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A cult classic is a cultural artifact (e.g. a movie or TV show) that has attracted a cult following and has been given the status of classic by that following. Cult classics often open with a midnight showing. A cult classic in terms of music can be for example a single that is a heavy "fan favourite", with a very dedicated following by the performer(s) fanbase and is labeled as "classic" by that following, but with very little success outside those people. Another example could be a single that has a very strong following within it's particular genre, and is often labeled as a "classic" by those people, but has enjoyed very little or no crossover success.

Cult classic is not necessarily a geographically biased term, as cultural artifacts differ from country to country.

What establishes a cult classic

Cult classics are generally works that capture the imagination, defining a new world or reflecting events in society, and are often in the science fiction or horror genre.

Although certainly many cult favorites are well-known films or television series with mainstream popularity, (for example Star Wars or Star Trek), most cult favorites are obscure. They are often short-lived television series, or films that might have initially bombed at the box office, only to take off with extreme popularity in syndication or upon video release. Often, groups or clubs that follow one particular cult favorite even take pride in their classic's obscurity.

A popular joke to summarize cult classics is as follows: "A mainstream film is seen 1 time by 1000 people; a cult film is seen 1000 times by 1 person."

A cult classic might also be a song that appears in many all-time lists conducted by radio stations or music magazines (meaning the listeners are all dedicated to the song), but never appears in lists voted for by the general public.

Another example could be a music video that is viewed or "favourited" many times by a small group of people on YouTube, but has had very little success in the mainstream.

THe 1990's was a great age for indie and cult films mainly because films like Dumb and Dumber Empire Records and Mallrats would both serve as starting points for oscar winning careers, and small time but even greater acotrs such as Jason Lee, Ben Affleck, Jim Carrey, Liv Tyler, Rene Z., and Help launch the careers of such directors as Kevin Smith, Quintin Tarintino, Robert Rodriquiez and Richard Linklarter, as well as give Directors Like Allan Moye(check Spelling) as notible mention. Soundtracks to End of Days, Clerks, Empire Records, and Mallrats featured notible bands such as Alcie in Chains, Gin Blossoms, Weezer, Better Than Ezra, Corrosion of Conformity, Guns N' Roses, Limp Bizkit which while all movies were out were farly well known to the Generation X era.


Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Die Hard, Terminator 2, Star Wars, Batman, Lord of The Rings, and Star Trek are cult films that were really big and popular as well as profitible but there audiences have grown over time and they have maintained their popularity over the years, so technically they became cult hits as well.

Types of cult classics

Examples of cult classics

Films

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Trivia

Herbert F. Solow, a producer, has been famously instrumental in bringing a number of cult classics into existence, including television series such as Star Trek, Mission: Impossible, Man from Atlantis, Mannix, Then Came Bronson, etc., as well as films such as Dennis Potter's Brimstone and Treacle, Brewster McCloud, and the definitive Elvis Presley documentary "Elvis: That's the Way It Is."

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