Where would the world be without Gremlins? The classic horror-comedy creature feature directed by Joe Dante and penned by Chris Columbus immediately took the world by storm when it was released in 1984, raking in over $212 million globally on an $11 million budget and spawning an entire franchise that spans a sequel, an upcoming legacy follow-up, the animated Secrets of the Mogwai prequel series, books, and more. Even now, there are plenty of people who still know who Gizmo is and that you never feed a Mogwai after midnight, and the original film's impact has been felt in everything from Ghoulies to Stranger Things. Surprisingly, though, there was actually a Sliding Doors moment where Warner Bros. nearly ditched the massive hit before they even realized what they had.