at least be well regarded in the future. If "Howard the Duck" can be considered a classic why not the Hawk?

Sincerely,
The Wolf

 

[Quigley Brown]

I think HEAVEN'S GATE doesn't really fit the nature of this thread which I think perhaps mistakenly) is dedicated to major flops that were later regarded as classics. While HEAVEN'S GATE, along with WATERWORLD, is a king among flops, it has not yet proven to become a classic (and hopefully our taste will never sink so low that it does).

Well then, throw in Plan Nine From Outer Space. It's certainly fits the nature of this thread. It's cult classic status definitely makes it more successful now than when it was first released.

 

[jake_fink]

wolf said:
You might laugh but I believe "Hudson Hawk" will get a following or at least be well regarded in the future. If "Howard the Duck" can be considered a classic why not the Hawk?

I was merely jesting; Howard the Duck is not a classic, at least not in the traditional sense, though it is a classic of ineptness, brainlessness and little-people-in-costumeness.

The Bruce wore a hat in The Hawk, but he also wore that smug grin. Richard E Grant of Withnail & I was the villain in Hawk and later published his film-making diaries, "With Nails". The section on Hudson Hawk is a riot, far more entertaining than the movie itself. The part about Danny Aiello on a donkey is particularly funny. You should check it out.

Here's one more possible contender, although it wasn't a Flop flop when it came out, Austen Powers: International Man of Mystery didn't really find its audience until it came out on video, and it was that success that spurred the sequel.

And finally, I can't remember if it was mentioned already, but Duck Soup, now considered the Marx Bros. finest moment was a disater for them in the 30s. It ended their contract with Paramount and allowed Zeppo to finally leave the group.

 

[The Wolf]

"Plan Nine" raises a question

Ed Wood made "Plan Nine" as a serious Sci-Fi movie. People now enjoy it for its complete ineptness. If it were slightly better in continuity or acting it would not be as much fun.
"Reefer Madness" was not a huge national release. It was intended to be a warning of the deadly scourge marihuana. Now people watch it and laugh as they smoke a reefer. It is hugely popular however.

The other movies listed in this forum have been enjoyed as their creators had intended. What about movies that got a new lease on life by people laughing at them not for their cinematic merit.

Sincerely,
The Wolf

 

[Harry Lime]

Another overlooked gem.

"Force of Evil," 1948, starring John garfield and directed by Abraham Polonsky. A great, great noir. This movie received tepid response and is now considered a classic, a favorite of martin Scorscese. ABraham Polonsky made his debut with it and was shortly thereafter blacklisted by HUAC. He didn't do anything under his own name until the 1960's and was a vocal opponent of Elia kazan getting an honorary Oscar just a few years ago. AT any rate, a great cynical noir with a great cast, great locations, great dialogue, great locations in old NYC.

Harry Lime

 

[K.D. Lightner]

While hardly overlooked or a flop, I had read that Wizard of Oz was not that successful when it first came out. It is now considered one of America's top-rated films of all time.

I also read that the people in the Casablanca cast were leary of the film and thought it would be a dud. I don't know how it was received when it hit the theatres, but it is interesting that actors involved in it were actually making fun of the film and expected it to flop.

I find it interesting, too, that some films that flop here are great hits elsewhere in the world; that can give new life to a movie, not to mention more $$.

karol

 

[StraightRazor]

'THE BURBS' with Tom Hanks! I could watch that one 1,000 times and still laugh at nearly everything. YO RUMSFIELD!!!!

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Big flop. GREAT movie, especially about the golden era: Steven Speilberg's 1941. With John Belushi as a gonzo airman. Anyone who goes to the upcoming "Air Raid" event MUST see this first.

 

[Senator Jack]

Just remembered my favorite flop: Charlie Chaplin's 'Monsieur Verdoux'.

The critics unanimously despised the picture and it didn't help that America was, at the time, collectively spitting on Chaplin for his suspected communist sympathies. It closed within days.

The idea had come from Orson Welles, and it was based on a French killer named Landru who married a string of doomed women for their money. Chaplin makes a black comedy out of this. I certainly didn't expect the ending he gave us - some people regard it as too preachy - but I think it works perfectly. I won't give it away here, but I will say that if Hollywood tried to make this picture today, I'm sure it would be too preachy. It really shows the genius of Chaplin - his ability to walk that line.

I think everyone here would enjoy this film, so put it on your list.

Regards,

Senator Jack