10 Recent Box Office Duds Destined To Become Cult Classics

4. Booksmart

Mother Jennifer Lawrence
United Artists

We may only be halfway through 2019, but its going to take one hell of an effort for another movie to steal Booksmart's crown as the year's best comedy.

Unfairly written off by some as 'Superbad with girls' (ironically, Jonah Hill's sister Beanie Feldstein plays one of the two leads), Olivia Wilde's directorial debut somehow manages to take a fresh approach to one of Hollywood's most tired genres by putting a new spin on the tropes of the high school/coming of age comedy, powered by star-making performances from Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever.

In the wake of universal acclaim, where it currently holds a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Booksmart was launched as counter-programming against Disney's Aladdin and horror flick Brightburn in cinemas. The strategy may have backfired, with the movie only earning a little over $20m worldwide, but Booksmart will no doubt become required viewing for comedy fans much the same way as Superbad was a generation previously.

In this post: 
Mother
 
Posted On: 
Contributor

I don't do social media, so like or follow me in person but please maintain a safe distance or the authorities will be notified. Don't snap me though, I'll probably break. I was once labelled a misogynist on this very site in a twenty paragraph-long rant for daring to speak ill of the Twilight franchise. I stand by what I said, it's crap.