8 All-Time Classic Movies You Didn't Know Flopped At The Box Office

It's almost unfathomable that one of the most famous movies of all time failed to catch on with the movie-going public upon its release, but that's exactly what happened with The Wizard of Oz.

Even back in 1939 movie studios were still pretty keen on their films making money. Go figure. And when the world-renowned musical fantasy failed to earn back its (at the time) ludicrous budget of $2.7 million at the box office, it seemed as if Dorothy and her friends were doomed to become financial failures.

In a bid to recoup some of its investment, MGM re-released the film ten years later, at which time it barely tipped over the $3 million mark. Not great, but as far as the studio was concerned, they'd made a penny on something that would have otherwise kept them in the red.

As with so many of the films on this list, The Wizard Of Oz only became an integral part of international culture decades later when it was repeatedly aired on television.