<![CDATA[Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure.]]>I would also include anything that was initially a flop on its original release but then found a following later such as movies like Momento. This still counts as commercial failure for the sake of this question.

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/topic/68188ce3-1825-4311-80ae-a96918e2dc3f/whats-your-favorite-piece-of-media-that-was-a-commercial-failure.RSS for NodeWed, 21 Oct 2026 22:53:43 GMTThu, 01 Oct 2026 13:48:09 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure. on Thu, 01 Oct 2026 15:50:45 GMT]]>Event Horizon. I consider it in-universe canon for Warhammer 40,000.

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://piefed.social/comment/13136735https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://piefed.social/comment/13136735Thu, 01 Oct 2026 15:50:45 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure. on Thu, 01 Oct 2026 15:49:23 GMT]]>This is actually the movie that prompted the question! I forced my fiancé to watch it with me last night (I'd seen it before) and he loved it!

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.zip/comment/29177733https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.zip/comment/29177733Thu, 01 Oct 2026 15:49:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure. on Thu, 01 Oct 2026 15:48:02 GMT]]>Dredd. Karl Urban always gets me in the door, but the movie ended up being pretty great.

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.world/comment/26112321https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.world/comment/26112321Thu, 01 Oct 2026 15:48:02 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure. on Thu, 01 Oct 2026 15:30:09 GMT]]>Treasure Planet.

It's probably a good thing that Disney's forgotten about it. I don't wanna see them try to remake it.

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.world/comment/26111995https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.world/comment/26111995Thu, 01 Oct 2026 15:30:09 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure. on Thu, 01 Oct 2026 15:26:04 GMT]]>Loved this movie, and just saw it in the theatre again last week and had just as much fun with it as ever.

My wife went with and had never seen it, and I asked her if her sisters would let their kids watch a movie like this today? 😆

When they got to the acid pool scene, I just heard her say "oh my god!" and I was like, yep, this and Watership Down where what we watched as 80s kids.

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.world/comment/26111929https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.world/comment/26111929Thu, 01 Oct 2026 15:26:04 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure. on Thu, 01 Oct 2026 15:14:45 GMT]]>I dunno whether it's my favorite, but I'd have liked more Firefly episodes.

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.today/comment/26910185https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.today/comment/26910185Thu, 01 Oct 2026 15:14:45 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure. on Thu, 01 Oct 2026 15:12:19 GMT]]>of the only two Transformers DVDs Blockbuster had growing up, one of them was THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE. i always figured that it was the main Transformers thing, because, y'know, it's The Movie! no idea that it wildly underperformed, drew the ire of parents everywhere, and was torn to shreds by critics (who compared it unfavorably to the movie where the GoBots fight literal rocks)

granted it was vindicated by the recent theatrical rerun. i got to see the movie in a packed theater, and it finally broke even 40 years later

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://fedia.io/m/asklemmy@lemmy.world/t/4414504/-/comment/16474176https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://fedia.io/m/asklemmy@lemmy.world/t/4414504/-/comment/16474176Thu, 01 Oct 2026 15:12:19 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure. on Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:52:50 GMT]]>Soldier(1998) with Kurt Russell

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://sh.itjust.works/comment/27705566https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://sh.itjust.works/comment/27705566Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:52:50 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure. on Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:49:32 GMT]]>Heh, I think you're referring to the wrong Dark Matter. The one I'm talking about premiered in 2015 and was cancelled after 3 seasons.

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.ca/comment/25614268https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.ca/comment/25614268Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:49:32 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure. on Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:46:59 GMT]]>The Wachowski sisters are some of the most underrated filmmakers of all time. Everyone basically wrote them off as just, you know, the slow-mo kung fu people, and it's absolutely tragic that they don't get the respect their work deserves.

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://sh.itjust.works/comment/27705462https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://sh.itjust.works/comment/27705462Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:46:59 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure. on Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:46:51 GMT]]>The appearance of Fight Club on your list surprised me - I thought it did well. But I looked it up - it was #1 on opening weekend but ultimately only turned a profit of $10m, which is indeed a flop. Wild considering how well regarded it is now.

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.world/comment/26111204https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.world/comment/26111204Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:46:51 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure. on Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:42:19 GMT]]>Jesus. Probably most of my media library? It's genuinely a surprise when anything I really like is successful.

First thing that comes to mind is Blade Runner 2049. Film flopped hard, but it's a god damn masterpiece. Absolutely perfect way to build on the ideas presented in the original, while also playing with a whole new set of notions on top of that. Gosling continues to be incredible, the soundtrack is pure magic, and Denis Villeneuve is one of the best filmmakers in the world.

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://sh.itjust.works/comment/27705364https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://sh.itjust.works/comment/27705364Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:42:19 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure. on Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:32:40 GMT]]>Season 2 was just released (mostly); I don't think it was a failure. It's gotten better reviews than season 1.

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.world/comment/26110932https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.world/comment/26110932Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:32:40 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure. on Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:27:16 GMT]]>Guthenberg bible.
Many dont know it was a comercial failiure

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/comment/22400600https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/comment/22400600Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:27:16 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure. on Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:18:07 GMT]]>Chowder and Invader Zim

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.zip/comment/29175854https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.zip/comment/29175854Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:18:07 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure. on Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:17:47 GMT]]>Dark Matter.

I was primed onto that show after playing a lot of Fractured Space, which was also a commercial failure.

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.ca/comment/25613656https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.ca/comment/25613656Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:17:47 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure. on Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:04:47 GMT]]>One of them is Rock & Rule. I encourage everyone who's into cult films/animation to see it for themselves if possible, and try to seek out the Canadian version even though it's rare.

Short summary: This movie almost bankrupted Nelvana animation studios, who spent $8 million on it for it to make about $33k in 1983. The colossal flop was mostly due to the distributor MGM/UA not knowing how to market an adult-oriented animated feature and recasting/redubbing/editing the fuck out of the US release version.

To compound on the matter, the original print of the Canadian version was lost in either a fire or a flood, sources are mixed on what happened, and the remaining version is long out of print. A lone VHS copy of the Canadian version was digitized and released on DVD by Unearthed Films in 2005.

Due to the films still being officially out of print (and one version destroyed), physical copies are rare and expensive (physical Blu Ray was going for $400+ on eBay last I checked). And you're likely only going to find the heavily edited US version unless you specifically search for the 2 disc DVD set. The Canadian unedited version is non-existent online, and neither version is available to stream. The US version is on YouTube though.

Overall - great movie, great music, fantastic animation. Very 80s. It's a 10/10 to me.

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.world/comment/26110410https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.world/comment/26110410Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:04:47 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure. on Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:03:16 GMT]]>That movie was too far ahead of its time for its own good. I remember hating it in theaters but gave it another chance recently on a friend's recommendation.

Holy shit. The world was not ready for that level of cinematography. The scene transition from the villain's office to the big race is pure art. People will be studying that one in film school for decades.

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://piefed.social/comment/13135159https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://piefed.social/comment/13135159Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:03:16 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure. on Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:03:15 GMT]]>It is the only live actually movie I've ever seen that feels exactly like a cartoon. It got released in theaters for its anniversary recently and being able to watch it on the big screen as an adult was genuinely amazing.

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.zip/comment/29175536https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.zip/comment/29175536Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:03:15 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure. on Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:01:41 GMT]]>Obligatory Ishtar

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.world/comment/26110366https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.world/comment/26110366Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:01:41 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure. on Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:00:44 GMT]]>I knew one guy for years who swore up and down it was the best thing he'd seen in ages. Loved that movie. But he was also a troll with really questionable taste so I just ignored it.

But I see it get brought up like this fairly frequently so unless you're all his puppets maybe ill watch it.

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.world/comment/26110351https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://lemmy.world/comment/26110351Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:00:44 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure. on Thu, 01 Oct 2026 13:57:34 GMT]]>Scott Pilgrim and Speed Racer were commercial failures. They are in my humble opinion two of the best cinema that get out of Hollywood. Being the commercial failures that they were Producers abandoned this side of the craft for the slop fest that we’re in now

There’s some beautiful TV series that were cancelled after one season : Firefly (Whedon is an awful being), Almost Human, Kaos, Altered Carbon (they should have cancelled it after one season, the second not only killed the franchise it killed the possibility of doing more) to name a few

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://startrek.website/comment/24883581https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://startrek.website/comment/24883581Thu, 01 Oct 2026 13:57:34 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure. on Thu, 01 Oct 2026 13:55:47 GMT]]>That Speed Racer movie that the Wachowski’s made. I think it’s a fun film and I feel fortunate to have found a handful of Lemmy users who also appreciate it.

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://sh.itjust.works/comment/27704560https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://sh.itjust.works/comment/27704560Thu, 01 Oct 2026 13:55:47 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Whats your favorite piece of media that was a commercial failure. on Thu, 01 Oct 2026 13:52:56 GMT]]>Firefly. Watching Serenity, it's pretty obvious they're trying to hit several seasons' worth of story beats in as little time as possible. Seeing it as intended would have been really cool.

Honorable mentions (in no particular order):

Fight Club

The Iron Giant

Grindhouse

Waterworld

]]>https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://piefed.social/comment/13135046https://forum.ieu.app/post/https://piefed.social/comment/13135046Thu, 01 Oct 2026 13:52:56 GMT