 Releases from major studios – such as The Big Lebowski ( 1998 ) , which was distributed by Universal Studios – can become cult films when they fail at the box office and develop a cult following through reissues , such as midnight movies , festivals , and home video . Hollywood films , due to their nature , are more likely to attract this kind of attention , which leads to a mainstreaming effect of cult culture . With major studios behind them , even financially unsuccessful films can be re @-@ released multiple times , which plays into a trend to capture audiences through repetitious reissues . The constant use of profanity and drugs in otherwise mainstream , Hollywood films , such as The Big Lebowski , can alienate critics and audiences yet lead to a large cult following among more open @-@ minded demographics not often associated with cult films , such as Wall Street bankers and professional soldiers . Thus , even comparatively mainstream films can satisfy the traditional demands of a cult film , perceived by fans as transgressive , niche , and uncommercial . Discussing his reputation for making cult films , Bollywood director Anurag Kashyap said , " I didn 't set out to make cult films . I wanted to make box @-@ office hits . " Writing in Cult Cinema , academics Ernest Mathijs and Jamie Sexton state that this acceptance of mainstream culture and commercialism is not out of character , as cult audiences have a more complex relationship to these concepts : they are more opposed to mainstream values and excessive commercialism than they are anything else . 
