7 Of The Most Profitable Movies Ever Made

Every year, hundreds of movies come out. Some are a great success and make millions opening night, while others fizzle away without any recognition. However, those few movies that do make huge profits tend to stick around for decades after their release because of their brilliance. Here are seven of the most profitable movies ever made!

"My Big Fat Greek Wedding"

Many people wouldn't expect a romantic comedy such as "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" to be on this list but even though the movie's budget was only $6 million, it earned a total of $369 million! It's is an adorable movie that revolves around a 30-something quirky woman from a Greek family looking for love. When she finally meets someone special, she has to deal with her family who is completely against a "dry toast," non-Greek man marrying into their family.

"E.T. the Extra- Terrestrial"

It is no doubt that Steven Spielberg's film, "E.T. the Extra Terrestrial" was a huge success. The movie's budget was around $25 million and remained in the theaters for months, earning over $793 million! This heart warming story revolves around a set of adorable kids that stumble upon an alien who teaches them the importance of family, responsibility, and love. 

"Pretty Woman"

Richard Gere and Julia Roberts starred in this 1990 romantic comedy which eventually raked in over $463 million. Not bad considering it only cost $23 million to produce!  Roberts' performance was pretty convincing as a down-to-earth prostitute hired by rich businessman Richard Gere. Reminiscent of "My Fair Lady," Gere molds her into a classy beauty in order to accompany him to some business events…plus he treats her to a shopping spree!  What working girl wouldn't love that? And like most Gere falls in love and sweeps the girl off her feet. Who isn't a sucker for happy endings?

"Star Wars"

To say "Star Wars" was one of the most profitable movies of all time is an understatement. It created generations of alien loving people, obsessed with "Star Wars" and the movies following it– basically a cult. When many people think of "Star Wars", they think of cliché looking nerds lining up outside the movie theater, and you wouldn't be wrong. The truth is, Spielberg and Lucas knew how to capitalize and when the movie came out, millions of people became obsessed. They managed to turn $40 million into more than $775 million!

"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"

The first two movies in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy were huge hits (alright, mega-huge hits) and were consequently very lucrative. But it wasn't until the release of the final film, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," that we were able to put the

To this day, "Napoleon Dynamite" has a large cult following. Sometimes we even see kids with "Vote for Pedro" written on their shirts– watch the movie, and you'll get it. The movie follows socially awkward and freakishly tall and skinny Napoleon around high school. For the disenfranchised in high school, Napoleon became an icon. He's funny without trying, a great dancer, and he's quirky– what's not to love? The budget for the movie was only $500,000 but it made over $45 million.