succès d'estime

American  

[syk-se des-teem] / sük sɛ dɛsˈtim /

noun

French.

1. success won by reason of merit and critical respect rather than by popularity.

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succès d'estime British  

/ syksɛ dɛstim /

noun

1. success, as of a book, play, etc, based on the appreciation of the critics rather than popular acclaim

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Etymology

Origin of succès d'estime

literally: success of esteem

Example Sentences

The production, which launched at New York City Center before transferring to Broadway, proved that a succès d’estime could also be an emotionally stirring hit.

From Los Angeles Times

But that didn’t make it a succès d’estime.

From New York Times

Still, it was more succès d’estime than moneymaker.

From New York Times

The show became the succès d’estime and de scandale of the London season, and in 1965 moved from the West End to Broadway.

From New York Times

Writing about “Heaven’s Gate” in 2012, the New Yorker critic Richard Brody suggested that, had the film been released in the Internet age, critics would have turned it into “a succès d’estime, not after 32 years but from the start.”

From Los Angeles Times