Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, their huge flop that became cult

In the 90s, Tim Burton was at his peak, Johnny Depp was establishing himself as one of the most fascinating actors of his generation, and their collaboration was a real success. After several resounding successes, they embarked on a new project as ambitious as it was unusual. Everything seemed to be in place for a triumph... and yet.

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp Awaken the Space Zombies

At this time, Tim Burton was not yet the star director he had become, but he was clearly popular. He made three major works that would become pillars of his filmography: Edward Scissorhands (1990), Batman Returns (1992), and The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) – a gothic animated film that, in the original version, proudly bears his name: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. With these titles, he imposes a unique universe, nourished by fantasy, the absurd, and marginality.

With this aura, Burton embarks on a personal project: telling the life story of a forgotten director, Ed Wood, famous for having directed what was considered at the time the worst film in the history of cinema: Plan 9 from Outer Space. But rather than mocking, Burton chooses empathy. To embody This sweet dreamer finds Johnny Depp, his favorite actor, who will deliver a performance full of candor and optimism. Ed Wood then becomes a vibrant tribute to the misfits, the dreamers, the freaks who populate the Hollywood underworld and the broke film sets.

Shot in black and white, carried by a funny and touching script, and by the masterful performance of Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi (the actor in the first Universal Dracula films), the film has everything going for it. Ed Wood even found itself in the official selection at the Cannes Film Festival in 1995. Success seemed inevitable, except that....

Ed Wood: from flop to cult film

Against all expectations, Ed Wood failed miserably at the box office. Despite rave reviews and an Oscar for Martin Landau, audiences shunned this extraordinary work. With barely $5.9 million in revenue for a budget of $18 million, it was a resounding commercial failure. But, at the same time, a strange phenomenon occurs: while the film fails to find its audience in theaters, the VHS of Plan 9 from Outer Space is selling like hot cakes.

The light projected on Ed Wood brings his most improbable works back to life. Furthermore, Burton's film immediately became a cult classic among those who discovered it. Science fiction fans, marginalized people, queer artists, goths, or simply lovers of offbeat cinema saw it as a moving ode to passion and artistic perseverance. Johnny Depp's character, always enthusiastic despite humiliations, became an icon of a cinema of resourcefulness, of the absurd, and of authenticity.

Far from a caricature, Ed Wood celebrates a man who, despite failures, lived for his art with disarming sincerity. Year after year, the film found a new audience. It contributed to the construction of Burton's image as a contrarian artist, a humanist and a visionary. And while some of his films may be divisive today, Ed Wood still commands unanimous acclaim among moviegoers.

Are you interested in the history of the big flops? Check out our features on Tomorrowland: Tomorrowland, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and 6 fantasy films that flopped at the box office—must-see movies!