Here are five very profitable movie musicals that made 30 times their budget at the box office — at least.
There are many musicals, like Frozen and the recent A Star Is Born remake, that deservedly became massive hits.
But because the costs of making them were so high, their return on investment wasn’t as good as it was for the following films.
But First, Here’s What We Mean by Movie Musicals?
Almost all movies have music, playing almost all the time.
So our rule for what constitutes a movie musical is this: The main characters in the film must repeatedly break into song, like the characters in Mamma Mia (above), for example.
By the way: While Mamma Mia is a massive success by every standard, it isn’t on this list, because it didn’t score at least 30 times its budget at the box office. It was made for $52 million and earned $706.7 million — which means it earned roughly 13 times its budget.
And now, here we go with our list of very profitable movie musicals that made 30 times their budget at the box office — or even more.
The Sound of Music (1965)
Based on the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical, The Sound of Music was a proven hit on Broadway before filming ever began — which helps explain its then-whopping budget of $8.2 million.
The investment was a smart one — the film went on to earn $287.8 million, more than 30 times its budget.
The Sound of Music is, of course, one of the most influential of all musicals — any child who has learned to sing in English has probably sung the “Do-Re-Mi” song, which director Robert Wise and star Julie Andrews turned into one of the all-time great movie musical moments.
Grease (1978)
Grease, simultaneously a smart sendup of high school musicals and a great movie musical in its own right, played on the 1950s nostalgia of the 1970s — and delivered a slew of unforgettable songs.
Pairing John Travolta and the late, great Olivia Newton-John, it put a fresh, fun spin on the familiar preppies vs. greasers trope.
Based on a 1972 stage musical of the same name by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, it was shot for $6 million and went on to earn $396 million — 66 times its budget.
it also had the second-best-selling soundtrack of 1978, trailing only Saturday Night Fever — which had been released in 1977 and also starred Travolta. He had a pretty excellent late ’70s run, then mounted a big action comeback that started with 1994’s Pulp Fiction.
Once (2007)
Perhaps the least-famous movie on this list, Once also had one of the best returns on investment.
Set in Ireland, Once follows two unnamed musicians who meet, make music, and form a deep, complicated connection. Among the songs they write in the film is “Falling Slowly,” a gorgeous ballad that would go on to win Best Original Song at the Oscars.
Once only cost $150,000 to make, and made $23.3 million — which means it made 150 times its budget, an accomplishment only a tiny percentage of movies match.
Once writer-director John Carney continues to make excellent movie musicals. Our favorite is 2016’s Sing Street, and we also quite enjoyed 2023’s Flora and Son.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is one of the most original movies you’ll ever see, and the story of the film is every bit as captivating as what’s on the screen.
When Richard O’Brien – who plays Riff Raff — scored a hit with the stage musical The Rocky Horror Show, a film adaptation seemed like the inevitable next step, especially given the popularity of rock musicals in the early ’70s.
The film was made for a modest $1.4 million — and bombed upon initial release.
But then a 20th Century Fox executive hit on a curious idea — why not release the oddball movie musical in midnight screenings?
The Rocky Horror Picture Show went on to become the longest-running theatrical release in history, as Richard O’Brien’s son, Linus O’Brien, recounts in the excellent new documentary Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show celebrated its 50th anniversary last month, still plays across the world, and has earned more than $166 million and counting — well over 100 times its budget.
Some estimates place its box office take at well over $166 million, but it’s not easy to track the ticket sales of a film that is still playing midnight showings all over the globe, with costume-clad shadow casts and audience members singing and screaming along.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
For a time, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the highest-grossing sound film of all time, as well as the highest-grossest animated film.
It was made for $1.5 million — a very big gamble during the Great Depression, to be sure. But the film has brought endless joy to audiences since, pulled in $418 million, thanks to several theatrical re-releases. That means it earned back its budget more than 270 times over.
The film’s astonishing success over the years must make the box office of this year’s live-action Snow White all the more disappointing for Disney — the live-action film earned just $206 million against a budget of at least $240 million.
If you liked this list, you might also like our list of 5 Classic Horror Movies That Made at Least 200 Times Their Budget at the Box Office.
And we invite you to please follow us for more stories like this.
Main image: Grease. Paramount Pictures.