Overall, the 2010s were a great decade for movies. Some of the greatest films of the 21st century came from this period, and most of them performed as well as they deserved at the international box office. However,certain movies that flopped with audiences, critics, or both are ripe for a cult receptionthat hasn’t really found them yet. From so-bad-they’re-good gems to genuinely great films that were left in oblivion,these box office bombs are guaranteed to become cult classicssometime in the future.
Some box officeflops from the 2010s are already cult hits, likeScott Pilgrim vs. the WorldandThe Nice Guys, but plenty of others are yet to receive a cult reception big enough to accurately call them cult classics. The definition of a cult film is vague, particularly in this hyper-globalized digital world. However, broadly speaking, these are movies that will very likely find a loyal audience who will rewatch them, quote them, and screen them at midnight repeatedly at some point in the future. The entries are ranked from least to most likely to become a cult classic.
10’Cats' (2019)
Directed by Tom Hooper
Tom Hooperis a pretty controversial director. ThoughThe King’s SpeechandLes Misèrableswere adored by the Oscars, cinephiles are a little less fond of his work. The public’s consensus was vindicated when Hooper releasedCatsin 2019, an adaptation of a Broadway musical that’s a decently big cult hit in its own right among musical theater fans.
Many would call this one ofthe worst movies of all time, and it would be hard to blame them.Catsis truly horrific in every sense imaginable, from itsnightmarish musical numbers to its awful visuals and nonsensical story. That nightmare-fuel quality, however, is precisely the thing that makes it reasonable to predict that it will find some kind of ironic cult following in the coming years. It’s still too soon to tell, but seeing as people still haven’t forgotten about this film, even if it’s for all the wrong reasons, it’s quite likely that they will someday embrace it as a so-bad-it’s-fun classic.
9’Jupiter Ascending' (2015)
Directed by Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski
TheWachowski sistersare perhaps the most iconic sci-fi director duo, thanks to their direction ofThe Matrixand the 2008 cult classicSpeed Racer. They’re definitely not exempt from fault, however, as they’ve proved repeatedly by making some pretty divisive movies.Jupiter Ascendingwasn’t really divisive, however; rather, it wasuniversally agreed to be the worst film of 2015.
As the years have passed and certain demographics, like female and LGBTQ+ fans of campy science fiction, have warmed up to it,Jupiter Ascendinghas been given a second chance. It’s an intentionally silly and unashamedly ridiculous romp — certainly severelyimperfect but enjoyable with the right mindset nonetheless. Its following has been doing nothing but growing these last few years, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon.
Jupiter Ascending
8’John Carter' (2012)
Directed by Andrew Stanton
Disney is no stranger to flops. During the 2010s in particular, they had several box office failures that have gone down in history as some of the House of Mouse’s biggest embarrassments. Unfortunately, they includeJohn Carter, based on a sci-fi novel byEdgar Rice Burroughs, the first in the popularBarsoomseries. Plenty of attempts had been made since the 1930s to adapt Burroughs' book for the big screen, but they all got stuck in development hell until Disney came along.
Sadly,John Carterfailed to live up to its potential, and its bloated budget meant that it failed to recoup enough money to be profitable. However, its visuals are stunning, the action scenes have tons of heart, and the narrative is surprisingly solid. Many people have revisited the film in the years since its failure andrealized just how entertainingJohn Carterreally is, and it’s already starting to become an ever-growing cult classic.
John Carter
7’Only God Forgives' (2013)
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
Nicolas Winding Refnis the kind of divisive filmmaker whose films seem to be made, by design, to become cult classics. This approach worked forDriveandBronson, but not all of his work has received the same treatment.Only God Forgives, for instance, was poorly received upon release and is still nowhere near being considered a gem as fun asDriveorBronson.
Nevertheless, there are those who would call this one ofthe best arthouse crime moviesof the last few years. The visuals and music, as is the case with all of Winding Refn’s work, are top-notch. There’s also a lot of room for rich interpretation and layered discussions regarding the film’s story and its themes. In other words,Only God Forgivesisperfectly suited for a cult reevaluation; it’s just a matter of waiting for it to find it.
Only God Forgives
6’The Neon Demon' (2016)
As ripe for cult status asOnly God Forgivesis, there’s another Nicolas Winding Refn film that’s even more perfect for those who enjoy the likes ofDrive.The Neon Demondefinitely follows its director’s pattern offavoring style over substance, but has a style so mesmerizing that it’s remarkably hard to hold that against it.
Seductive, eerie, and even esoteric in a lot of ways,TheNeon Demonisn’t really interested in subtlety, but it explores its themes of consumption, desire, and the dangers of beauty standards in lots of fascinating ways. Its glittery aesthetic, hidden meanings, and incredibly stylish tone make ita cult hit in the making. If there’s any Nicolas Winding Refn film that’s guaranteed to become such a classic in the near future, it’s this one.
The Neon Demon
5’Brigsby Bear' (2017)
Directed by Dave McCary
The dramedyBrigsby Bearwas a hit at the Sundance Film Festival and widely praised by critics, yet it still failed to live up to expectations. Even then, this quirky and melancholic little gem has beengarnering a growing cult following over the last few years, and if it continues to be discovered and revisited, there’s no way it won’t become the classic it deserves to be.
Brigsby Bearoperates on a very unique frequency that one must definitely work to tune into, but once they do, viewers are in for a hell of a ride.
Indeed,Brigsby Beardeserved to be a success. It operates on a very unique frequency that one must definitely work to tune into, but once they do, viewers are in for a hell of a ride. It’s funny, creative, and irresistibly captivating in its originality. As if that weren’t enough,its story is a celebration of the very kind of fandom culturethat will be responsible for turning this movie into a cult classic in the future.
4’Rise of the Guardians' (2012)
Directed by Peter Ramsey
DreamWorks Animation, being as prolific as they are, has made some of the worst of the worst and some of the best of the best as far as children’s animation goes. Usually, this latter group succeeds at obtaining the praise and recognition they deserve, but there are exceptions. Perhaps most notably,Rise of the Guardians, simultaneously one of the studio’s most beloved movies and one oftheir biggest box office bombs.
Due to high distribution costs and lackluster marketing,Rise of the Guardiansdidn’t garner as much attention as it deservedback when it was in theaters. Things have changed over the past 13 years, though. Today, it’s fondly embraced asan obligatory winter holiday watch by a small but passionate group, even if its loyal fandom is not quite large enough to turn it into a cult following. Still, an argument can be made thatRise of the Guardiansis already a cult classic, but even if it weren’t, it’s guaranteed to become one soon enough.
Rise of the Guardians
3’Lost River' (2014)
Directed by Ryan Gosling
Ryan Goslingis one of the most popular actors working today, but that’s not all he does. Indeed, back in 2014, he made his directing debut with the neo-noir fantasy thrillerLost River, one of thosepoorly-rated films guaranteed to become cult classics. While critics disliked the writing, they admitted that the visuals were remarkably strong and that Gosling had a very interesting directing voice.
These are precisely the elements that makeLost Riverripe for a post-mortem cult reception to bring it back to life. This shapeless mashup of Lynchian and Refn-coded influences has incredible visuals, amazing music, and richly nuanced world-building — exactly the kind of cinematic experience that fans of cult classics love to go through.Lost River’s style is admittedly much more prominent than its substance, but both are nevertheless enrapturing enough to make this a guaranteed future cult film.
Lost River
2’Only Lovers Left Alive' (2013)
Directed by Jim Jarmusch
Fans of arthouse cinema and the cult film circuit should be more than familiar enough withJim Jarmusch, one of modern indie cinema’s biggest heroes and exponents. He has made plenty of exceptional movies, but out of his three 2010s outings, the one thatseems best-suited and most ready for a cult reinterpretationis the Palme d’Or-nominated vampire filmOnly Lovers Left Alive.
It’s one ofthe best Gothic romance filmsof the 21st century, anchored byTilda SwintonandTom Hiddlestondelivering a powerhouse pair of lead performances. As if Jarmusch being the cult figure that he is weren’t enough of a reason to guarantee thatOnly Loverswill find an afterlife in the cult circuit, there’s also the fact that this poetic, beautifully artistic gem feels like preciselythe kind of film that fans of such movies fall in love withand warmly embrace.
Only Lovers Left Alive
1’Anomalisa' (2015)
Directed by Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson
Charlie Kaufmanis perhaps the greatest screenwriter still working today, the twisted mind behind some of the most brilliantly bizarre and surrealistic cult classics of the past three decades, fromBeing John MalkovichtoEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The writer has also tried his hand at directing, but his second directorial effort and first animated film,Anomalisa, was a flop at the box office.
Genius, deeply moving, and gorgeously philosophical thoughAnomalisamay be, it’s hardly shocking that it failed to find an audience.It’s perhaps the weirdest and most unsettling of Kaufman’s films, which made its theatrical run bound for disappointment—but certainly not its afterlife.Anomalisawas nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar and is today remembered as one of the most criminally underrated animated movies of the 2010s. With one ofthe medium’s best screenplays, some stunning voice performances, and exquisitely distinct visuals, it’s a film overflowing with cult appeal that’s eagerly waiting to be picked up by such an audience. It’s just a matter of time.
