I agree that “The Thing” was a great movie, for that genre. I didn’t know it was a flop - well it wasn't exactly a flop, strictly speaking.
Its budget was $15 million; it made $19 million at the US box office.
But it should have made tons more money. At the time, most critics panned it.
Remember the great minimalist music in the film?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnFc7D0ZoCc
Well, the film's score was nominated for a Razzie Award - WTF?!