Special Report

The Most Successful R-Rated Movies of All Time

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

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.)

Courtesy of Automatik Entertainment

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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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

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

Courtesy of Miramax

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

Courtesy of Newmarket Films

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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Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

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

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

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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Courtesy of Miramax

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

Courtesy of Lionsgate

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

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

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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Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

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

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

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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Courtesy of The Weinstein Company

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

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

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

Courtesy of Lionsgate

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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Courtesy of Focus Features

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

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

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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Courtesy of Lions Gate Films

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

Courtesy of RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video

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

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

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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Courtesy of Miramax

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

Courtesy of United Film Distribution Company

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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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

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

Courtesy of United Artists

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

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

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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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

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

Courtesy of Island Pictures

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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Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

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

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

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

Courtesy of A24

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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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

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

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

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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Courtesy of Universal Pictures

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

Courtesy of The Samuel Goldwyn Company

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

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

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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Courtesy of Miramax

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

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

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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Courtesy of Live Film & Mediaworks Inc.

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

Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

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

Courtesy of Lions Gate Films

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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Courtesy of IFI/Scope III

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

Courtesy of Insurge Pictures

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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Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

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

Courtesy of Lions Gate Films

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

Courtesy of Miramax

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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Courtesy of Bryanston Distributing

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

Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

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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Courtesy of Aquarius Releasing

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

Courtesy of Artisan Entertainment

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

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

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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Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

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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