The history of cinema is filled with sci-fi movies that struggle at the box office only to go on and become cult classics. There are certainly a handful of sci-fi movies that buck the trend and become huge commercialhits likeJurassic Park,E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial, Avatar,andInterstellar, though those all had the advantage of being made by big name directors and did enough to appeal to more than the genre fans.
Somesci-fi films that deserved betterhave struggled at the box office and become legendary cult classics likeBlade Runner, Idiocracy, andThey Live. However, there’s one sci-fi movie from 2018 thatfeels destined to become a cult classicafter bombing commercially. It has a unique concept, a talented cast, a rising star as a director, and seemingly gets better upon multiple viewings, which are all hallmarks of an eventual cult hit.
Annihilation Is One Of The Best Sci-Fi Movies Of The Last Decade
It Has Strong Reviews Pretty Much Everywhere
2018’sAnnihilationisn’t just a great sci-fi film from that year, it’s actually one of the most impressive movies in the genre across the past decade or so. The film comes fromthe mind of Alex Garland, who wrote and directed it as a follow-up to his Oscar-winning film,Ex Machina. Both movies received widespread acclaim and deal with some intriguing ideas butAnnihilationis done on a larger scale.
The film centers on a group of scientists (played by a great cast including Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez, and Jennifer Jason Leigh) who enter a mysterious quarantined zone known as The Shimmer where things like the laws of physics are unnatural.Annihilationis ambitious, challenging, and complex, so it’s the kind of thing that requires multiple viewings. Those aspects do make it tough to be a true mainstream classic, yet line it up to be an ideal cult classic. They may be hard to digest initially but become better as you study them more.
Why Didn’t Annihilation Perform At The Box Office?
The Concept Was A Difficult Sell
As noted,the premise ofAnnihilationand its challenging nature made it a difficult thing to sell to mainstream audiences. Something so high concept rarely becomes a big hit, as most sci-fi films to do so are the ones that appeal to almost everyone. The film received lackluster test screenings that led the studio to not have faith in it being a success. As a way to combat that, they sold the international distribution rights to Netflix.
Even with big names in the cast,Annihilationalways faced an uphill battle.
That meant thatAnnihilationwas available on Netflix around the world in a way that hurt its already underwhelming box office performance. The third and final act also adds to why it was a tough sell because things wrap up in a terrifying way that leans heavily into horror and isn’t easy for a lot of viewers to take in. Even with big names in the cast,Annihilationalways faced an uphill battle.
Annihilation’s Director Made Another Of The Best Modern Sci-Fi Movies… & TV Shows
He’s Been Behind Some Of The Best Sci-Fi Projects In Recent Memory
Alex Garland has a long history of writing sci-fi projects, including some novels in his early career.Annihilationis another in a long line of impressive sci-fi films and TV shows that he’s been part of as well.He got his break after writing28 Days Laterbut his first true sci-fi film was 2007’sSunshine, a hidden gem that boasts an impressive castincluding Chris Evans, Rose Byrne, and Hiroyuki Sanada.
After directingEx MachinaandAnnihilation, two outstanding sci-fi projects, Garland’s next step was a move to television. He created, wrote, and directed the 2020 FX seriesDevs, which continues to explore themes like free will, a recurring theme in some of his projects. He’s recently focused on other genres like horror with 2022’sMenand political thriller with 2024’sCivil Warbut Garland is clearly one of the kinds of modern sci-fi.
