Top 10 Rejected Movies That Became Successful
#10: “Home Alone” (1990)
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We love watching “Home Alone” every Holiday season, but there’s an alternate reality where it never got made. Initially, Warner Bros. agreed to finance the film due to screenwriter John Hughes’ belief that it could be made for less than $10 million. However, when the budget went over, Warner Bros. pulled the plug. While it wasn’t a rejection of the movie itself, it was a rejection of the vision of the filmmakers. Luckily, Hughes had had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to keep his budgetary promise, and had met with 20th Century Fox in secret. When WB backed out, Fox swept in to save it. It earned $476 million at the worldwide box office on an $18 million budget and is an undeniable classic.
#9: “Little Miss Sunshine” (2006)
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This indie darling was almost never made.While screenwriter Michael Arndt was able to find producers, the team struggled to get studios to bite. The only one interested was Focus Features, who wanted the film set in Canada and centered on character Richard Hoover. They fired Arndt, brought in a new writer, rehired Arndt, then scrapped the film after two years of pre-production! Thankfully, producer Marc Turtletaub re-secured the rights and fronted the film’s $8 million budget. “Little Miss Sunshine” went on to be a smash hit at the Sundance Film Festival, igniting a bidding war, with Fox Searchlight claiming the prize. It earned $101 million at the box office and won two Oscars, including Best Original Screenplay.
#8: “Twilight” (2008)
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“Twilight” was a cultural phenomenon, so it’s strange to think about how many studios failed to see its potential. It was originally optioned by Paramount subsidiary MTV Films. But according to producer Mark Morgan, the studio wanted to make an action movie that would’ve been drastically different from the books. Unable to come to an agreement, Paramount relinquished the rights. Morgan has stated the project was shopped around, but that everyone passed. Finally, Summit Entertainment took a chance on it, which was an incredibly smart decision. As we know, it launched several high profile careers and a franchise that earned more than $3 billion.
#7: “Dumb and Dumber” (1994)
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1994 was a terrific year for Jim Carrey, which turned out to be great for brothers Peter and Bobby Farrelly. The sibling duo had written a script that was constantly rejected due to its title. In fact, they had to change the title just to get eyes on it. Even still, when New Line did pick it up, it was on the basis that the Farrellys cast the lead roles from a provided list of actors. All of the actors turned them down, but then Carrey came to their rescue. Hot off the heels of box office smash “Ace Ventura,” which of course impressed New Line, Carrey signed on as Lloyd. “Dumb and Dumber” went on to be an even bigger hit than “Pet Detective.”
#6: “The Exorcist” (1977)
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“The Exorcist” is one of the most influential horror films of all time, though it owes its legacy in part to one incredibly lucky moment. The book on which it’s based initially sold very poorly and the author, William Peter Blatty, who also wrote its adaptation, couldn’t get any studios in Hollywood to take notice. However, an appearance on “The Dick Cavett Show” gave the book the spotlight it needed. Blatty only secured the interview when one guest dropped out, and he got more air time when another had too much to drink. The book’s sales quickly rose, causing Warner Bros. to sign on. It earned 10 Oscar nominations, including a win for Blatty’s adapted screenplay, and was the highest grossing R-rated Horror movie until 2017’s “It.”
#5: “Dirty Dancing” (1987)
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There are few romance movies that are as iconic as “Dirty Dancing.” Loosely based on screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein’s childhood, the project was on solid foundation at MGM. But when the studio went through a change in management, the script was dropped. It was then passed around multiple studios, earning a surprising 42 rejections. It then made its way to Vestron, a smaller studio that only agreed to a $5 million budget. Despite this shortcoming, the underdog film grossed over $214 million at the box office. We still blare its awesome soundtrack to this day, which includes the Oscar, Golden Globe, and Grammy-winning “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.”
#4: “Pulp Fiction” (1994)
Quentin Tarantino is such a respected filmmaker, he can pretty much make whatever he wants. But that wasn’t always the case. His second film, groundbreaking and endlessly quotable though it may be, was initially rejected by TriStar. The studio apparently found its content “too demented,” though we’d argue that’s one of its draws. According to co-writer Roger Avary, the studio also took issue with its non-linear structure. As they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. The script made its way to Miramax, which greenlit the project. It became the studio’s first fully financed endeavor and earned a slew of Oscar noms, including a win for its screenplay!
#3: “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982)
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This sci-fi coming-of-age tale remains one of Steven Spielberg’s finest, the success of which must’ve had execs at Columbia Pictures kicking themselves. The studio rejected the script, thinking it wouldn’t appeal to audiences beyond young children or make a profit. Spielberg then took it to Universal, which gave the film a budget of $10.5 million. Not only did it earn four Oscars, but “E.T.” made nearly $620 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing movie ever at the time. Funnily enough, Columbia got to keep 5% of the net profits, earning the studio more money that year than any film it actually released. Even at this point, Spielberg was a proven box office draw and Columbia should’ve known better.
#2: “Back to the Future” (1985)
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Columbia strikes again, but it wasn’t the only studio to pass on “Back to the Future.” Disney passed because it was too risque while Columbia passed because it wasn’t risque enough, and most high-grossing comedies of the time were. It was rejected around 40 times for various reasons, such as the box office failures of recent time travel movies. It wasn’t until co-writer Robert Zemeckis first directed “Romancing the Stone” that he was able to get a studio to believe in it. With help from friend Steven Spielberg, who would serve as executive producer, the project finally found a home at Universal. “Back to the Future” is now one of the most beloved films of the 80s with lines we still quote on a regular basis.
#1: “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” (1977)
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Long before any episodic subtitles, “Star Wars” was an idea that no studio wanted anything to do with. George Lucas originally offered it to United Artists, which he had a two-picture deal with, but the studio declined. Universal apparently passed because it doubted Lucas’ ability to pull it off, but also wasn’t interested in the sci-fi genre at the time. Paramount passed, also doubting Lucas’ skills as a director for something of this scope. Even Disney rejected it, a fact we find hilarious in retrospect. “Star Wars” eventually wound up at Fox, where it still only secured a limited release. However, the unexpected hordes of viewers made the studio quickly change its plans. This little reject would go on to forever alter the world of pop culture.
