10 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Movies That Were Surprisingly Successful AFTER They Bombed In Theaters

7. Highlander

highlander Any movie featuring a Frenchman playing a Scotsman and Scotsman playing an Egyptian is operating on a level of brilliance that 80's cinema-goers weren't ready for. So it's no surprise that Highlander took awhile to catch on. From Director Russell Mulcahy bringing MTV-style aesthetics to cinema, to Christopher Lambert's "just where the hell is this guy from?" accent, to Clancy Brown just hanging out with a bunch of safety pins through a big-ass neck scar, to the general puzzlement over what to happened Sean Connery's career, Highlander no doubt baffled most audiences in 1986. And let's not forget about the glue that holds all of this wackiness together: Queen - who are being absolutely righteously awesome as usual. Even if it took a bit of time, it's no surprise that Highlander caught on. The rules of Highlander's world are a bit undercooked, but they're easy to understand and even easier to love. None of us are terribly fond of that whole death thing, and the idea of living forever and getting into cool sword fights has an innate appeal for anyone. Despite all the 80's sci-fi flash, Highlander is surprisingly romantic and melancholy for a film with a guy just hanging out with a bunch of safety pins through a big-ass neck scar. Pity they never made any sequels for this one.
Contributor
Contributor

Jeremy Wickett was raised from an early age in one of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma's classier opium dens. A graduate of The University of Oklahoma, he now resides in Phoenix, Arizona - where the desert heat is oppressive enough to make him hallucinate that he's a character in Star Wars. And of course he can speak Bocce - it's like a second language to him. His so-called musings can be found here: http://geekemporium.blogspot.com/