Seeing as James Wan’s The Conjuring made $318 million worldwide on a budget of just $20 million, it wasn’t much of a surprise when Annabelle did similar numbers. Taking $252 million around the world on a budget of just $6.5 million, I’m sure that Warner Bros. studio execs had the last laugh on critics who labelled the film a half-baked effort.
January is typically the month where studios dump their garbage. Yet, somehow (and I’m still not sure exactly how), Ride Along brought Universal $153 million worldwide on a budget of $25 million. Credit leading man Kevin Hart’s manic energy, or perhaps credit the lack of competition. Either way, audiences were more than happy to go along for the ride on this one.
YA adaptations are a dime a dozen these days, so no one was really expecting much from The Maze Runner. Despite not arriving with very much hype, the film blew up the box office, earning Fox $339 million worldwide on a budget of $34 million, proving that if executed properly, YA films can still do gangbusters.
Lucy was not a good film, not by any means. But give audiences Scarlett Johansson kicking ass and they’ll gladly hand over their money. With $458 million in worldwide box office receipts, on a budget of just $40 million, you can bet that we’ll be seeing a Lucy 2 in the future (unfortunately).
Who knew Zac Efron could be so funny? Audiences who showed up in droves for Neighbors, that’s who. The frat boy comedy quietly racked up $268 million around the world on a budget of $18 million. It was well deserved, too, as the film was side-splittingly funny from beginning to end.
For a small, Christian film with no A-list stars, Heaven is For Real’s $101 million worldwide gross is pretty damn impressive. Made even more so when you look at its budget: $12 million. Whether it was the tightly crafted screenplay, Greg Kinnear’s solid lead performance, or the, at times, heavy-handed messages, something about this film definitely spoke to audiences.
Riding on the popularity of current Hollywood “IT” girl Shailene Woodley, The Fault In Our Stars sailed to a $304 million worldwide gross, on a small budget of $12 million. The YA adaptation of John Green’s tremendously popular novel may not have had the same impact as it did when it was on the page, but the chemistry between Woodley and co-star Ansel Elgort was too endearing for audiences to resist.
The LEGO Movie boasted a star-studded cast and circled around a beloved property, but no one could have ever predicted that this nostalgic blast from the past would bring Warner Bros. $468 million on a $60 million budget. It’s a testament, then, to directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s endless creativity and genuine love for the property that the film resonated so well with audiences.
