Disappointment rules, expectations are low, success is nowhere in sight. And yet . . .
Here's a lesson in hope.
The 1999 film "Office Space", a quirky ramble through a numbingly barren office landscape, opened to mixed reviews and major frustration on the part of writer/director Mike Judge. After his animated "Beavis and Butt-head Do America" film, 20th Century Fox had committed to Judge's first live-action feature. But the studio types didn't get "Office Space." There were no jokes. Where they had expected bodacious craziness, there was droll stumbling.
The marketing campaign featured a mystifying figure mummified in yellow Post-it Notes, and it pretty much failed. "Office Space" barely made back production costs.
It also hit a nerve.
People who worked in dead-end office jobs took it to heart. Edgy comedians like Chris Rock and Drew Carey noticed it and made noise. Comedy Central put it on the air in 2001 and kept on rerunning it as buzz grew. Before long it had become a top-selling video and DVD, and a cult following was in the making. At the upcoming South by Southwest film festival, it will be honored with a 10th anniversary gala showing.
Of course, "Office Space" isn't the first film to rise from easily forgotten to fan favorite. As a reminder that dismal financial scenarios do turn around, we hold up a sampling of other "failures" that hung in there and finally did make it.
Duck Soup (1933) The Marx Brothers were big by the time this plot boiled, with moneymakers like "Monkey Business" and "Horse Feathers" to their credit. But "Duck Soup" was hampered by battles with Paramount during production and a disappointing early reception. Still, over time, audiences came around. It was named to the National Film Registry in 1990 and is now considered one of the brothers' best. To quote a line from Chico, "One-sa, two-sa, zig-zag-zav!"
The Rules of the Game (1939) For mocking genteel French society as self-obsessed cads, the film was shunned by the public and even banned by the French government. Then came World War II and recognition that the movie is genius. It's now on any well-heeled film aficionado's list of best bets.
It's a Wonderful Life (1946) You wouldn't know it from the worshipful reception it gets every Christmas, but this Jimmy Stewart movie didn't get off to a good start. The film didn't come close to breaking even at first, and there were whispers that director Frank Capra was losing his touch. But once it entered public domain and became a TV staple, the angel Clarence came through. "Wonderful Life" is now No. 1 on the American Film Institute's list of inspirational American films.
Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959) Ridiculous script, awful acting, completely un-special effects, footage of Bela Lugosi shot for a completely different film spliced in after the actor's death - no wonder "Plan 9" is often cited as the worst movie ever made. How could it not become a cult favorite?
Bonnie and Clyde (1967) Denounced as violent trash upon its release, "Bonnie and Clyde" has become an emblem of a golden era in American cinema. And slouching against their getaway car, Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty as the real-life bank robbers became fashion icons.
Harold and Maude (1971) A story about a sad-sack with mother issues who tries repeatedly to do himself in - the stuff of joy at the box office? Not at first. But its fan base grew, movie theaters from Allston to Edina, Minn., kept playing it, and honors started rolling in. Ruth Gordon and those Cat Stevens tunes didn't hurt either.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) The mother of all cult films, "Rocky Horror" opened to mostly snide reviews and piddly ticket sales. (Except in a single theater in California, but that hardly counts.) Then the campy-sexy musical parody moved to a midnight movie slot in New York (of course) and virtually remade the market. It's been showing to wildly enthusiastic costumed crowds ever since.
The Terminator (1984) Low expectations, probably; low-budget, certainly, at just $6 million and change. But it was only a matter of time before audiences caught up with a steely faced Arnold Schwarzenegger as a 21st-century cyborg assassin. Constant airing on cable television and the burgeoning video market made a big difference. Two sequel feature films followed, plus video games and more. A fourth movie, "Terminator Salvation," comes out later this year.
Globe staff writer Ty Burr contributed to this report. 
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