10 Films That Lost Money in Theaters but Found an Audience on Home Video

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A weak opening weekend can look like a final verdict. For many films, it was only the first chapter.

Before streaming, rentals, DVD shelves and late night cable reruns gave some movies a second chance, and the audience that showed up later was often bigger than the one that skipped them. These ten films are well documented examples of that pattern.

Fight Club (1999)

David Fincher’s adaptation cost roughly sixty million dollars to make and earned about one hundred million worldwide. Those numbers were a letdown for 20th Century Fox, and the film’s marketing and mixed reviews did it no favors.

The DVD release changed the story. Strong sales and word of mouth turned it into a staple of dorm rooms and rental stores. Its reputation has grown steadily since, and it is now widely treated as a defining film of its era.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Shawshank earned only around sixteen million dollars in its first run in the United States, against a budget of about twenty five million. That came despite seven Academy Award nominations, which should have helped.

Video rental is what rescued it. Rental shops kept it moving, and later television airings widened the audience further. It now regularly appears near the top of audience rated lists, which is a long way from its quiet theatrical start.

Blade Runner (1982)