Cult following

A cult following is a term used to refer to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base. A common component of cult followings is the emotional attachment fans have with the object of the cult following, often identifying themselves and other fans as members of a community. Cult followings are often associated with niche markets or subcultures. Cult media are often associated with underground culture, and are considered too eccentric, bizarre, controversial or anti-establishment to be appreciated by the general public.

Many cult fans express a certain irony about their devotion. Sometimes these cult followings cross the border to camp followings. Cult fans of director Ed Wood admire his films not because they consider them to be excellent, but because they are so bad that they become funny. The same phenomenon can be observed with things that are appreciated by a certain generation out of nostalgia or childhood memories.

Fans may become involved in a subculture of fandom, either via conventions, online communities, or through activities such as writing series-related fiction, costume creation, replica prop and model building, or creating their own audio or video productions based around the formats and characters.

Examples
There isn't always a clear difference between cult and mainstream media. The film Pink Flamingos is known for its disgusting scenes, and only a small number of people are drawn to this movie. Therefore it can be classified as a cult movie. Star Trek is internationally a very famous and popular franchise, but its fans are still seen as cult followers, since they are so obsessively loyal to the franchise. Star Wars, Batman and Harry Potter have core groups of fanatical followers, but still attract mass audiences, so they can't be considered true cult films.

Quentin Tarantino's films borrow stylistically from classic cult movies, but are appreciated by a large audience, and therefore lie somewhere between cult and mainstream. Certain cult phenomena can grow to such proportions that they become mainstream. Fans who used to appreciate the cult item when it was still obscure sometimes lose interest when it becomes very popular.

Some cults are only popular within a certain subculture. The film Woodstock is especially loved within the hippie subculture. A Clockwork Orange a cult film for punks, skinheads and other groups. Certain mainstream icons can become cult icons in a different context for certain people. The mainstream film The Wizard of Oz is a cult film in gay culture. Reefer Madness was originally intended to warn the youth against drugs, but due to its ridiculous plot and cheap look, it is now often watched by stoned audiences, and has gained a cult following.

Anime, manga, kung fu films and kaiju are mainstream entertainment in Japan, but elsewhere are generally appreciated by a cult audience. Doctor Who is a prime time family show in Great Britain, but a cult series in the US.

It often takes a few years before a cult starts to form around a particular film or band. Captain Beefheart's album Trout Mask Replica, Jim Carrey's film The Cable Guy and the TV series The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show were originally not that successful, but as time went by they were able to collect a cult following. In some cases this cult status is unexpected, like the Disney film Fantasia (1940), which was a flop at its release, but was reappreciated by fans of psychedelica in the 1960s. Other phenomena are specifically created and aimed at a cult audience, like the TV series The Young Ones or the drug oriented movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.