History Main / VindicatedByCable

* Despite its paramount success in Japan, ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'' was a box office bomb in the United States, in part due to Creator/HayaoMiyazaki insisting that the English dub be released unedited.[[note]]Miyazaki had previously expressed resentment towards ''[[{{Macekre}} Warriors of the Wind]]'', a CutAndPasteTranslation of ''Anime/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'' that threw out the original's environmentalist themes in favor of pandering to an audience of young boys; while releasing most Ghibli films unedited, targeted for children, is a perfectly sane decision, ''Mononoke'' was ''likely not the right film to start with'' given how much BloodierAndGorier it is than Ghibli's previous (and later) films.[[/note]] Luckily, its immense critical acclaim gave it newfound success from television syndications and home media releases, bringing it on par with its Japanese performance by becoming the highest-selling anime production of 2001, and quite likely paving the way for the runaway success ''Anime/SpiritedAway'', Creator/StudioGhibli's following release, became.

* ''Film/BirdsOfPrey2020''. For various reasons, including some MisaimedMarketing, an R rating that locked out a lot of the younger fans of ComicBook/HarleyQuinn, and a short theatrical run due to the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, it had a pretty underwhelming box office outcome, not ''quite'' a [[BoxOfficeBomb flop]] (it made back double its budget) but inarguably below studio expectations. However, the film performed much better when it made its way onto Creator/HBOMax, consistently ranking as one of the most-streamed films on the platform during its first year. The vindication ultimately led to a successful push for a SpinOff starring the film's incarnation of ComicBook/BlackCanary, to be made with HBO Max in mind.

* ''Film/AustinPowersInternationalManOfMystery'' did alright at the box office (it recouped its budget), but not exceptionally. It was only when it reached home video that it became a pop culture touchstone. Tellingly, its sequel earned fives times what the original did at the box office.

* ''Film/RoadHouse'': When it was released, it got panned by critics and was considered a FollowUpFailure for Creator/PatrickSwayze after the success of ''Film/DirtyDancing''. In TheNineties, the number of cable channels exploded, all of which needed 24-hour programming. So the rights to lots of cheesy action movies were scooped up, and those movies put into heavy rotation. And it wasn't long before TBS discovered the movie was drawing phenomenal ratings; Perhaps ''Road House'' is the very reason TBS is a "superstation".

* ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians'' made back it's budget, but the distribution costs for the film lost the studio $87 million, forcing [=DreamWorks=] to lay off over three hundred workers. Not helping matters was the fact it was head to head with ''[[Literature/{{Twilight}} The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2]]'', ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'', and ''Film/{{Lincoln}}'' as well as ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'' at the box office. It was on home video and streaming where it finally found it's audience, elevating the film to CultClassic status by the time the mid-to-late-2010s rolled around.

* ''Theatre/TheSpongebobMusical'' sold poorly during its Broadway run, but the soundtrack was a hit on the Billboard Kids' Audio charts, staying there even after it had ended its' run until ''Pinkfong: The Best Of Baby Shark'' knocked it off the top 25 in January of 2019. Songs from the musical also played frequently on children's radio station ''Kids Place Live'', usually during their Couch Potato Stew block.

* ''Film/AustinPowersInternationalManOfMystery'' did alright at the box office (it recouped its budget), but not exceptionally. It was only when it reached home video that it became a pop culture touchstone and received a sequel.

** Later, when showing this movie on nearly every TV channel had become a Christmastime tradition, it was discovered that only the images of the movie were actually in the public domain — the story on which the film is based, in fact, is still under copyright, as is the musical score. With this revelation, only those broadcasters willing to pay for the rights could show it, and viewers had to tune in to one of those few venues who did for their annual fix.

** ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant'' failed at the box office thanks to Warner Bros having no faith in the movie. Fortunately, one of those who ''did'' see it was UsefulNotes/TedTurner, who loved it so much that he had Cartoon Network run a 24-hour marathon of it on UsefulNotes/{{Thanksgiving|Day}}... a tradition that still runs to this day (back when he saw it he was still running his own company, he left after the disastrous AOL/Time Warner merger). It's easy to see why this film in particular would complement Thanksgiving day -- the vague 1950's small-town America setting is plump with nostalgia, and the plot is a wholesome [[ABoyAndHisX Boy and His Robot]] story, which only reveals more layers as the viewers grow up.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie2017'' suffered from a combination of poor advertising due to a dispute between Hasbro and Lionsgate, was released in a {{Dump Month|s}} with said release occurring on the same weekend a hurricane hit the Gulf Coast of the United States, and was seen by critics as being [[TastesLikeDiabetes too saccharine]]. When the film was released to DVD, it was much more popular, with the digital release being one of the most popular titles on [[Creator/AmazonStudios Amazon Prime Video]], beating out shows like ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' and ''WesternAnimation/DanielTigersNeighborhood'' and every film of the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon except for ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}''.

* ''VideoGame/{{EarthBound}}'' suffered from poor critical and commercial reception upon its first release in 1995, thanks to a poor marketing campaign and it coming out near the end of the Super Nintendo's life cycle. However, the game slowly picked up a cult following through emulation and this trope really came into effect when Nintendo finally granted the game an official re-release on the UsefulNotes/WiiU UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole, of which audiences and critics were much more appreciative. MarthDebutedInSmashBros is also partially responsible, as more than a few gamers were introduced to the quirky world of ''VideoGame/{{Mother}}'' through the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series having the main character Ness as a playable fighter.

This is a subindex to VindicatedByHistory. These are films that usually [[BoxOfficeBomb bombed at the box office in first-run]] and might otherwise have been left to rot in the dust bin of history. Not all of them did, though.

* ''Film/TheBeastmaster'' was a critical and box office failure upon its 1982 release, grossing just $3 million against a $9 million budget. However, it subsequently received significant cable airplay, notably {{Creator/HBO}} and Creator/{{TBS}}, where it became a TV mainstay and viewer favorite. Its replay was so common that some waggishly dubbed TBS "The Beastmaster Station", and HBO "Hey, Beastmaster's On". Some people might find it hard to believe, but in 1993, ''The Beastmaster'' was playing somewhere in the United States, every hour, for two months. This might not actually be a joke.

* In an interesting case, ''Film/PartsTheClonusHorror'' was a bomb when it was first released, its exposure on ''[=MST3K=]'' not only allowed the movie to be re-released on DVD to be seen whole (and in its original title, ''Clonus''), but also helped its director when he sued Creator/MichaelBay for his movie ''Film/TheIsland''.

* Several of the 2000s Disney Movies, formerly considered to be part of the DorkAge like ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', ''WesternAnimation/BrotherBear'', and ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'' have all been received a much better rep outside of theaters. A large part of this was due to high DVD sales and reruns on Creator/{{Starz}}, Creator/DisneyChannel, and [[Creator/{{Freeform ABC Family]].

* Several of the 2000s Disney Movies, formerly considered to be part of the DorkAge like ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', ''WesternAnimation/BrotherBear'', and ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'' have all been received a much better rep outside of theaters. A large part of this was due to high DVD sales and reruns on Creator{{Starz}}, Creator/DisneyChannel, and [[Creator/{{Freeform ABC Family]].

* Several of the 2000s Disney Movies, formerly considered to be part of the DorkAge like ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', ''WesternAnimation/BrotherBear'', and ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'' have all been received a much better rep outside of theaters.

* Despite receiving wide acclaim, ''WesternAnimation/WinnieThePooh2011'' made just enough money to make up its $30 million budget due to Disney releasing it in the middle of the summer blockbuster season. It managed to become a big seller on Blu-ray/DVD.

* ''Film/EddieAndTheCruisers'' was a major and critical flop when it came out in 1983, but when Showtime started to air it, its popularity was such the studio made a sequel, ''Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives''. Unfortunately, the movie was considered pretty bad and the director of the first film wanted nothing to do with the sequel.

* ''Film/HeavensGate''. Well-publicized reports of its TroubledProduction meant that film critics approached it with their knives drawn, and it was completely demolished by vengeful ''New York Times'' critic Vincent Canby and became one of the biggest flops in film history. Along came The Z Channel and restored its reputation, a little, as shown in ''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405496/combined Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession]]''.

* [[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekly&id=donniedarko.htm Barely anyone]] saw ''Film/DonnieDarko'' during its four-week limited release theatrical run, but it became a cult hit once it hit DVD and strong sales led to a theatrical reissue and extended cut.

* ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians'' made back it's budget, but the distribution costs for the film lost the studio $87 million, forcing [=DreamWorks=] to lay off over three hundred workers. Not helping matters was the fact it was head to head with ''[[Literature/{{Twilight}} The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2]]'', ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'', and ''Film/{{Lincoln}}'' as well as ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'' at the box office. It was on home video where it finally found it's audience and became a CultClassic.

* ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians'' made back it's budget, but the distribution costs for the film lost the studio $87 million, forcing DreamWorks to lay off over three hundred workers. Not helping matters was the fact it was head to head with ''[[Literature/{{Twilight}} The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2]]'', ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'', and ''Film/{{Lincoln}}'' as well as ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'' at the box office. It was on home video where it finally found it's audience and became a CultClassic.

** ''Film/OsmosisJones'' (which actually is a live-action/animated hybrid) was already a hard sell, with its disgusting scenes, lots of ParentalBonus and just being [[AnimationAgeGhetto part cartoon]], and subsequently tanked as the studio dumped with little fanfare in one of the DumpMonths. Good video sales and frequent airings on Creator/CartoonNetwork (along with a [[Westernanimation/OzzyAndDrix kid-friendlier spin-off]]) made it grow a fanbase, who liked the animation and a few good ideas -- Webvideo/TheNostalgiaCritic even noted how the scenes in the host body's mind wound up oddly prescient to what would appear in ''Westernanimation/InsideOut''. It also gained a second life [[FromEntertainmentToEducation being shown in classrooms, of all places]].

* ''Film/BirdsOfPrey2020'' -- thanks to various reasons including some MisaimedMarketing and a short theatrical run due to the COVID-19 pandemic -- had a pretty underwhelming box office outcome, disputed as to whether or not it was technically a [[BoxOfficeBomb flop]], but inarguably below studio expectations. However, the film performed much better when it made its way onto Creator/HBOMax, consistently ranking as one of the most-streamed films on the platform during its first year. The vindication ultimately led to a successful push for a SpinOff starring the film's incarnation of ComicBook/BlackCanary, and to be made with Creator/HBOMax in mind.

* ''Film/BladeRunner'''s theatrical release was on the last weekend of June 1982, a now-legendary [[SummerBlockbuster summer of blockbusters]], most in the sci-fi/fantasy/horror vein (''[[Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial E.T.]]'' was king, but it was also the year of ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan'' and ''Film/{{Poltergeist|1982}}''). Trailing stories of its lengthy TroubledProduction, it premiered to disappointing reviews that did, however, mention its visual splendor but found everything else moribund. It did poorly, but thanks to this trope and home video it was seen as one of the decade's most influential films by the end of the 1980s; and even managed to get [[Film/BladeRunner2049 a belated sequel]] over 30 years after the fact.

* Attempting to mimic the success of The Kings of Comedy Tour, The Blue Collar Comedy tour bombed in theaters, but did much better on DVD. The two followup movies bypassed the theaters completely after it was realized their audience didn't want to see it in theaters.

* ''Film/{{Dredd}}'' was another example of an AcclaimedFlop that was redeemed by this trope. It bombed at the box office from many of the same problems ''Scott Pilgrim'' did (an over-reliance on geek and internet buzz, lingering memories of the disastrous [[Film/JudgeDredd 1995 adaptation]] with Creator/SylvesterStallone), but it did so well on DVD and Blu-Ray that there was briefly talk of greenlighting a sequel based solely on home video sales.

* ''Film/HeavensGate'' was completely demolished by vengeful New York Times critic Vincent Canby, and became one of the biggest flops in film history. Reports about the film's TroubledProduction didn't help, either. Along came The Z Channel and restored its reputation, a little, as shown in ''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405496/combined Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession]]''.
* ''Film/TheHobbit''. Its divisive status is still there but it's noticeably lessened over time, with people slowly warming up to it, thanks to the release of the Extended Cuts (which are the preferred versions by the cast and crew, including Creator/PeterJackson himself) and the news of the ExecutiveMeddling by Warner Bros. and the resulting TroubledProduction coming to light, which garnered sympathy for the crew. The BetterOnDVD state of the films helps too.

** It's somewhat of an urban legend that UsefulNotes/TedTurner built his media empire on repeated airings of this movie, though that distinction more properly belongs to some of the other films on this page.

* The Swedish film ''Film/LetTheRightOneIn'' was an average performer in American theatres (though it grossed over $750,000 and played for five months in one New York theatre) but amassed a large following through DVD and on-demand rentals, to the point where it received an American remake two years later.

* ''Film/ThreeAmigos'' was only a modest money-earner and received mixed reviews on release. Today it's more fondly regarded by fans of 80's comedies, thanks to plenty of repeat showings on HBO (which owns the film), and eventually earned a spot on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies" list.

* A zig-zagged example: The Franchise/UniversalHorror movies ''were'' extremely successful in their own era of the 1930s and '40s... but it would also be hard to deny that the true height of their popularity was the mid-1950s through the early '70s, when the success of the ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_Theater Shock Theater]]'' television package sent them into every American kid's home, and resulted in a huge slew of new memorabilia, including ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famous_Monsters_of_Filmland Famous Monsters of Filmland]]'' magazine, [[http://www.jeffs60s.com/auroramodels.php the Aurora monster kits]], and the immortal "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOFCQ2bfmHw Monster Mash]]".

* The original run for ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'' in 1993 completely flopped, getting massive hate from fans of a [[WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM sister program]] and those who just saw it as bad in general. A new generation of TV viewers discovered the series in the late 90s-early 2000s thanks to Creator/ToonDisney airing the series, and with the rise of WebAnimation/YouTubePoop and the various memes the series spawned, it's now even more popular than it ever was.

* Creator/RogerCorman, Robert L. Lippert, Creator/EdWood and to a lesser extent Creator/BertIGordon. Corman ''despises'' the show for mocking his films. However, [=MST3K=] helped generate a new appreciation for that era's {{B Movie}}s, and some of his films, such as ''Film/ItConqueredTheWorld'', has huge fans who were introduced to it by the show. Moreover, fans of the show recognize the good points of his films (such as Corman's preference of the ActionGirl over the NeutralFemale.)

* ''Film/TheFinalSacrifice'' was pretty obscure until [=MST3K=] aired it. Thanks to that, viewers got to know Rowsdower, a very flawed but likable character.

* ''Film/PrinceOfSpace'' was dismissed at theaters and forgotten until [=MSTed=], at which point fans realized that it was a very early example of {{Toku}}, and had several supplemental films attached to it.
* ''Film/SpaceMutiny'', a cheesy Sci-fi movie with a well-built guy name David Ryder, who ScreamsLikeALittleGirl, got featured on ''Mystery Science Theater 3000''.

* Although not technically a film, the advertisement ''Film/MrBNatural'', was so popular that [=MST3K=] and Rhino Home Video had trouble getting the rights to it again after it first appeared on television.
* In an interesting case, ''Film/PartsTheClonusHorror'' was a bomb when it was first released, its exposure on [=MST3K=] not only allowed the movie to be re-released on DVD to be seen whole (and in its original title, ''Clonus''), but also helped its director when he sued Creator/MichaelBay for his movie ''Film/TheIsland''.

* ''Film/{{Xanadu}}'', thanks to premium cable, was exposed to a generation of young girls who later made up a large fanbase for this movie.

* ''Film/BirdsOfPrey2020'' -- thanks to various reasons including some MisaimedMarketing and a short theatrical run due to the COVID-19 pandemic -- had a pretty underwhelming box office outcome, disputed as to whether or not it was technically a [[BoxOfficeBomb flop]], but inarguably below studio expectations. However, the film performing much better when it made its way onto Creator/HBOMax, consistently ranking as one of the most-streamed films on the platform during its first year. The vindication ultimately led to a push for a SpinOff starring the film's incarnation of ComicBook/BlackCanary, and to be made with Creator/HBOMax in mind.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie2017'' suffered from a combination of poor advertising due to a dispute between Hasbro and Lionsgate, was released in a {{Dump Month|s}} with said release occurring on the same weekend a hurricane hit the Gulf Coast of the United States, and was seen by critics as being [[TastesLikeDiabetes too saccharine]], and being released at a time where the [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic main show's]] [[PeripheryDemographic Brony]] fandom dwindled in the wake of more boundary-braking shows such as ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' which prevented it from becoming a box office smash hit ala ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie''. When the film was released to DVD, it was much more popular, with the digital release being one of the most popular titles on [[Creator/AmazonStudios Amazon Prime Video]], beating out shows like ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' and ''WesternAnimation/DanielTigersNeighborhood'' and every film of the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon except for ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}''.