The term 'cult classic' is a phrase that is largely thrown about by cinema fans these days.
But what exactly does it mean?
A 'cult classic' (when referring to the cinema industry) is a film that regardless of it's success amongst critic groups or box office statistics, remains very close to the hearts of a very specific audience group to the point where it possesses a cult-like following.
These types of movies come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Whether it's a low-budget independent film or a underrated member of a cinematic franchise, any picture is worthy of being deemed a 'cult classic' with the right kind of fan base.
What are some examples of a 'cult classic'?
One of the earliest films throughout the landscape of cinematic history to be deemed a 'cult classic' come through the form of Jim Sharman's 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show'.
Following the film's cinematic release in 1975, the initial reception it received from audience members and critic groups was extremely negative. However, the film seemed to hit home with a very specific and niche audience group as the following year the film soon become a hit as a midnight movie (a film that plays at certain theatres with a midnight screening).
This is primarily down to the fact that the film provides a combination of camp, horror and humour - which very few films attempt to do. Inevitably, the film's unique style hit home with a niche audience that would go on to pay their respect to the picture with a cult-like following for years to come.
A more modern-day example of a 'cult classic', although this time maybe for the wrong reasons, comes through the form of Tommy Wiseau's 2003 comedy/romance 'The Room'.
'The Room' is one of very few examples that fall into the rare category of movies that are "so-bad-it's-good". Despite it's $6million financing, Tommy Wiseau's directorial debut is famously known for it's weak storyline, terrible acting and poor production quality.
Regardless of this, thanks to these negative factors there has become a niche audience that have developed a cult-like following for the movie as they can spend hours laughing at just how bad the film actually is.
Although the film originally lost a lot of money, it's ongoing returning screenings in theatres across the United States have turned the film into a box office hit, purely kept alive by it's cult-like following who see the movie as so bad it's become enjoyable to watch.
What generally makes a movie a 'cult classic'?
There are countless explanations as to why film's succeed in gaining a cult-like following - whether that was the filmmaker's intention or not. Regardless, each picture worthy of being deemed a 'cult classic' undoubtedly has it's reasons.
One of these reasons may be that the film includes a specific character that niche audience enjoy watching religiously, one example of this being Jeff Bridge's portrayal of The Dude in 1998's 'The Big Lebowski'.
As previously mentioned, most 'cult classics' earn that title because they reach out to an enthusiastic group of audience members, intentionally or not. But this may not always be the case for these films following their initial release.
Movies like David Fincher's 'Fight Club' or Mike Judge's 'Office Space' have become 'cult classics' as time has gone on. This is essentially down to the sole purpose that the culture around the movie-viewing community has adjusted to a style that would generally speaking enjoy these films a lot more now as opposed to when they were originally released.
What impact do 'cult classics' have on modern-day cinema?
In an age where the film industry seems to be dominated by sequels, remakes and high-budget cinematic franchises, 'cult classics' serve the purpose of 'fighting back' against the grain and making a statement that films don't necessarily need to fit the mould of pictures we tend to experience in this day and age.
The fact that movies like 'The Room' has gone on to be a financial success because of it's cult-like following urges the young filmmakers of tomorrow to grab their creative license with both hands and make a movie that they would want to see, not a movie that they think audiences would want to see in a sequel-and-remake-filled industry.
'Cult classics' also serve the purpose of keeping these cinematic hidden gems relevant decades after they were released. Although David Fincher has gone on to have an impressive catalogue of work throughout the last 25 years, a film like 'Fight Club' would usually be dead and buried in the minds of modern day cinemagoers.
But thanks to it's loyal and enthusiastic cult-like following, the film still plays in selected theatres all over the world to this very day.
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