In it's release in 1980 I enjoyed this film. It was a fun adventure sci-fi. Today, it's still an enjoyable film. With its 'B' movie look, simple approach dialog, cardboard props and backdrops and some corny scenes for some reason became a classic flick. Goes to show that simple special effects, a cool story with a team and cast of actors going all in on the project (honorable mention to Max Von Sydow) and a great soundtrack from a legendary band Queen, some films without knowing at the time, a classic is in the making.
Comments
verstohlen t1_j29za1e wrote
It takes time, sometimes a lot of time, for it to happen, and is often very difficult to tell at the time if it will or won't become a cult classic. Repo man, Phantasm, Office Space, Cable Guy. Like a good mushroom or meat, it has to marinate for a while.
jracka t1_j2bthxp wrote
While I agree with most of this, the Big Lebowski was loved from the start. It got more love as time went on, but it was not a cult classic in the sense that Rocky Horror was.
DeadWalkerr t1_j2ao1yg wrote
Flash Gordon is a Cult Classic and will always be.
T3bone165 t1_j2ac8i7 wrote
Exactly. Now someone needs to make a top 20 cult classic list (that we can shit all over).
Markaes4 t1_j2aollq wrote
Simple. Flash Gordon bombed in the theater, then HBO picked up the rights and played it (and Beastmaster) 24/7 nonstop from 1980-1984. (That's how it seemed to me at least). This was right during the formative years for a lot of nerdy GenXers like me and we watched it over and over and over until it became burned in our consciousnesses. 'Flash Ahaaaaah!" is like a subconscious trigger word to bring me back to those carefree days of sitting on shag carpeting in front of the console TV.
mockity t1_j2axv40 wrote
Hello, fellow Gen X Flash Gordon fan!!
Markaes4 t1_j2d5s7h wrote
Hello, we lived through good times!
Derfargin t1_j2dzodf wrote
Gasp!!! You just described my childhood.
Markaes4 t1_j2apb9o wrote
But in all seriousness, I do think that did have a lot to do with it. Kind of like how TBS created the Christmas Story cult. It was a bomb and in the 80s almost no one had ever heard of it until the mid to late 90s when it was on TV constantly. Then everyone was suddenly like "oh that was my favorite christmas movie always".
nosmelc t1_j2bgcfv wrote
I seem to remember a Christmas Story getting big before the mid-90's.
Markaes4 t1_j2ctode wrote
I know it was on HBO, showtime, VHS in the 80s but I don't think it had any kind of mass following until TBS/TNT got exclusive TV rights in the early 90s, starting showing it every christmas day and the annual all-day marathon in late 90s. That's when I remember it just blowing up with ralphie shirts, christmas ornaments and leg lamps everywhere.
edit: https://theretronetwork.com/a-brief-history-of-the-24-hours-of-a-christmas-story-marathon/
Stacy_Ann_ t1_j29siug wrote
I think it looked surprisingly good in HD. Part of what it got right was the cliffhanger aspect. Every ten minutes or so someone is in terrible danger with no way out, but of course they do and the story races to the next point of danger. And Von Sydow is just 100% perfect casting as Ming.
irkybirky OP t1_j29v2d2 wrote
The movie did move along at a good pace. Our hero in peril at all times. It had all the ingredients and a likable cast. Sydow the perfect villan. I also think it reached a broad audience (PG). All ages could enjoy this film
nicecouplenextdoor t1_j2aiabs wrote
Well "Flash Gordon" became a cult classic but it was initially a commercial failure in 1980 but it became cult due to repeated viewings on cable television and home video releases and I think that's the case for quite a lot of cult movies today
[deleted] t1_j29trak wrote
I thunk one that was not accepted by mainstream media but liked by a small group of people. Like it could talk about certain subject matters most people dont wanna talk about or sensitive to.
DrRexMorman t1_j29xs62 wrote
> With its 'B' movie look
It wasn’t a B movie when it was released.
Flash Gordon was produced for $35 million - $126 million in ‘22 $$$s.
Raiders of the Lost Ark was released a year later. For comparison, it was produced for $20 million.
dittybopper_05H t1_j2a2b8r wrote
I think Flash Gordon is a bad example because it already had a kind of built-in fan base, of people who had seen the 1930's black and white serials on Saturday morning TV.
I mean, they copied the aesthetic *PERFECTLY*.
And not just the costumes and stuff, but even the acting and casting.
CarOnMyFuckingFence t1_j2abru3 wrote
Gordon's alive!
DIXIExCUP t1_j2alsy3 wrote
Flesh Gordon became a cult classic in my small town. No that’s not a typo. The only theatre in 40 miles of once thought they ordered Flash Gordon back when it was a big deal but got the wrong film real. They promoted the hell out of it too, so the seats were full of families with kids. They weren’t expecting Flesh Gordon and his girlfriend Flexi Jerkoff to travel to planet Porno to fight the emperor Wang.
That was before my time but a neighbor was there that day and was one of the only few that stayed.
DeadWalkerr t1_j2anxwx wrote
Over time it gets reexamined and loved.
catcodex t1_j2asehh wrote
slightly related:
Before Napoleon Dynamite's release, they had preview screenings, as most films do. But they encouraged people to attend multiple preview screenings. If you went to 4 (or 5?) preview screenings you could turn in your punch card and then get sent a Napoleon Dynamite Fan Club Kit.
It's a fun film and I'll admit I went to it multiple times (partially because I wanted the free kit). But there was something that felt off about it, like they were trying to turn it into a cult film before it was even released.
The film was obviously successful at the box office, I don't know if that was due to other marketing reasons and good reviews, or if the pre-release marketing strategy had anything to do with that.
Matelot67 t1_j2bysof wrote
The best example of this is Dredd with Karl Urban. However that movie bombed in the cinema because of the lack of promotion.
Pearlbarleywine t1_j2comxp wrote
A cult classic is sufficiently bad and sufficiently good.
KingRemoStar t1_j29xdml wrote
Teenagers
xxStrangerxx t1_j29uz41 wrote
It used to mean a movie that didn't do well at the box office and critically bombed, but grew on the secondary market. Usually a classic indicates 20-30 years has passed and the film remains relevant; being "cult" often shortens that duration because the level of fandom is more intense albeit still in minority numbers. THE BIG LEBOWSKI and THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW are examples of cult classics. Cult classics usually provoke costume parties and revivals