cult following
Passionate underground fanbase
A cult following is a small but intensely devoted fan base for something—a film, band, book, or public figure—that never achieved mainstream popularity.
The enthusiasm is disproportionate to commercial success: The movie bombed at the box office but developed a cult following on home video.
What qualifies as cult is relative; once a following grows large enough, it stops being one.
- fandomEnthusiast community collectively
- fan baseCollective devoted audience
- groupieObsessive celebrity follower
- quotableWorth citing verbatim
- devoteeZealous admirer or follower
word-of-mouth · Rocky Horror · midnight movie · retro gaming · Trekkie · nostalgia · fan conventions · midnight · sect · quirky · underground · sleeper hit · fan art · parody · niche · niche audience · phenomenon · screenings
- followersfollowers, conformist, disciples, devotees, adherents
- Popularitypopular, fame, famous, trending, viral
- praiselauding, compliments, laudation, accolades, great job
- Trend Termsfads, crazes, trendsetter, influencer, fad
- famefame, famous, celebrity, renown, famed
- career milestonespromotion, hire, first job, retirement, raise
cult followingmass appeal
Attraction to many people
commercial success · broad appeal · box office hit · viral sensation · mass audience
culture, following, cult, cultural, multicultural, culturally, subculture, acculturation, cults