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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-distributed by major film studios, such as Inglourious Basterds and Paranormal Activity, are not included.
| Rank | Title | Date | Worldwide gross | Countries | Film distributor | Ref/s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Passion of the Christ | February 25, 2004 | $611,486,736 | United States | Newmarket Films | [2] |
| 2 | The Intouchables | September 23, 2010 | $484,630,908 | France | Gaumont | [3] |
| 3 | Dances with Wolves | November 9, 1990 | $424,208,805 | North America | Orion Pictures | [4] |
| 4 | The King's Speech | September 6, 2010 | $423,999,102 | Australia United Kingdom |
Momentum Pictures | [2] |
| 5 | Slumdog Millionaire | August 30, 2008 | $378,410,113 | United Kingdom | Pathé Distribution | [2] |
| 6 | My Big Fat Greek Wedding | April 19, 2002 | $368,744,044 | North America | IFC Films | [2] |
| 7 | American Beauty | September 8, 1999 | $356,258,047 | North America | DreamWorks Pictures | [1] |
| 8 | Black Swan | September 1, 2010 | $329,398,046 | North America | Fox Searchlight Pictures | [5] |
| 9 | Se7en | September 15, 1995 | $328,125,643 | North America | New Line Cinema | [6] |
| 10 | The Silence of the Lambs | February 14, 1991 | $275,726,716 | North America | Orion Pictures | [7] |
| 11 | Parasite | May 21, 2019 | $262,857,186 | South Korea | CJ Entertainment (South Korea) Neon (North America) |
[8] |
| 12 | The Full Monty | August 15, 1997 | $261,249,383 | United Kingdom | Fox Searchlight Pictures | [2] |
| 13 | Sound of Freedom | July 4, 2023 | $250,570,396 | North America | Angel Studios | [9] |
| 14 | The Blair Witch Project | January 23, 1999 | $248,639,099 | North America | Artisan Entertainment | [2] |
| 15 | Silver Linings Playbook | November 16, 2012 | $236,412,453 | North America | The Weinstein Company | [10] |
| 16 | Juno | September 1, 2007 | $231,450,102 | North America | Fox Searchlight Pictures | [2] |
| 17 | Fahrenheit 9/11 | May 17, 2004 | $222,446,882 | North America | FLIC Distributors | [2] |
| 18 | Good Will Hunting | December 2, 1997 | $225,925,989 | North America | Miramax | [2] |
| 19 | Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets | July 21, 2017 | $225,874,228 | France United States China Germany Belgium United Arab Emirates |
STX Entertainment | [11] |
| 20 | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | May 18, 2000 | $213,514,672 | Taiwan | Sony Pictures Classics | [12] |
| 21 | Pulp Fiction | May 21, 1994 | $212,894,343 | North America | Miramax | [13] |
| 22 | Traffic | December 27, 2000 | $207,515,725 | North America | Focus Features | [14] |
| 23 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | March 30, 1990 | $202,084,756 | North America | Golden Harvest | [15] |
| 24 | The Shape of Water | December 1, 2017 | $195,333,312 | North America | Fox Searchlight Pictures | [16] |
| 25 | Kill Bill: Volume 1 | October 10, 2003 | $180,899,045 | North America | Miramax | [17] |
| 26 | Brokeback Mountain | December 9, 2005 | $178,062,759 | North America | Focus Features | [18] |
| 27 | The Grand Budapest Hotel | March 7, 2014 | $173,082,189 | North America Germany |
Fox Searchlight Pictures | [19] |
| 28 | No Country for Old Men | November 9, 2007 | $171,627,166 | North America | Miramax (North America) Paramount Vantage (International) |
[20] |
| 29 | One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest | November 19, 1975 | $163,281,275 | North America | United Artists | [1] |
| 30 | The Hateful Eight | December 25, 2015 | $156,480,177 | North America | The Weinstein Company | [21] |
| 31 | Kill Bill: Volume 2 | April 16, 2004 | $154,116,796 | North America | Miramax | [22] |
| 32 | Everything Everywhere All at Once | March 25, 2022 | $141,054,397 | North America | A24 | [23] |
| 33 | Coraline | February 6, 2009 | $124,596,837 | North America | Focus Features | [24] |
| 34 | Civil War | April 12, 2024 | $122,533,193 | United States United Kingdom |
A24 (United States) Entertainment Film Distributors (United Kingdom) |
[25] |
| 35 | Lost in Translation | September 12, 2003 | $117,085,297 | North America Japan |
Focus Features | [26] |
| 36 | Sideways | October 22, 2004 | $109,726,800 | North America | Fox Searchlight Pictures | [26] |
| 37 | Longlegs † | July 12, 2024 | $104,446,698 | United States | Neon | [27] |
| 38 | Birdman | October 17, 2014 | $103,215,094 | North America | Fox Searchlight Pictures | [28] |
| 39 | Crash | May 6, 2005 | $101,173,038 | North America | Lionsgate | [26] |
| 40 | Little Miss Sunshine | July 26, 2006 | $101,058,954 | North America | Fox Searchlight Pictures | [29] |
| 41 | Fritz the Cat | April 12, 1972 | $90,000,000 | North America | Cinemation Industries | [30] |
| 42 | Terrifier 3 † | October 11, 2024 | $87,467,608 | United States | Cineverse | [31] |
| 43 | The Amityville Horror | July 27, 1979 | $86,432,000 | North America | American International Pictures | [32] |
| 44 | Hereditary | June 7, 2018 | $82,729,816 | United States | A24 | [33] |
| 45 | Moonlight | October 21, 2016 | $65,172,611 | [34] | ||
| 46 | The Whale | December 9, 2022 | $54,883,206 | [35] | ||
| 47 | Whiplash | January 16, 2014 | $48,982,041 | North America | Sony Pictures Classics (North America) Stage 6 Films (International) |
[36] |
| 48 | Midsommar | July 3, 2019 | $48,059,189 | United States Sweden |
A24 (North America) Nordisk Film (Sweden) |
[37] |
| 49 | The Witch | February 19, 2016 | $40,423,945 | United States Canada |
A24 (United States) Elevation Pictures (Canada) |
[38] |
| 50 | The Iron Claw | December 22, 2023 | $40,667,158 | United Kingdom United States |
A24 (North America) Lionsgate (United Kingdom) |
[39] |
| Year | Title | Worldwide gross | Budget | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Civil War | $122,533,193 | $50 million | [40] |
| 2023 | Sound of Freedom | $250,570,396 | $14.5 million | [9] |
| 2022 | Everything Everywhere All at Once | $141,054,397 | $14.3–25 million | [41][42][43] |
| 1978 | Halloween | $70 million | $300,000–325,000 | Halloween (1978 film) |
| 1976 | Grizzly | $39 million | $750,000 | Grizzly (film) |
| 1974 | The Texas Chain Saw Massacre | $30.9 million | $80,000–140,000 | The Texas Chain Saw Massacre |
| 1968 | Night of the Living Dead | $30,236,452 | $114,000–$125,000 | Night of the Living Dead |
| Film | Established | Record-setting gross | Ref |
| Dances with Wolves | 1990 | $424,208,805 | [44] |
| The Passion of the Christ | 2004 | $611,486,736 | [45] |
| 2005 | $612,054,506 |