While Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio are hard at work on the upcoming western, Killers of the Flower Moon, they have already signed onto another project together, as Scorsese will direct DiCaprio in AppleTV+'s The Wager. Just like Killers of the Flower Moon before it and The Irishman before that, as it's exclusive to streaming, there's no chance of a potential box office bomb.

But though Scorsese is one of the greatest living filmmakers, he knows what it feels like to have a financially unsuccessful movie on his hands. Interestingly, some of his most praised films bombed at the box office, and they only found an audience in the years following their theatrical releases. Between the greatest boxing movie of all time, an underrated dark comedy, and a sweet musical drama, these are some of Scorsese's best works that deserved a bigger audience.

New York, New York (1977)

New York New York

Hot off the heels of the instant classic Taxi Driver, which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, earned a ton of other accolades, and was a huge box office success, Scorsese was afforded a much bigger budget for his next project. That project was the violence-free musical drama New York, New York, but it seems like audiences weren't interested in a Scorsese movie if it wasn't filled with bloodshed and profanity.

According to Box Office Mojo, the drama made $16.4 million, which was just two million more than its production budget. However, though it was critically panned and generally disliked by general audiences too, even the 1977 film still influences today's filmmakers. La La Land was clearly influenced by the melancholy nature of the film, not to mention how the main characters don't actually end up together.

Raging Bull (1980)

Jake LaMotta swinging a punch in Raging Bull

It's hard to imagine that one of the most revered boxing movies ever made and one that is heralded as having the greatest use of black-and-white cinematography, the greatest performances, and the most engaging narrative, bombed at the box office. From Raging Bull's opening shot, which sees Jake LaMotta preparing in the ring in slow motion, the film is a dazzling sensation, but it was only in the years following its theatrical release that it was considered a masterpiece and got the attention it deserved.

Raging Bull only made $23.4 million off a budget of $18 million (via Box Office Mojo,) which the studio was surely less than thrilled to see, and it unfortunately marked Scorsese's second bomb in a row. However, in the 42 years since its release, United Artists has surely made some money from VHS and DVD sales and streaming syndication.

The King Of Comedy (1982)

Rupert Pupkin smiling while wearing a red suit in The King Of Comedy.

Following Raging Bull, The King of Comedy was the director's third box office bomb in a row and Scorsese's biggest commercial failure in his career, though it was far from deserved. With a budget of $19 million, the movie bombed harder than Rupert Pupkin's stand-up performance with a total gross of $2.5 million (via Box Office Mojo). The 1982 release was way ahead of its time, as it was a commentary on people's obsession with celebrities and wanting fame, and it's perhaps more relevant today than it was 40 years ago.

Just like Raging Bull, The King of Comedy is highly regarded and likely saw success outside the cinema, but it won't have had anywhere near the same amount as the sports movie, and it remains Scorsese's most overlooked release. However, it did get some major attention in 2019, as Joker was heavily influenced by the 1982 crime drama. The two movies' narratives are so similar that they're almost identical and have the exact same beats, and it has left fans wondering what Scorsese movie Joker 2 will be based on.

After Hours (1985)

It's certainly no surprise that Scorsese was working with a limited budget following three box office bombs in a row, as After Hours had a production cost of just $4.5 million. And while it certainly feels like a much smaller movie compared to the filmmaker's other releases, it's one of Scorsese's most entertaining films, and it's certainly the funniest.

Unfortunately, the film still struggled to find an audience, making just $10 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo.) While the film made double its production cost, given the marketing budget and the movie theatres' cut, it unfortunately still wouldn't be considered a success. But in this case, it's hardly surprising. While the film is great, it's such a pitch-black dark comedy that isn't all that accessible and it leans hard into surrealism.

Kundun (1997)

The 14th Dalai Lama in Kundun

Kundun isn't exactly the most typical Scorsese film, and while his other flops might not have been gangster movies, they still featured his signature filmmaking style and most of them were still typically set in New York. However, the 1997 movie is way more meditative, much slower-paced, and is set in Tibet.

The film follows the fourteenth Dalai Lama, who was the exiled political and spiritual leader in Tibet, and it saw Scorsese going completely out of his comfort zone. And with no bankable movie star, the movie barely made $6 million, and it had a huge $28 million budget (via Box Office Mojo).

Bringing Out The Dead (1999)

Nicholas Cage in Bringing Out the Dead

On paper, director Martin Scorsese and actor Nicolas Cage are a match made in heaven, especially in the '90s, as Scorsese's kinetic filmmaking and Cage's eccentric acting would go so well together. And that was put to the test with 1999's Bringing Out the Dead, a psychological drama about a paramedic who is haunted by ghosts, but it might have been a little too much for audiences. Even though both the director and actor were at the height of their careers, the movie couldn't attract a big enough audience.

With an unbelievable budget of $55 million, the movie made pennies on the dollar, bringing in just $16.8 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo.) According to Thelma Schoonmaker, Scorsese's longtime editor who also edited Bringing Out the Dead, the fault of the box office bomb lies with the marketing. As reported by Den of Geek, Schoonmaker noted that it was mismarketed as a car chase movie. And if it's anything to go by, Cage thinks it's his best movie.

Silence (2016)

Liam Neeson in Martin Scorsese's Silence

Silence is Scorsese's most recent bomb, and though a film about two Jesuit priests on a journey through Japan was never going to pull Wolf of Wall Street numbers, the studio at least hoped for a much stronger performance than the final result. Between the concept, the less-than-stellar marketing, and the 160-minute runtime, the $50-million-budget movie resulted in a $26 million loss for the studio, which isn't even taking into account the marketing costs.

However, as streamers like Netflix and AppleTV+ are giving him budgets of $200 million per movie for their platforms, which won't ever get wide theatrical releases, Silence might mark the last box office bomb Scorsese will ever have.

NEXT: The Wolf Of Wall Street & 9 Other Movies That Blur The Line Between Satire & Glorifying Bad Behavior