A movie becoming a cult classic before it’s even been released is a bit of an oxymoron, when it’s impossible to gauge the staying power of any project until audiences have actually had a chance to see it for themselves. However, Snakes on a Plane was an internet sensation from the second it was first announced.
The reasons for the film’s instant levels of fame and anticipation are simple; Samuel L. Jackson was set to headline a glorified B-movie that told you everything you needed to know about the plot from the title alone. Snakes on a Plane was a viral sensation long before the internet became a key component of Hollywood’s marketing techniques, and fans even willed several significant changes into existence.
Most notably, reshoots bumped the initial PG-13 rating up to an R in order to draw in bigger crowds, while Jackson’s signature line of dialogue was added because people simply had to hear him say that he’d had enough of those motherf*cking snakes on that motherf*cking plane.
In the end, Snakes on a Plane fizzled out at the office after earning $62 million on a $33 million budget, despite all the buzz. Fifteen years later and it’s now streaming on Netflix, where the fan favorite could go on to enjoy a long-delayed second wave of popularity.