11 Hated Sci-Fi Movies That Became Cult Classics
2. Donnie Darko
When Donnie Darko was released, the studio didn't quite know what they had on their hands, dumping it in select theatres right before 9/11, holding it back internationally for almost a year. It was Christopher Nolan who convinced Newmarket to give it a theatrical release at all.
But most of us caught up with it on VHS, in its dying days before DVD and streaming made Blockbuster obsolete. It grew by word of mouth around schools as the rebellious, mysterious film everyone had to see to be cool. The only thing that would make you cooler would be if you had to brown bag it on your way out of the rental store.
In later years, it stands as the leading example of director's cuts gone awry, with the final, expanded version released on DVD years later and explaining away all the vagueness and mystery that so intrigued viewers on its first run.
Director Richard Kelly has largely been ousted from Hollywood, his two following films confounding to the general public. But Darko still has it's cult of loyalists.