# List of highest-grossing independent films

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. Independent films that were co-distributed by major film studios, such as Inglourious Basterds and Paranormal Activity, are not included.

## Highest-grossing films

    : † Background shading indicates films playing in the week commencing 31 January 2025 in theaters around the world.
| Rank | Title | Date | Worldwide gross | Countries | Film distributor |
| 1 | The Passion of the Christ | February 25, 2004 | $611,486,736 | United States | Newmarket Films |
| 2 | The Intouchables | September 23, 2010 | $484,630,908 | France | Gaumont |
| 3 | Dances with Wolves | November 9, 1990 | $424,208,805 | North America | Orion Pictures |
| 4 | The King's Speech | September 6, 2010 | $423,999,102 | Australia United Kingdom | Momentum Pictures |
| 5 | My Big Fat Greek Wedding | April 19, 2002 | $368,744,044 | North America | IFC Films |
| 6 | American Beauty | September 8, 1999 | $356,258,047 | North America | DreamWorks Pictures |
| 7 | Se7en | September 15, 1995 | $328,125,643 | North America | New Line Cinema |
| 8 | The Silence of the Lambs | February 14, 1991 | $275,726,716 | North America | Orion Pictures |
| 9 | Parasite | May 21, 2019 | $262,857,186 | South Korea | CJ Entertainment |
| 10 | Sound of Freedom | July 4, 2023 | $250,570,396 | North America | Angel Studios |
| 11 | The Blair Witch Project | January 23, 1999 | $248,639,099 | North America | Artisan Entertainment |
| 12 | Silver Linings Playbook | November 16, 2012 | $236,412,453 | North America | The Weinstein Company |
| 13 | Fahrenheit 9/11 | May 17, 2004 | $222,446,882 | North America | Lionsgate |
| 14 | Good Will Hunting | December 2, 1997 | $225,925,989 | North America | Miramax |
| 15 | 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 |
| 16 | Pulp Fiction | May 21, 1994 | $212,894,343 | North America | Miramax |
| 17 | Traffic | December 27, 2000 | $207,515,725 | North America | USA Films |
| 18 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | March 30, 1990 | $202,084,756 | North America | New Line Cinema |
| 19 | Kill Bill: Volume 1 | October 10, 2003 | $180,899,045 | North America | Miramax |
| 20 | One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest | November 19, 1975 | $163,281,275 | North America | United Artists |
| 21 | The Hateful Eight | December 25, 2015 | $156,480,177 | North America | The Weinstein Company |
| 22 | Kill Bill: Volume 2 | April 16, 2004 | $154,116,796 | North America | Miramax |
| 23 | Everything Everywhere All at Once | March 25, 2022 | $141,054,397 | North America | A24 |
| 24 | Longlegs † | July 12, 2024 | $126,867,598 | United States | Neon |
| 25 | Civil War | April 12, 2024 | $122,533,193 | United States United Kingdom | A24 (United States) Entertainment Film Distributors (United Kingdom) |
| 26 | Crash | May 6, 2005 | $101,173,038 | North America | Lionsgate |
| 27 | Terrifier 3 † | October 11, 2024 | $94,436,616 | United States | Cineverse |
| 28 | Fritz the Cat | April 12, 1972 | $90,000,000 | North America | Cinemation Industries |
| 29 | The Amityville Horror | July 27, 1979 | $86,432,000 | North America | American International Pictures |
| 30 | Hereditary | June 7, 2018 | $82,729,816 | United States | A24 |
| 31 | Moonlight | October 21, 2016 | $65,172,611 | United States | A24 |
| 32 | The Whale | December 9, 2022 | $54,883,206 | United States | A24 |
| 33 | Midsommar | July 3, 2019 | $48,059,189 | United States Sweden | A24 (North America) Nordisk Film (Sweden) |
| 34 | The Witch | February 19, 2016 | $40,423,945 | United States Canada | A24 (United States) Elevation Pictures (Canada) |
| 35 | The Iron Claw | December 22, 2023 | $40,667,158 | United Kingdom United States | A24 (North America) Lionsgate (United Kingdom) |

## Highest-grossing independent films by year

| Year | Title | Worldwide gross | Budget | Ref |
| 2024 | Civil War | $122,533,193 | $50 million | |
| 2023 | Sound of Freedom | $250,570,396 | $14.5 million | |
| 2022 | Everything Everywhere All at Once | $141,054,397 | $14.3–25 million | |
| 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 |

## Timeline of highest-grossing independent film

| Film | Established | Record-setting gross |
| Dances with Wolves | 1990 | $424,208,805 |
| The Passion of the Christ | 2004 | $611,486,736 |
| The Passion of the Christ | 2005 | $612,054,506 |