Low-rated action movies that somehow became cult classics
Hollywood spent $65 million on “Hudson Hawk” in 1991 and made $17.2 million in the U.S. alone, per Filmsite. Critics buried it, however.
Then something odd happened. Movies like it kept showing up on cable and VHS, and people kept watching. Six action films follow, each one panned or ignored at first. We note what the record shows and who turned it around.
Fox buried Big Trouble in Little China
July 2, 1986. John Carpenter’s film opened in 1,053 theaters. It grossed $2.7 million that weekend and $11.1 million overall, against a budget of $19 to $25 million, a 1980s retrospective observes.
Fox had rushed it to beat Eddie Murphy’s “The Golden Child,” and put most of its marketing into James Cameron’s “Aliens,” CBR notes. Carpenter went back to small films, Parade reports.
Its second life began on video. The 1996 VHS release came with takeout-box promotions, Goomba Stomp says. It’s now certified fresh.
Road House collected five Razzie nominations
When it opened on May 19, 1989, reviewers handed Patrick Swayze’s bouncer film five Razzie nominations, including Worst Picture and Worst Actor, Parade reports. Roger Ebert wrote that it sat right on the edge between “good-bad movie” and merely bad.
It opened less than a week before “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” and petered out at about $30 million domestic, VideoFile notes.
Then came cable. The Razzies later put it in their book of “100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies.” In 2020, it was the most-watched movie on basic cable, Yahoo reported.
Hudson Hawk won three Razzies
The 1991 film took the 1992 Razzies for Worst Picture, Worst Director, and Worst Screenplay. Bruce Willis got a one-story credit, per Filmsite. It was sold as an action film to ride the success of “Die Hard 2.” It’s actually an absurd heist comedy.
At home, it grossed $17.2 million. Overseas, it did far better, and worldwide it reached $97 million.
Four years later, it was still earning money on VHS and gaining ground on the midnight circuit, SlashFilm reports. “Cult film” is how Willis says he hears it described. JoBlo calls it the best Bruce Willis movie you never saw.
Last Action Hero opened one week after Jurassic Park
“Jurassic Park” opened June 11, 1993, and took about $50 million that weekend. “Last Action Hero” opened June 18 and took $15.3 million, JoBlo reports.
Columbia had hyped it hard, and studio chairman Mark Canton called it the best thing he’d ever done. It cost $85 million, made $50 million domestically and $137 million worldwide, and counted as a failure, BGR says.
Schwarzenegger reportedly begged the studio to delay, per TV Tropes. Critics have since warmed to it, and there’s a growing consensus that it’s an overlooked gem.
Critics called Starship Troopers fascist
Paul Verhoeven and screenwriter Ed Neumeier tried to get away from Robert Heinlein’s novel, which Verhoeven called fascist and militaristic. They wanted an adventure story about young people who, without knowing it, are on their way to fascism, IndieWire reported.
In 1997, critics missed the satire. They panned the film for advocating what it mocked, IndieWire notes.
It made $54 million domestically on a $105 million budget, Yahoo reports. Later, a critic called it “one of the most merciless satires of its time.”
Dredd lost money and gained a petition
The 2012 film opened in the U.S. to about $6 million. It made $13 million in North America and $41 million worldwide, on a reported $45 million budget, Moviefone says.
At home, it found a following. Home video earned at least $20 million, and a fan petition for a sequel hit 80,000 signatures. A TV spinoff was announced in May 2017.
Karl Urban said it “represents a failure in marketing, not filmmaking.” He also said writer Alex Garland effectively directed it, GameSpot reported. In 2024, it was one of the most-watched movies on Max, SlashFilm notes.
The bottom line
“Hudson Hawk” cost $65 million and made $17 million at home. “Dredd” got a petition with 80,000 signatures.
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