7) Heaven’s Gate
What they said then:
Heaven’s Gate was such a huge flop on release that it basically singlehandedly bankrupted United Artists. Part of the reason audiences weren’t interested was because there was such bad buzz on arrival – Pauline Kael declared the film “distant and vaporous.” The New Times called it “an unqualified disaster” whilst Roger Ebert dismissed it as “the most scandalous cinematic waste I have ever seen.”
What they say now:
This one’s only just very recently come in for re-assessment, but in the last few years Michael Cimino’s epic western has developed a much warmer reputation. Critics lauded the film on its 2012 re-release, whilst Time Out London called it the 12th greatest western ever made. Still probably not worth the bankruptcy of UA, but a good film nonetheless.