10 Films That Made A Surprisingly Huge Amount Of Money

It’s not often a film busts box office records then quietly disappears from the public’s consciousness, but these 10 movies prove the exception to the rule.

‘Shrek 2’ (2004)

The first 'Shrek" sequel made a frankly obscene amount of money at the US box office - £386 million adjusted for inflation, to be precise - but it vanished from the memory no sooner had the credits finished rolling.

The subsequent sequels still made a fortune but diminishing returns proved the public’s appetite for fart gags and Scottish accents was on the wane. It just goes to show, DreamWorks’ pop culture references burn bright but don’t burn long.

'Airport’ (1970)

A huge £359 million hit when it was released back in 1970, 'Airport’ has nonetheless been overshadowed by its own spoof.

Zucker comedy 'Airplane!’ was a take-off of the original Burt Lancaster disaster movie and proved to be such an enduring giggle that the parody outlasted the original – a bit like how now when you think of Craig David, you think of the grotesque Bo Selecta caricature.

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Airport enjoyed three sequels - 'Airport 1975’, 'Airport '77’ and 'The Concorde… Airport '79’ - all of which have practically been lost in the mists of time.

'American Graffiti’ (1973)

Nobody has forgotten 'American Graffiti’, thanks to its association to George Lucas, Harrison Ford and thus the 'Star Wars’ saga, but did you know how much of a monster hit it was back in 1973, pre-galaxy far, far away? Lucas’s youthful romp made approximately £357 million when adjusted for inflation, making it more successful than even 'The Exorcist’ and 'Live And Let Die’.

Lucas, of course, got the greenlight for ‘Star Wars’ off the back of it but his streak of good fortune wouldn’t last forever. He eventually produced a sequel - ‘More American Graffiti’ - which sank without a trace in 1979.

'The Passion Of The Christ’ (2004)

The measure of a lasting success is not necessarily money, but myth - how a movie develops a life of its own after it vanishes from cinemas. So ask yourself this: when was the last time anyone mentioned 'The Passion Of The Christ’ in a sentence that didn’t also contain the phrases “Mel Gibson” and “in trouble again”?

The film scored a whopping £324 million box office take after Church groups were bussed into US cinemas to see what the fuss was all about, but since the religious fervour died down, 'The Passion’ has remained a footnote in cinematic history. Oh, and Jim 'Jesus’ Caviezel? Last seen fourth on the bill in 'Escape Plan’ (below 50 Cent).

'The Sting’ (1973)

Remember, this list does not denote a lack of quality: 'The Sting’ is a cracking conman comedy drama with Robert Redford and Paul Newman in charming form. The reason it makes the grade is because, adjusted for inflation, 'The Sting’ made an unbelievable £484 million at the US box office, yet it is rarely spoken of in mainstream circles today.

Shouldn’t golden properties like this be ripe for an ill-advised remake by now? Redford and Newman have both made better movies, together and separately, but it’s baffling why 'The Sting’ isn’t more fondly remembered and referenced.

’M*A*S*H’ (1970)

It’s rare that a small-screen adaptation ends up outliving its feature film parent, but ’M*A*S*H’: The TV Series ended up banishing ’M*A*S*H’: The Movie to no man’s land.

The TV show ran for 11 years and the finale was the most watched TV episode of all time in America, which perhaps explains why the original movie - which made an astonishing £291 million, adjusted for inflation – is rarely talked about. For starters, it didn’t even have Alan Alda in it! What kind of a ’M*A*S*H’ movie is this?

'Meet The Fockers’ (2004)

The success of 'Meet The Parents’ shocked even its cast, but follow-up 'Meet The Fockers’ over-performed like a caffeinated theatre kid, racking up an inflation-adjusted US b/o of £240 million, putting it ahead of 'The Incredibles’ and 'Harry Potter’ in the year’s total takings.

The morning after, audiences presumably felt quite silly that they’d flocked to an underwhelming sequel that hinged on a title that sounded a bit like a naughty word, and no one ever mentioned it again. Threequel, 'Meet The Little Fockers’, made less than half of what its predecessor did.

'My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ (2002)

Occasionally a film comes along that manages to ensnare a new audience - which, ironically, is usually an older audience. Good-natured family comedy 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ wasn’t targeted at teenage boys or Young Adult fiction fans but more mature cinemagoers, specifically female, a gamble which paid off to the tune of £225 million.

Presumably it’s not one of your DVDs that is on regular rotation. Not everyone has forgotten it, though: studio IFC remember what money feels like and are releasing 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2’, with original stars Nia Vardalos and John Corbett, in March 2016.

'Three Men And A Baby’ (1987)

If ever you needed proof that the 80s was a foreign land, you only need look to its success stories. Take 'Three Men And A Baby’, for example. The movie had no discernible lead, duties split between ageing hairy lotharios Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson, was directed by Spock off 'Star Trek’ and was based on a plotline that most US sitcoms would reject as “too cheesy”.

Yet it made money. Bundles of money. £226 million of money. Nowadays, the only time anyone mentions 'Three Men And A Baby’ is to claim that you can totally see a ghost in the background of a scene (it’s a cardboard cutout).

The 'Rush Hour’ trilogy (1998-2007)

When one looks at the total takings for the 'Rush Hour’ trilogy, one can only surmise that there was nothing else on at the cinema between the years of 1998 and 2007. How else can you explain the series’ frankly criminal box office heist of almost half a billion quid?

Culture clash cop comedies are not hard to come by; Rush Hour isn’t even the best in its sub-genre. If you need another stat to prove how crazy Hollywood was back in 2007, here: Chris Tucker was paid £16 million for 'Rush Hour 3’. He was basically paid two medium-sized community hospitals.

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Image credits: IMPAwards