10 Great Movies That Inexplicably Flopped At The Box Office

Money isn't everything... thankfully!

By Jonny Holloway /

Warner Bros.

For Hollywood the success of a film is, unsurprisingly, measured in the number of tickets sold at the box office. Don't let the Hollywood marketing machine fool you, however, into thinking that only films that make a lot of money at the box office are worthy of your viewership or admiration.

Advertisement

There are many films of questionable quality which have ended up grossing hundreds of millions at the global box office, and many great films which gross less than your local panto. It may also surprise you, that some of the most celebrated and iconic movies of all time found little success at the box office upon release.

Fortunately common sense often prevails, and over the years some of the biggest flops of cinema have, rightly so, become appreciated as the movies they are, rather than the numbers they make.

Advertisement

10. Children Of Men (2007)

Warner Bros.

Brilliant sci-fi thriller Children Of Men's dark outlook and atmosphere is characterised by the superb cinematography of Cuaron's frequent collaborator, Emmanuel Lubezki, including one of the most breathtaking one-shots in cinematic history during the film's climax, but the bleakness is buoyed with strong themes of hope and redemption, anchored by the performances from Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, and Michael Caine.

Upon release Children of Men was met with almost universal acclaim, and the film was rightly nominated for three academy awards in writing, editing and cinematography. However, popularity with critics failed to translate to the box office, grossing a $70 million against a $76 million budget.

Advertisement