15 Classics That Got Wiped Out At The Box Office By A Bigger Movie

'Tron:' a groundbreaking film that was unfortunately released the same summer as 'E.T.'
15 Classics That Got Wiped Out At The Box Office By A Bigger Movie

It’s the summer of 1982 and moviegoers are flocking to theaters to see the latest blockbusters. Among them is Tron, a groundbreaking film that features innovative filmmaking techniques. However, despite its uniqueness, Tron fails to make a dent at the box office compared to E.T., which rakes in $360 million.

In 1997, Tomorrow Never Dies is released alongside Titanic. Though it’s an entertaining film, it doesn’t measure up to James Cameron’s juggernaut and is kind of forgotten.

Scream 2 also falls victim to Titanic when it is released in December 1997. The $200-million film Titanic grossed $28.6 million during its opening weekend, while Scream 2 only made $33 million.

Blade Runner is another cult classic that didn’t have the best start. It was released in 1982 to 600 theaters and earned just $6 million compared to E.T.’s total of $360 million. However, over time it developed a strong following and even had an improved director’s cut come out in 1992.

Though it didn’t have a stellar opening weekend, 'Blade Runner’s cult following has only grown since its initial release.

Classic movies crushed at the box office Blade Runner was lost to time (for a bit) due to E.T. Blade Runner didn't have a great opening weekend compared to E.T., but it gained a cult following over the years and an improved director's cut came out in 1992. CRACKED

Universal Pictures, Warner Bros.

The Ringer

'Spider-Man 2' is better than 'The Matrix Reloaded,' fight us.

Classic movies crushed at the box office Spider-Man 2 swung over The Matrix Reloaded. Spider-Man 2 grossed $115.8 million over the four-day holiday weekend, bringing its six-day total to $180.1 million. This beat The Matrix Reloaded's previous record of $146.7 million by a large margin. CRACKED

Columbia Pictures, Warner Bros.

Entertainment Weekly

Jurassic Park

Classic movies crushed at the box office Last Action Hero was flattened by Jurassic Park. Last Action Hero was a box office flop, quickly losing to Jurassic Park which came back into theaters. CRACKED

Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures

MEL Magazine

Cult-classic film 'Escape from New York' didn’t have the best start.

Classic movies crushed at the box office Escape From New York was melted by Raiders of the Lost Ark. John Carpenter's 1981 film was released to 600 theaters and wasn't as successful as Raiders of the Lost Ark and other films of that year. Despite this, the movie developed a cult following over time. CRACKED

Paramount Pictures, Embassy Pictures

Fandango

Audiences found 'Tomorrow Never Dies' to be no match for 'Titanic.'

Classic movies crushed at the box office Tomorrow Never Dies ate Titanic's exhaust. Though it was entertaining, Tomorrow Never Dies was overshadowed by Titanic when they were both released. CRACKED

Paramount Pictures, Eon Productions

The A.V. Club

In a summer of box office smashes, one film flopped so hard it was sent straight to the Grid.

Classic movies crushed at the box office Tron got trounced by E.T. Tron was a box office flop despite its innovative brand of filmmaking. It was released in the summer of 1982 alongside many other successful films and earned only $33 million compared to the year's biggest film, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which took in $360 million. CRACKED

Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Studios

Ultimate Classic Rock

'The Greatest Showman' was surprisingly successful... for a movie that got beaten by 'The Last Jedi.'

Classic movies crushed at the box office The Greatest Showman was outshined by The Last Jedi. The musical biopic of P. T. Barnum had a surprisingly successful opening weekend, pulling in $115 million domestically. The movie didn't really start gaining traction until Christmas Day, but since then it did extremely well. Still, it got beaten by The Last Jedi. CRACKED

Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios

Forbes

'Scream 2' just couldn’t compete with 'Titanic' over time.

Classic movies crushed at the box office Scream 2 died out thanks to Titanic. Titanic earned $28.6 million during its opening weekend. Scream 2 grossed $33 million that weekend, but couldn't compete with Titanic over time. GRACKED

Paramount Pictures, Dimension Films

Los Angeles Times

'Ghostbusters II,' eighth at the domestic box office in 1989, was no match for 'Batman.'

Classic movies crushed at the box office Batman swept Ghostbusters II away. Batman, released on June 23 1989, grossed $251,188,924 from 2201 theaters in the U.S. Columbia Pictures' Ghostbusters II came in eighth that year, with $112,494,738 from 2,410 theaters. CRACKED

Warner Bros., Columbia Pictures

Box Office Mojo

'Beverly Hills Cop' did better than 'Ghostbusters'? Say it ain’t so!

Classic movies crushed at the box office Beverly Hills Cop put Ghostbusters away. Ghostbusters was a box office success, holding the top spot for eight weeks. The film grossed second highest that year, only behind Beverly Hills Сор. CRACKED

Paramount Pictures, Columbia Pictures

Ultimate Classic Rock

Time travel movies are all the rage.

Classic movies crushed at the box office X-Men: Days of Future Past blitzed ahead of Edge of Tomorrow. Edge of Tomorrow made $56.6 million, while X-Men: Days of Future Past made $205.9 million by mid-June 2014. CRACKED

20th Century Studios, Warner Bros.

Collider

In 1984, audiences couldn’t get enough of Eddie Murphy’s wise-cracking detective in 'Beverly Hills Cop.'

Classic movies crushed at the box office Dune got buried by Beverly Hills Cop. Paramount's 1984 Beverly Hills Cop grossed more than any other movie released that year, including sci-fi movies Dune, 2010, and Starman, gangland epic The Cotton Club, and cop comedy City Heat. 67 CRACKED

Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures

/Film

'Point Break' may have a silly concept, but it’s still a cult classic.

Classic movies crushed at the box office Terminator 2 blew away Point Break. In 1991, Terminator 2: Judgment Day was the number one movie at the box office every weekend. Point Break, released a week after T2, also made a strong cultural impact even though it has a silly concept that shouldn't work. CRACKED

TriStar Pictures, 20th Century Studios

The Comeback

Scroll down for the next article

Must Read

VIRAL ON CRACKED

A WEEKLY
NEWSLETTER OF
JOKES + TRIVIA

Forgot Password?