 In 2008 , Cineaste asked a range of academics for their definition of a cult film . Several people defined cult films primarily in terms of their opposition to mainstream films and conformism , explicitly requiring a transgressive element , though others disputed the transgressive potential , given the demographic appeal to white males and mainstreaming of cult films . Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock instead called them mainstream films with transgressive elements . Most definitions also required a strong community aspect , such as obsessed fans or ritualistic behavior . Citing misuse of the term , Mikel J. Koven took a self @-@ described hard @-@ line stance that rejected definitions that use any other criteria . Matt Hills instead stressed the need for an open @-@ ended definition rooted in structuration , where the film and the audience reaction are interrelated and neither is prioritized . Ernest Mathijs focused on the accidental nature of cult followings , arguing that cult film fans consider themselves too savvy to be marketed to , while Jonathan Rosenbaum rejected the continued existence of cult films and called the term a marketing buzzword . Mathijs suggests that cult films help to understand ambiguity and incompleteness in life given the difficulty in even defining the term . That cult films can have opposing qualities – such as good and bad , failure and success , innovative and retro – helps to illustrate that art is subjective and never self @-@ evident . This ambiguity leads critics of postmodernism to accuse cult films of being beyond criticism , as the emphasis is now on personal interpretation rather than critical analysis or metanarratives . These inherent dichotomies can lead audiences to be split between ironic and earnest fans . 
