The Shawshank Redemption is one of the greatest movies of all time, currently holding the #1 rated movie spot on IMDB, but surprisingly, it flopped at the box office. The movie was adapted from Stephen King’s short story “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption,” though wasn’t advertised with the author’s name to avoid his horror stereotype. Shawshank Redemption (1994) documents Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), who proclaims his innocence in murdering his wife and her lover, and fellow inmate Ellis “Red” Redding (Morgan Freeman) as they spend two decades together in Shawshank Prison, both tied into a corrupt money-laundering scheme with the prison’s warden.
Thankfully, Shawshank Redemption was able to recuperate its box office flop throughout the next few years. After Shawshank Redemption's numerous Academy Award nominations, positive reviews, and word of mouth from both men and women, it became one of the top rented films of 1995. Further enhancing its successful legacy, by 1997 TNT had broadcasting rights for the movie and Shawshank Redemption became a staple to its cable reruns. Before long, the beloved movie would reach the same cultural acclaim as the 1994 movies Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump, even surpassing them on AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies revised list. Another bragging point comes from Stephen King — who notably dislikes most of his book’s adaptations — telling Deadline that Shawshank Redemption is one of his favorite story adaptations.
The budget was only $25 million, but with an all-star cast and beloved story, Shawshank Redemption was expected to bring in much more than the $16 million that wouldn’t even allow it to break even. With such a low box office haul, Shawshank Redemption could hardly be considered a blockbuster. Though Shawshank Redemption's theatrical re-release after being nominated for several Oscars in 1995 brought in a new wave of viewership, the box office gain only came to about $58.3 million — nearly $650 million less than its fierce competitor Forrest Gump. While many factors may have contributed to Shawshank Redemption’s box office failure, the most commonly cited reasons are heavy competition, lack of female characters, the unpopularity of prison films, and a confusing title.
1994 was an incredible year for influential movies, so competition from movies like Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump, and Lion King decreased audience attendance levels for Shawshank Redemption. Forrest Gump, the eventual 1995 Best Picture winner, was in the middle of its nearly year-long successful theatrical release, so its continued attendance was near its height as Shawshank Redemption premiered. Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino’s second film, premiered in theaters on the same day as Shawshank Redemption, though with much more critical attention after winning the Palme d’Or award. Lion King, the box office winner for the year, was also taking away adult audiences who were instead drawn to see the Disney movie with their children.
Up until Shawshank Redemption revitalized the genre, prison films didn’t have a steady following that would draw in enough crowds from the bleak setting alone. Instead, audiences were trending toward big-budget action movies like those of Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Shawshank Redemption also further alienated about 50% of the population that it sought to bring in: women. With only a few female characters in the movie that were either off-screen side-points or a Rita Hayworth poster, women weren’t intrigued enough to watch an all-male drama prison movie.
Alternatively, some of the cast and crew believe Shawshank Redemption bombed at the box office because of its confusing title. Star Tim Robbins told Entertainment Weekly he blames the movie's initial failure on audiences' inability to remember the movie's name. Robbins explained people would refer to the movie as names like "Shimmy, Shimmy, Shake," "Shankshaw," or "Scrimshaw Reduction." It's unfortunate that at the time, even if audiences enjoyed it, the title was too much of a tongue-twister to stick. Surprisingly enough, today The Shawshank Redemption's title is used to conjure prison images and associations to the characters' situations.