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34 Pop Culture Predictions That Came True (Or Fell Extremely Flat)

Some predicted reality TV in the ‘70s, while others booed the thought of Bruce Willis in ‘Die Hard’

34 Pop Culture Predictions That Came True (Or Fell Extremely Flat)

November 07, 2023

Oh, so you think you know pop culture’s future, do ya?! You have a bold prediction for the trends, huh? Well, you better flip a shiny quarter, Mister Confident. Heads, you’re right. Tails… We’re changing your name to Mr. Wrongo! Ellis Island style!

34

Predicting the Trump Wall. Arrested Development Season 4 predicted the idea of a US- Mexican border wall, which President Donald Trump later adopted, and the show acknowledged this in its fifth season. CRACKED — Source

33

Star Trek 20th-century sci-fi predicts 21st- century agriculture. In The Trouble with Tribbles, Quadrotriticale is a genetically- engineered hybrid grain, predicting GMO, and used in 2268 to attempt to develop Sherman's Planet as an agrarian colony. CRACKED — Source

32

The Janitor from Scrubs

Scrubs The janitor knew Osama bin Laden's whereabouts. The janitor correctly predicted in 2007 that the U.S. should be looking for bin Laden in Pakistan, and a clip of this prediction went viral. CRACKED — Source

31

The future is now-Marty McFly predicted it all. Needles, Douglas J. Age: 47 Birthday: August 6 1968 Back to the Future Part II Citizens are shown using screens for video calls and devices instead of cash in a way that is similar to modern day technology. CRACKED — Source

30

C'mon - George Lucas would never, ever rip someone off

Saturday Night Live put Princess Leia in a gold bikini 5 years before Return of the Jedi In the 1978 episode hosted by Carrie Fisher, Fisher plays her iconic character who drops by a 1950s beach. CRACKED.COM — Source

29

UK's House of Cards predicted the fall of Margaret Thatcher The episode in which Margaret Thatcher's character resigned aired only four days before the actual Prime Minister resigned. CRACKED.COM — Source

28

IN THEIR PILOT EPISODE, THE LONE GUNMENTHWARTED A PLOT TO HIJACK A PLANE AND CRASH IT INTO THE WORLD TRADE CENTER. (Cue X-Files theme music.) It aired in March, 2001. CRACKED.COM https://youtu.be/9rsMG2hHsLo — Source

27

ENJOYING YOUR KFC DOUBLE DOWN? 30 ROCK THOUGHT OF IT FIRST. Miha KFC Sin Tracy Jorden - MEAT MACHINE MEAT IS THE NEW BREAD! Presenting the DI W AM Tracy Jordan Meat / SEEN ON MA Jordan Machine, which saved you from suffering through the bread part of your sandwich, in 2006. The Double Down came out in 2009. CRACKED.COM http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/30-rock-rural-juror-head-and-hair-209499 — Source

26

An episode of Full House featured Aunt Becky in admissions scandal Uncle Jesse lies on his kids' preschool application, but in the TV show, Aunt Becky 'fesses up. CRACKED.COM — Source

25

ALBERT BROOKS PREDICTED REALITY me TV IN 1979. FILMING THANKSGIVING His mockumentary film Real Life featured an obnoxious, intrusive camera crew trailing a family and deliberately stirring up conflict. It was meant as a sendup of a PBS documentary series, but with the twist that most of the drama was generated artificially by the producer. CRACKED.COM http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/real-life-1979 — Source

24

BRANDO & PACINO IN THE GODFATHER CRACKED.COM Paramount execs recoiled at the idea of casting Marlon Brando, since it was 1972 and he hadn't had a hit since the 50s. About Pacino, they stated, a runt will not play Michael. Luckily for them (and us) Francis Ford Coppola ignored their complaints, and created the highest grossing movie of all time (at the time) and a cinematic masterpiece. — Source

23

Die Hard

BRUCE WILLIS AS JOHN McCLANE CRACKED.COM In 1988, Schwarzenegger and Stallone were the action heroes, so audiences laughed and booed when Bruce Willis (known for the comedy series Moonlighting) appeared in the Die Hard trailer. They soon realized the less muscular, more comedic Willis made Die Hard one of the most successful and influential action movies of all time. — Source

22

KEANU REEVES IN SPEED Phone CRACKED.COM Long before The Matrix and John Wick, critics said he couldn't lead a big-budget blockbuster like Speed. Не shaved off his long hair, bulked up, and his performance as Jack Travern made him an unexpected action star who would soon become the highest-paid of all time. — Source

21

Wonder Woman

GAL GADOT AS WONDER WOMAN CRACKED.COM Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman had worldwide backlash for, her look, her accent and lack of experience, but Gadot responded, If you want accuracy, the Amazons should all remove a breast to better shoot their bow and arrows. Her powerful and immensely likable performance spawned a sequel and even a 3rd in the works. — Source

20

HEATH LEDGER AS THE JOKER CRACKED.COM Fans were outraged that Ledger was cast as the Joker. Known for A Knight's tale and Brokeback Mountain, critics cried too young, too pretty, and not good enough, but his performance is considered among the all-time best, and he became the first actor in a superhero movie to be nominated for (and win) an Oscar. — Source

19

DANIEL CRAIG AS JAMES BOND CRACKED.COM In 2005, the Blonde Bond controversy had fans boycott the film. They saw James Bond as sleek, elegant, and debonair whereas mostly-unknown Craig seemed like a meathead. His 5 installments as Bond from 2006 to 2021 have grossed nearly $4 billion. — Source

18

Casting

CHARLIZE THERON IN MONSTER CRACKED.COM In 2003, it was hard for critics and audiences to imagine Charlize Theron as gritty, crazed killer, Aileen Wuornos. She received an Oscar and Robert Ebert praised it as, One of the greatest performances in the history of cinema. — Source

17

ROBERT DOWNEY JR. AS TONY STARK CRACKED COM Marvel Studios fought against the casting, and Director Jon Favreau stated, Robert was a tough sell. They wanted a lesser-known actor with no baggage who was 10 years younger. RDJ has since become synonymous with Iron Man, and kicked off the trend of superhero obsession we're currently living in. — Source

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16

JENNIFER LAWRENCE AS KATNISS EVERDEEN CRACKED.COM Because Katniss Everdeen is a beloved book character, fans questioned Lawrence's look and experience. Her ability to lead the franchise was immediately cemented, and lead to the next four Hunger Games installments. — Source

15

Bridget Jones

RENEE ZELLWEGER AS BRIDGET JONES CRACKED.COM Bridget Jones was British literature's most iconic female character of the 90s, so casting a petite Texan like Zellweger saw the headline, 'Crap American Comedian Playing English Icon'. The career-defining role won over fans everywhere and earned an Oscar nom. — Source

14

MICHAEL KEATON AS BATMAN CRACKED.COM Warner Bros received 50,000 protest letters from angry fans after Keaton was cast in 1989, but both Keaton Batmans are considered the gold standard of superhero films, and the best Batman debate usually comes down to Bale or Keaton. — Source

13

ADAM DRIVER AS KYLO REN CRACKED.COM Adam Driver as Kylo Ren was controversial because of his look, age, and he was mostly known for HBO's 'Girls' at the time. Critics and skeptics were convinced by his ferocity and vulnerability, and he's since cemented his place in the Star Wars franchise. — Source

12

The movie JFK resulted in Congress to releasing information about the assassination. Oliver Stone's strange conspiracy theory movie drove Congress to release The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act, which released some documents early. CRACKED.COM — Source

11

NICKI MINAJ PREDICTED HER COUSIN'S DEATH, WITH A SONG. Why'd you have to leave in July? On a peaceful and serene summer night... Why the doctors could not stop the bleeding... Now you see you not bullet proof... I could've told you about my intuition ... Why'd you have to go so soon? -We Miss You A year after Nicki wrote this, her cousin Nicholas Telemaque was gunned down in July and left to bleed to death. CRACKED.COM http://www.nydailynews. com/news/crime/nicholas-telemaque- 27-shot-death-brooklyn-street-leaving-nightclub-article-1.155416 — Source

10

Farmville Prediction

THE SIMPSONS (1998) YARD WORK SIMULATOR CRACKED COM FARMVILLE (2013) — Source

9

Gangland

CRACKED.COM H HISTORY Gangland KOREA i SEASON FIVE Dangland Dangland 2003 2007-2010 DVD When Dave Chappelle predicted that the History Channel would cover Street Gang Wars as US History, the audience broke into hysterics — Source

8

CRACKED.CON 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Apple iPad (2010) — Source

7

The World Trade Center towers were destroyed... ...in Super Mario Brothers, 8 years before 9/11. CRACKED.COM — Source

6

THE 2005 SHOW EXTRAS FEATURES A FICTIONAL HOLOCAUST FILM STARRING KATE WINSLET. SAYS WINSLET, CYNICALLY: DO A FILM ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST, YOU'RE GUARANTEED AN OSCAR. Fast-forward to 2008, and kate winslet has a leading role in The Reader, a Holocaust film. Despite getting mixed reviews, it scores winslet an Oscar for Best Actress. CRACKED.COM — Source

5

Demolition Man

CHECK THE NAMES IMPRISONED WITH WESLEY SNIPES AND SYLVESTER STALLONE IN DEMOLITION MAN: CRYO-PENITENTIARY MORNING HEARING SCHEDULE ID# INMATE TIME 07:00 HYDE, QUENTIN 357-M 08:15 PETERSON, SCOTT 4-NKT 07:30 PHOENIX, SIMON 468-W IT'S A MURDERER NAMED SCOTT PETERSON. Peterson would be the center of a sensational 2004 trial for killing his pregnant wife. The movie even put him in the right jail: Its cryoPrison houses california's worst criminals, as does scott's san Quentin, california's last death row facility. CRACKED.COM — Source

4

IN1969, MONTY PYTHON GAVE US THE MOUSE PROBLEM. The Little WHITE RODENT Room A NEWS REPORT INVESTIGATES MEN DRESSING UP AS MICE AS A FETISH. The idea was supposed to make fun of gay panic. Half a century later, we now know about furries, SO the sketch barely registers as a joke. MAGGIE CRACKED.COM — Source

3

ON SEINFELD, JERRY AND ELAINE EAT NONFAT FROZEN YOGURT BUT GAIN WEIGHT. THEY DEDUCE THAT THE YOGURT ISN'T AS NONFAT AS IT CLAIMS. just a few months later, New York Magazine published a study of various desserts that claimed to be diet or nonfat. The frozen yogurt industry turned out to be just as dishonest as seinfeld jokingly portrayed. CRACKED.COM — Source

2

EMINEM'S VIDEO LIKE TOY SOLDIERS SHOWS RAPPER PROOF DYING IN THE HOSPITAL AFTER GETTING SHOT. TWO YEARS LATER, PROOF WAS INDEED FATALLY SHOT. In the video, Proof reenacted the death of another rapper, Bugz. Eminem could have picked anybody he wanted for the role of friend who gets shot to death, but he selected Proof, in a case of terrifying precognition. CRACKED.COM — Source

1

IN 1999, CHRIS ROCK OPENED HIS HBO SHOW BY JOKINGLY SAYING O.J. SIMPSON VISITED TO PROMOTE A VIDEO. DIANT KIII MY Wife! But If I DID, Here's How I'd Do It ITS TITLE: I DIDN'T KILL MY WIFE... BUT IF I DID, HERE'S HOW I'D DO IT. in 2007, simpson really did release I DID IT D.J. SIMPSO a book called If I Did It, about the murders of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. Не even planned a TV special called O.J. simpson: If I Did It, Here's HOW it Happened. IFE DID IT CRACKED.COM — Source

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