# Box Office failures that made big impacts on Pop Culture **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 29, 2013, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/box-office-failures-that-made-big-impacts-on-pop-culture/664826 "2013-07-29T16:58:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/box-office-failures-that-made-big-impacts-on-pop-culture/664826/21 "2013-07-29T19:01:38Z")
_Rocketship X-M_, 1950. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/box-office-failures-that-made-big-impacts-on-pop-culture/664826/22 "2013-07-29T19:04:18Z")
> [@Caricci](#): > > I think _Donnie Brasco_ is a fairly good example, too. Thanks to that movie, everyone knows the difference between a “friend of mine” and a “friend of ours”. . No, I don’t, I have no idea of what you’re talking about. Really. Never heard that at all in any context. Chuck- yes, Office Space is another good one. Kids were quoting of Mice & Men without realizing it, due to the Bugs Bunny cartoon. What was sorta ironic was that they were using the term “George” to indicate a stupid person “I’ll hug it and squeeze it and call it George”, even tho of course George was the smart one. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/box-office-failures-that-made-big-impacts-on-pop-culture/664826/23 "2013-07-29T19:06:40Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > Other than movies that are famous for being flops, I can’t think of any box office failures that fit this category. However, it seems to me that the line “Wax on, wax off” is familiar to more people than could possibly have seen _The Karate Kid_. Also, I think the premise of _An Indecent Proposal_ was discussed at cocktail parties, etc. by more people than ever bothered to see the movie. But both of those movies were hugely popular. At that point, the movie isn’t affecting pop culture beyond its limited audience, but has become culture because its audience is actually quite large. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/box-office-failures-that-made-big-impacts-on-pop-culture/664826/24 "2013-07-29T19:10:18Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > It seems to me most coworkers under 35 or so religiously quote _Office Space_, which flopped miserably at the box office. It gained its audience on home video. In that vein, Idiocracy, which did no almost no business at the box office (I think it played in only a few theaters for a week), but is now quoted often. It’s also proving to be quite prescient. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/box-office-failures-that-made-big-impacts-on-pop-culture/664826/25 "2013-07-29T19:15:43Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > That makes you unusual. The term, as near as I can tell, does predate the movie, but not by much, and even the OED credits the movie with popularizing it. I’m not sure if you are being serious here, are you talking about the 2007 movie with Morgan Freeman, or some other film called the Bucket list? Because I heard of bucket lists a hell of a long time before that film came out. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/box-office-failures-that-made-big-impacts-on-pop-culture/664826/26 "2013-07-29T19:16:03Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Hardly anyone went to see the movie The Bucket List… “Hardly anyone” is a strange way to describe worldwide receipts of [$175 million](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bucket_List). :dubious: _The Princess Bride_ was originally a box office failure, but inspired countless catchphrases such as “Inconceivable!”, “Only mostly dead,” “Never start a land war in Asia,” and so on. Genuine box office bombs such as _Heaven’s Gate, Ishtar_ and _John Carter_ have entered the lexicon as examples of utter, absolute failure. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/box-office-failures-that-made-big-impacts-on-pop-culture/664826/27 "2013-07-29T19:19:09Z")
But one of my own… Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The movie was a flop, but people loved the ridiculous title. It still had so much pull in the late 90s that Joss Whedon was able to get The WB to come to him to make it into a show. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/box-office-failures-that-made-big-impacts-on-pop-culture/664826/28 "2013-07-29T19:26:59Z")
I guess it wasn’t really a failure since it made $60million on a $30million budget, but **Snakes on a Plane** had everbody quoting it wether they saw the movie or not. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/box-office-failures-that-made-big-impacts-on-pop-culture/664826/29 "2013-07-29T19:27:18Z")
“The Big Lebowski” only made $46million worldwide, but has since been everywhere. The Dude Abides indeed. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/box-office-failures-that-made-big-impacts-on-pop-culture/664826/30 "2013-07-29T19:29:25Z")
**Five Easy Pieces** wasn’t exactly a flop, but only did modest business. However, the scene of [Jack Nicholson ordering in a diner](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wtfNE4z6a8) is one of the better known movie scenes; many more people have seen it than have ever seen the entire movie. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/box-office-failures-that-made-big-impacts-on-pop-culture/664826/31 "2013-07-29T19:31:52Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > I’m not sure if you are being serious here, are you talking about the 2007 movie with Morgan Freeman, or some other film called the Bucket list? Because I heard of bucket lists a hell of a long time before that film came out. [This guy](http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2011/11/09/bucket_list_what_s_the_origin_of_the_term_.html) couldn’t find a usage of the phrase with the relevant meaning before 2004. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/box-office-failures-that-made-big-impacts-on-pop-culture/664826/32 "2013-07-29T20:00:24Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Genuine box office bombs… _John Carter_ have entered the lexicon as examples of utter, absolute failure. This could bring up an entire different discussion because I saw the trailers for John Carter and thought “I can;t wait for that to come on demand/video because I’m gonna rent it”. The movie was a box office bomb, but that didn’t detract me from wanting to watch it. How many movies became post-theater successes because the desire to see it _in a theater_ was zero, but the desire to the movie itself was pretty high ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/box-office-failures-that-made-big-impacts-on-pop-culture/664826/33 "2013-07-29T20:03:21Z")
_The Perfect Storm_ did boffo business, but use of the title term went far beyond those who saw the movie. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/box-office-failures-that-made-big-impacts-on-pop-culture/664826/34 "2013-07-29T20:07:10Z")
What about\* Plan 9 From Outer Space\*, which came to equal “so bad, you gotta see it”? ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/box-office-failures-that-made-big-impacts-on-pop-culture/664826/35 "2013-07-29T20:15:36Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > I am almost certain that this is exactly what the OP meant, not a counterargument at all. Correct. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/box-office-failures-that-made-big-impacts-on-pop-culture/664826/36 "2013-07-29T20:29:58Z")
_Monty Python and the Holy Grail_. Gross profits have been about $1 million. Try to get through a D&D session or SCA event without making a reference. I dare you. ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/box-office-failures-that-made-big-impacts-on-pop-culture/664826/37 "2013-07-29T20:48:05Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_. Gross profits have been about $1 million. Try to get through a D&D session or SCA event without making a reference. I dare you. I think that’s gross US profits on a fairly recent theatrical re-release. The box office was about $125 million for a budget of $350,000, which make it a comfortable commercial success. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/box-office-failures-that-made-big-impacts-on-pop-culture/664826/38 "2013-07-29T21:06:06Z")
I’d nominate 1958’s “The Hidden Fortress” as a movie that’s had influence out of proportion to its receipts. Of course this is the Akira Kurosawa black-and-white inspiration for Lucas’s Star Wars mega-cultural-phenomenon. (I can’t actually find any information on how much money the 1958 movie has made, at either IMDb or Wikipedia. But I’d guess that the total is dwarfed by the moolah made on the Star Wars empire.) Sidelight on “The Bucket List” as a phrase: last summer, a beach-resort city commissioned a commercial that seemed to play on an endless loop throughout the state it’s situated in. The seductive-female voiceover asked, “What’s on _your_ summer bucket list?” and then recommended coming to this beach city. Apparently no one thought it odd to be telling viewers that they were going to die that summer. (And so, of course, they should high-tail it to the beach before the end arrived.) ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/box-office-failures-that-made-big-impacts-on-pop-culture/664826/39 "2013-07-29T21:34:07Z")
How do we define box office failure? According to Wiki, the formula is ((total world gross box office / 2) - production budget). ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/box-office-failures-that-made-big-impacts-on-pop-culture/664826/40 "2013-07-29T22:51:34Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > _The Perfect Storm_ did boffo business, but use of the title term went far beyond those who saw the movie. It was also a ridiculously popular book long before the movie was made. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/box-office-failures-that-made-big-impacts-on-pop-culture/664826.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/box-office-failures-that-made-big-impacts-on-pop-culture/664826.md?page=3)