So you know how certain movies instantly become classics like Titanic,The Wizard of Oz, Willy Wonka, The Breakfast Club,Alien,Star Wars,ET,Back to the Future, etc while there are cult movies like Clueless, Heathers, The Little Rascals, Space Jam, Halloween,etc. The same can apply to songs,tv shows,artists,and albums. But I've always wondered is cult and classic two different things or it just something just people put a label on? Sometimes cult can be something that originally flopped but years later got word of mouth and is now beloved but the same thing can go for classic or have the two flipped around. Things that we deem as successful can become forgotten over time even when seen as big or small so it's all confusing if you ask me but would love to see some answers from you guys.

They're two terms that aren't inherently tied. They have completely different meanings, but when put together, have a distinct meaning of their own.

I don't know how you don't understand this, it's a basic definition...

I believe there is a difference you could make.. Classics are overall iconic, they are admired and loved by the gp. Cults are like a subcategory, they have a smaller and very specific (target) audience (eg geeks, teenage girls, feminists, gays,...) but these "cult classics" are admired by that audience and very iconic to them.

Of course there are cults that become classics because of their large following and eventually become more appealing to the gp like Star Wars, Buffy, Mean Girls,... Idk just my opinion but there are probably some better/official definitions on the web

EDIT: To add on to why some fade and some become big, it's simple what's iconic to one generation isn't necessarily considered iconic by another.. so some are forgotten and others get an unexpected following (mainly because of the internet nowadays) however some classics and cults remain untouched and are considered iconic by all generations

i thought cult was