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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. Image File history File links Circle-question. ... A cultural artifact is an man-made object which gives information about the culture of its creator and users. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

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. Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Horror Movie redirects here. ... Look up genre in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

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. Star Wars is an epic science fantasy saga in the space opera genre and a fictional universe initially developed by George Lucas during the 1970s and expanded since that time. ... The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series and media franchise. ... The term box office can refer to either: A place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to a venue The amount of business a particular production, such as a movie or theatre show, does. ...

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 "favorited" many times by a small group of people in online media communities such as YouTube, but has had very little success in the mainstream. A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... YouTube is a popular video sharing website where users can upload, view and share video clips. ...

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.

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." Herbert F. Solow has worked in Hollywood as a producer, director, production manager, talent agent, and writer. ... The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series and media franchise. ... Mission: Impossible is the name of an American television series which aired on the CBS network from September 1966 to September 1973. ... Categories: Television stubs ... Mannix was a television detective series that ran from 1967 through 1975 on CBS. Developed by executive producer Bruce Geller (who also created Mission: Impossible), the title character played by Mike Connors (an actor of Armenian heritage) is an Armenian-American private investigator. ... Then Came Bronson was a short-lived TV show that ran in the US for only one season, on NBC, from 1969 to 1970. ... Liber Amoris Dennis Christopher George Potter (17 May 1935—7 June 1994) was a controversial British dramatist who is best known for several widely acclaimed television dramas which mixed fantasy and reality, the personal and the social. ... Brimstone and Treacle is a 1970s play by Dennis Potter about a middle-aged middle-class couple living in a North London suburb who are unfortunate enough to have their beautiful undergraduate daughters life reduced to a severely handicapped existence by a hit-and-run driver. ... Brewster McCloud is a 1970 movie directed by Robert Altman; it centers on a young recluse who lives in a fallout shelter of the Houston Astrodome building a pair of wings so hell be able to fly. ... Elvis Aron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), often known simply as Elvis and also called The King of Rock n Roll or simply The King, was an American singer, musician and actor. ...

Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier have been involed in the entire View Askewniverse since their film Clerks came out. They have had other lesser known directing and producing roles such as Jersey Girl, Drawing Flies, and Good Will Hunting. Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American screenwriter, film director, and the founder of View Askew Productions. ... Scott Mosier Scott Mosier (born 5 March 1971) has been a producer, editor, and cameo actor in the New Jersey films. ... The View Askewniverse is a fictional universe created by Kevin Smith, featured in several films, comics and a television series; it is named for Smiths production company, View Askew Productions. ... This article is about the film. ... Jersey Girl is a 2004 film written and directed by Kevin Smith, and starring Ben Affleck. ... Drawing Flies was the first View Askew Production not relating to the View Askewniverse. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

See also

• Cult film
• Cult television
• Cult fiction
• Cult radio
• Cult video games
• Underground music
• List of cult classics