The recipe for a blockbuster movie is simple. Wondering what is the most profitable movies of all time? It is about making a movie with a small budget + massive ticket sales = Huge earnings (profit).
We have rounded up the 15 most profitable movies based on return on investment. Let’s get started!
1) Home Alone (1990)
Gross revenue $477 million
1. When Did the Passion of the Christ Movie Release?
- A. 2000
- B. 2002
- C. 2003
- D. 2004
It is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the highest-grossing live-action comedy in the U.S. The movie focuses on an 8-year-old boy who is accidentally left home alone when his family goes on vacation. It is one of the best Christmas movies ever shot and is also known as the most profitable film earning almost $477 million.
2) The Passion of the Christ (2004)
Gross Revenue: $612 million
Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion of Christ is a brutally violent yet spiritually poignant film that was released in 2004. It is centered on the last twelve hours in the life of Jesus Christ. It remains the highest-grossing non-English movie of all time. It earned over 17 times more than its budget.
3) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Gross revenue $1.1 billion
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is an epic fantasy movie. The movie is set in the fictional world of Middle-earth. It is a tale of the final confrontation between the forces of good and evil fighting to control the future of Middle-earth. It was a huge hit and one of the highest profit-making movies grossing over $1.1 billion ten times more than what it cost to make it.
4) Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
Gross revenue $441 million
The American comedy-drama Mrs. Doubtfire was released in 1993, directed by Chris Columbus. The film is focused on a divorced actor who disguises himself as the ex-wife’s housekeeper so that he can visit his children. It is the most profitable movie of all time and earned over 441 million dollars, almost twelve times its investment.
5) There’s Something About Mary (1998)
Gross revenue $370 million
The American Comedy There’s Something About Mary was released in 1998 and remains the highest-grossing comedy. It earned more than twelve times its budget. The story is about a guy who gets a chance to meet his dream girl from high school that turns out to be a complete disaster.
6) The Hangover (2009)
Gross revenue $467 million
The Hangover released in 2009, is a story of a bachelor party that went completely wrong. It was a blockbuster hit of the summer, the most profitable movie ever, and grossed over $467 million which was thirteen times more than its budget.
7) Jaws (1975)
Gross revenue $471 million
Steven Spielberg’s fifth movie Jaws is centered on Peter Benchley’s book of the same name, Jaws. It has earned over $470 million that is thirteen times more than its budget.
8) American Beauty (1999)
Gross revenue $356 million
The dark comedy-drama American Beauty was a huge hit, especially Kevin Spacey’s performance. The story starred Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening as a miserably unhappy married couple and their middle-class lifestyle. It earned over $356 million, which is eighteen times more than its investment.
9) Star Wars (1977)
Gross Revenue: $775 million
Star Wars was George Lucas’s science fiction multi-film and had a phenomenal success. It earned 1.5$ billion in America alone. The popular movie of all time is focused on the Civil War between the Rebel Alliance and the tyrannical Galactic. The worldwide earning is over $775 million, almost nineteen times its investment.
10) Pretty Woman (1990)
Gross revenue $463 million
Pretty Woman was a classic American romantic comedy directed by Garry Marshall. The audience loved the romantic chemistry between Gere and Roberts that helped to earn over $463 million which was more than twenty times its budget.
11) Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Gross revenue $378 million
Slumdog Millionaire was released in 2008 and didn’t seem like a profitable film at the beginning. The story is based on a teenager in the slums of Mumbai who became a contestant on the show namely ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati?’ The movie brilliantly reveals how he recalls his past and how he had all the answers. The movie made over $378 million on its $15 million investment which was more than twenty-five times its budget.
12) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Gross Revenue: $793 million
1982’s E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial was an American science fiction film, directed by a successful director Steven Spielberg. The movie is centered on the concept of creating an imaginary friend Spielberg after his parents’ divorce in 1960. It grossed over $793 million which was almost thirty-two times its investment.
13) My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
Gross revenue $369 million
It was a romantic comedy film, released in 2002. The story is about a Greek-American woman who falls in love with a non-Greek guy and talks about the clash of civilizations. It is one of the most profitable movies of all time, grossing over almost $369 million, and a huge return of over sixty-one times on its investment.
14) Grease (1978)
Gross revenue $394 million
American musical romantic comedy, Grease is focused on the 1971 musical of the same name by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey and their teen love of the 1950s. This remarkable movie grossed over $395 million which was more than twenty times its investment.
15) Ghost (1990)
Gross Revenue: $506 million
The American romantic fantasy thriller film Ghost was released in 1990. It starred Patrick Swayze as a yuppie who was murdered in a robbery attempt. Then he became a ghost to find out why he was killed. It has grossed almost $506 million, which is over fourteen times its budget.