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The summer blockbuster has become a staple of Hollywood. Steven Spielberg’s third film, Jaws, is largely credited as the first summer blockbuster. Since its June 1975 release, production studios have been churning out similar popcorn flicks that will, hopefully, make buckets of money. These movies typically fill theater seats with their A-list stars, entertaining stories, and visual effects. They typically come with big budgets, wide appeal, and extensive marketing campaigns. In the case of the summer blockbuster, critical reviews don’t really matter. Positive or negative, these movies often penetrate pop culture and become must-see cinematic events.

But despite their theatrical success, not all summer blockbusters enjoy the enduring popularity or legacy of Jaws. Many films are seldom remembered beyond the summer of their release. They hit our screens and make tons of money, but they fall off our radar as time passes and their relevance diminishes, gradually fading into obscurity.

Let’s now jog your memory with these 10 successful summer blockbusters that have been lost to time, ranked by year of release.

10

‘Stakeout’ (1987)

Remember Stakeout? Yeah, no one else does either. This buddy cop action-comedy follows two detectives (played by Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez) who stake out the ex-girlfriend of an escaped convict. Plot twist: one of them ends up falling for her.

Stakeout didn’t have a huge box office draw; it earned $65.6 million domestically. However, that number still makes it the eighth highest-grossing film of the year. That’s an impressive stat, but not enough to keep Stakeout from fading from obscurity.

9

‘Crocodile Dundee II’ (1988)

Crocodile Dundee was a surprise hit when it came out in September 1986. Made with only $10 million, it grossed $328 million domestically and became a worldwide phenomenon. So, of course, Hollywood had to turn it into a film series. As its name suggests, 1988’s Crocodile Dundee II is the second installment in the franchise. It continues the adventures of crocodile hunter Mick Dundee (Paul Hogan), who now finds himself in New York City, where he has to protect his love from a Colombian drug cartel.

Like its predecessor, Crocodile Dundee II was a huge success, grossing nearly $240 million domestically. Crocodile Dundee might have been a big deal during the ’80s, but now? Most people have completely forgotten that this franchise ever existed.

8

‘Eraser’ (1996)

Arnold Schwarzenegger has hardly faded into obscurity. He was the action star of the 1990s and is a movie legend. But not all of his films are fondly remembered. Take 1996’s Eraser, for example. Here, Schwarzenegger plays a Witness Protection specialist who gets entangled in an illegal arms deal that forces him to go against his allies.

Despite mixed reviews, Arnold’s star power and the film’s action-packed sequences turned Eraser into a box-office smash. It grossed $242.3 million in 1996. But when people think of classic Schwarzenegger action films, they don’t usually think of Eraser. For many movie-goers, this summer blockbuster has been largely erased from memory.

7

‘Conspiracy Theory’ (1997)

Who doesn’t love a good conspiracy theory? In this political thriller, a conspiracy-theory-obsessed taxi driver becomes a target of the government when one of those theories turns out to be true. Conspiracy Theory features a notable cast that includes Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts, and Patrick Stewart.

Despite mixed reviews, it grossed $137 million back in 1997. Like Schwarzenegger, Mel Gibson has starred in some iconic action films, most notably Lethal Weapon and Mad Max. Conspiracy Theory, however, isn’t one of them.

6

‘The Perfect Storm’ (2000)

Inspired by real events, The Perfect Storm follows a crew of commercial fishermen who get caught in an unusually powerful storm. This film was the perfect storm for a summer blockbuster. It’s a disaster movie with impressive visual effects and an all-star cast, featuring big names like George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane, William Fichtner, and John C. Reilly.

The Perfect Storm became one of the most highly anticipated films of 2000 and also one of its most successful. It grossed $328 million back in 2000. The Perfect Storm may have made a splash back in 2000, but in the years since its release, it’s largely sunk out of memory.

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5

‘Dinosaur’ (2000)

The Disney Renaissance was a period of commercial, critical, and creative success for Disney animation. 2000’s Dinosaur was one of the first Disney animated films to follow this era and also one of the studio’s first 3D animated movies. But alas, it marked the beginning of a downward slump for the House of Mouse. After his family’s home is destroyed by a meteorite shower, a young, orphaned dinosaur embarks on a grandiose journey to a sanctuary.

Despite mixed critical reviews, Dinosaur was a box office hit. It grossed nearly $350 million and was the fifth highest-grossing film of 2000. But Dinosaur hasn’t enjoyed the enduring popularity of other Disney animated classics. Even its theme park ride in Animal Kingdom is scheduled to be replaced with an Indiana Jones attraction. And once that happens, this film will truly have gone the way of the dinosaur.

4

‘The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor’ (2008)

The Mummy series, starring Brendan Fraser, was one of the highest-grossing movie franchises of the late ’90s and early 2000s. Everyone remembers the first film, 1999’s The Mummy. Even its sequel, 2001’s The Mummy Returns, is remembered for Dwayne Johnson’s supporting role as the Scorpion King, which spawned its own spin-off series of films. But everyone forgets about the third film in the franchise, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

Although it grossed $405 million back in 2008, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor was the lowest-grossing film in the franchise. This, coupled with negative critical reviews, led producers to scrap plans for a sequel. Hollywood tried rebooting the franchise with Tom Cruise in 2017, with plans to create a shared monster universe. But those plans were also cancelled when the film was a commercial and critical flop. In the eyes of most Mummy fans, this franchise ends with 2001’s The Mummy Returns.

3

‘Public Enemies’ (2009)

Public Enemies is a biographical crime drama about the infamous gangster, John Dillinger, as he’s pursued by the FBI during America’s Great Depression. There was so much hype around this film back in 2009. Directed by Michael Mann, Public Enemies pits Johnny Depp against Christian Bale at the height of both actors’ fame. It received positive reviews and grossed $214 million at the box office.

But despite its critical and commercial success and its star-studded cast, Public Enemies hasn’t followed in the footsteps of other timeless gangster classics, like The Godfather or Goodfellas, and has largely faded from memory.

2

‘Super 8’ (2011)

Back in the 2000s, J. J. Abrams was the golden boy of Hollywood. Every production that bore his name seemed to generate success and critical acclaim, from the TV series Lost, to 2008’s found footage phenomenon Cloverfield, to the 2009 reboot of Star Trek. Abrams was poised to be the next Steven Spielberg — and 2011’s Super 8 was supposed to be his E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

Set in 1979, Super 8 follows a group of kids who capture an alien crash-landing while filming their own Super 8 movie. Gives off E.T. vibes, doesn’t it? Like E.T., Super 8 was a box office hit, grossing $260 million back in 2011. 14 years later, everyone still remembers and cherishes E.T. — but no one really remembers or cares about Super 8. Or about J. J. Abrams, for that matter, ever since he butchered Star Wars.

1

‘San Andreas’ (2015)

San Andreas is a disaster film that captures a devastating earthquake and the havoc it wreaks along America’s West Coast. The film stars Dwayne Johnson, who was one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars during the 2010s. And San Andreas proved to be no exception.

It was another box office hit on Johnson’s resume, grossing an impressive $474 million back in 2015. But over the years, this summer blockbuster has fallen through the cracks in the memories of movie-goers.