Must to Avoid:
Showgirls (1995), directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring “Saved by the Bell” alumna Elizabeth Berkeley as a pole dancer, was notoriously slammed by critics and released wider than any NC-17, but the $40-million film cost too much to make a profit. It set an all-time RAZZIE Award record with 13 nominations, winning seven, tied with "Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000." 12% on the Tomatometer.
Box Office Mojo's Top Ten Grossing NC-17 Films
Rank OR# Title (click to view) Studio Lifetime Gross* Year^
1 2677 Showgirls MGM $20,350,754 1995
2 3593 Henry & June Uni. $11,567,449 1990
3 4115 The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover Mira. $7,724,701 1990
4 4603 Bad Education SPC $5,211,842 2004
5 4733 Lust, Caution Focus $4,604,982 2007
6 4868 Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! Mira. $4,087,361 1990
7 4923 Shame FoxS $3,909,002 2011
8 5320 The Dreamers FoxS $2,532,228 2004
9 5548 Crash (1996) FL $2,038,450 1996
10 5579 Bad Lieutenant Aries $2,000,022 1992
10 Comments
Brent | April 26, 2012 2:56 PM
What about Requiem for a Dream? It is definitely a must see.
dawn | April 3, 2012 12:16 AM
No, LIE? That film was amazing. But now that I think about it, it might have been released unrated.
James | March 28, 2012 5:12 PM
"Bad Liutenant" was not remade by Werner Herzog.
The Nicolas Cage with was not a remake of the earlier film. Just like the Crash staring Sandra Bullock and Matt Dillon isn't a remake of the Croneneberg film of the same name. ;p
Charles Cochran | March 28, 2012 11:22 AM
Crash should be in the Must See section and Bad Lieutenant should be in the Your Call section.
Rob | March 28, 2012 11:17 AM
Crash isn't about Holly Hunter's character. She's, what, fourth lead at best?
Bad Education played widely outside of festivals and New York, and made about $5 million at the box office, a good number for any foreign language film.
Showgirls is essential viewing.
apricoco | March 28, 2012 11:10 AM
You are missing a biggie in my honest opinion: Kids. I'd personally put it in the catagory of 'your call' but you can't deny that Harmony Korine made a film worth mentioning, even if it is for the lack of moral compass normally found in films. Telly as a character is highly watchable and makes your stomach turn. Plus, debut performaces of two future hollywood stars: Chloe Sevigny and Rosario Dawson.
Michael Mayo | March 28, 2012 2:16 AM
No "The Devils" or "Performance"?
Zachary W. | March 28, 2012 12:12 AM
It should be noted that "Showgirls" has developed a devoted following--and not just among cultists and camp-lovers. This is Verhoeven at his most unhinged and wildly savage; there are few American films in the last couple decades as searing in their indictment of Hollywood's "A Star is Born" mythology. Forget the ironic camp. Anybody who can't tell that this is a satire frankly isn't looking very hard.