Ghost in the Shell(1995) is a classic... It was a critically acclaimed film that was profoundly influential to the genre, The Matrix(1999) wouldn't exist without it. Ghost in the Shell had a strong narrative and it was also a highly technical piece bringing in great innovations in CGI.

In terms of box office performance I'd say the reason the 1995 film was not a "blockbuster" is because the film doesn't dumb anything down you could actually say they didn't try to lower the "skill floor" at all while creating it, this definitely was not a film made to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Compare that to something like The Matrix where things are constantly simplified so everybody and their grandma will get it by the time the credits roll. I enjoyed both movies but one is among the greatest while the other one was just good.

This is actually the first time I hear anything bad about it assuming you are discussing the film and not any of the other pieces of the franchise.