Sure, flops can become cult classics (I will defend The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle until I have no friends left), and critically-acclaimed movies can leave the cultural zeitgeist pretty quick. For example, Crash may have won Best Picture, but is it still talked about nearly as much as Brokeback Mountain, which was also nominated that year?
Artificial intelligence is getting increasingly better at predicting box-office hits, but it's not quite there yet. With all of its algorithms and machine learning, even the streaming giant, Netflix, backed the third biggest flop in movie history this year (The 355). But the unpredictability is part of the fun of Hollywood, and these are their biggest hits and misses of all time.
Disclaimers: Losses have been adjusted for inflation; all descriptions courtesy of IMDb
"Transported to Barsoom, a Civil War vet discovers a barren planet seemingly inhabited by 12-foot tall barbarians. Finding himself prisoner of these creatures, he escapes, only to encounter Woola and a princess in desperate need of a savior."
"A criminal pleads insanity and is admitted to a mental institution, where he rebels against the oppressive nurse and rallies up the scared patients."
Cost: $3 million
Won: One of only three movies in history to win the "Big Five" Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay), #33 on the AFI's Top 100 Movies of All Time
"A woman in her sixties, after losing everything in the Great Recession, embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad."
Cost: $5 million
Won: Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress in a Leading Role
"The Monoliths push humanity to reach for the stars; after their discovery in Africa generations ago, the mysterious objects lead mankind on an awesome journey to Jupiter, with the help of H.A.L. 9000: the world's greatest supercomputer."
Cost: $12 million
Won: Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, #15 on the AFI's Top 100 Movies of All Time
"The world's greatest ever playwright, William Shakespeare, is young, out of ideas and short of cash, but meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays."
Cost: $25 million
Won: Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Original Screenplay, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, and Best Score
Which flops are your favorite, and which Oscar winners are overrated? Let me know in the comments!
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