Cult Classic?

Question

how are movies classified as "cult classics"? what does the term even mean? what does it have to do with cults??!

Answer 1

a cult classic is usually a movie that didn't do that good at the box office, and the critics hated, but somehow people still discovered it, either in second runs, or on DVD and love it. These are movies people will watch over and over again, 40 times and more. They know every scene, every word of dialog, all of it from begining to end, and love every frame. It can be a horror movie that is sort of corny, or a real tear jerker of a love story that on the surface seems trite or simple, but holds your heart and soul against it tightly. It can even be movies about war or historical dramas. The only requirement for becoming a cult classic is to have people love it, even in its badness (if it is bad. Bad ones become cult classics a lot).
Now why is the word cult thrown into this scheme? Cults are groups of mindless worshipers, who follow a certain road blindly, not questioning any part of what it is they worship. Cult movies are very worshiped by those who love them, and often without considering the blatent bad parts or silly parts or wrong parts of the movie. So I think that is why they are called 'cult' classics.

Answer 2

A cult classic is a movie that is not a major studio release that EVERYONE knows about and is immediatley successful like Titanic or Spiderman, but it eventually becomes a well-known movie that usually has a specific target audience. The movie becomes an obsession to some of the watchers, and they follow it like a "cult". Army of Darkness, Serenity, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Boondock Saints are examples

Answer 3

A cult classic is a movie that has a huge fan base...for example, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The term "cult" classic means that people sort of blindly follow the movie sort of like cult members do their leader.

Answer 4

Small devoted fan base, Usually the movie had a terrible theatrical release but its popularity grew through word of mouth by the devotees.

By far the Best know Cult Classic has to be "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", which after 30 years still draws huge late night audiences that dress up for midnight showings

Answer 5

"A mainstream film is seen 1 time by 1000 people; a cult film is seen 1000 times by 1 person."

Has nothing to do with cults. The movie, tv show, or song has a fan base of dedicated viewers or listeners. Some examples are Star Trek ( TV show), Rocky Horror Picture show (movie) or the song Shout.

Answer 6

Cults have loyal followers as do films that is why they are called "Cult Classics" When a movie achieves Cult status - it is an honor to the film and filmmaker

Answer 7

movie that has a dedicated following outside the mainstream- usually has some quirk but not always. Most are not succesful at first but later become popular via word of mouth...eg Scarface, didnt do so well but is now regarded as a cult classic esp among the hip-hop/black circles and is widely regarded as al pacino's signature role..

Answer 8

this just means that certain movies that were not very good and should not appeal to the "general audience" actually spend money and time to watch these movies that others are afraid to watch here are a list of them

Any movie with jay and silent bob
Kung Pow enter the fist
Dazed and Confused
Daredevil
The Big Labowski
Pokemon movies
Police Academy movies
Space Balls
Blazing Sadles
and Silent Movie
tons more....

Answer 9

Small films with a large following that is not mainstream.

These include: Rocky Horror Picture Show, Eraserhead, Pink Flamingos, El Topo

Answer 10

The phrase has nothing to do with cults. :) It is a phrase that means a show or movie has a small (usually) but very loyal fan base.