Well, don't Bladerunner and Brazil fit that category as well? All sophisticated widely acclaimed big-budget mainstream films?
was a box office disappointment during its initial run.
Brazil was an outright box office flop.
Both films were initially beloved only by a small group of dedicated fans. Those fans (the cult, if you will) eventually bolstered each film's reputation among the public and critics.
Conversely, the Terminator and the Godfather films (at least the first two-does anyone 'love' the third?) were major box office hits with wide audience appeal from day one.
If the Godfather and Terminator are cult movies then every enduring mega- hit movie from "Gone with the Wind" to "Star Wars" to "Titanic" is a cult film.
