8 Recent Box Office Flops Our Kids Will Worship as Cult Classics

With the rise of streaming services, movie theaters are gradually losing their former charm – more and more people are choosing to watch movies at home.

This primarily affects original and auteur films that don't have large franchises or strong IP behind them. We recall outstanding movies that failed at the box office but will definitely go down in the history of cinema.

1. 'Babylon', 2022

Budget: $80M

Box Office: $64M

Thanks to the success of Whiplash and La La Land, Damien Chazelle was able to attract big names to Babylon. However, the star-studded cast, including Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, could not convince viewers. With a budget of $80 million, Babylon earned only $64 million.

The film was criticized for its difficult-to-read message and ridiculed for its overly ambitious attempt to understand cinema as an eternal art form. Some even called it career suicide.

However, many admired Chazelle's fearlessness. A man who became famous for celebrating dreamers finally fulfilled his dream. Even if it meant losing tens of millions of dollars.

2. 'Annihilation', 2018

Budget: $55M

Box Office: $43M

Annihilation is one of the most notable sci-fi films of 2018. It brought together two major figures in the genre: director, screenwriter, and author Alex Garland; and Nebula Award-winning author Jeff VanderMeer.

The film earned only $43 million because it had a limited release – most viewers watched it when Annihilation debuted on Netflix.

The studio refused to release the movie widely, calling it overly intellectual, thereby depriving the authors of the opportunity to earn money.

3. 'Better Man', 2024

Budget: $110M

Box Office: $20M

Although Robbie Williams is not as famous outside the UK as he is there, Better Man still deserved to gross more than $20 million on a $110 million budget.

Making a film with a CGI monkey in the lead role seemed risky, but it turned out to be a winning decision. Had Williams been played by a regular actor, viewers would have gotten a standard musical biopic similar to dozens of others.

Thanks to the CGI chimp in the spotlight, the filmmakers managed to overcome viewer fatigue from musical biopics. For this reason alone, Better Man deserved more attention.

4. 'The Last Duel', 2021

Budget: $100M

Box Office: $30M

In 2021, Ridley Scott released two films: House of Gucci, which was eagerly awaited, and The Last Duel, which remained a dark horse even after its release and flopped at the box office.

It was quite difficult to imagine what the film was about before watching it, which probably contributed to the confusion surrounding it.

The script, written by Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Nicole Holofcener, repeats the same story three times through the eyes of different characters. The Rashomon effect will keep you glued to the screen if you decide to give this underrated gem a chance.

5. 'The Fabelmans', 2022

Budget: $40M

Box Office: $43M

In 2022, a number of autobiographical films were released, in which directors discussed their lives. One of the most striking and critically acclaimed examples is Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans.

The Fabelmans came out at a bad time for the industry. In 2021, Spielberg's West Side Story failed; in 2022, nothing changed – a very personal project with a $40 million budget only earned $43 million.

However, the industry proved to be much more receptive to Spielberg. The Fabelmans received dozens of awards, including seven Oscar nominations.

6. 'Mother!', 2017

Budget: $30M

Box Office: $44M

Mother! is perhaps Darren Aronofsky's most talked-about and controversial film. Full of the director's favorite biblical references, it plays on several levels: psychological drama, surreal thriller about relationships, social statement, and deeply personal story.

Such a mix did not entice viewers to see Mother! in theaters – in the end, Aronofsky's surreal masterpiece earned only $44 million.

7. 'Tár', 2022

Budget: $35M

Box Office: $29M

Let's be honest, Todd Field's two-and-a-half-hour drama was never destined to be a box office hit. In its 158 minutes, Tár explores the numerous progressions and regressions of society in recent decades.

Conductor Lydia Tár is the embodiment of success, the first woman in history to lead the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, and has no equal. Suddenly, Lydia's career is threatened by rumors of an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate.

8. 'Malignant', 2021

Budget: $40M

Box Office: $34M

In recent years, James Wan, the creator of Saw, has fully embraced big studio cinema. But with Malignant, he's returned to his roots.

Malignant revives the aesthetics of Wan's early work: dirty, bloody, and unpredictably crazy. The film begins like The Conjuring and ends like a splatter flick with dozens of corpses and absurd plot twists.

While James Wan's films usually don't suffer from low box office results, there was a good reason for the $34 million gross of Malignant – it was released on HBO Max at the same time as its theatrical release.