--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I'm realizing as I get older is that…" description: "\"What I'm realizing as I get older is that a movie's mainstream success is just as unpredictable as a movie's cult success. Plenty of movies that are tr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6b/patton-oswalt-2795_cult_what-i-m-realizing-as-i-get-older-is-tha_1318966.png" --- # What I'm realizing as I get older is that a movie's… ![“What I'm realizing as I get older is that a movie's mainstream success is just as unpredictable as a movie's cult success. Plenty of movies that are truly odd and deserve cults, don't have cults. It's just as much of a crapshoot to be a cult hit as it is to be a mainstream success. Isn't that weird?” quote by Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6b/patton-oswalt-2795_cult_what-i-m-realizing-as-i-get-older-is-tha_1318966.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6b/patton-oswalt-2795_cult_what-i-m-realizing-as-i-get-older-is-tha_1318966.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6b/patton-oswalt-2795_cult_what-i-m-realizing-as-i-get-older-is-tha_1318966.png) > “What I'm realizing as I get older is that a movie's mainstream success is just as unpredictable as a movie's cult success. Plenty of movies that are truly odd and deserve cults, don't have cults. It's just as much of a crapshoot to be a cult hit as it is to be a mainstream success. Isn't that weird?” [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mainstream and cult film successes are both unpredictable, each resembling a gamble. **In simple terms:** Both popular and niche movies succeed by chance. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty in creative outcomes. Themes film industry success uncertainty culture Mood analytical curious Type observational critical When to use this quote - movie production - marketing - target audience - risk assessment Key Concepts probability audience reception Questions to Reflect On - What factors turn a film into a cult classic? - How can creators balance broad appeal with niche vision? A Different Perspective Cult status often requires time and community, not just initial reception. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cult/) [Cult Hit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cult-hit-2981199/) [Cult Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cult-success-4389210/) [Deserve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deserve/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Mainstream Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mainstream-success-1984707/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Movie Cult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie-cult-1647003/) [Movie Mainstream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie-mainstream-2865453/) [Odd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/odd/) [Plenty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plenty/) [Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Unpredictable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unpredictable/) ## Related quotes > [But 'Memento' was so successful, such a huge cult hit, almost on the scale of a large film. If that had happened, with all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/but-memento-was-so-successful-such-a-huge-cult-hit-almost-on-the/) [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) > [Well I don't think sex and violence have ever stopped a movie from being mainstream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/well-i-don-t-think-sex-and-violence-have-ever-stopped-a-movie-from/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) > [Saturday The 14th movie is a cult classic. And you know another one like that that I did, is Three O'Clock High. People come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-tambor/saturday-the-14th-movie-is-a-cult-classic-and-you-know-another-one/) [Jeffrey Tambor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-tambor/) > ['Aashiqui' became a cult hit film. It was my first film which gave me not just recognition but stardom too, so I will always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-roy/aashiqui-became-a-cult-hit-film-it-was-my-first-film-which-gave-me/) [Rahul Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-roy/) > [I'm one of those artists that nobody ever sees coming. We started with Virgin in 1993. If you look at the climate of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaggy/i-m-one-of-those-artists-that-nobody-ever-sees-coming-we-started-with/) [Shaggy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaggy/) > [Our first record as the Veronicas was a big mainstream success. Maybe if we'd had the indie record first, then the breakout record, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-origliasso/our-first-record-as-the-veronicas-was-a-big-mainstream-success-maybe/) [Jessica Origliasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-origliasso/) > [For me, like, my goal has never been, quote, unquote, 'mainstream success.' I've just always wanted to work in entertainment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franchesca-ramsey/for-me-like-my-goal-has-never-been-quote-unquote-mainstream-success-i/) [Franchesca Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franchesca-ramsey/) > [Bob Dylan wasn't a big star early on; it was the release of his Greatest Hits album in 1967, and the mainstream success of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/bob-dylan-wasn-t-a-big-star-early-on-it-was-the-release-of-his/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [No U.K. rapper has been in my position; there are loads of big rappers like Tinie Tempah or Skepta, but no one has done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dizzee-rascal/no-u-k-rapper-has-been-in-my-position-there-are-loads-of-big-rappers/) [Dizzee Rascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dizzee-rascal/) > [They praise these tiny indie bands, but if a band finally gets mainstream success, the same people who praised them attack them for 'selling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-baker/they-praise-these-tiny-indie-bands-but-if-a-band-finally-gets/) [Kyle Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-baker/) > [Mainstream success is important - that's probably anathema to an indie publication like Pitchfork, but it's what I believe having experienced it personally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-love/mainstream-success-is-important-that-s-probably-anathema-to-an-indie/) [Courtney Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-love/) > [I'm very creative - making music, making puppets, that's my thing - but mainstream success and the demands that brings? No, not really for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-m-very-creative-making-music-making-puppets-that-s-my-thing-but/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [I think one reason my books have found mainstream success is that they're written from a skeptical point of view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/i-think-one-reason-my-books-have-found-mainstream-success-is-that/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [I think the best songs are being written by the very under-stated, under-appreciated indie artists. The thing that separates them from mainstream success is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-tedder/i-think-the-best-songs-are-being-written-by-the-very-under-stated/) [Ryan Tedder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-tedder/) > [Me as a person...I'm really laid back, I'm really an on my own time type of person so its just kind of like if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhene-aiko/me-as-a-person-i-m-really-laid-back-i-m-really-an-on-my-own-time-type/) [Jhene Aiko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhene-aiko/) ## More by Patton Oswalt > [The process is to me is going onstage night after night after night after night until I get a new hour. And then once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/the-process-is-to-me-is-going-onstage-night-after-night-after-night/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [I can't say that I ever abided nerd stereotypes: I was never alone or felt outcast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/i-can-t-say-that-i-ever-abided-nerd-stereotypes-i-was-never-alone-or/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [“If I hear the term ‘healing journey’ one more f–king time… It is not a ‘healing journey.’ It’s a ‘numb slog.’ It’s just a,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/if-i-hear-the-term-healing-journey-one-more-f-king-time-it-is-not-a/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [I think I realized it was an art form at the beginning, but it took me a really long time before I was able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/i-think-i-realized-it-was-an-art-form-at-the-beginning-but-it-took-me/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [I wish I had a really cool, esoteric answer, but what the process is to me is going onstage night after night after night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/i-wish-i-had-a-really-cool-esoteric-answer-but-what-the-process-is-to/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [If I were to just focus on stand-up, I could actually, paradoxically enough, be home way more, because I would leave on a Friday,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/if-i-were-to-just-focus-on-stand-up-i-could-actually-paradoxically/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [“hobos' (a slang term that combines the words 'hope' and 'bowl of beans given to me for free by a woman who then initiated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/hobos-a-slang-term-that-combines-the-words-hope-and-bowl-of-beans/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [As much as I know people love the method and what you can draw out of yourself, a lot of acting is very imaginative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/as-much-as-i-know-people-love-the-method-and-what-you-can-draw-out-of/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [We're rewarding either the reality or the appearance of youth, which is why you have all these people in their fifties trying to act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/we-re-rewarding-either-the-reality-or-the-appearance-of-youth-which/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [With a comedian, it's the opposite. You put that album out, and they've heard it. If they're coming out to see you, you'd better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/with-a-comedian-it-s-the-opposite-you-put-that-album-out-and-they-ve/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [If you actually do cold readings, it's very close to how people actually talk, because you're experiencing these thoughts anew every moment, and trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/if-you-actually-do-cold-readings-it-s-very-close-to-how-people/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [What I was trying to say in that bit, without saying it out loud, is that there were things - you're right, everything is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/what-i-was-trying-to-say-in-that-bit-without-saying-it-out-loud-is/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [Is it bad when you refer to all alcohol as "Pain Go Bye-Bye Juice"?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/is-it-bad-when-you-refer-to-all-alcohol-as-pain-go-bye-bye-juice/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [It wasn't until I went to college and met different people from different areas of life - and then went to San Francisco and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/it-wasn-t-until-i-went-to-college-and-met-different-people-from/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [I have a lot of friends who were stand-ups, and they just stopped after a while, because they didn't like that battle, or they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/i-have-a-lot-of-friends-who-were-stand-ups-and-they-just-stopped/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) [Explore all 150 Patton Oswalt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) ## More Cult quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Only two to three per cent of an audience is interested in words and pays attention to lyrics; most of the rest of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/only-two-to-three-per-cent-of-an-audience-is-interested-in-words-and/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [“Religion, like science, is only noteworthy when it emphasizes a matter of what is true rather than whose belief is greater or lesser or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/religion-like-science-is-only-noteworthy-when-it-emphasizes-a-matter/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [he cult of productivity has its place, but worshipping at its altar daily robs us of the very capacity for joy and wonder that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-popova/he-cult-of-productivity-has-its-place-but-worshipping-at-its-altar/) [Maria Popova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-popova/) > [Cults use our vocabulary, but they don't use our dictionary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/cults-use-our-vocabulary-but-they-don-t-use-our-dictionary/) [Charles R. Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-swindoll/) > [“Koch believed that what the famed economist Joseph Schumpeter called "creative destruction" was so critical to the health of the capitalist system that empathy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-maclean/koch-believed-that-what-the-famed-economist-joseph-schumpeter-called/) [Nancy MacLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-maclean/) > [I really hate those Internet freaks who take each thirty minute bundle of joy and turn it into a cult game of Where's Wally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-baker/i-really-hate-those-internet-freaks-who-take-each-thirty-minute/) [Danny Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-baker/) > [I didn't read about it for school. It was just for myself. I was interested in cults in general but Jonestown was the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danzy-senna/i-didn-t-read-about-it-for-school-it-was-just-for-myself-i-was/) [Danzy Senna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danzy-senna/) > [The star system, the idol, the cult of personality is not the only way to be in entertainment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-manuel-de-homem-christo/the-star-system-the-idol-the-cult-of-personality-is-not-the-only-way/) [Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-manuel-de-homem-christo/) > [“since she would never have practised the cult of these things, she would take no impious delight in their profanation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/since-she-would-never-have-practised-the-cult-of-these-things-she/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [I don't think it takes much for a cult to be a cult. Many parts of our society are cultish, and you only need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-flynn/i-don-t-think-it-takes-much-for-a-cult-to-be-a-cult-many-parts-of-our/) [Jerome Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-flynn/) > [Zippers are primal and modern at the very same time. On the one hand, your zipper is primitive and reptilian, on the other, mechanical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/zippers-are-primal-and-modern-at-the-very-same-time-on-the-one-hand/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“Once I knew what I was doing I was there and with it; I had the total knowing. I Googled God and orgasmed At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/initially-no/once-i-knew-what-i-was-doing-i-was-there-and-with-it-i-had-the-total/) [Initially NO](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/initially-no/) > [“Ms Brennan is telling the very few people who attended an educational event: "You are warriors against the cult of stupidity that is taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wunder/ms-brennan-is-telling-the-very-few-people-who-attended-an-educational/) [Wendy Wunder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wunder/) > [Hinduism... gave itself no name, because it set itself no sectarian limits; it claimed no universal adhesion, asserted no sole infallible dogma, set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/hinduism-gave-itself-no-name-because-it-set-itself-no-sectarian/) [Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/) [Browse all 750 Cult quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cult/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What I'm realizing as I get older is that a movie's mainstream success is just as unpredictable as a movie's cult success. 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