History Main / MainstreamObscurity

* Music/FloRida is one of the best-selling rappers of all time (even outselling icons such as Music/TupacShakur and Music/SnoopDogg) thanks to his top 40 hit songs about partying in clubs like "Right Round", "Low", and "Club Can't Handle Me", but you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who's actually listened to an album from beginning to end (none of which has sold better than gold) or someone who can name any songs besides his hits. The same deal can be said for fellow-Miami rapper Music/{{Pitbull}}, really. This most likely stems due to the fact that most of their hits include choruses performed by the featured artists rather than themselves, with only a couple of exceptions such as "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)", "Whistle", and "My House". Their brand of hip house and pop rap having fallen out of style by the late 2010s hasn't helped.

** Pretty much every ''Batman'' fan knows about ''ComicBook/ADeathInTheFamily'', the story that killed off the Jason Todd Robin; it's a consistent placer in "iconic ''Batman'' stories" lists, and the infamous vote-in campaign DC used to decide the outcome made mainstream news at the time and is still remembered. However, the specifics of what actually ''happened'' in the story besides "Joker beat Jason Todd to death with a crowbar" is considerably more bleary, starting with the fact that the above summary is, in fact, wrong: Joker smacked Jason a few times with a crowbar, but he also pistol-whipped him a few times, and Jason survived both and managed to cling to life until a bomb finished him off. It doesn't help that much of the story's third act is [[UnintentionalPeriodPiece rather dated]] and more than a bit absurd (Joker evades consequences for killing Jason by somehow ''becoming the Iranian ambassador''), and is usually skated over or rewritten in modern tellings. This has led to a lot of modern callbacks to the story adding in ideas that were nowhere in the original, such as Jason always being a bad apple and dying for it, or Batman wilfully choosing not to kill the Joker as opposed to being prevented from doing so.

** Pretty much every ''Batman'' fan knows about ''ComicBook/ADeathinTheFamily'', the story that killed off the Jason Todd Robin; it's a consistent placer in "iconic ''Batman'' stories" lists, and the infamous vote-in campaign DC used to decide the outcome made mainstream news at the time and is still remembered. However, the specifics of what actually ''happened'' in the story besides "Joker beat Jason Todd to death with a crowbar" is considerably more bleary, starting with the fact that the above summary is, in fact, wrong: Joker smacked Jason a few times with a crowbar, but he also pistol-whipped him a few times, and Jason survived both and managed to cling to life until a bomb finished him off. It doesn't help that much of the story's third act is [[UnintentionalPeriodPiece rather dated]] and more than a bit absurd (Joker evades consequences for killing Jason by somehow ''becoming the Iranian ambassador''), and is usually skated over or rewritten in modern tellings. This has led to a lot of modern callbacks to the story adding in ideas that were nowhere in the original, such as Jason always being a bad apple and dying for it, or Batman wilfully choosing not to kill the Joker as opposed to being prevented from doing so.

** Similarly Creator/JohnCleese, Creator/EricIdle and ''maybe'' Creator/MichaelPalin are the only Pythons most people can recognize by face and name. The others' faces will ring a bell if you've watched any of their episodes or films, but only dedicated fans will be able to name them. Creator/TerryGilliam is known for his directing career, but in his case it's somewhat more fair because he did not spend much time in front of the camera, even as a member of the troupe, and when he did, he tended to have his face covered.

* Creator/{{Sega}} suffered from this for a while, as their attempts to counter Nintendo's monopoly in the US with the UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem failed (as compared to [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff Europe and South America, where they had much more success]]). Even the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis struggled for a time until ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1'' debuted in 1991. Sega then suffered from this again with the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn as Sega fumbled repeatedly with everything from marketing to distribution; many of the greatest games on the Saturn (such as the first game in the ''Videogame/SakuraWars'' series) never reached North America thanks to Bernie Stolar's "no 2D" policies. The UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast only ran from 1998 to early 2001, but conversely many of its' games are still well-remembered and the console has a devoted cult following. Even today, many people only know about Sega for ''Sonic'', the Genesis, the [=Dreamcast=], and more recently the ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'' series than anything else they've worked on outside of those.

Navajo has less to do with the Navajo being romanticized—they're not, they essentially have no real presence to the rest of the world's consciousness[[note]][[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_talker#Navajo_code_talkers aside from being a super-complex Allied code in]] UsefulNotes/WorldWarII[[/note]]—and more to do with Navajo being a sampler of "weird" linguistic features. Learning Navajo is linguistics on [[Franchise/{{Halo}} Legendary]], so people pursue knowledge of it for the sake of bragging rights.[[note]]It has [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split_ergativity split ergativity]], a very complicated verb-aspect system, and inflects its verbs relating to motion according to 11 noun-classes deriving mostly from shape. It's also a tonal language with some extremely unusual consonants—the same ones as Tlingit, whose sounds were borrowed for [[ConLang Klingon]] precisely because they don't show up in most human languages. ''And'' there are about two textbooks, which you either have to order online or buy ''on'' the Navajo Rez, or in a few places nearby.[[/note]]

Navajo has less to do with the Navajo being romanticized—they're not, they essentially have no real presence to the rest of the world's consciousness[[note]][[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_talker#Navajo_code_talkers aside from being a super-complex Allied code in]] UsefulNotes/WorldWarII[[/note]]—and more to do with Navajo being a sampler of "weird" linguistic features. Learning Navajo is linguistics on [[Franchise/{{Halo}} Legendary]], so people pursue knowledge of it for the sake of bragging rights.[[note]]It has [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active%E2%80%93stative_language split-S ergativity]], a very complicated verb-aspect system, and inflects its verbs relating to motion according to 11 noun-classes deriving mostly from shape. It's also a tonal language with some extremely unusual consonants—the same ones as Tlingit, whose sounds were borrowed for [[ConLang Klingon]] precisely because they don't show up in most human languages. ''And'' there are about two textbooks, which you either have to order online or buy ''on'' the Navajo Rez, or in a few places nearby.[[/note]]

* Many young people, in general, will often [[JustForFun/RoleAssociation associate a certain actor or director with their latest work]] because they never bother to watch any of their earlier and (sometimes) better works or are even aware of it. As a result, certain iconic actors and directors are perceived by younger people as "old, uncool has-beens" and they don't understand what made them so important or celebrated in the first place. Creator/RobertDeNiro and Creator/JackNicholson appeared in a lot of intelligent masterpieces and good movies in general well into TheNineties, but are nowadays usually cashing in checks by trading on their established personas in forgettable fare. (Or playing gimmicky, LargeHam comic-book roles that were often completely anathema to their former screen personae, which many film historians claim began with Creator/MarlonBrando's star turn in ''Superman''.) So they are still recognizable to many people, but mostly for being tabloid mainstays or interviewed on the red carpet.

* Creator/TheCW seems to be all about this. "TV to talk about," but not necessarily TV to ''see''. ''Series/GossipGirl'', for all its buzz, rarely draws more than a couple million viewers a week. Averted with ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' and ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' to an extent.
* Likewise, Creator/{{AMC}}'s ''Series/MadMen'' and ''Series/BreakingBad'' are standard name-dropping fare for people wanting to seem cultured, but continue to get mediocre audiences (even for cable) for shows with so many Emmys. Though the latter ultimately averted this near the end of the series [[note]]Season 5B was watched consistently by a rather large number of viewers for a cable show, breaking its rating record five times. Most notably, the series finale was watched by 10.3 million viewers, the most-watched finale for a cable show since ''Series/TheSopranos'''.[[/note]] Having its first 5 seasons streaming on Netflix and excellent word-of-mouth no doubt helped to promote it to a wider audience in time for the SeriesFinale. AMC's third hit series, ''Series/TheWalkingDead2010'', on the other hand, averted this from the beginning.

* ''Series/HannahMontana'' is an even bigger victim of this than ''Series/{{Victorious}}'' or ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace''. Even when the show was still running, it was famous for being Disney Channel's biggest franchise, and the pop idol it spawned with the title character, but not a lot more. It was to the point that people would call Music/MileyCyrus "[[IAmNotSpock Hannah Montana]]" even when she was performing a show as herself and not in character. Nowadays, it's best known for being the show Cyrus was on before she later became a solo pop star and was OvershadowedByControversy in 2013 for her infamous behavior. To this day, few people can actually name any of its characters besides the title character (including the "normal" persona of the lead character, [[TheDanza Miley Stewart]]) or its other five lead actors (with the possible exception of Billy Ray Cyrus; in the context of being the "[[OneHitWonder Achy Breaky Heart]]" guy or Miley's real-life ''and'' TV dad rather than anything to do with his character on the series), or know anything besides the basic premise, yet they know it exactly for what the show would spawn into. As for people who grew up watching the show frequently as kids, this may be a subversion. Many a Disney Channel watcher at the time knew the names of the actors on all their shows via the frequently airing "You're Watching Disney Channel" bumps and the several appearances in commercial breaks.

** ''Doctor Who'' is mainstream enough that almost everyone is aware of the name and basic premise, but few outside the fandom know of the spinoff shows ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'' and ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures'', or that the former is decidedly ''[[DarkerAndEdgier not]]'' family-friendly.

* ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'': The shows that formed the Arrowverse have a dedicated cult fandom, and due to being adaptations of DC Comics superheroes they're very well known, however despite this, thanks to the shows never having high viewership numbers they're only known for their titular characters. This is not helped by how much the franchise underwent significant SeasonalRot as time went on, to the point that much of the viewership dropped the shows and later installments became so OvershadowedByControversy that in some cases, like ''Series/Batwoman2019'', people are probably more aware of the behind-the-scenes drama than details of the show itself. Muddying things further, the shows are largely based around B-list superheroes who had rarely if ever gotten serious attempts at adaptations, causing these shows, despite their obscurity, being the only thing people know about the respective characters. Given the aforementioned SeasonalRot and the AdaptationDeviation, fans of the franchises attached tend to be a little peeved at this state.

* Music/FloRida is one of the best-selling rappers of all time (even outselling icons such as Music/TupacShakur and Music/SnoopDogg) thanks to his top 40 hit songs about partying in clubs like "Right Round", "Low", and "Club Can't Handle Me", but you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who's actually listened to an album from beginning to end (none of which has sold better than gold) or someone who can name any songs besides his hits. The same deal can be said for fellow-Miami rapper Music/{{Pitbull}}, really. This most likely stems due to the fact that most of their hits include choruses performed by the featured artists rather than themselves, with only a couple of exceptions such as "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)", "Whistle", and "My House". Their brand of hip house and pop rap having fallen out of style by the late 2010's doesn't help.

** It gets even more extreme with underground post-rock. If you go on sites like /mu/ and RateYourMusic, you would expect that Music/GodspeedYouBlackEmperor, Music/Slint, Music/Mogwai, and Music/Tortoise were million-selling musical titans. The truth is that they're virtually unknown by the general public.

* Music/LeylandKirby's musical project ''Everywhere at the End of Time'' received acclaim in the late 2010s and early 2020s for, essentially, being a musical representation of how dementia feels and how heartbreaking it is to experience. Most who are interested in it will have heard the [[FirstInstallmentWins first track]] on it, too. However, the utter despair of the albums' theme, the way that the music quickly degenerates into little more than discordant, loud droning sounds after the first hour or so, and the sheer length of it (''six and a half hours'') make it ''very'' mentally taxing and time-consuming to get through. No wonder most people haven't heard past the first few tracks.

For the inverse, see ObscurePopularity which is when the work has a large following despite being obscure beyond it. See also TheThemeParkVersion, which describes how certain events, people, and figures are {{Flanderiz|ation}}ed to a series of signs.

See also, TheThemeParkVersion which describes how certain events, people, and figures are {{Flanderiz|ation}}ed to a series of signs. See also ObscurePopularity for when the work has a large following despite being obscure beyond it.

* Music/{{Avicii}} is one of the biggest EDM names in the world, but mainstream audiences will be hard-pressed to name a song of his that isn't "Wake Me Up!", with "Levels" being a ''possible'' exception.

* Creator/{{Sega}} suffered from this for a while, as their attempts to counter Nintendo's monopoly in the US with the UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem failed (as compared to [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff Europe and South America, where they had much more success]]). Even the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis struggled for a time until ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1'' debuted in 1991. Sega then suffered from this again with the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn as Sega fumbled repeatedly with everything from marketing to distribution; many of the greatest games on the Saturn (such as the first game in the ''Videogame/SakuraWars'' series) never reached North America thanks to Bernie Stolar's "no 2D" policies. The UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast only ran from 1998 to early 2001, but conversely many of its' games are still well-remembered and the console has a devoted cult following. Even today, many people only know about Sega for ''Sonic'', the Genesis, the [=DreamCast=], and more recently the ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'' series than anything else they've worked on outside of those.

* In the early 2010s, Music/{{Skrillex}} became somewhat iconic on the internet, particularly in meme culture, as the face of modern EDM (particularly dubstep). However, his mainstream success has always been very scant, and his only major hits came with the Music/JustinBieber collab "Where Are U Now" and the Film/SuicideSquad song "Purple Lamborghini" Compare that to [=DJs=] like Music/DavidGuetta, Music/CalvinHarris, Music/{{Zedd}}, Music/DJSnake, and Music/TheChainsmokers, whose songs dominated the charts throughout the 2010s, but never received the same type of attention as Skrillex did for his image and persona.

* ''{{Series/Cheers}}'' was and still is considered to be one of the best sitcoms ever made. However, aside from the much-lauded pilot, the iconic finale, and a few episodes, most notably the episode about Cliff appearing on ''Jeopardy'', you will very seldom hear a lot of discussion about the show anymore. The show's fanbase isn't quite as active as many other sitcom fanbases like ''{{Series/Seinfeld}}'' (itself quite suffering from this), ''{{Series/Friends}}'', or even ''Cheers''' own spinoff ''{{Series/Frasier}}''. In fact, one could suggest that ''Frasier'' has supplanted ''Cheers'' in popularity and iconic status, as there are likely a number of people who are unaware the two series are related.

** This somewhat applies to Creator/StudioGhibli in general. In fact, ''Anime/SpiritedAway'' itself is perhaps of their more accessible films, ironically enough. Barring their more obviously [[AnimationAgeGhetto kid-friendly films]] such as ''Anime/MyNeighborTotoro'' or ''Anime/PonyoOnTheCliffByTheSea'', most general audiences are largely unfamiliar with their catalogue of films due to many of them (even the ones that aren't blatantly meant for adults such as ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'' or ''Anime/GraveOfTheFireflies'') often featuring themes and plotlines that even grown adults would find uncomfortable and upsetting upon first viewing. Making their audience in the West to be largely made-up of otakus, animation connoisseurs, and movie buffs (of which, there is significant overlap), but rarely amongst the average moviegoing public.

* ''Anime/SpiritedAway'' is widely regarded as a flawless, exceptional, almost untouchable masterwork of animation, and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Film in 2003. But despite this, similar to ''Fantasia'', many fans of animated films who aren't major animation enthusiasts haven't seen it. And even those who have seen it have found the story surprisingly difficult to follow and understand. The reason for the film's success is its uniquely surreal world design and challenging themes such as social alienation, loneliness, discrimination, slavery and the loss of identity, but these aspects simply don't appeal to mainstream fans of animation, who are more used to far more accessible and cheerful animated films by Disney, Pixar, [=DreamWorks=] Animation, etc. People new to the film often find it uncomfortable and upsetting on their first viewing due to the constant mistreatment and mental anguish the main character undergoes throughout the film, which makes the film largely for animation connoisseurs, not mainstream audiences.

** On an individual level, Creator/JamesDean's career. He's one of the most iconic actors of America, someone who codified the bad-boy teen hero seen in endless American movies. But ironically, the people who tend to see his movies -- ''Film/RebelWithoutACause'', ''Film/EastOfEden'', or ''Film/{{Giant}}'' -- are actually quite old, and in some cases, of a much nerdier disposition (i.e. cinephiles) than the archetype Dean embodied and inspired (i.e. the BigManOnCampus cool kid).

* ''Film/Plan9FromOuterSpace'' is the most famous cinematic example of SoBadItsGood. Yet more people are familiar with it thanks to Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/EdWood'' than those who've actually seen it. Outside the USA most people who saw ''Ed Wood'' are probably not even aware Creator/EdWood really existed [[RealityIsUnrealistic and his films were really that badly made]]!

* This applies to famous comedians from the silent era, many of whom originated iconic bits of slapsticks and visual gags that ''still'' get laughs decades and a century after they are introduced. These gags are reused in countless movies and TV shows, but few have seen the originals:
** Everybody is able to recognize Creator/CharlieChaplin and knows he starred in slapstick movies. But for modern audiences: how many people have actually ever watched and enjoyed any of his films compared to his international fame? Let alone those who know he didn't really look like the Tramp in real life. (Creator/RobertDowneyJr, who played him in the 1992 {{Biopic}} ''Film/{{Chaplin}}'', was surprisingly similar-looking at that point!)
** The scene in ''Film/SafetyLast'' where Creator/HaroldLloyd is hanging from a clock is far more famous than the rest of this film, let alone Lloyd himself. Only a few genuine trivia buffs can tell that Clark Kent's famous look was based on Lloyd's "glasses persona".
** Creator/BusterKeaton: He is most famous today for the landmark gag in ''Film/SteamboatBillJr'' in which the front of a house's facade falls on him, but his character survives because he neatly fits into a small opening. This gag is repeated countless times and still shows up in visual comedy but his films like ''Film/TheGeneral'' are more obscure, to say nothing of later work like ''Film/TheCameraman''.
** The Creator/MarxBrothers are famous for their dedicated fans and people who actually sat down and watched any of their movies. To the modern, general public Groucho's face may ring a bell, his and Harpo's names may too, but that's about it. Some of their scenes are well-known, like ''Why a duck?'', the mirror gag from ''Film/DuckSoup'', and the crowded stateroom scene in ''Film/ANightAtTheOpera'', but not everybody may be able to point to them as the originators. Some younger viewers may know them from being references in Creator/WoodyAllen movies -- Allen complained about this when he made ''Film/SweetAndLowdown'' and his lead actress Samantha Morton claimed not to know who Harpo Marx was.

* Many UsefulNotes/AcademyAward-nominated films are like this, particularly ones nominated for Best Picture. The titles and (usually) the premises become known in the American conscience when they're nominated, and yet, few people can say they've seen more than a couple, maybe even ''any''. This results in many people buzzing about films they have never seen, and probably never will, and this carries on into a new batch of films the following year as the previous winners and nominees are largely forgotten. ''Then'', a few years later, rarely anyone can even list the nominees, or who won and why in that particular year.
* ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow''. American pop culture status has made it so that mainstream audiences are somewhat familiar with the basics of the film. And everyone knows it's the uncrowned ''queen'' of CultClassic films. That, and, playing the Time Warp every Halloween helps. However, again, ask someone who isn't a fan of what the plot of the movie is. Most likely, the answer you'll get is, "Creator/TimCurry in drag." The AudienceParticipation within the film also counts. Sure, people in general know you're supposed to use props and yell certain lines when watching the movie. But ask anyone who isn't a die-hard fan what you're supposed to say and when!
* How many people have actually seen ''Film/SoylentGreen''? But [[ItWasHisSled everyone knows that it's made of people]].
* FilmNoir is well known. Few can even list some titles like ''Film/{{The Maltese Falcon|1941}}'', ''Film/TheBigSleep'' and ''Film/MurderMySweet''. But even these famous titles are little seen except by parody and they give a false impression of Noir Cinema since most of them were [[BMovie second-class movies]] and only a smaller number of them have a private detective as heroes (most of them have VillainProtagonist). In the case of ''The Maltese Falcon'', the final line, "The stuff that dreams are made of" has even been used in jewelry commercials, which considering the context of the original scene[[labelnote:spoilers from the film]]The Maltese Falcon is fake and when Bogart's Sam Spade says it's the stuff dreams are made of, he's noting that all dreams are as fake as that falcon[[/labelnote]], this is ComicallyMissingThePoint. For a bonus point, the "Stuff that dreams are made of" line originates from ''Theatre/TheTempest'' but in PopCulturalOsmosis, it is associated, as in the case of the Lone Ranger and Rossini, with the Maltese Falcon.
* ''Film/Plan9FromOuterSpace'' is the most famous cinematic example of SoBadItsGood. Yet more people are familiar with it thanks to Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/EdWood'' than those who've actually seen it. Outside the USA most people who saw ''Ed Wood'' are probably not even aware Creator/EdWood really existed [[RealityIsUnrealistic and his films were really that badly made]]!

* Many young people, in general, will often [[JustForFun/RoleAssociation associate a certain actor or director with their latest work]] because they never bother to watch any of their earlier and (sometimes) better works or are even aware of it. As a result, certain iconic actors and directors are perceived by younger people as "old, uncool has-beens" and they don't understand what made them so important or celebrated in the first place. Creator/RobertDeNiro and Creator/JackNicholson appeared in a lot of intelligent masterpieces and good movies in general well into TheNineties, but are nowadays usually cashing in checks by trading on their established personas in forgettable fare. (Or playing gimmicky, LargeHam comic-book roles that were often completely anathema to their former screen personae, which many film historians claim began with Creator/MarlonBrando's star turn in ''Superman''.) So they are still recognizable to many people, but mostly for being tabloid mainstays or interviewed on the red carpet.
* This applies to famous comedians from the silent era, many of whom originated iconic bits of slapsticks and visual gags that ''still'' get laughs decades and a century after they are introduced. These gags are reused in countless movies and TV shows, but few have seen the originals:
** Everybody is able to recognize Creator/CharlieChaplin and knows he starred in slapstick movies. But for modern audiences: how many people have actually ever watched and enjoyed any of his films compared to his international fame? Let alone those who know he didn't really look like the Tramp in real life. (Creator/RobertDowneyJr, who played him in the 1992 {{Biopic}} ''Film/{{Chaplin}}'', was surprisingly similar-looking at that point!)
** The scene in ''Film/SafetyLast'' where Creator/HaroldLloyd is hanging from a clock is far more famous than the rest of this film, let alone Lloyd himself. Only a few genuine trivia buffs can tell that Clark Kent's famous look was based on Lloyd's "glasses persona".
** Creator/BusterKeaton: He is most famous today for the landmark gag in ''Film/SteamboatBillJr'' in which the front of a house's facade falls on him, but his character survives because he neatly fits into a small opening. This gag is repeated countless times and still shows up in visual comedy but his films like ''Film/TheGeneral'' are more obscure, to say nothing of later work like ''Film/TheCameraman''.
** The Creator/MarxBrothers are famous for their dedicated fans and people who actually sat down and watched any of their movies. To the modern, general public Groucho's face may ring a bell, his and Harpo's names may too, but that's about it. Some of their scenes are well-known, like ''Why a duck?'', the mirror gag from ''Film/DuckSoup'', and the crowded stateroom scene in ''Film/ANightAtTheOpera'', but not everybody may be able to point to them as the originators. Some younger viewers may know them from being references in Creator/WoodyAllen movies -- Allen complained about this when he made ''Film/SweetAndLowdown'' and his lead actress Samantha Morton claimed not to know who Harpo Marx was.
* ''Film/BeingJohnMalkovich'' has an in-universe example with the titular actor ([[AdamWesting who plays himself]]). Everyone in the movie admires Creator/JohnMalkovich immensely, and they seem convinced that he's one of the world's greatest living actors. None of them can actually name a movie that Malkovich has been in ([[RunningGag except "that jewel thief movie," which Malkovich insists he wasn't in]]).

* ''Film/ScentOfAWoman'' is best known for having won Creator/AlPacino his only Oscar, and is seen as controversial due to being seen as a ConsolationAward or as [[AwardSnub snubbing]] the likes of Creator/DenzelWashington and Creator/RobertDowneyJr It's also known less for the content of the film itself and more for the "HOO-HA" VerbalTic that the central character utters, something that later became synonymous with Pacino's many late-period bombastic performances.

* More people probably know that Jason Voorhees wasn't the killer in ''Film/FridayThe13th1980'' because of that fact being referenced in the opening act of ''Film/{{Scream 1996}}'' than because they remember the plot from the original - assuming they actually saw the original in the first place.
* ''Film/SinginInTheRain'' is one of the most famous and iconic {{musical}}s of all time, and it's frequently cited as one of the greatest American films of the 20th century--yet relatively few people born after around 1980 have actually ''seen'' it. Case in point: everybody knows that it's a famous musical, and everybody knows that there's a scene where Creator/GeneKelly and Creator/DebbieReynolds, um...[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin sing in the rain]]. But significantly fewer people could describe the ''plot''. If you're actually curious: it's about a silent film star and a chorus girl in 1920s Hollywood who fall in love while trying to make their first talkie musical.
* ''Film/MidnightCowboy'' received much acclaim upon release, including the Academy Award for Best Picture, and is considered to be such an iconic and classic piece of film the United States government has it preserved (among with many others) in the National Film Registry. Its biggest impact upon the greater public? Being the source of the quote "Hey, I'm walkin' here!". Even then, the average person has no idea the quote even came from a film, only knowing it as a StockPhrase associated with [[BrooklynRage stereotypical New Yorkers]]. It's also known by a lesser number of people as an example of a movie released with the former [[UsefulNotes/MediaClassifications X rating]], who then assume it must have been earned through being exceptionally lurid and/or pornographic. In reality, the film's content isn't anything more extreme than what falls under an R rating, the X rating being [[RatedMForMoney requested by the distributor]] due to the LGBT themes.
* ''Film/{{Spartacus}}'' is an epic to out-epic all other epics - starring some of the greatest actors of its time, directed by the legendary Creator/StanleyKubrick, and clocking in at well over three hours. And yet, it lives on in the public consciousness almost exclusively for the famous IAmSpartacus scene having been referenced and/or parodied mutliple times across various pop culture in the decades since its release. The average person under retirement age is likely to recognise "I am Spartacus" and basically nothing else.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}'': Adjusted for inflation, it's the fourth highest-grossing animated film ever (despite that its original 1940 release was a notorious flop), widely praised as a masterpiece of cinema and art, but due to it being an AnthologyFilm with little dialogue but ClassicalMusic, not many people today can actually name a segment from it aside from "the WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse part", "the one with the mushrooms", "the dancing hippos" and maybe "that scene with [[SatanicArchetype the devil guy]]" or "the centaurs". As a result, its unique nature makes it less accessible than its other four contemporaries, and while it still has many fans, they're usually major art and/or classical music enthusiasts rather than conventional viewers.