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 commercial hits like Jurᴀssic Park, E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial, Avatar, and Interstellar, though those all had the advantage of being made by big name directors and did enough to appeal to more than the genre fans.
Some sci-fi films that deserved better have struggled at the box office and become legendary cult classics like Blade Runner, Idiocracy, and They Live. However, there’s one sci-fi movie from 2018 that feels destined to become a cult classic after 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’s Annihilation isn’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 from the 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 but Annihilation is 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. Annihilation is 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 of Annihilation and 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, Annihilation always faced an uphill battle.
That meant that Annihilation was 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, Annihilation always 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. Annihilation is 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 writing 28 Days Later but his first true sci-fi film was 2007’s Sunshine, a hidden gem that boasts an impressive cast including Chris Evans, Rose Byrne, and Hiroyuki Sanada.
After directing Ex Machina and Annihilation, two outstanding sci-fi projects, Garland’s next step was a move to television. He created, wrote, and directed the 2020 FX series Devs, 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’s Men and political thriller with 2024’s Civil War but Garland is clearly one of the kinds of modern sci-fi.
