10 Forgotten Box Office Hits That Made Waves But Are Now Overlooked

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Box office hits are usually a big deal. They lure us to the theater with their A-list stars and captivating stories. They make headlines with their remarkable performances, stunning visual effects, and timely themes. Or maybe that box office hit is a part of a franchise that’s feeding us nostalgia. Regardless of critical reviews, these movies often penetrate the zeitgeist and become must-see events. Everyone knows about that movie and feels compelled to see it, just so they can participate in water cooler chitchat.

Many box office hits, however, have faded into obscurity and have been lost to time. They make a splash when they first hit our screens, but fall off our radar as their relevance diminishes and time passes by. Despite their success at the time, some films don’t enjoy the kind of staying power or enduring popularity as other movies. Let’s now jog your memory with these 10 box office hits that you probably forgot existed.

10
‘Romancing the Stone’ (1984)

Romancing the Stone is a romcom adventure that follows a New York City romance novelist to Colombia, where she teams up with an adventurer to rescue her sister from criminals. As the film’s producer, Michael Douglas cast himself as the adventurer and starred alongside Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. The movie was also directed by the then-unknown Robert Zemeckis.

Thanks to its cast, Romancing the Stone became a commercial success. Against a budget of only $10 million, it grossed an impressive $115 million worldwide in 1984, becoming the sixth-highest-grossing film that year. The film’s success birthed a sequel, The Jewel of the Nile, and gave Zemeckis the opportunity to direct Back to the Future. But Romancing the Stone has been largely forgotten over the years, buried by all the amazing films that were released in 1984.

9
‘Look Who’s Talking’ (1989)

Look Who’s Talking is pretty unique as far as adult romcoms go. A single mother finds romance with a cab driver, while her newbown baby shares comical thoughts that only the audience can hear. The film stars John Travolta and Kirstie Alley, with Bruce Willis providing the infant’s narration. Look Who’s Talking was a surprise, and a massive, hit.

Although it faced a mixed reception, the movie brought in a staggering $290 million at the box office on a budget of just $7.5 million back in 1989. This immense success led to the creation of a franchise that produced two sequels and a TV show. However, after three decades, discussions about the Look Who’s Talking series have largely ceased.

8
‘Eraser’ (1996)

Arnold Schwarzenegger was the action star of the 90s. One of the films he starred in during this time period was 1996’s Eraser. Here, Schwarzenegger plays a Witness Protection specialist who’s forced to go against his allies in the midst of an illegal arms deal.

Despite mixed reviews, Arnold’s star power and the film’s action-packed sequences turned Eraser into a commercial success. It grossed $242.3 million back in 1996. The film was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Effects Editing. But when people think of Schwarzenegger action films, they tend to remember classics like The Terminator franchise, Predator, Total Recall, True Lies –hell, even Last Action Hero, Batman & Robin, and Jingle All the Way — before they can recall Eraser.

7
‘Deep Impact’ (1998)

Deep Impact is a sci-fi disaster film that captures humanity’s attempts to prepare for and destroy a massive comet threatening to annihilate life on Earth. It features an ensemble cast that includes Robert Duvall, Téa Leoni, Elijah Wood, and Morgan Freeman.

Deep Impact was a smash hit at the box office, grossing nearly $350 million worldwide on an $80 million budget. Unfortunately, the similarly themed film, Armageddon, was released that same year. Even though Deep Impact received better critical reviews and was more scientifically accurate, Armageddon is the comet-extinction film that most people remember. In the long run, it looks like Deep Impact didn’t really have a deep impact on audiences (sorry, couldn’t resist).

6
‘The Perfect Storm’ (2000)

If you were a movie-goer in 2000, then you might remember The Perfect Storm. Inspired by real events, this disaster film follows a crew of commercial fishermen, who find themselves caught in an unusually intense storm. The film is led by an ensemble cast that includes George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane, William Fichtner, and John C. Reilly.

Thanks to its impressive visual effects and A-list cast, The Perfect Storm became one of the most highly anticipated films of 2000, and also one of the year’s highest-grossing films. On a budget of $140 million, it grossed $328 million back in 2000. Despite making a splash at the time, The Perfect Storm has since sunk out of memory.

5
‘Shark Tale’ (2004)

This list isn’t limited to live-action movies. Kids’ animated films count, too — like this production from DreamWorks Animation, Shark Tale. After the son of a gangster shark boss is accidentally killed, his vegetarian shark brother and an underachieving fish team up to use this tragedy to their advantage. Shark Tale boasts a cast that would make most film producers swoon, featuring A-list names like Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Renée Zellweger, Angelina Jolie, Jack Black, Martin Scorsese, and Michael Imperioli.

The film was a huge success, raking in $374 million on a budget of $75 million. It was even nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards. But with so many other animated classics floating around, Shake Tale has found itself lost at sea in the minds of many movie-goers.

4
‘Super 8’ (2011)

Back in the 2000s, long before he butchered Star Wars, J.J. Abrams was the golden nerd of Hollywood. He was a possible filmmaking genius, the next Steven Spielberg. Everything that bore his name seemed to be solid gold, from the TV series Lost, to 2008’s cinematic phenomenon Cloverfield, to the 2009 reboot of Star Trek.

Super 8 promised to be Abrams’ next big film. Set in 1979, it follows a group of kids who witness a mysterious train crash while filming their own Super 8 movie. Against a budget of $50 million, it grossed $260 million in 2011. Super 8 was supposed to be Abrams’ version of E.T., and comparisons were even made between the two films at the time. But now? Well, everyone still remembers and cherishes Spielberg’s 1982 classic. No one remembers or even cares about Super 8.

3
‘Snow White & the Huntsman’ (2012)

Back in 2012, Disney hadn’t yet decided to smother us with live-action remakes of its animated classics. The market was wide open for other studios to step in with their own takes of these classic tales. Enter Snow White & the Huntsman, a live-action adaptation of Snow White that was not produced by Disney. This film put a unique spin on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, focusing on Snow White’s relationship with the huntsman rather with the dwarfs.

Snow White was played by the “It” girl of the moment, Kristen Stewart, who was fresh off the Twilight phenomenon. The evil queen was played by Charlize Theron, while the huntsman was played by Chris Hemsworth, who was just kicking off his career as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Snow White & the Huntsman was a box office success, grossing $396 million on a $170 million budget.

Since then, there’s been an endless stream of Disney live-action fairy tale movies, making this adaptation easy to forget. Disney’s controversial live-action remake of Snow White is actually set to premiere this month — and it’s looking unlikely that it’ll perform better than Snow White & the Huntsman.

2
‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ (2013)

In simple terms, “Ever wonder how the Wizard of Oz came to be?” can be rephrased as “Have you ever wondered about how the character known as the Wizard of Oz came to exist?” The movie Oz the Great and Powerful answers that question by serving as a prequel to the 1939 classic film, The Wizard of Oz. In this new movie, James Franco plays the title character, a magician who turns out to be deceptive. Alongside him are Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, and Zach Braff.

Against a budget of $215 million, Oz the Great and Powerful grossed $493 million, becoming the highest-grossing Oz-related film until a little movie called Wicked. Between the film’s mediocrity and James Franco’s Hollywood cancellation, Oz the Great and Powerful has long been forgotten. Even now, with Wicked dominating headlines, no one is talking or reminiscing about Oz the Great and Powerful.

1
‘San Andreas’ (2015)

Disaster movies seem to be a common theme here. San Andreas captures a devastating earthquake and the destruction it wreaks along the West Coast. The film stars Dwayne Johnson, one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars, along with Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario, and Paul Giamatti.

The film earned an impressive $474 million against a production cost of $110 million, demonstrating its box office triumph. However, similar to other action movies on this list, San Andreas lacked the lasting impact to remain etched in people’s minds.

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2025-03-16 22:36