List of highest-grossing independent films
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The following page lists the highest-grossing films that were distributed by independent, arthouse, and mini-major studios. The Passion of the Christ is the highest-grossing independent film of all time.[1] Independent films that were co-produced or co-distributed by major film studios, such as Inglourious Basterds, Paranormal Activity, or Obsession, are not included.
Highest-grossing films
- † Background shading indicates films playing in the week commencing 18 September 2026 in theaters around the world.
| No. | Title | Year | Gross | Film distributor | Ref | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Passion of the Christ | 2004 | $611,486,736 | Newmarket Films | [2] | United States |
| 2 | The Intouchables | 2010 | $484,630,908 | Gaumont | [3] | France |
| 3 | Dances with Wolves | 1990 | $424,208,805 | Orion Pictures | [4] | United States |
| 4 | The King's Speech | 2010 | $423,999,102 | Momentum Pictures | [2] | Australia United Kingdom |
| 5 | Backrooms | 2026 | $400,981,877 | A24 | [5] | United States |
| 6 | My Big Fat Greek Wedding | 2002 | $368,744,044 | IFC Films (United States) Equinox Films (Canada) |
[2] | United States Canada |
| 7 | Se7en | 1995 | $328,125,643 | New Line Cinema | [6] | United States |
| 8 | The Silence of the Lambs | 1991 | $275,726,716 | Orion Pictures | [7] | |
| 9 | Parasite | 2019 | $262,857,186 | CJ Entertainment | [8] | South Korea |
| 10 | Sound of Freedom | 2023 | $250,570,396 | Angel Studios | [9] | United States |
| 11 | The Blair Witch Project | 1999 | $248,639,099 | Artisan Entertainment | [2] | |
| 12 | Silver Linings Playbook | 2012 | $236,412,453 | The Weinstein Company | [10] | |
| 13 | Fahrenheit 9/11 | 2004 | $222,446,882 | Lionsgate | [2] | |
| 14 | Good Will Hunting | 1997 | $225,925,989 | Miramax | [2] | |
| 15 | Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets | 2017 | $225,874,228 | STX Entertainment | [11] | France United States China Germany Belgium United Arab Emirates |
| 16 | Pulp Fiction | 1994 | $212,894,343 | Miramax | [12] | United States |
| 17 | Traffic | 2000 | $207,515,725 | USA Films | [13] | |
| 18 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | 1990 | $202,084,756 | New Line Cinema | [14] | |
| 19 | Kill Bill: Volume 1 | 2003 | $180,899,045 | Miramax | [15] | |
| 20 | The Hateful Eight | 2015 | $156,480,177 | The Weinstein Company | [16] | |
| 21 | Kill Bill: Volume 2 | 2004 | $154,116,796 | Miramax | [17] | |
| 22 | Everything Everywhere All at Once | 2022 | $141,054,397 | A24 | [18] | |
| 23 | The Drama | 2026 | $130,774,890 | [19] | ||
| 24 | Longlegs | 2024 | $126,867,598 | Neon | [20] | |
| 25 | Civil War | 2024 | $122,533,193 | A24 (United States) Entertainment Film (United Kingdom) |
[21] | United States United Kingdom |
| 26 | The Graduate | 1967 | $104,677,456 | Embassy Pictures (United States) United Artists (international) |
[22] | United States |
| 27 | Crash | 2005 | $101,173,038 | Lionsgate (United States) Universum Films (Germany) |
[23] | United States Germany |
| 28 | Spotlight | 2015 | $98,690,254 | Open Road Films | [24] | United States |
| 29 | Terrifier 3 | 2024 | $94,436,616 | Cineverse | [25] | |
| 30 | Hereditary | 2018 | $90,190,521 | A24 | [26] | |
| 31 | Fritz the Cat | 1972 | $90,000,000 | Cinemation Industries | [27] | |
| 32 | Snowpiercer | 2013 | $86,758,912 | RADiUS-TWC (USA) CJ Entertainment (Korea) Le Pacte (France) Bontonfilm (Czech) |
[28] | United States South Korea France Czech Republic |
| 33 | The Amityville Horror | 1979 | $86,432,000 | American International Pictures | [29] | United States |
| 34 | The Substance | 2024 | $77,316,812 | Mubi | [30] | United States France United Kingdom |
| 35 | Halloween | 1978 | $70,274,000 | Compass International (USA) Aquarius Releasing (international) |
[31] | United States |
| 36 | Moonlight | 2016 | $65,172,611 | A24 | [32] | |
| 37 | The Whale | 2022 | $54,883,206 | [33] | ||
| 38 | I, Tonya | 2017 | $53,939,297 | Neon | [34] | |
| 39 | Iron Lung | 2026 | $51,226,173 | Markiplier Studios | [35][36] | |
| 40 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master | 1988 | $49,369,899 | New Line Cinema | [37] | |
| 41 | Midsommar | 2019 | $48,059,189 | A24 (North America) Nordisk Film (Sweden) |
[38] | United States Sweden |
| 42 | Nightcrawler | 2014 | $47,425,835 | Open Road Films | [39] | United States |
| 43 | The Iron Claw | 2023 | $45,745,981 | A24 (North America) Lionsgate (United Kingdom) |
[40] | United Kingdom United States |
| 44 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors | 1987 | $44,793,222 | New Line Cinema | [41] | United States |
| 45 | Past Lives | 2023 | $42,748,888 | A24 (United States) CJ ENM (South Korea) |
[42] | United States South Korea |
| 46 | The Witch | 2016 | $40,423,945 | A24 (United States) Elevation Pictures (Canada) |
[43] | United States Canada |
| 47 | Grizzly | 1976 | $39,000,000 | Film Ventures (USA) Columbia (Hungary) |
[44] | United States Hungary |
| 48 | The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act | 2026 | $36,405,571 | Fathom Entertainment | [45] | United States Australia |
| 49 | Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare | 1991 | $34,872,033 | New Line Cinema | [46] | United States |
| 50 | Together | 2025 | $34,573,161 | Neon (United States) Kismet Movies (Australia) |
[47] | United States Australia |
Highest-grossing independent films by year
| Year | Title | Worldwide gross | Budget | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Queen of Blood | $17,300,000 | $65,000 | [48] |
| 1967 | The Graduate | $104,677,456 | $3,000,000 | [22] |
| 1968 | Night of the Living Dead | $30,200,000 | $114,000–$125,000 | [49][50] |
| 1974 | The Texas Chain Saw Massacre | $30,900,000 | $80,000–140,000 | [51] |
| 1976 | Grizzly | $39,000,000 | $750,000 | [44] |
| 1978 | Halloween | $70,274,000 | $300,000–325,000 | [31] |
| 1984 | A Nightmare on Elm Street | $25,865,606 | $1,100,000 | [52] |
| 1985 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge | $30,000,121 | $3,300,000 | [53] |
| 1987 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors | $44,793,222 | $4,300,000 | [41] |
| 1988 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master | $49,369,899 | $8,000,000 | [37] |
| 1990 | Dances with Wolves | $424,208,805 | $22,000,000 | [4] |
| 1991 | Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare | $34,872,033 | $9-11,000,000 | [46] |
| 2004 | The Passion of the Christ | $611,486,736 | $30,000,000 | [2] |
| 2005 | Crash | $101,173,038 | $6,500,000 | [23] |
| 2010 | The Intouchables | $484,630,908 | $10,800,000 | [3] |
| 2012 | Silver Linings Playbook | $236,412,453 | $21,000,000 | [10] |
| 2013 | Snowpiercer | $86,758,912 | $40,000,000 | [28] |
| 2015 | The Hateful Eight | $156,480,177 | $44–64,000,000 | [16] |
| 2016 | Moonlight | $65,172,611 | $1.5–4,000,000 | [32] |
| 2017 | Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets | $225,874,228 | $180,000,000 | [11] |
| 2018 | Hereditary | $90,190,521 | $10,000,000 | [26] |
| 2019 | Parasite | $262,857,186 | $11,400,000 | [8] |
| 2022 | Everything Everywhere All at Once | $141,054,397 | $14.3–25,000,000 | [54][55][56] |
| 2023 | Sound of Freedom | $250,570,396 | $14,500,000 | [9] |
| 2024 | Longlegs | $127,961,936 | $10,000,000 | [57] |
| 2025 | Marty Supreme | $180,410,386 | $60–70,000,000 | [58] |
| 2026 | Backrooms † | $396,586,433 | $10,000,000 | [5] |
Timeline of records
Highest-grossing
| Film | Established | Length Held | Record-setting gross | Ref |
| Queen of Blood | 1966 | 1 Year | $17,300,000 | [48] |
| The Graduate | 1967 | 23 Years | $104,677,456 | [22] |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | March 1990 | 6 Months | $202,084,756 | [14] |
| Dances with Wolves | October 1990 | 13 Years | $424,208,805 | [59] |
| The Passion of the Christ | 2004 | Ongoing | $612,054,506 | [60] |
Biggest opening weekend
| Film | Established | Length Held | Record-setting Weekend | Ref |
| A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master | 1988 | 2 Years | $12,883,403 | [22] |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | 1990 | 14 Years | $25,398,367 | [14] |
| The Passion of the Christ | 2004 | Ongoing | $83,848,082 | [61] |
Biggest independent film opening weekends
The following is a list of independent films which have opened to more than $10 million.