15 Movies That Became Popular Entirely Because of Memes
A meme is not only a joke that’s spread over the internet, it’s a memetic occurrence that’s hard to control. They are ideas that feel contagious, something we repeat without much thought. Said memes can give popularity to films and media that, under normal circumstances, we wouldn’t pay attention to.
Of course, when a lot of people pay attention to something, there’s money involved. These seemingly harmless jokes can be weaponized and monetized into something viral, and artists around the world have been taking advantage of this for years. These are the films only known for their meme status.
Morbius
The superhero movie became vastly more famous through ironic internet jokes than actual audience enthusiasm. “It’s Morbin’ Time” spread so widely online that the studio briefly rereleased the film theatrically.
The Room
Tommy Wiseau’s famously awkward drama evolved from an obscure independent movie into a global cult phenomenon almost entirely because audiences endlessly quoted and mocked its bizarre scenes online.
Madame Web
Before most people even watched it, awkward trailers and strange dialogue clips had already transformed Madame Web into a nonstop source of memes across social media platforms.
Sharknado
The intentionally ridiculous disaster movie exploded online because its premise sounded too absurd to be real. Internet reactions and jokes ultimately became far more important than the movie itself.
Snakes on a Plane
The movie’s internet popularity arrived long before release thanks to its perfectly ridiculous title and viral anticipation surrounding Samuel L. Jackson fighting snakes aboard an airplane.
Birdemic: Shock and Terror
Terrible visual effects and awkward performances transformed the indie thriller into an ironic cult favorite, with viewers sharing clips online specifically because the movie looked unbelievably unfinished.
Minions
The film became inseparable from endless internet memes involving the yellow characters, helping Minions evolve from animated sidekicks into one of modern pop culture’s strangest viral phenomena.
Bee Movie
Years after release, Bee Movie unexpectedly became a meme powerhouse thanks to absurd internet edits, spammed scripts, and widespread fascination with its bizarre premise involving human-bee romance implications.
American Psycho
Patrick Bateman’s monologues and expressions became endlessly recycled online, turning the film into meme material for entire generations who often encountered screenshots before ever watching the movie itself.
Joker
The movie inspired huge waves of memes before release and afterward, with Joaquin Phoenix’s dancing scenes and exaggerated reactions quickly becoming permanently embedded in internet culture.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
The bizarre live-action adaptation gained lasting internet popularity largely because audiences could hardly believe such a strange version of Mario actually existed in the first place.
The VelociPastor
A low-budget movie about a priest turning into a dinosaur practically guaranteed viral attention. Most viewers discovered it through memes rather than traditional advertising or critical discussion.
Cats
The unsettling digital character designs generated massive meme attention immediately after the trailer debuted, overshadowing nearly every serious discussion about the actual musical adaptation itself.
Batman & Robin
Its ice puns, exaggerated costumes, and wildly campy performances eventually transformed the movie from critical disaster into one of the internet’s favorite ironic superhero rewatches.
Napoleon Dynamite
Quotable dialogue, awkward dance scenes, and endlessly repeatable deadpan moments helped Napoleon Dynamite spread through early internet culture long before memes became fully mainstream online.