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- Bad Moms
- STX Entertainment
R-rated movies sometimes struggle to perform at the box office compared with movies for wider audiences. This became especially true after the addition of the PG-13 rating in the 1980s. However, this isn’t always true, and some R-rated movies were huge successes at the box office, blowing the competition out of the water.
While comedies like Deadpool often get mentioned when it comes to big box office numbers, other success stories might be a little more surprising. These movies either flew under the radar, or were just overshadowed by other big successes in the same year. Either way, they proved that getting slapped with an R rating didn't always put a damper on ticket sales.
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Worldwide Box Office: $269,994,119
There's a lot to love about We're the Millers, from its strong leading cast to its different take on the family road trip movie. Although it garnered a mixed reception from critics, the 2013 movie had enough memorable gags and quotable lines that positive word of mouth was able to outweigh the negative reviews.
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Worldwide Box Office: $369,884,651
There's Something About Mary was a perfect storm when it came to success in the late 1990s. It was directed by the Farrelly brothers, who’d just had a massive hit with Dumb and Dumber a few years earlier. The flick also featured popular stars Cameron Diaz and Ben Stiller, and it fit well into the gross-out humor that was popular during the time period.
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Worldwide Box Office: $209,838,559
Horrible Bosses had a simple yet alluring premise: three friends trying to kill one another's bosses. Most people have had at least some experience with awful bosses, making the movie a cathartic experience. It also boasts a star-studded lineup, including Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, and Jason Sudeikis.
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Worldwide Box Office: $549,368,315
Love it or hate it, it's undeniable that Family Guy is one of the most popular adult animated shows ever made. This alone helped garner interest for creator Seth MacFarlane's first live-action outing, Ted. The 2012 comedy has a surprisingly strong and cohesive narrative given MacFarlane's other work, and generated many positive reviews when released.
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Worldwide Box Office: $183,936,074
One big draw for Bad Moms was the way it poked fun at and critiqued the pressure young mothers feel about being perfect. This made the movie relatable to moms of all ages, and was therefore a relevant choice for women looking to get together for a movie. It was also funny enough in general to attract a wider audience outside the mom crowd and reach mainstream success. The movie even made enough to spawn a sequel, A Bad Moms Christmas.
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Worldwide Box Office: $185,260,553
LGBTQ+ characters in movies have had a troubled history, so when 1996's The Birdcage presented a gay couple with a son as a healthy and normal family dynamic, it was considered remarkable at the time. Whether filmgoers were drawn in by the spectacle or genuinely happy for some positive representation, the movie garnered lots of attention, which translated to ticket sales. Of course, having a talented, versatile, popular star like Robin Williams is also a surefire way to sell tickets.
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Worldwide Box Office: $331,333,876
The first 21 Jump Street film, which came out in 2012 starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill, was an unexpectedly huge hit for a reboot of an old TV show. That meant that its sequel, 22 Jump Street, getting greenlit wasn't a big surprise. What was surprising is that the sequel surpassed the original by more than $100 million at the box office, a feat comedy sequels sometimes struggle to pull off.
The series seems to have quit while it was ahead, as its long-rumored follow-up shuffled cast and crew for years before quietly disappearing.
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Worldwide Box Office: $216,197,492
Bad Teacher likely owes much of its success to the promise of its concept. A movie about a terrible (but sexy) teacher who hates her job conjures up plenty of fun gags, and it was clear from the trailers that Cameron Diaz gave a memorable performance in the role. The 2011 film fails to live up to its full potential, so it's a bit surprising Bad Teacher made as much money as it did off its premise alone.
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Worldwide Box Office: $229,930,771
The buddy cop genre is well-tread ground, meaning such films typically live or die based on their stars. Melissa McCarthy had been acting for a while before the 2010s, but her role in Bridesmaids skyrocketed her to mainstream popularity, leading to a slew of starring roles. The Heat paired her with Sandra Bullock, whose star power definitely helped boost the draw for audiences. The pair proved they could play well off each other, and this chemistry translated into box office success.
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Worldwide Box Office: $211,780,824
Due Date can best be described as a film specifically created to make money. Robert Downey Jr. had just enjoyed a big comeback with Iron Man, and Zach Galifianakis was riding high off the popularity of The Hangover. The movie also brought on The Hangover's Todd Phillips to direct, making it possibly the flick that most encapsulated 2010. Due Date itself is kind of forgettable, but it definitely succeeded in filing seats.
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Worldwide Box Office: $176,885,658
After watching Robert De Niro in plenty of dramatic gangster movies, it was amusing to see him let loose in a more comedic take on the genre in Analyze This. Pairing him with eclectic comedian Billy Crystal proved to be a smart move, as their performances helped garner positive attention for the flick. It also featured Lisa Kudrow during her time on Friends, which could also have contributed to the film's success.
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Worldwide Box Office: $173,965,010
Pairing Melissa McCarthy up with another well-known actor seemed like an easy key to success in the early 2010s - so much so that despite Identity Thief taking a pretty bad lashing from critics, it managed to make more than four times its budget at the box office. It probably didn't hurt that the film was able to slap previous successes by the creative team, like Horrible Bosses and Ted, on promotional posters, which may have helped raise expectations.
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Worldwide Box Office: $151,826,547
The Jackass films have always been quite successful, but Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa still seemed like a risk. It was hard to predict how well the hidden camera pranks and zany stunts of the Jackass crew would lend themselves to a semi-scripted narrative, or how far the movie could stretch the Johnny Knoxville-in-old-man-makeup gag.
While the 2013 movie never quite hit the same comedic heights as the typical Jackass fare, it did prove there was a big enough audience willing to come out for any stunts Knoxville or his friends might be pulling.
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Worldwide Box Office: $140,795,793
For a brief period, Amy Schumer was one of the biggest names in comedy. She had stand-up specials and her own TV show, so it made sense she would also write and star in her own movie. Trainwreck not only cashed in on Schumer's success, but also brought along big names like Judd Apatow to direct and Bill Hader to co-star, drawing even more attention to the film.
The 2015 dramatic rom-com also got a positive response from critics, and didn't suffer from much of the same bad-faith attacks as some of Schumer's future projects did.
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Worldwide Box Office: $140,552,359
Some R-rated comedies sacrifice having well-written characters in favor of wild and memorable set pieces. Girls Trip stands out by managing to have both and balance them perfectly, in a way that makes the movie both emotionally satisfying and very funny. Main cast members Regina Hall, Tiffany Haddish, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Queen Latifah also work well together and have good comedic timing.
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Worldwide Box Office: $418,765,519
Sex and the City was an immensely popular TV series from 1998 to 2004, so when the eponymous film came out four years later to continue the story, it made sense that it would have an audience. However, it was still surprising to see just how much the chick flick earned, given that audiences had to have seen six years' worth of TV to fully get what was going on. Interest in Sex and the City is still alive today, as is the franchise - a full 25 years after the series debuted.
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