Sleeper Hit: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
{{quote|"''At that time, no one knew that this small work called [[Gundam]] was to become a legendary anime, shaking the very foundation of Japan.''"
|''[[Gundam Sousei]]''}}
Any work that becomes an unexpected success upon its release, usually through word of mouth. Either the work slipped under the fandom and critics' radar during production, it was [[Complaining About Shows You Don't Watch|dismissed as crap outright based just on previews]], or the company/publisher didn't have much faith on it and [[Screwed by the Network|neglected its promotion]], ''yet'' it managed to get sizable box offices or sales. It might make an impact on the fandom collective and become a [[Cult Classic]], or be a matter of [[Quality by Popular Vote]] and be forgotten quickly: the point being, exceeding expectations.
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Contrast [[Acclaimed Flop]].
Not to be confused with ''[[Sleeper (film)|Sleeper]]'' by [[Woody Allen]].
{{examples}}
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* ''[[Se7en]]'' had tested badly with audiences and was slotted into the dumping ground of September against the higher-publicized ''[[Showgirls]]'' with the hope that the film's star power would allow it to break even. Then the critics responded in praise and with audiences agreeing, the film managed to spend four weeks at the top spot. The film went on to gross $327 million worldwide and launched [[David Fincher]]'s directing career.
* ''[[Austin Powers|Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery]]'' was considered a throwaway project for New Line Cinema as [[Mike Myers]] had not had a successful project post-''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' and the film had the worst test screenings in the history of the studio. Expected to die quickly in the heat of the Summer 1997 movies (such as ''[[Jurassic Park|The Lost World: Jurassic Park]]'' and ''[[The Fifth Element]]''), the film opened decently but kept on going to a final gross in the US of $50 million. But when it hit video, it started a phenomenon that led it to be the most rented movie in 1997 (and still in the Top 10 one year later) and two sequels (with a third in the works) have been made since.
* ''[[Boyz N the Hood]]'' was a low-budget urban film that was only intended to be given a small release until two events happened: 1. The film premiering to mass acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival, and 2. Columbia's big Summer 1991 film ''[[Radio Flyer]]'' getting pushed back due to reshoots, which led Columbia to slot the small production it is place. Even against strong blockbusters ''[[Terminator|Terminator 2: Judgment Day]]'' and ''[[Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves]]'' and violence breaking out at some screenings, the film managed to gross over $50 million, made director John Singleton the youngest Best Director nominee in the history of the [[Academy
* ''[[Bonnie and Clyde]]''. Jack Warner regretted his decision to put the film into production the moment he read the script, as he felt that the audience wouldn't [[Draco in Leather Pants|cheer for the outlaws]]. [[Warner Bros]] had so little faith in the film that they [[Screwed by the Network|tried to bury it]] with a release in [[Dump Months|the doldrums of August 1967]], and offered star and producer Warren Beatty 40% of the gross instead of a minimal fee. Despite a glowing reception at the [[Montreal]] Film Festival, it received mixed reviews from American critics—while [[Roger Ebert]] gave it four stars, many others were put off by its juxtaposition of comedy and (for the time) gratuitous violence.
** Young Baby Boomers, however, loved it, turning it into a blockbuster and a pop culture sensation that was nominated for ten Oscars (winning two). Beatty became a very wealthy man as a result of his 40% gross, allowing him to do pretty much anything he wanted, while Faye Dunaway became one of the hottest leading ladies in Hollywood. [[Time (magazine)|''Time'' magazine]], which originally panned the film, featured it on its cover that December. ''[[American Newspapers|The New York Times]]'' even fired its staff critic Bosley Crowther over his panning of the film, feeling him to be out of touch with the modern movie-going public, and replaced him with Pauline Kael, who had praised the film in an op-ed in ''The New Yorker''. Now, it's recognized as one of the fundamental films of the [[New Hollywood]] era.
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* The 2018 ''[[Aquaman (film)|Aquaman]]'' movie was a film about an often (wrongly) mocked character, in [[DC Extended Universe|a series with many misses and few solid hits]], and panned by critics for an overly complicated plot. It opened below expectations, but turned out to be a slow burn that went on to be the highest grossing of its entire franchise.
* This was what happened with ''[[Sholay]]'' back in 1975. At the time of the premiere, the film was loaded with underpromotion, the low-key scandal of its [[Troubled Production|way too long and troubled production]], and scathing critiques over its violent themes, so it didn't did well on its first couple of weeks. But then word of mouth passed around that it was a really good film, and by the third week crowds began to watch it. It became the highest grossing film of the year (some even estimate that, adjusted to inflation, is among the highest grossing films of all times), the soundtrack album became one of the most sold of the year, and the film remained in theaters for years (famously a cinema in Mumbai ran it by five consecutive years).
* ''[[The Blair Witch Project]]'', an small independent horror film with no-name actors and filmed with
* Possibly the biggest example of this Trope for Japanese
* Ahem, ''[[Saw]]''. With a $1.2 million budget, this film became a blockbuster at the box office with a $103.9 million return, and practically revitalized the Slasher Movie genre.
== [[Literature]] ==
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