History VindicatedByHistory / LiveActionFilms

* ''Film/LooneyTunesBackInAction'' in the block buster heavy year of 2003 failed to regroup its budget at the box office with its finical and critical failure putting breaks to the planned Looney Tunes film franchise with Buggs and co not appearing in a theatrical film again until ''Film/SpaceJamANewLegacy''. Nowadays, ''Back In Action'' has gotten greatly reassessed with people acknowledging its many strengths such as having humour closer to the original shorts and wonderfully starring Creator/BrendanFraser whom has undergone CareerResurrection in the decades since. It also helps its successor ''A New Legacy'' was a far greater flop with accordingly weaker jokes strengthening ''Back In Action'''s BuddyPicture humour by comparison. Further vindicated by the film’s BreakingTheFourthWall and BitingTheHandHumor as ''Back In Action'' portraying Warner Bros as incompetent NeverMyFault execs who mishandle their properties and characters has only gotten more and more apt since the film was released, to the point where you can make a case for the film predicting the future of the company.

** ''Film/TheLastJedi'', despite being a critical hit, was regarded as 'extremely' divisive in the eyes of audiences when it was first released, with many of its detractors claiming that it heralded the [[DarthWiki/RuinedForever death of the franchise]]. However, after the release of its much more detested follow-up ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'' (which undid much of ''Last Jedi's'' plot due to Creator/JJAbrams not liking its direction), as well as Disney's newer ''Star Wars'' projects becoming more experimental with the franchise to varying results (''Series/{{Andor}}'' in particular being considered quite good for its different take on the universe), many, although it still is a divisive movie to fans as of today, have begun to look better at ''The Last Jedi'', with more appreciation due to its ambition and attempt to deviate from the cookie-cutter blockbuster style of [[Film/TheForceAwakens its predecessor]], with many fans even claiming it to be the best movie in the Sequel Trilogy as a result.

* ''Film/TropicThunder'' got plenty of scathing reviews and reception when it first released (helped greatly by the taken out of context controversy of RDJ’s character doing blackface) and a lot of critics in general simply wrote it off as dumb and nasty low-brow humour. Since then however most people have come to realise and appreciate what a surprisingly genius and layered {{Deconstruction}} and TakeThat of Hollywood and the film industry it actually is. Though it is dated in a several areas, ''Tropic Thunder'' still manages to greatly subvert and poke fun at MethodActing, {{Sequelitis}}, [[PrimaDonnaDirector Prima Donna Directing]], ExecutiveMeddling and the [[PatrioticFervor glorification of American jingoism]] in UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar (the majority of which are still present — if not even worse in the years since 2008) and be a pretty goddamn hilarious movie.

** ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' got no small amount of flack compared to its seminal predecessor ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' and is generally considered the weakest film of Nolan’s trilogy. Since then however with Batman getting a more polarising portrayal in the [=DCEU=] and a quite a few DC box office bombs coming out, fans are far more charitable to ''Rises'' and acknowledge its positives such as Bane being TruerToTheText in terms of being a GeniusBruiser who breaks Batman’s spine and Catwoman is considered much more likeable than the previous love interest Rachel Dawes.

** ''Film/TwoFastTwoFurious'' got slammed with poor reviews when it released in 2003 with many decrying the lack of Creator/VinDiesel and the more comical tone compared to the sleek and edgy first film to the point where a lot of people treated it like a direct-to-DVD sequel. Nowadays with the Fast saga getting more and more ego-driven, many now view the second film as refreshing precisely because it’s less straight faced thanks to Creator/TyreseGibson’s Roman being plenty of fun and it gives Brian room to breath as a character without being joined at the hip to Dom — something even more appreciated after Creator/PaulWalker’s passing. The second film also wasn’t afraid to depict its heroes as vulnerable and [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FJNIqkSzSKc responding realistically]] to crashing their car into a boat whereas later films (due to actors’ contracts) has the cast be [[InvincibleHero Invincible Heroes]] who just shrug off numerous crashes without so much as a scratch.

* ''Film/Constantine2005'' while it did decently still got absolutely thrashed by critics and especially by fans of ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'' who loathed its alterations to the source material and of course Creator/AlanMoore disowned it like the majority of adaptations of his work. However in the years since and especially after Creator/KeanuReeves’s CareerResurrection the film has gotten reassessed with many people citing it as a genuinely cool supernatural action thriller with a great cast that unfortunately came out in a period where most comic book movies didn’t aim for great accuracy (see the Film/XMenFilmSeries). Nowadays even now even some fans of ''Hellblazer ''can admit the film is actually pretty damn good on its own merits and did get the DidYouJustScamCthulhu aspects of the comics right. Further vindicated by ''Series/Constantine2014'' as well as ''Series/TheSandman2022'' both of which to comics fans’ upset depict a different Constantine from the comics as well (especially the latter), taking a lot of the singular ire away from the 2005 film for its changes.

** ''Film/TwoFastTwoFurious'' got slammed with poor reviews when it released in 2003 with many decrying the lack of Creator/VinDiesel and the more comical tone compared to the sleek and edgy first film to the point where a lot of people treated it like a direct-to-DVD sequel. Nowadays with the Fast saga getting more and more ego-driven, many now view the second film as refreshing precisely because it’s less straight faced thanks to Creator/TyreseGibson’s Roman being plenty of fun and it gives Brian room to breath as a character without being joined at the hip to Dom — something even more appreciated after Creator/PaulWalker’s passing. The second film also wasn’t afraid to depict its heroes as vulnerable and [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FJNIqkSzSKc responding realistically]] to crashing their car into a boat whereas later films (due to actors’ contracts) has the cast be [[InvincibleHero Invincible Heroes]] who just shrug off numerous crashes without so much as a scratch.

* ''Film/SpaceJam'' is a unique case of this. It was far from a flop being the highest grossing basketball movie of all time and it’s still a favourite movie of many Millennials aka kids who grow up in the 90s and early 2000s, critically however it was absolutely raked over the coals with many reviewers deeming nothing more a shameless MerchandiseDriven hour and twenty eight minute ad for UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan and NBA with ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' as hollow set dressing. Even classical animator Chuck Jones disliked it and felt it besmirched the toons with hit and miss humour. However decades later when ''Film/SpaceJamANewLegacy'' came out and flopped some of the biggest detractors of the 1993 film have begrudgingly admitted that, for all its flaws, the first film was better and closer to ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' compared to ''A New Legacy'' — which was more interested in being a splurge of Creator/WarnerBrothers IP than a NBA meets Loony Tunes film and even turns the toons into CGI by the climax unlike the original where the toons were beautifully 2D animated throughout. People have also revalued ''Space Jam 1''’s humour acknowledging it does have legitimately good LeaningOnTheFourthWall jokes and some actual heart whereas the follow up ironically has more dated humour including using ''Film/TheMatrix'' BulletTime parodies, which comedies had stopped doing years ago. It also helps that the first film genuinely respected the voice cast whilst ''A New Legacy'' recasts Creator/KathSoucie as Lola with Creator/{{Zendaya}} simply for the sake of star power.

** ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan'' films themselves have undergone this (namely the first one). Due to the Raimi films being a ToughActToFollow many people dismissed and disliked the reboot for its DarkerAndEdgier changes particularly in how Creator/AndrewGarfield’s Peter was more a jerkass as well as repeating most of the same story beats as the beloved 2002 film. This attitude towards didn’t improve when the sequel introduced [[FourLinesAllWaiting half a dozen subplots]] and repeated ''Spider-Man 3''’s mistake of introducing three villains at once. In the years since however fans have began to acknowledge the unambiguous positives of the Garfield films such as Creator/EmmaStone’s Gwen Stacy who was more likeable than Raimi’s Mary Jane who was a DamselScrappy and moreover how Andrew Garfield’s Peter is in many ways TruerToTheText to how Spidey was and is in the comics, this sentiment was only reinforced in his return in ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'' where his version of Spidey got immense praise especially by his predecessor Tobey Maguire and successor Tom Holland. ''No Way Home'' also helped be a FullyAbsorbedFinale for the Webbverse giving its villains Lizard and Electro happy resolutions and royally redeeming Garfield’s Spidey after he failed to save Gwen in the second film.

** ''Film/TwoFastTwoFurious'' got slammed with poor reviews when it released in 2003 with many decrying the lack of Creator/VinDiesel and the more comical tone compared to the sleek and edgy first film to the point where a lot of people treated it like a direct-to-DVD sequel. Nowadays and with the Fast saga getting more and more ego-driven, many now view the second film as refreshing precisely because it’s less straight faced thanks to Creator/TyreseGibson’s Roman being plenty of fun and it gives Brian room to breath as a character without being joined at the hip to Dom — something even more appreciated after Creator/PaulWalker’s passing. The second film also wasn’t afraid to depict its heroes as vulnerable and [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FJNIqkSzSKc responding realistically]] to crashing their car into a boat whereas later films (due to actors’ contracts) has the cast be [[InvincibleHero Invincible Heroes]] who just shrug off numerous crashes without so much as a scratch.

** Actor example with Creator/MichaelKeaton as Batman. When he was first announced to play the Dark Knight for ''Film/Batman1989'' the fan response left much to be desired with Warner Brothers getting ''50,000'' protest letters over the casting and even Batman co-creator Bob Kane questioned the choice. This all ironic considering nowadays countless fans cite Keaton as their favourite Batman in the wake of his films (if anything one of biggest criticisms of ''Film/BatmanReturns'' is that it didn’t use him ''enough'' compared to the villains) and many of the actors who have played Batman since such as Creator/ChristianBale hold Michael Keaton’s portrayal to the highest respect. This was only reaffirmed when he finally and effortlessly returned to the role in ''Film/TheFlash2023'' and was considered one of if not the best thing about the film.
** ''Film/BatmanForever'' was a success but a multitude of fans bemoaned change from Burton’s gothicness to a lighter wackier tone mandated by Warner Brothers with Jim Carry’s Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones’s Two-Face being far more over-the-top goofy compared to Nicholson’s Joker and [=DeVito=]’s Penguin. However with its follow up ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'' being a FranchiseKiller and there being more polarising DC films in the decades since more people are willingly to acknowledge ''Forever'' isn’t actually that bad and did have a lot of positives with the action being decent, Creator/ValKilmer having a more accurate Bruce Wayne and the film actually bringing ComicBook/{{Robin}} to the screen and making him cool — unlike later Batman films which didn’t have the courage to actually use his character at all. Not to mention the portrayals of Two-Face and Riddler are less marginalised with the benefit of more serious live action depictions in ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' and ''Film/TheBatman2022'' respectively.
** ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' got no small amount of flack compared to its seminal predecessor Film/TheDarkKnight and is generally considered the weakest film of Nolan’s trilogy. Since then however with Batman getting a more polarising portrayal in the [=DCEU=] and more DC box office bombs coming out, fans are far more charitable to ''Rises'' and acknowledge its positives such as Bane being TruerToTheText in terms of being a GeniusBruiser who breaks Batman’s spine and Catwoman is considered much more likeable than the previous love interest Rachel Dawes.

* ''Film/FightClub''. During its North American theatrical run, the film garnered a very polarized reaction from critics ([[SeinfeldIsUnfunny just as much for its at-the-time graphic violence as its actual quality]]) and performed mediocre at the box office (a $37 million gross versus a $63 million budget). However, once the film made it to home video, it quickly developed a large and loyal cult following. At the same time, many critics seriously reconsidered their original assessments of the film, gradually making it one of the most acclaimed movies of the last thirty years and landing it on many "Best Movies Of All Time" lists. There's also the issue of [[DramaticallyMissingThePoint people creating "real Fight Clubs" after seeing the movie]].

** With the exception of Denise Richards' casting, the reception of "Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough'' has warmed up "nowadays". It's also fondly remembered by people who miss the Brosnan era, and regret that it ended with the inferior ''Film/DieAnotherDay''. It probably helps that the highly-acclaimed ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'' recycled a lot of ideas from ''TWINE'' (as seen in [[https://imgur.com/a/L1eauB0 this post]]), so there's a greater acknowledgement that the latter had the potential to be a great Bond movie, but it got hampered for some people by some of its campier elements and a few questionable casting choices.

** With the exception of Denise Richards' casting, the reception of "Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough" has warmed up "nowadays". It's also fondly remembered by people who miss the Brosnan era, and regret that it ended with the inferior ''Film/DieAnotherDay''. It probably helps that the highly-acclaimed ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'' recycled a lot of ideas from ''TWINE'' (as seen in [[https://imgur.com/a/L1eauB0 this post]]), so there's a greater acknowledgement that the latter had the potential to be a great Bond movie, but it got hampered for some people by some of its campier elements and a few questionable casting choices.

* With the exception of Denise Richards' casting, the reception of "Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough" has warmed up "nowadays". It's also fondly remembered by people who miss the Brosnan era, and regret that it ended with the inferior ''Film/DieAnotherDay''. It probably helps that the highly-acclaimed ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'' recycled a lot of ideas from ''TWINE'' (as seen in [[https://imgur.com/a/L1eauB0 this post]]), so there's a greater acknowledgement that the latter had the potential to be a great Bond movie, but it got hampered for some people by some of its campier elements and a few questionable casting choices.

* ''Film/IndianaJones'':

* ''Film/Indiana Jones'':

* ''Franchise/Indiana Jones'':
* Although ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom'' actually did quite well at the box office, the critical reception was far from ideal with audiences disliking the DarkerAndEdgier tone (both Creator/StevenSpielberg and Creator/GeorgeLucas were going through break ups and it shows) and many people fairly criticised the inaccurate and stereotypically racist depictions of India and Hinduism and the sidekicks [[DamselScrappy Willie in particular]] were disliked. For the longest time ''Temple of Doom'' was considered the low point of the 80s trilogy between the beloved ''[[Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'' and ''[[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade Last Crusade]]''. Since the divisive reception to the fourth movie ''[[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull Kingdom of the Crystal Skull]]'' and later fifth movie ''[[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheDialOfDestiny Dial of Destiny]]'' however, ''Temple of Doom'' has been greatly reaccessed with fans acknowledging ''Temple''’s many strengths, particularly its memorable action set pieces such as the opening club fight, the mine cart chase and bridge cutting climax. Not to mention the film’s heart tearing villain Mola Ram played by the late Amrish Puri, whom is agreed among Indy fans to be the most memorable antagonist of the 80s trilogy, compared to the more stuffy Beloq and Donavon. Then there’s Short Round played by Creator/KeHuyQuan, who plenty of fans found annoying at the time but who now most consider the heart of the movie, to the extent some see him as the “true son of Indy”, rather than his actual son Mutt. With Ke Huy Quan nabbing an oscar for ''Film/EverythingEverywhereAllAtOnce'' a lot of fans wish he had returned as Short Round in the following movies, especially ''Dial of Destiny''.
* ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull'' was reviled by many for its deviation from the classic Indiana Jones trilogy, with its introduction of aliens and the infamous "Nuke the Fridge" scene singled out as being especially egregious. Over time however, the film has seen its reception improve substantially. This is due in part to the higher understanding of the film's stylistic choices as homage to classic '50s Sci-Fi genre films. Such elements, once seen as disrespectful to the original trilogy, are now understood as being intentional especially since ''Temple of Doom'' was also deviating from the other movies in terms of tone, plot and claustrophobic location. Complaints about the overuse of CGI have also been nullified as this is a common practice in modern day films pointing out the hypocrisy. People have also begun to appreciate the elements of the film that were positive in the first place, such as the reunion of the cast and crew of the original trilogy, notably Marion as well as Indy's growth and development with his newfound family. ''Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' has truly become better received with times and is now seen by many as an entertaining entry in the franchise. The divisive nature of '' Film/IndianaJonesAndTheDialOfDestiny'' certainly helps making people appreciate this movie for ending on a happier note.

* ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom'' is a strange case of this. Although it actually did quite well at the box office, the critical reception was far from ideal with audiences disliking the DarkerAndEdgier tone (both Creator/StevenSpielberg and Creator/GeorgeLucas were going through break ups and it shows) and many people fairly criticised the inaccurate and stereotypically racist depictions of India and Hinduism and the sidekicks [[DamselScrappy Willie in particular]] were disliked. For the longest time ''Temple of Doom'' was considered the low point of the 80s trilogy between the beloved ''[[Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'' and ''[[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade Last Crusade]]''. Since the divisive reception to the fourth movie ''[[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull Kingdom of the Crystal Skull]]'' and later fifth movie ''[[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheDialOfDestiny Dial of Destiny]]'' however, ''Temple of Doom'' has been greatly reaccessed with fans acknowledging ''Temple''’s many strengths, particularly its memorable action set pieces such as the opening club fight, the mine cart chase and bridge cutting climax. Not to mention the film’s heart tearing villain Mola Ram played by the late Amrish Puri, whom is agreed among Indy fans to be the most memorable antagonist of the 80s trilogy, compared to the more stuffy Beloq and Donavon. Then there’s Short Round played by Creator/KeHuyQuan, who plenty of fans found annoying at the time but who now most consider the heart of the movie, to the extent some see him as the “true son of Indy”, rather than his actual son Mutt. With Ke Huy Quan nabbing an oscar for ''Film/EverythingEverywhereAllAtOnce'' a lot of fans wish he had returned as Short Round in the following movies, especially ''Dial of Destiny''.

** After premiering to a polarized reception, attitudes towards "Film/ManOfSteel'' have softened considerably over the years for its willingness to take liberties with the source material, portrayal of the main character, WorldBuilding, action scenes, visual effects and relatively self-contained story. With the release of ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'', people are willing to acknowledge that these two movies, along with the Ultimate Edition of ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'', make up a believable trilogy that portrays Superman's journey from ClassicalAntiHero to TheCape he is traditionally known as.

** After premiering to a polarized reception, attitudes towards "Film/ManofSteel'' have softened considerably over the years for its willingness to take liberties with the source material, portrayal of the main character, WorldBuilding, action scenes, visual effects and relatively self-contained story. With the release of ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'', people are willing to acknowledge that these two movies, along with the Ultimate Edition of ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'', make up a believable trilogy that portrays Superman's journey from ClassicalAntiHero to TheCape he is traditionally known as.

** "Film/Sucker Punch'' got a lot of negative reviews from critics and audiences alike accusing it of being a "style over substance" movie, as well as having sexist undertones, and the film was an outright flop. However, over the years, re-evaluations of the movie from a feminist lens, especially following the rise of the [=#MeToo=] movement exposing decades of sexual abuse going on in Hollywood, have led to a renewed appreciation for it, with some critics hailing it as a misunderstood yet ambitious FeministFantasy that was [[ValuesResonance ahead of its time]] in terms of its depictions of the abuse women face and the ways they combat against it.

** ''Film/TwoFastTwoFurious'' got slammed with poor reviews when it released in 2003 with many decrying the lack of Creator/VinDiesel and the more comical tone compared to the sleek and edgy first film to point where a lot of people treated it like a direct-to-DVD sequel. Nowadays and with the Fast saga getting more and more ego-driven, many now view the second film as refreshing precisely because it’s less straight faced thanks to Creator/TyreseGibson’s Roman being plenty of fun and it gives Brian room to breath as a character without being joined at the hip to Dom — something even more appreciated after Creator/PaulWalker’s passing. The second film also wasn’t afraid to depict its heroes as vulnerable and [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FJNIqkSzSKc responding realistically]] to crashing their car into a boat whereas later films (due to actors’ contracts) has the cast be [[InvincibleHero Invincible Heroes]] who just shrug off numerous crashes without so much as a scratch.
** ''Film/TheFastAndTheFuriousTokyoDrift'' was very disliked when it released and considered the odd duck of the franchise, due to lacking none of the cast of the previous films (barring Dom briefly in TheStinger) and its protagonist Sean was considered unlikeable and unappealing. The film’s reputation was probably not helped by it inadvertently sparking off the KudzuPlot by being a retroactive sequel to the [[Film/FastAndFurious6 sixth film]] which was of course not the intention when it was being created. Nowadays however with the FF films getting diminishing returns, ''Tokyo Drift'' has gotten more love with people genuinely appreciating the fact it explored street racing in cool ways by being set in Japan — unlike future films where street racing angle is largely abandoned in favour of being bombastic action films where the cast are all secret agents. The film also introduced EnsembleDarkHorse Han, the character even detractors of the franchise like (though his “death” in film caused the aforementioned KudzuPlot when they wanted to have him back for the fourth movie). Even Creator/ChristopherNolan revealed ''Tokyo Drift'' is his favourite film of the series.

* ''Film/LooneyTunesBackInAction'' in block buster heavy year of 2003 failed to regroup its budget at the box office with its finical and critical failure putting breaks to the planned Looney Tunes film franchise with Buggs and co not appearing in a film again until ''Film/SpaceJamANewLegacy''. Nowadays, ''Back In Action'' has gotten greatly reassessed with people acknowledging its many strengths such as having humour closer to the original shorts and wonderfully starring Creator/BrendanFraser whom has undergone CareerResurrection in the decades since. It also helps its successor ''A New Legacy'' was a far greater flop with accordingly weaker jokes strengthening ''Back In Action'''s BuddyPicture humour by comparison. Further vindicated by the film’s BreakingTheFourthWall and BitingTheHandHumor as ''Back In Action'' portraying Warner Bros as incompetent NeverMyFault execs who mishandle their properties and characters has only gotten more and more apt since the film was released, to the point where you can make a case for the film predicting the future of the company.

* 2007's ''Film/SpiderMan3''. While still highly polarizing, it has been treated with more leniency after ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' was released to even worse reviews and became a FranchiseKiller for the already-contested reboot series. It received further vindication in 2017 with the ''Editor's Cut'' release, which is widely considered to be superior to the original version of the movie.
** In general Creator/TobeyMaguire's take on Peter Parker/Spider-Man has become this. At the time (and even to this day), he got criticisms for being too angsty and awkward for the character and unlike the comics, didn’t do much quipping and joking even as Spider-Man. Over the years, people have come around to Maguire's Spidey, acknowledging the NarmCharm and praising his intense physical transformation into a hero which was rare for non-body building actors at the time. Nowadays, he's often considered the definitive live action Spider-Man by the people who grew up with the Raimi movies (also helped by being a MemeticBadass online) and fans were overjoyed to learn he, along with Creator/AndrewGarfield, would join Creator/TomHolland's Spidey in ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome''.

** Film/TheLastJedi, despite being a critical hit, was regarded as 'extremely' divisive in the eyes of audiences when it was first released, with many of its detractors claiming that it heralded the [[DarthWiki/RuinedForever death of the franchise]]. However, after the release of its much more detested follow-up ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'' (which undid much of ''Last Jedi's'' plot due to Creator/JJAbrams not liking its direction), as well as Disney's newer ''Star Wars'' projects becoming more experimental with the franchise to varying results (''Series/{{Andor}}'' in particular being considered quite good for its different take on the universe), many, although it still is a divisive movie to fans as of today, have begun to look better at ''The Last Jedi'', with more appreciation due to its ambition and attempt to deviate from the cookie-cutter blockbuster style of [[Film/TheForceAwakens its predecessor]], with many fans even claiming it to be the best movie in the Sequel Trilogy as a result.

* ''Film/LastActionHero'' failed to become a hit in 1993, being trampled by the ''Film/JurassicPark'' behemoth while scoring negative reviews due to a script that [[IndecisiveParody didn't know if it was an action comedy or a parody of action movies]]. Over time, it has earned CultClassic status for its DeconstructorFleet take on the action genre.

* 1984's ''Film/{{Gremlins}}'' was a box-office hit and reviews overall leaned positive, but critics at the time were [[BrokenBase highly polarized]] over its violence (especially for a PG-rated film), BlackComedy, and Norman Rockwell-inspired SugarApocalypse setting. It was one of the films responsible for the creation of the PG-13 rating due to backlash from MoralGuardians, and a number of critics actually preferred its sequel, ''Film/Gremlins2TheNewBatch'', due to its LighterAndSofter tone (most notably Creator/LeonardMaltin, who has a cameo in the sequel in which he repeats his criticisms of the first film). Nowadays, of course, it's considered one of the greatest horror comedies ever made.

** With the implementation of UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode in 1934, many films from UsefulNotes/ThePreCodeEra were banished from American screens until TheSeventies. Since then, later audiences have rediscovered this era, and many films that were once condemned by MoralGuardians and forgotten by audiences have come to be seen as classics, primarily for their OlderThanTheyThink appeal.

** [[TheWestern Westerns]] were once seen as disposable genre movies. It took till TheNineties with ''Film/{{Unforgiven}}'' and ''Film/DancesWithWolves'' for Western to win Best Picture at the Oscars and officially come OutOfTheGhetto, and even Creator/JohnFord only won Oscars for his non-Western films. Yet, today, Westerns are considered a lost art, and the Hollywood Westerns of Ford, Creator/HowardHawks, Creator/RaoulWalsh, Creator/AnthonyMann, Creator/SamuelFuller, Budd Boetticher, and Creator/SamPeckinpah are considered masterpieces and among America's best films.

** Early in his career, Burton worked with Disney but was fired in 1984 after the production of ''Frankenweenie''. They thought he wasted their money for a film that was too scary for children (it was intended to run in theaters with a ''Pinocchio'' reissue). Burton went on to become a successful director, and finally, the short saw a home video release in TheNineties. And a quarter of a century later, Burton [[WesternAnimation/{{Frankenweenie}} remade it as a stop-motion feature]] -- produced by Disney.

** ''Film/AssaultOnPrecinct131976'' was made on a very small budget, and had a lukewarm critical reception and unimpressive box office returns. This was no doubt in large part thanks to it being largely a modern-day Western (Carpenter himself has often described it as a SpiritualAdaptation of ''Film/RioBravo''), a genre that was in decline with American audiences by 1976 due to oversaturation. However, when shown in Europe, it gained both critical acclaim and box-office success, as European audiences weren't as tired of Westerns. It subsequently underwent a reevaluation in the States once Carpenter hit it big with ''Film/Halloween1978'', and is now considered to be one of the best action films of TheSeventies and a true CultClassic in its own right, such that it was eventually [[Film/AssaultOnPrecinct132005 remade in 2005]].

** ''Film/BigTroubleInLittleChina'' bombed especially bad (an $11.1 million gross versus a $25 million budget). [[CloudCuckooland Its campy outrageousness]] has since become extremely well-loved, especially by those who grew up in TheEighties, and its self-aware tone and DeadpanSnarker protagonist have proven especially influential on modern blockbusters, most notably the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse through films like ''Film/{{Guardians of the Galaxy|2014}}'' and ''Film/ThorRagnarok''. The fact that it was not what mid-'80s American audiences were expecting from a MartialArtsMovie (and in fact predated many Hong Kong supernatural kung fu classics!) may have contributed. As ''Literature/BlowingUpTheMovies'' put it:

** ''Film/MonsieurVerdoux'' suffered similar misunderstanding. Critics and audiences in America, expecting the light-hearted humor of Chaplin's Tramp films, instead got a bleak and edgy murder-mystery-comedy, so people backed away from it in disgust. [[spoiler:The film's anti-war message at the end gained condemnation because some audiences perceived that Chaplin was likening the heroes of World War II to a serial killer, and was later used as "evidence" of him being a Communist sympathizer, which ended his Hollywood career.]] A European fanbase sprouted a few years later, but Americans never fully embraced ''Verdoux'' until TheSeventies.

** Eisenstein's ''Film/IvanTheTerrible'' was regarded in its time as Stalinist propaganda and people regarded him as a has-been who hadn't made a movie since TheRoaringTwenties (two of his productions were aborted while ''Film/AlexanderNevsky'' was shelved). The release of the shelved Part II during the [[UsefulNotes/NikitaKhrushchev Khrushchev Thaw]] radically changed opinions, and today, both films are considered to be masterpieces and rank alongside ''Film/TheBattleshipPotemkin'' as his best works.

** Lang's second sound film ''Film/TheTestamentOfDrMabuse'' was banned by the Nazis and internationally released in heavily-edited, dubbed versions. The uncut German version was eventually found in the [[TheSeventies mid-'70s]], becoming one of his best-regarded movies.

** ''Film/BiggerThanLife'', a commercial disaster that stained Ray's reputation following the success of his previous film ''Film/RebelWithoutACause'', has become one of the most artistically praised films of TheFifties, and has been given the Blu-ray treatment by Creator/TheCriterionCollection.

* In TheFifties, Creator/DouglasSirk's melodramas with Creator/RockHudson were commercially successful, but seen as fairly disposable. Today, they are regarded as {{deconstruction}}s of a lot of what the '50s stood for ([[UnbuiltTrope during the actual '50s]], at that) with plenty of StylisticSuck and StealthParody, cited by Creator/RainerWernerFassbinder, Creator/ToddHaynes, and Creator/QuentinTarantino as masterpieces.

* Creator/ErichVonStroheim was seen in his day as PrimaDonnaDirector par excellence who made impossible films. Today he's considered to be one of the most radical and experimental film-makers of TheRoaringTwenties for his ability to push and tackle the complex subject matter and realistic drama in the silent film medium, cited as an inspiration by Creator/JeanRenoir, Creator/OrsonWelles, Creator/BillyWilder, and many, many others. ''Film/{{Greed}}'' was famously butchered (this is understandable since Stroheim planned for the film to be a two-part film of 3 hours each, after cutting down from his rough cut of 7 hours and 42 minutes). By the time ''Greed'' reached cinemas, it was in a sorry, hacked-apart state. Critics and the public have since embraced the elements of the film that survived.

** Welles made ''Film/CitizenKane'' at the age of 25, and he was seen, and widely resented, as an EnfantTerrible upstart who was being pampered by Creator/RKOPictures rather than a genius. The controversies of his notorious ''Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds1938'' broadcast and his theatrical productions had already made him infamous. ''Kane'' became notorious because media mogul William Randolph Hearst was tipped that Charles Foster Kane was [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed based on him]] in an [[TakeThat unfavorable light]], and did his best to suppress the film. Hearst ensured that the film would be poorly publicized upon its release: no newspaper or radio station under the jurisdiction of his empire was allowed to print an ad for ''Kane'', and movie critics for those papers and stations, if they wrote a review at all, were pressured into writing a negative one. Theatres refused to run it, and it only played on a tiny number of screens. ''Kane'' lost money in its initial 1941 opening, and was even booed at the Academy Awards. It was well-received critically, at least by the few who had seen it, and it was nominated for multiple Academy Awards, with Welles and Herman Mankiewicz winning Oscars for the Screenplay. But it was only in TheForties and TheFifties, mainly in UsefulNotes/{{France}} (where it played at the Cinematheque), that it came to be seen as the Greatest Film Ever Made. For instance, the first Sight and Sound didn't include ''Citizen Kane'' on its list. ''Kane'' would go on to top the decennial list every decade onwards from TheSixties to TheNineties.
** A test screening of ''Film/TheMagnificentAmbersons'', based on the novel by Booth Tarkington, was met with complete ridicule. RKO then proceeded (without Orson's approval) to change the ending, which did nothing for its appeal to American audiences in TheForties. Nowadays, while it might not be as fantastically unforgettable as ''Citizen Kane'', it is very highly regarded and still considered a masterpiece.

* ''Film/{{Freaks}}'' was actually banned in 1932 in many countries, to the point of ruining the careers of many people involved (the freaks themselves were able to walk it off, or, in Prince Randian's case, crawl it off), because it was seen as offensive and exploitative. During TheSixties, someone dug it up and realized that it was neither.

* ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'' netted Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer a [[http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/852/The-Wizard-of-Oz/notes.html loss of over a million dollars,]] only breaking even when it was re-released in 1948–49. Audiences liked it, as did most critics (though others called it "[[AndYouThoughtItWouldFail stupid and unimaginative]]"), but dozens of other great movies were being churned out in 1939. In the extremely fierce competition, ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'' and ''Film/MrSmithGoesToWashington'' came out on top, while others such as ''Oz'' floundered. It wasn't until TheFifties television screenings that ''Oz'' became so famous and highly regarded.

* Despite winning the Best Picture Oscar, ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'' was treated by audiences and critics, and its cast, in 1942, as SoOkayItsAverage. The film became a classic in TheSixties when it was constantly played on college campuses, leading to its colossal reputation.
** This was partly due to Creator/HumphreyBogart's reputation. In his time he was seen as, first, a character actor in 1930s gangster films, then as an AntiHero who romanced women half his age in crime films. He was popular but in his day and age, Bogart was not as big a star as Creator/GaryCooper, Creator/JohnWayne, and Creator/ClarkGable. It was only in TheSixties with the rise of the "Bogart Cult" and the re-evaluation of FilmNoir in general, that he came to be seen as an IconOfRebellion and the epitome of cool, and proved to be far more modern and accessible than the other big stars of his time. The fact that he was liberal (as compared to Wayne and the others) and opposed [[UsefulNotes/JosephMcCarthy McCarthyism]] gave him street cred.

* Happened to the French film ''Film/EyesWithoutAFace''. The film had some troubles from the start. First, the themes of the film shocked European critics, especially the MadScientist who was a case of poor timing for German critics and audiences. Also, the gore scenes, while short and downplayed, were too extreme for formal circles of TheSixties. Critical and public responses were neutral at best, and outright terrible at worst. Years later, the film was rediscovered by modern audiences and new critics praised the film for its haunting atmosphere, nods to GermanExpressionism, and the complexity of its characters. ''Eyes Without a Face'' was saved from fading into obscurity and is now considered among the best examples that the Horror genre has. In fact, it averted the Horror genre ghetto as it attracts fans of classic art-house films.

* All the works of Creator/JeanLucGodard in TheSixties are praised by lovers of European film, but there was a period in the early part of that decade when a handful of his movies (including ''Vivre Sa Vie'' and ''Contempt'') were initially bombs.

* ''Film/ToraToraTora'' (1970) flopped in the United States, only picking up its classic status after its home video release in TheEighties.

* The weirdness of ''Film/HaroldAndMaude'' was not in sync with [[TheSeventies the early '70s]], what with [[{{Squick}} a teenage boy having a romance with a septuagenarian woman]], and it failed horribly. People have since come to understand the film's finer qualities better, and its reputation has skyrocketed.

* ''Film/BlowOut'', Creator/BrianDePalma's thriller about a slasher-flick sound mixer who finds audio evidence of a murder, bombed at the box office due to negative word of mouth. Its reputation has since climbed and the film is highly lauded as an artistic gem of TheEighties.

* ''Film/FirstBlood'' was released to mixed reviews in 1982. Today it is considered one of the classic anti-war thrillers of TheEighties with a [[AnAesop resounding message]] about the dehumanization and mistreatment of Vietnam veterans (complete with a famous speech on the subject at the end) that lets it stand out from its more action-oriented and [[BrokenAesop thematically-conflicted]] [[Franchise/{{Rambo}} sequels]].

* The non-Muppet non-''Sesame Street'' movies of Creator/JimHenson are a major example, gaining large enough fanbases after their theatrical runs in TheEighties that since their initial DVD releases in 1999, they have been among Sony's best-selling titles. Each also enjoys an ExpandedUniverse via graphic novels.

* ''Film/DemolitionMan'', when it was released, was seen as a subpar sci-fi action movie getting mostly panned by critics, barely recouping its budget despite opening at number one, though it did make up for it internationally. In recent years, it's seen more for what it really is, a pretty solid fish-out-of-water satire of sci-fi action movies from TheEighties and a DeconstructiveParody of PoliticalOvercorrectness.

* ''Film/SuperMarioBros1993'' was the trope codifier for VideoGameMoviesSuck during TheNineties and the TurnOfTheMillennium. Views towards it have softened a ''bit''. Primarily citing its technical achievements and its willingness to take a risk. The latter especially became relevant after how the film industry has become StrictlyFormula. Some people see it as SoOkayItsAverage or simply SoBadItsGood. Further vindicated by the fact that the TruerToTheText ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'' ironically does actually burrow story beats from the live-action 1993 film, especially in regard to depicting Mario and Luigi in Brooklyn as plumbers and how they enter the other dimension that is the Mushroom Kingdom. Also now with the benefit of a faithful movie adaptation, the 90s film can be considered an interesting novelty rather than the unredeemable mess it was once viewed as.

* French critics were split about actor Creator/PatrickDewaere (he got [[invoked]][[AwardSnub snubbed several times at the César awards]]). It wasn't until his death that his performances were reevalued and given more unanimous (and overdue) cinephile praise.

** ''Film/OnHerMajestysSecretService'' although it was successful during its era was incredibly disliked for swapping out the beloved Creator/SeanConnery for the Australian Creator/GeorgeLazenby which lead to Connery coming back for a final outing in ''Film/DiamondsAreForever''. For decades ''On Her Majesty’s Secret Service'' was usually never particularly high on fans’ lists on favourite Bond films. However after the declining quality of the Creator/RogerMoore and later Creator/PierceBrosnan films, more fans have accepted that Lazenby’s film is pretty underrated and actually delved into humanising Bond and exploring the idea of him losing a woman he genuinely loves long before the adored ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'' did. Additionally having Bond be married is a concept that ''Film/NoTimeToDie'' would return to.

* ''Film/TheWarriors'' under-performed at the box office; fights and three homicides caused by rival gangs showing up at the theater to see the film only hurt it further. Today its a recognized cult classic; even the [[WideEyedIdealist ridiculously naïve depiction]] of gang members as misunderstood {{Noble Savage}}s [[SlidingScaleOfCynicismVersusIdealism seems fresh after so many years of urban crime dramas that have painted a very cynical, unflattering portrait of their subject]].

* ''Film/SpeedRacer'' was an enormous critical and commercial bomb upon its release in 2008. However, as the years have gone on, the film has found several defenders and even a decent sized fanbase, with even Time Magazine and Den of Geek looking back at the film as being underappreciated, and is sometimes even favorably compared to works like ''Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld'' and ''Film/PacificRim'' in terms of "anime-influenced films". It’s probably the most well-liked anime LiveActionAdaptation prior to ''Film/AlitaBattleAngel and ''Series/OnePiece2023''

** ''Film/TheLastJedi'' was an ''extremely'' divisive movie when it was first released, with many of its detractors claiming that it heralded the [[DarthWiki/RuinedForever death of the franchise]]. However, after the release of its much more detested follow-up ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'' (which undid much of ''Last Jedi's'' plot due to Creator/JJAbrams not liking its direction), as well as Disney's newer ''Star Wars'' projects becoming more experimental with the franchise to varying results (''Series/{{Andor}}'' in particular being considered quite good for its different take on the universe), many have begun to look back at ''The Last Jedi'' with more appreciation due to its ambition and attempt to deviate from the cookie-cutter blockbuster style of [[Film/TheForceAwakens its predecessor]], with many even claiming it to be the best movie in the Sequel Trilogy as a result.

** Though it remains divisive, the overall opinion of ''AliceInWonderland2010'' has improved overtime. In particular a lot of fans look at it more fondly due to seeing it as something with more passion and creativity put into it compared to subsequent live-action Disney films.

** Though it remains divisive, the overall opinion of ''AliceinWonderland2010'' has improved overtime. In particular a lot of fans look at it more fondly due to seeing it as something with more passion and creativity put into it compared to subsequent live-action Disney films.