It's hard to believe that these movies were actually flops when they were released. While some flop movies are forgotten, others manage to gain a "cult status." Check out this list of Hollywood movies that became cult classics, despite initially being flops.

1. The Shawshank Redemption

"The Shawshank Redemption" was critically acclaimed and also won a lot of Oscar Awards. However, this movie failed at the office. The public started to notice the film when Warner Bros. released it on VHS that year, and it quickly became one of the top video rentals. In 1997, TNT acquired the rights to air the film, and their frequent airings helped the film become popular. It was included in the American Film Institute's, "100 Years... 100 Movies 10th Anniversary Edition." In 2015, the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry, finding it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

2. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" is a family classic, but the movie failed at the box office when it released in 1971. The film was noticed when Warner Bros. bought the rights for $500,000 in 1975. Warner Bros. licensed the film for TV broadcast, and the film became popular after repeated airings and home video sales.

3. The Wizard of Oz

It is hard to believe that "The Wizard of Oz" was actually a flop. In fact MGM, lost $1.1 million on the film because of its high production and distribution cost. It was slated to be one of the most expensive films produced by MGM. Despite failing at the Box Office, it received four Oscar nominations. Due to its critical success, MGM re-released the film in 1949 for its 10th anniversary, and it eventually became a profitable film for the studio, as it added $1.5 million to its box office. Throughout the years, MGM, and later Warner Bros. (who acquired the film rights) re-released the movie in theatres and home video, and it became the most known film in the history of cinema.

4. Citizen Kane

"Citizen Kane" was a critically acclaimed film. However, this film failed at the box office. One of the reasons was because of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, whose life this movie was based on. When he discovered that Charles Foster Kane's story was a loose adaptation of his life, he banned any mention of Citizen Kane in all of his newspapers and radio networks. This resulted IN fewer theatres agreeing to screen the film. Even critics panned the film for being long. It became popular when some French critics praised the film and was given an American revival in 1956.

5. It's a Wonderful Life

"It's a Wonderful Life" is a holiday classic. However, it was a disappointment at the box office. High production costs and the dark subject matter of the story were the reasons. RKO Pictures lost $525,000 on the film, despite it getting five Oscar nominations. The film only started getting noticed in the USA when National Telefilm Associates failed to renew its copyright because it was considered a flop. After that, television networks started airing the film because they didn't have to pay royalties. In the 1980's, home video distributors released the film on videotape, which made the audiences notice the film and, thus, it became a classic.

6. Hugo

"Hugo" was a critically acclaimed film. It received 11 nominations and won five awards at the Oscars. However, the movie sadly became a financial failure. The reason was largely because of its competition. Hugo was released one week after "The Twilight Saga - Breaking Dawn - Part One," and on the same week as Disney's "Muppets." Despite being a flop, it became noteworthy for its story of passion, friendship and family.

7. Fight Club

"Fight Club" is considered a modern-day classic and one of David Fincher's best movies. However this movie was a failure at the box office. When it was released in 1999, 20th Century Fox didn't know how to sell a movie about misguided masculinity to general audiences. Adding to that, critics panned the film. The movie became popular when Fox sold six million copies on home video, and took in an additional $100 million.

8. Blade Runner

This was one of the greatest sci-fi films made, but it was a failure at the box office. Critics and audiences weren't impressed at first, as they were tired of sci-fi films. Audiences re-discovered the film when it was came out on VHS and DVD throughout 80's and 90's as Warner Bros. re-released it with a director's cut and, later ,a final cut. With that, this movie achieved cult status.

9. Brazil

"Brazil" was one of the most anticipated movies, as the director, Terry Gilliam, was famous for Monty Python films. However, after he finished the film, Universal Pictures refused to release the film due to its strange narrative. Terry Gilliam screened the film privately, without Universal's permission, and took a full page ad in Variety to address studio chairman Sid Sheinberg. The message simply read "When are you going to release my friend, Brazil?" Hence, Universal re-edited the film and it ended up being a box office failure. The movie became a cult classic when Terry Gilliam's cut was released on home video. The Criterion Collection has released it five times on multiple formats since 1996.

10. Children of Men

Alfonso Cuaron, who directed "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" and "Gravity," made this film in 2006. The movie was critically acclaimed with an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. However, the film was a financial failure. The movie started becoming noticed when it came out on home video. $25.5 million was added to its overall gross profit.

11. Dazed and Confused

"Dazed and Confused" is a movie based on youth life. The film featured today's popular actors like Ben Affleck, Matthew McConaughey and Milla Jovovich, who weren't household names back then. Gramercy Pictures and Universal Pictures didn't know how to market a coming-of-age movie without sex scenes or gross-out humor to the audiences, hence the film didn't do well at the box office. However, it managed to get noticed among the audiences. Quentin Tarantino even listed it as the 10th best film of all time in a Sight and Sound poll.

Are you surprised the list? So am I! It's sad to see such good films becoming flops, but at the same time, I am glad that these movies reached the heart's of many people.

If you haven't watched these movies yet, please watch them and enjoy!