Acult following is a group offans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work,[1] often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or anartwork in somemedium. The latter is often called acult classic. A film, book, musical artist, television series, or video game, among other things, is said to have a cult following when it has a very passionatefanbase.
A common component of cult followings is the emotional attachment the fans have to the object of the cult following, often identifying themselves and other fans as members of acommunity. Cult followings are also commonly associated withniche markets. Cult media are often associated withunderground culture, and are considered tooeccentric or anti-establishment to be appreciated by thegeneral public or to be widely commercially successful.
Many cult fans express their devotion with a level of irony when describing such entertainment. Sometimes, these cult followings cross the border tocamp followings. Fans may become involved in asubculture offandom, either viaconventions,online communities or through activities such as writingseries-related fiction, costume creation, replica prop and model building, or creating their own audio or video productions from the formats and characters.[2]
There is not always a clear difference between cult andmainstream media. Professors Xavier Mendik and Ernest Mathijs, authors of100 Cult Films, argue that the devoted following among these films make them cult classics. In many cases, films that have cult followings may have been financial flops during their theatrical box office run, and even received mixed or mostly negative reviews by mainstream media, but are still considered a major success by small core groups or communities of fans.
Some cults are only popular within a certainsubculture. The filmWoodstock (1970) is especially loved within thehippie subculture, whileHocus Pocus (1993) holds cult status among American women born in the 1980s and early 1990s.[3][4] Certain mainstream icons can become cult icons in a different context for certain people.Reefer Madness (1936) was originally intended to warn youth against the use ofmarijuana, but because of its ridiculous plot, overwhelming number of factual errors and cheap look, it became watched by audiences ofmarijuana smokers and has gained a cult following.[5]
Quentin Tarantino's films borrow stylistically from classic cult films, but are appreciated by a large audience; therefore, Tarantino's filmography is noted worldwide as lying somewhere between cult and mainstream cinema.[6] Also, certain cult phenomena can grow to such proportions that they become mainstream, such as the filmography of cult directors likeJohn Waters,John Sayles,John Cassavetes,Armando Bó,Eliseo Subiela,Ruggero Deodato,Takeshi Kitano,Abbas Kiarostami orJesús Franco.
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Certain television series develop a cult following after their cancellation, which may cause interest in renewal.Arrested Development, which was cancelled in 2006 after itsthird season, was renewed byNetflix in 2013 and received two additional seasons.Futurama was cancelled in 2003 after its fourth season onFox, but was later picked up byComedy Central for an additional three seasons. In 2022, it was announced the series would be renewed for 20 additional episodes (released weekly) on the streaming serviceHulu.Star Trek was cancelled after three seasons, but inbroadcast syndication it gained a more substantial following, ultimately spawning a successfulmedia franchise.
David Lynch'sTwin Peaks ran onABC for two seasons from 1990 to 1991, initially garnering high ratings and critical acclaim. Ratings and reception declined following the reveal ofLaura Palmer's murderer, who was left intentionally unknown by Lynch. Eventually, the show was canceled, ending on a cliffhanger. It was not until 2017 that Twin Peaks returned as a limited series onShowtime, ending one of the longest hiatuses in television history.
Series often considered cult classics include the long-running BBC science fiction seriesDoctor Who,[7] the ITC sci-fi thriller seriesThe Prisoner,[8] the Australian soap operaPrisoner: Cell Block H,[9] the Indian soap opera that ran for eight yearsKasautii Zindagii Kay[10][11] and the mock animated talk showSpace Ghost Coast to Coast aired onCartoon Network, which then spawned many spin-offs and other shows that had a similar sense of humor asCoast to Coast whenAdult Swim became a block on the network. A large proportion of the titles aforementioned within this article might not be considered cult classics due to their wide saturation within contemporary audiences, though the term cult classics may have loose classifications such as an initially unsuccessful release or large number of cliches (intentional or otherwise) leading to such a broad range of classification relative to personal experiences of its assigner.
Some video games, often those with unique concepts that fail to gain traction with the mainstream audience, attract cult followings and can influence the design of later video games. An example of a cult video game isIco (2001), an initial commercial flop that gained a large following for its uniquegameplay andminimalist aesthetics, and was noted as influencing the design ofBrothers: A Tale of Two Sons (2013) andRime (2017), among other games.[12] Other games that have cult followings includeEarthBound (1994), another unsuccessful game that later resulted in the creation of a "cottage industry" selling memorabilia to theEarthBound fandom;[13]Conker's Bad Fur Day (2001), an unusually mature 3D platform game for the Nintendo 64 celebrated for its dark humor and story;[14]Yume Nikki (2004), a surreal free-to-play Japanesehorror game;[15]Psychonauts (2005), an initially unsuccessful platformer that has consistently kept one of the strongest fan followings;[16]Hitman: Blood Money (2006), considered to many long-time fans of theHitman franchise to be the first and last greatHitman game, despite its outdated controls and gameplay, and not receiving deserved acclaim at the time;[17]Alan Wake (2010), an action-adventure game whose story is modeled similar to a thriller television series format and has gained loyal followings despite its underselling;[18]Spec Ops: The Line (2012), a critically acclaimedthird-person shooter known for its portrayal of the "horrors of war" and the deeppsychological impact of armed conflict on soldiers;[19][20][21]Grand Prix Legends (1998), a realistic and unforgivingracing simulation of the1967 Formula One season;[22] andDwarf Fortress (2006), aconstruction and management simulation androguelikeindie video game known for its roguelike cuboidal-grid world model and sometimes difficulttext-based interface, rich and complex simulation gameplay, similarly richprocedural world generation and history of continuous development by a small team which continues as of 2023[update].[23][24]
One of the earliest cult classics in rock wasThe Velvet Underground's 1967 debut album,The Velvet Underground & Nico. While hugely influential, it originally flopped commercially and alienated radio stations, music retailers, and magazines, who found the content too controversial to market. Over the next decade, it received greater recognition fromrock critics, who helped make the album more popular.The Beatles'self-titled album known asThe White Album at first received mixed reviews from music critics who considered its satirical songs unimportant and apolitical amid the turbulent political and social climate of 1968, but later attracted acclaim, and has since become a cult classic.The Zombies' 1968 albumOdessey and Oracle was also originally a critical and commercial flop, failing tochart despite its single "Time of the Season" becoming a surprise hit the following year. While the Zombies disbanded just before its release, the album's status grew as a cult classic in the following decades.[25]David Bowie's 1970 albumThe Man Who Sold the World also did not impact the record charts on its original release while receiving mixed reviews from critics. After Bowie achieved mainstream success in the early 1970s, its 1972 reissue reached number 24 on theUK Albums Chart, but only 105 in the US.The Man Who Sold the World's influence on future musicians, such asThe Cure,Siouxsie and the Banshees, andGary Numan, as well as thedark wave genre, lent it a cult following in the music scene.[25]
Punk rock has produced several albums with cult followings.The Ramones' 1976self-titled debut album sold poorly, but was hugely influential on the then-young punk movement, and eventually sold well enough to earn a goldsales certification in 2014. The British post-punk bandMagazine also released their debut,Real Life (1978), to little popular success, reaching only number 29 in the UK. Its subsequent acclaim as an innovative and influential work in the burgeoning post-punk genre earned it a reputation as a cult classic. In 1982, the American hardcore punk bandBad Brains releasedtheir self-titled debut exclusively on cassette, struggling to gain an audience in the vinyl-dominated marketplace. The appearance of the single "Pay to Cum" on the compilation albumLet Them Eat Jellybeans! (1981) helpedBad Brains develop a following in the UK, while the album's musical innovation and growing influence later ensured it a cult-classic status among followers of hardcore punk.[25]
Some alternative albums have also developed cult followings. The American industrial rock bandNine Inch Nails released their 1989 debutPretty Hate Machine to modest success on theBillboard 200, peaking at number 75. It developed an underground popularity in subsequent years and sold enough to receive a platinumRIAA certification in 1995, becoming one of the first independently released albums to accomplish the feat. Also in 1989,Nirvana's debut albumBleach was released to some positive notice from critics, but failed to impact record charts, until the band's massively successful 1991 albumNevermind drew further interest to it.[25]
The R&B singerBilal's second album,Love for Sale, became a cult classic[26] afterleaking in 2006 and being notoriously shelved byInterscope Records.[27] The musically experimental album quickly developed a following and acclaim online, becoming whatThe Village Voice writer Craig D. Lindsey called "the black-music equivalent ofFiona Apple's once-shelved (and also notoriously bootlegged) albumExtraordinary Machine".[28]
Japanese dub and dream pop bandFishmans gained a dedicated online cult following after the death of frontman Shinji Sato via word-of-mouth spread on imageboard and music forum sites throughout the 2000s and 2010s.[29][30]
Brands can also attain a cult following, sometimes due to prestige likeApple andSupreme, while others likeSpam do so for cultural reasons.[31] There are also many cult car brands ranging fromTrabant[32] toVolvo and even specific models like theFiat 500,[33]Ford Crown Victoria andToyota AE86 have all spawned dedicated followings within the car enthusiast community.
In September 2021,AMC Theatres began airing acommercial starring actressNicole Kidman in its theaters and on television. The commercial became a surprise hit among audiences, who came to appreciate the unintentional campiness of its earnestly rhapsodic style and script, particularly the line "Somehow, heartbreak feels good in a place like this." It has inspired internet memes, parodies, and in-theatre audience participation rituals.[34]