Some of the best movies of all time have been rated R by the Motion Picture Association, but critical success is no guarantee of profitability, especially since some potential viewers are restricted from watching such films. (The rating means that those under 17 can be admitted only with a parent or guardian.) Nonetheless, some R-rated efforts end up making considerable profits – especially those with low production costs. (While some of them may have had high production budgets, these are some R-rated movies that broke the box office.)
To determine the most profitable R-rated movies of all time, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on box office receipts and production budgets from The Numbers, an online movie database owned by consulting firm Nash Information Services. R-rated movies were ranked based on the ratio of worldwide ticket sales to production budget, or the return in box office receipts for every dollar of production budget invested in the film. Only movies with at least $3.5 million in global ticket sales were considered. Cast credits are from IMDb, an online movie and TV database owned by Amazon.
Click here for a list of the most profitable R-rated movies of all time
Of the 10 most profitable films on our list, eight are horror or thriller movies. A lot of things can go wrong with a horror movie – laughable dialogue, cheesy special effects, weak story, bad casting – but when movie makers get it right, fright flicks can obviously deliver at the box office.
Two examples are evidence of movie makers updating the genre with a mockumentary style and a topical spin. “Chernobyl Diaries” is about American travelers taking an extreme tour of the former nuclear power plant in Ukraine, while “Unfriended” is the story of chatroom friends terrorized by a supernatural force using the social-media account of a deceased friend.
Of the 50 movies on our list, half are either horror flicks or thrillers. But white-knuckle offerings aren’t the only box-office boffo films. Reliable rom-com fare such as “Pretty Woman,” “Swingers,” “The Brothers McMullen,” and “Lost in Translation” were big winners, as were the more raunchy comedy fare like “National Lampoon’s Animal House,” “Porky’s,” and “Kentucky Fried Movie.” (Here’s a list of the best R-rated rom-coms of the past 50 years.)
50. A Haunted House (2013)
> Return on investment: $23.97 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $59.9 million
> Production budget: $2.5 million
> Starring: Marlon Wayans, Essence Atkins, Marlene Forte
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49. Magic Mike (2012)
> Return on investment: $24.36 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $170.5 million
> Production budget: $7.0 million
> Starring: Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Olivia Munn
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48. In the Bedroom (2001)
> Return on investment: $24.79 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $42.1 million
> Production budget: $1.7 million
> Starring: Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek, Nick Stahl
47. The Passion of the Christ (2004)
> Return on investment: $24.89 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $622.3 million
> Production budget: $25.0 million
> Starring: Jim Caviezel, Monica Bellucci, Maia Morgenstern
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46. Black Swan (2010)
> Return on investment: $25.48 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $331.3 million
> Production budget: $13.0 million
> Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel
45. Halloween (2018)
> Return on investment: $25.54 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $255.4 million
> Production budget: $10.0 million
> Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak
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44. Pulp Fiction (1994)
> Return on investment: $26.61 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $212.9 million
> Production budget: $8.0 million
> Starring: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson
43. You’re Next (2011)
> Return on investment: $26.89 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $26.9 million
> Production budget: $1.0 million
> Starring: Sharni Vinson, Joe Swanberg, AJ Bowen
42. Porky’s (1981)
> Return on investment: $27.37 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $109.5 million
> Production budget: $4.0 million
> Starring: Dan Monahan, Mark Herrier, Wyatt Knight
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41. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
> Return on investment: $27.42 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $383.8 million
> Production budget: $14.0 million
> Starring: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Saurabh Shukla
40. Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)
> Return on investment: $28.56 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $142.8 million
> Production budget: $5.0 million
> Starring: Stephen Dunham, Katie Featherston, Matt Shively
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39. The King’s Speech (2010)
> Return on investment: $28.72 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $430.8 million
> Production budget: $15.0 million
> Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter
38. Flashdance (1983)
> Return on investment: $28.78 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $201.5 million
> Production budget: $7.0 million
> Starring: Jennifer Beals, Michael Nouri, Lilia Skala
37. Sinister (2012)
> Return on investment: $29.24 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $87.7 million
> Production budget: $3.0 million
> Starring: Ethan Hawke, Juliet Rylance, James Ransone
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36. Lost in Translation (2003)
> Return on investment: $29.27 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $117.1 million
> Production budget: $4.0 million
> Starring: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi
35. The Purge (2013)
> Return on investment: $30.42 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $91.3 million
> Production budget: $3.0 million
> Starring: Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Max Burkholder
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34. Saw II (2005)
> Return on investment: $30.59 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $152.9 million
> Production budget: $5.0 million
> Starring: Donnie Wahlberg, Beverley Mitchell, Franky G
33. Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989)
> Return on investment: $30.62 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $36.7 million
> Production budget: $1.2 million
> Starring: James Spader, Andie MacDowell, Peter Gallagher
32. Pretty Woman (1990)
> Return on investment: $30.90 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $432.6 million
> Production budget: $14.0 million
> Starring: Richard Gere, Julia Roberts, Jason Alexander
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31. Swingers (1996)
> Return on investment: $33.09 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $6.6 million
> Production budget: $200,000
> Starring: Vince Vaughn, Heather Graham, Jon Favreau
30. The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)
> Return on investment: $33.33 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $20.0 million
> Production budget: $600,000
> Starring: Evan C. Kim, Bong Soo Han, Bill Bixby
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29. The Exorcist (1973)
> Return on investment: $35.68 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $428.2 million
> Production budget: $12.0 million
> Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair
28. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
> Return on investment: $37.11 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $163.3 million
> Production budget: $4.4 million
> Starring: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Michael Berryman
27. The Godfather (1972)
> Return on investment: $38.36 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $268.5 million
> Production budget: $7.0 million
> Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan
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26. Annabelle (2014)
> Return on investment: $39.52 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $256.9 million
> Production budget: $6.5 million
> Starring: Ward Horton, Annabelle Wallis, Alfre Woodard
25. She’s Gotta Have It (1986)
> Return on investment: $40.79 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $7.1 million
> Production budget: $175,000
> Starring: Tracy Camilla Johns, Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell
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24. Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
> Return on investment: $41.41 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $207.0 million
> Production budget: $5.0 million
> Starring: Chloe Csengery, Jessica Tyler Brown, Christopher Nicholas Smith
23. Chernobyl Diaries (2012)
> Return on investment: $42.41 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $42.4 million
> Production budget: $1.0 million
> Starring: Jesse McCartney, Jonathan Sadowski, Olivia Taylor Dudley
22. Moonlight (2016)
> Return on investment: $43.44 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $65.2 million
> Production budget: $1.5 million
> Starring: Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Trevante Rhodes
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21. Blazing Saddles (1974)
> Return on investment: $45.96 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $119.5 million
> Production budget: $2.6 million
> Starring: Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens
20. National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978)
> Return on investment: $47.20 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $141.6 million
> Production budget: $3.0 million
> Starring: John Belushi, Karen Allen, Tom Hulce
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19. Get Out (2017)
> Return on investment: $50.50 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $252.5 million
> Production budget: $5.0 million
> Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford
18. Hollywood Shuffle (1987)
> Return on investment: $52.29 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $5.2 million
> Production budget: $100,000
> Starring: Robert Townsend, Craigus R. Johnson, Helen Martin
17. Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)
> Return on investment: $59.17 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $177.5 million
> Production budget: $3.0 million
> Starring: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Molly Ephraim
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16. Chasing Amy (1997)
> Return on investment: $60.62 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $15.2 million
> Production budget: $250,000
> Starring: Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Ethan Suplee
15. Unfriended (2014)
> Return on investment: $64.36 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $64.4 million
> Production budget: $1.0 million
> Starring: Heather Sossaman, Matthew Bohrer, Courtney Halverson
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14. Pi (1998)
> Return on investment: $68.80 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $4.7 million
> Production budget: $68,000
> Starring: Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, Ben Shenkman
13. The Full Monty (1997)
> Return on investment: $74.64 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $261.2 million
> Production budget: $3.5 million
> Starring: Robert Carlyle, Tom Wilkinson, Mark Addy
12. Saw (2004)
> Return on investment: $86.57 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $103.9 million
> Production budget: $1.2 million
> Starring: Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell, Danny Glover
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11. Graduation Day (1981)
> Return on investment: $95.58 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $23.9 million
> Production budget: $250,000
> Starring: Christopher George, Patch Mackenzie, E. Danny Murphy
10. The Devil Inside (2012)
> Return on investment: $101.76 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $101.8 million
> Production budget: $1.0 million
> Starring: Fernanda Andrade, Simon Quarterman, Evan Helmuth
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9. Friday the 13th (1980)
> Return on investment: $108.64 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $59.8 million
> Production budget: $550,000
> Starring: Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Jeannine Taylor
8. Open Water (2003)
> Return on investment: $111.04 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $55.5 million
> Production budget: $500,000
> Starring: Blanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis, Saul Stein
7. Clerks (1994)
> Return on investment: $144.23 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $3.9 million
> Production budget: $27,000
> Starring: Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti
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6. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
> Return on investment: $189.80 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $26.6 million
> Production budget: $140,000
> Starring: Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger
5. The Brothers McMullen (1995)
> Return on investment: $208.53 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $10.4 million
> Production budget: $50,000
> Starring: Jack Mulcahy, Michael McGlone, Edward Burns
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4. Halloween (1978)
> Return on investment: $216.23 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $70.3 million
> Production budget: $325,000
> Starring: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Moran
3. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
> Return on investment: $413.83 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $248.3 million
> Production budget: $600,000
> Starring: Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, Joshua Leonard
2. The Gallows (2015)
> Return on investment: $416.56 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $41.7 million
> Production budget: $100,000
> Starring: Reese Mishler, Pfeifer Brown, Ryan Shoos
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1. Paranormal Activity (2007)
> Return on investment: $431.52 for every $1 in production budget
> Worldwide ticket sales: $194.2 million
> Production budget: $450,000
> Starring: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Mark Fredrichs
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