Any real film buff knows that box office intake don’t mean much. Sure, filmmakers and fans of a film would like to make some money, especially some sort of profit, but a film is made to be seen. Some of the biggest hits were really crappy movies and some of the biggest bombs are really good movies. So below is my list of box office bombs that I like (or are actually good to great movies).

10 – The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005, director: Tommy Lee Jones): More or less the type of film that goes unseen, despite the critical success, Tommy Lee Jones directed a movie that intelligent, slow, and beautiful. It was budgeted at $15 million and banked only $5 million, netting only 33% of its money back. Give it a try, it’s really good.

9 – Black Cauldron (1985, director: Richard Rich): Definitely not the strongest film Disney has ever down, but an entertaining and enjoyable one nonetheless. Perhaps it was just too weird for audiences in 1985 as the Mouse House was exploring different types of stories during this time, which might explain it netting only $4 million of its $44 million budget, barely 20% back. I’ve heard there’s this more violent and darker version which was cut down when it was released, but either way “Black Cauldron” deserves a look.

8 – Once Upon a Time in America (1984, director: Sergio Leone): In its theatrical cut, it’s a bit rushed and uneven, but in its director’s cut, the film feels complete and epic. This was Leone’s last film, with a budget of $30 million and its box office was 17%, only an intake of $5 million. It’s a shame because while Leone has done better, the film is really interesting, featuring a young Jennifer Connelly and another great score by the immortal Ennio Morricone.

7 – Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest (1992, director: Bill Kroyer): Maybe audiences didn’t know what to make of it, as marketing is a huge asset to a film if done right or maybe families were to spent on Disney’s “Little Mermaid”, “Beauty and the Beast”, and “Aladdin”. Either way it’s a solid non-Disney film with a strong environmental message, something ahead of its time in 1992. Budgeted at $25 million and netting only 14% percent of that back, audiences and family are wise to rediscover this great little animated film.

6 – Memoirs of the Invisible Man (1992, director: John Carpenter): I know a lot of people don’t like this one, but I do. I felt it was a slightly different approach to H.G. Wells’s novel, featuring a darker Chevy Chase than we’re use to. Maybe that’s the reason it only made $14 million at the box office. The effects are still pretty decent and it’s nice seeing Chevy do something different, but a budgeted film at $40 million, most audiences stayed away, unfortunately.

5 – Iron Giant (1999, director: Brad Bird): Widely regarded as a great film, I suspect people discovered it on DVD, because it only made back 48% of its $48 million budget. Brad Bird has since gone on to grab an Oscar, but he’s work here is as good if not better than “Incredibles” or “Ratatouille”.

4 – The Fountain (2006, director: Darren Aronofsky): A vastly misunderstood film, Aronofsky has created a beautiful looking film, with deep emotional impact. A study of love throughout the ages and coming to terms with death, it’s a shame such a great film went lost on an audience. It was budgeted at $35 million, which Aronofsky had to cut down from $80 million and made only $10 million back. I still get into arguments over this film to people unwilling or to simple minded to appreciate a film like this.

3 – Ed Wood (1994, director: Tim Burton): Still Tim Burton’s best film and a personal favorite of mine, this is just a pleasure to watch. If you love old horror films, the spirit of those are alive and well in “Ed Wood”, a biopic on the worst director of all-time. Perhaps fittingly it bombed, netting barely 33% of its $20 million budget back. Maybe it’s the fact that it is in black and white, a modern no-no in theatrical films, either way this is one special film.

2 – Zodiac (2007, director: David Fincher): One of the most tactical, thorough, and well-scripted serial killer film ever made, Fincher’s “Zodiac” was a beautifully shot masterpiece of criminal investigation. It’s a film about addictions and passions as the tag line stated, “There’s more than one way to lose your life to a killer”. So true and despite Robert Downey Jr.’s great performance and early Oscar rumors, such a thought-provoking film went unseen. It did net nearly 50% of its budget back, but most thought it was slow and were disappointed that Zodiac wasn’t caught. Yes, people are idiots.

1 – Fantasia (1940, director: various): I will go on any record and state how much I love “Fantasia” and I think it’s another masterpiece from Walt. The film is a visual and audio pleasure that I have seen on the big screen many years back. The film is atypical of a classic Disney picture, but it’s one of his film that have reached the zenith of his imagination and a film nobody claims to like because it is all music. Bah. I personally can’t wait for a Blu Ray version and this film screams uncompressed audio! The film has many magical sequences but it is one you must pay attention to, a high brow sort of animated feature. It only made $361,000 of a $2 million budget, but time has been kind to Walt’s most exhilarating film.