Options
Hit films now Forgotten
Inspired by the Avatar thread I thought about other recent films which were box office hits at the time of release but have largely faded from public consciousness.
Alice in Wonderland (2010) Was a big hit as the first major 3d release after Avatar, a sequel is in production but I have never heard anyone have a good word to say about it.
Hancock (2008) Will Smith could do no wrong when he played the titular alcoholic superhero, rumours of a sequel but strangely unmemorable.
What women want (2000) Hard to believe now that Mel Gibson had a huge hit in a romantic comedy as a man who could hear women's thoughts, would certainly never be offered a similar part again since his infamous arrest.
As good as it gets (1997) Won two oscars for Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt but I can hardly remember a thing about it now.
Ordinary People (1980) Now little seen and remembered only as the answer to the pub quiz question "which film beat raging bull to best picture at the oscars?"
I also deliberately left out dodgy sequels to hits like POTC and the Matrix sequels which also made lots of money but were pretty rubbish.
Alice in Wonderland (2010) Was a big hit as the first major 3d release after Avatar, a sequel is in production but I have never heard anyone have a good word to say about it.
Hancock (2008) Will Smith could do no wrong when he played the titular alcoholic superhero, rumours of a sequel but strangely unmemorable.
What women want (2000) Hard to believe now that Mel Gibson had a huge hit in a romantic comedy as a man who could hear women's thoughts, would certainly never be offered a similar part again since his infamous arrest.
As good as it gets (1997) Won two oscars for Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt but I can hardly remember a thing about it now.
Ordinary People (1980) Now little seen and remembered only as the answer to the pub quiz question "which film beat raging bull to best picture at the oscars?"
I also deliberately left out dodgy sequels to hits like POTC and the Matrix sequels which also made lots of money but were pretty rubbish.
0
Comments
Have learnt the hard way Australians of say, 30 and under HATE it and all the stereotypes it brought on.
I don't understand what you mean by this "faded from public consciousness" thing.
I don't know if you expect people to be going around talking about old films they seen 10 years ago or what?
Seen a film, quite enjoyed it, maybe watch it again, if its on TV would probably flick on and watch it, if sitting talking about movies, might mention one I really liked years ago, that's about all that could happen.
Why would you hear anything else about Crocodile Dundee 30 years after it was out?, what is there to hear about it?
Unless you guys are thinking of movies like The Godfather or Taxi Driver with iconic quotes and performances?
Or films that get shown at Christmas every year like Wizard Of Oz or Its A Wonderful Life?
No one is saying all the other thousands of films have been forgotten, but just because we are not all talking about 25 year old average films does not mean they have dissapeared.
Never heard anyone outside the fan base talk about it!
I think it still holds a place of affection for some people, and the "That's not a knife" quote occassionally gets referenced.
All very true of course, and it prompts the question of what makes a movie memorable, what seperates the Godfather from Crocodile Dundee and stops it fading from public conciousness. Obviously the quality of the acting, the dialogue, etc. but that is not always the case when, imho mediocre/poor films like Grease for example are still looked upon with affection.
Titanic was so huge that people were going and seeing it multiple times in a week and sobbing in the streets. Now it is seen as corny with hammy acting and has lost its sparkle.
The Star Trek films were also massive but some of the later ones were not that memorable.
All those films are good examples of films which are still remembered and referenced in popular culture today. Crocodile Dundee has perhaps dated quite a bit but everyone still remembers the knife scene, and more recent australian films have made little impact.
Another Costner movie that seems to have faded away is Dances With Wolves.
Was huge back then but rarely on TV or mentioned much nowadays
also
Basic Instinct 1992
a few big films that don't show up now and which I think have drifted out our collective
memory.
The Rescuers 1977
Oh, God! 1977
Coming Home 1978
Foul Play 1978
10 1979
Coal Miner's Daughter 1980
Private Benjamin 1980
9 to 5 1980
Reds 1981
Sharky's Machine 1981
Porky's 1982 (now relegated to Movies4Men)
Mr. Mom 1983 (Michael Keatons first above the title starring role)
Terms of Endearment 1983
Porky's lives on in every "raunchy" American teen comedy, like American Pie et al.
You sound as if you're taking the title of this thread a tad too literally.
You're absolutely correct to ask why would we hear anything about a 30 year old film, but then go on to list even older films that are regularly referenced for cultural reasons etc.
I believe the purpose of this thread is to reminisce about hit films of the past that are not longer widely referenced for various reasons, not to expect that we should all have regular conversations about thousands of hit films that have come & gone.
Yeah, that scene about the knife is still in public consciousness. Someone below your post mentioned Basic Instinct, but then most people know about the leg-crossing scene. I suppose it says something about those films that single scenes are only referenced, but those films are still in the general public's mind. Both those films don't seem to sit too well with this thread.
I'll add Twister to the list. A hit in the mid-nineties, but I don't recall any references or talk about that film.
Also, if it's not already, give it a few years, and 2012 will be forgotten.
That's true, when Patrick Swayze died most of the coverage focused on Dirty Dancing even though Ghost was a much bigger hit. The former though has come to be closely associated with 80s nostalgia, which is slightly odd as it's set in the early 60s.
9 1/2 Weeks - it dominated until Basic Instinct came along.
Risky Business
9 to 5 - I still hate that damn song.
Working Girl
The Woman in Red - another song (Lady in Red) that made me want to stab my ears repeatedly. And that iconic theatrical poster made me want to stab my eyes repeatedly, too.
48 Hours - seems one of most popular rental videos in all time as the VHS poster was everywhere. Now? It seems forgotten.
The Care Bears: the Movie
Body Double - does anyone remember the theatrical/VHS poster? Speaking of which...
American Gigolo
10 - how many more times could you play that scene of Bo Derek jogging on a beach, Barry Norman?
Smokey and the Bandit series
The Cannonball Run series
Romancing the Stone
The River - I was really sick of this hyped Mel Gibson / Sissy Spacek film.
Scum / Scrubbers
Endless Love
Electric Dreams - we'll al-ways be to-get-her in electric dreeeeams.
The French Lieutenant's Woman
Pink Floyd: The Wall
Staying Alive
Brimstone and Treacle
That list is quite long, sorry, but I think it shows how traumatised I was by all that hype and those songs.
Strange choice, ET is still regarded as one of Spielberg's most iconic films. I hadn't seen it fully until last year and it's funny how familiar I was with so many scenes through various pop culture references elsewhere.
I'm sure Ghost might have been on Film4 last week, didn't bother watching it, not my sort of thing.
Basic Instinct has been on Sky Movies loads this month, stored on my tivo, one of my favourites.
I rarely see it on recommended lists and discussions these days, which is why I listed it.
An Officer and a Gentlemen
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (9th Highest grossing film of 1982)
Wargames
Trading Places
The Colour Purple
Terms of Endearment
good Will Hunting
The river wild
clueless, spawned a tv series too
My big fat Greek wedding as above
I would add
Strictly Ballroom (I know it has a very solid fanbase but I vaguely remember it being a huge deal at the time, not so much now)
Bend it Like Beckham
The Artist (forgotten about quite quickly)
Ratatouille (feel like this is the "forgotten" Pixar movie)
Napoleon Dynamite (not beloved and quoted as much as comparable comedies from the same time, such as Anchorman)
Fair points. I guess Star Wars and Indiana Jones did steal its thunder but even then I can't imagine a film world without ET. I see a lot of people have it as a childhood favurite but I don't know.