Box office results don’t always reflect a movie’s quality, and there are plenty of sci-fi classics which didn’t get what they deserved. Whether it takes weeks or years, great movies eventually get recognition, even if they have already been branded as commercial flops. A movie’s marketing campaign and timing can also contribute to its commercial viability, so some movies are doomed before audiences even have a chance to judge them.
Along with horror and action, sci-fi is one genre which tends to fare rather well at the box office. Audiences will always be interested in seeing otherworldly concepts playing out on the big screen. However, there are more than a few exceptions to this rule, including some of the most influential sci-fi movies of all time. These maligned classics highlight the problems with putting too much stock into box office numbers.
10 Amazing Sci-Fi Movies Directed By Women
The sci-fi genre is chock full of amazing and mind-bending movies, and notably, many outstanding sci-fi films have been directed by women.
Event Horizonfollows a team of astronauts who respond to a distress signal to find an abandoned ship which had previously vanished during its maiden voyage. The sci-fi horror movie was dismissed by some as aripoff ofAlien, and this may have been a factor which contributed to its sub-par box office return. Although the premise does seem to borrow fromAlien, Event Horizonhas plenty of its own tricks up its sleeve.
Event Horizon’s particular brand of horror is more psychological and existential thanAlien,which quickly puts an end to any direct comparisons. The movie’s eerie atmosphere and some of its themes mean that it has also been compared to a sci-fi version ofThe Shining.Event Horizonalso has the benefit of a great cast, which includes Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill and Jason Isaacs. If it had cast an A-list lead, it could have achieved the financial success which it deserved.
Dark Citywas released a year beforeThe Matrix, and many sci-fi fans have suggested the former may have influenced the latter in some ways. New Line Cinema didn’t quite know what they had on their hands withDark City.Despite some hesitance on the part of the studio, the movie still received plenty of positive reviews.Famous critic Roger Ebert even recorded a commentary track for the DVD release.
Dark Cityuses a gloomy color palette to create an intense, oppressive atmosphere. Its dystopian approach has been likened to the movies of Terry Gilliam, as well as German expressionist works from the 1920s and 1930s.Dark Citytakes on a swirl of disparate influences to create something unique. It may have struggled to clear its $27 million budget, butit has created a long legacy in the sci-fi genre.
10 years before scoring two Academy Award nominations forThe Zone of Interest,Jonathan Glazer directed an underrated sci-fi movie starring Scarlett Johansson. LikeThe Zone of Interest,Under the Skinuses unsettling music and stretches of silence to create an unsettling, alien atmosphere. Johansson plays an enigmatic alien who travels the Scottish countryside, abducting men and trapping them inside an ink-black void.
Under the Skinhad a budget of just $13.3 million, but it still fell short of recouping that cost at the box office. Although it’s a sci-fi movie, it doesn’t offer much of the action or spectacle that fans of the genre are often looking for. It may be better understood as a philosophical horror movie about the male gaze with a sci-fi twist. Despite its poor commercial results,Under the Skinhas developed a cult following.
Furiosais far from the only high-profile movie which has failed to meet box office expectations in 2024. In a strange year at the theaters,Furiosastands out as one movie which definitely deserved more.The follow-up to the groundbreakingMad Max: Fury Roadhad all the potential of becoming a huge hit.Audiences may have been turned away by the decision to recast Charlize Theron for the prequel, and the absence of Max Rockatansky probably didn’t help either.
George Miller carries on the good work ofFury RoadinFuriosa,delivering more high-octane thrills set in his nightmarish vision of a desert dystopia. Anya Taylor-Joy steps into Theron’s shoes admirably, butChris Hemsworth is the real scene-stealer, playing an eccentric villain with great joy and enthusiasm.Furiosahas some unbelievable stunts and all the peculiar detail that fans have come to expect of theMad Maxfranchise, but this wasn’t enough at the box office.
Annihilationhas gradually come to be recognized as one of thebest sci-fi movies of the last decade, but it started as a commercial failure.Annihilationwas seen as a risky investment, since its surreal horror and unorthodox storytelling can be off-putting to some people.The international distribution rights were sold to Netflix, which meant thatAnnihilationwas never given a fair shot at winning big at the box office.
Despite its mediocre box office returns,Annihilationwas a big hit for Netflix, proving that Alex Garland’s unconventional sci-fi story did have an audience after all. Streaming might be the ideal home forAnnihilation, since the film presents several intriguing mysteries that urge audiences to go back and examine events closer.It ends with one final puzzle, but there is also the lingering notion that some mysteries have no simple answers.
The Iron Giantis an animated classic, directed by Brad Bird before he went on to make groundbreaking 3D computer animated movies at Pixar, such asThe IncrediblesandRatatouille.The Iron Giant’s gorgeous 2D style adds to its indefatigable charm. The story follows the odd friendship which develops between a young boy and an enormous alien robot that the United States government tries desperately to capture.
The Iron Giantreceived positive reviews, butits marketing campaign didn’t give it a fair shot at box office success. Warner Bros. was still reeling from some costly animated flops at the time, so they decided against investing heavily inThe Iron Giant.The glowing reviews and the movie’s enduring popularity prove that this is one that Warner Bros. should have gambled on.The Iron Giantwas abox office flop which became a classic.
The Thingreceived mixed reviews when it was first released, and these undoubtedly played a part in the movie’s poor performance at the box office. One of the most common criticisms aimed atThe Thingwas its perceived lack of emotion. With the benefit of hindsight, this seems like one of the movie’s greatest strengths, as it feeds into the sense of paranoia and dehumanization.
The Thingshows John Carpenter at the peak of his powers, as the director’s instinctive feel for horror creates a terrifying Arctic mystery.The Thing’s ambiguous endingis perfectly measured, as the true identity of the surviving characters remains a mystery, but the fact that they are suspicious of one another to the very end speaks volumes. This allows the movie to linger in the memory long after the credits roll, and it has contributed to its cult status.
Treasure Planetwasn’t the only Disney animated movie to suffer at the box office in the 2000s. While Pixar and DreamWorks were changing the landscape of animation with 3D computer-generated movies, Disney took a little while longer to get on board with the trend.Compared to movies likeShrekandMonsters Inc.,Treasure Planetlooked old-fashioned, and this affected its box office return.
It’s a shame that Disney scrambled to adopt computer-generated animation, because the brief period between the ’90s Disney renaissance and their early forays into 3D produced some beautiful movies.Treasure Planethas aged well, divorced from the cultural trends of the time which negatively impacted its release.The movie puts a sci-fi twist on a classic adventure tale, and the character designs alone are wonderfully inventive.
Alfonso Cuarón’s dystopian thriller has been incredibly influential in the years since its release.The single-shot action sequences in particular have been replicated endlessly, but very few imitators have been able to match the energy ofChildren of Men. The story uses a simple sci-fi premise to explore human society close to breaking point. It’s as much an action thriller as it is a sci-fi movie.
With a budget of $76 million,Children of Menfailed to break even at the box office.It didn’t have the biggest release, which is odd for a movie with such a high budget. The three Oscar nominations underline the positive contemporary response toChildren of Men,and it has only grown in stature in the subsequent years. If it had been given a wider release,Children of Menmay have been a commercial success.
Ridley Scott’sBlade Runneris a classic sci-fi movie, and it has influenced the genre in many ways. Initially, however,Blade Runnerwas a commercial failure. Although it has the scale of a sci-fi epic,Blade Runneris really a neo-noir detective story in disguise. This means thatBlade Runnerdidn’t immediately attract as much attention as it did later. Some fans probably would have preferred a steampunk shoot-em-up.
Blade Runner’s commercial disappointment didn’t hold it back for long, and it’s now considered one ofRidley Scott’s best movies, alongside the likes ofAlienandGladiator.Blade Runner 2049repeated the pattern of the original. It too is a critically-acclaimed sci-fi movie that struggled at the box office. For both movies, the slow pace and the relative lack of action could be a major factor in their lukewarm commercial response.
