10 Failed Movies That Became Cult Classics

7. Dune

This 1984 adaptation of Frank Herbert's legendary sci-fi opus Dune materialised following a lengthy development period in which both Ridley Scott and Alejandro Jodorowsky attempted in vain to get the film made.

David Lynch was ultimately hired for the job, and the $40 million tentpole opened to both brutal reviews and a dead-on-arrival box office (falling short of even making its budget back).

Dune was skewered for its impenetrable script, unconvincing effects and excess of melodrama, while Lynch himself eventually admitted that he probably shouldn't have made the movie.

However, in the 35 years since its release, critical favour has turned around somewhat, veering from uniformly negative to more mixed, currently sitting at a not-terrible 55% on the Tomatometer.

The film is absolutely more accessible if you have some familiarity with Herbert's source novel, but even if not, there are those who herald Dune as one of the most intriguingly baffling blockbuster experiments ever conceived.

That Lynch was ever given so much money to create such an oddball, off-kilter rebuke to Star Wars in the first place makes the film worthwhile to many.

It's certainly an interesting film whether it clicks with you or not, and it's little surprise that such a uniquely odd film, especially one produced by a strident auteur filmmaker, has its devoted army of fans.