The events of September 11, 2001 altered the course of U.S. history forever. In a long and ongoing history of U.S. military expansion, the ensuing 20-year war in Afghanistan was one of the longest and most costly. Tens of thousands of Afghans and more than 2,400 Americans were killed. The total cost of the conflict is estimated at more than 2 trillion dollars.
While embedded journalism in Afghanistan and news coverage of the war steadily waned over the years, there has been no shortage of war films and Hollywood productions in the United States. Some have seen huge commercial success.
The entertainment industry has imagined and re-imagined U.S. military conflicts since its inception. To reflect on the Afghan war on the anniversary of September 11, 24/7 Tempo reviewed box office and production budget data of more than 100 movies in which the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were central to the plot.
Some films about the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq show the personal effect armed conflict and deployment has on the men and women on the ground. Others focus on the behind-the-scenes of war. These films tell stories about warfare in the two decades since the Twin Towers fell.
Some war movies are based on true events and often tell the life story of exceptional individuals. These are the 50 best movies based on true events.
To determine the most profitable post 9/11 war movies, 24/7 Tempo reviewed box office and production budget data from The Numbers, an online movie database owned by consulting firm Nash Information Services. We considered more than 100 movies in which the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are central to the plot. Documentaries were excluded. The movies on the list are both fictional and based on true stories. The movies were ranked on the profit they made, which we calculated as the worldwide box office earnings minus the production budget.
15. The Wall (2017)
> Profit: $1.5 million
> Worldwide box office: $4.5 million
> Production budget: $3.0 million
> Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, John Cena, Laith Nakli
> Directed by: Doug Liman
“The Wall” tells the fictional story of two American soldiers who, after answering a distress call in the desert in Iraq, are trapped behind an unsteady stone wall while an unseen sniper is aiming at them.
14. In the Valley of Elah (2007)
> Profit: $1.5 million
> Worldwide box office: $24.5 million
> Production budget: $23.0 million
> Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Jonathan Tucker
> Directed by: Paul Haggis
“In the Valley of Elah” follows the search for a missing Iraq war veteran by a police detective (Charlize Theron) and retired Army sergeant (Tommy Lee Jones), who is also the father of the missing man.
13. A Mighty Heart (2007)
> Profit: $4.2 million
> Worldwide box office: $19.2 million
> Production budget: $15.0 million
> Starring: Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman, Irrfan Khan
> Directed by: Michael Winterbottom
“A Mighty Heart” is based on the true story of Mariane Pearl. For several weeks she tries to find her husband, American journalist Daniel Pearl, who was kidnapped by terrorists and later beheaded in Pakistan. The movie focuses on her journey coping with the international attention on the case, as well as her dealings with underground local politics in the attempt to find him.
12. Brothers (2009)
> Profit: $19.0 million
> Worldwide box office: $45.0 million
> Production budget: $26.0 million
> Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, Tobey Maguire
> Directed by: Jim Sheridan
“Brothers” is a psychological (and fictional) drama about siblings Tommy and Sam and Sam’s wife. Sam is presumed dead in Afghanistan and Tommy starts to look after the family. After a few months of being a prisoner of war, Sam is rescued and returns home, paranoid about many things, including that his wife and Tommy are having an affair.
11. 13 Hours (2016)
> Profit: $19.4 million
> Worldwide box office: $69.4 million
> Production budget: $50.0 million
> Starring: John Krasinski, Pablo Schreiber, James Badge Dale
> Directed by: Michael Bay
“13 Hours” is based on the true story of the attack by Islamic militants on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11, 2012, during which the U.S. ambassador and a foreign service officer were killed. The movie shows how a U.S. security team nearby fights to save the lives of the remaining Americans.
10. Max (2015)
> Profit: $23.7 million
> Worldwide box office: $43.7 million
> Production budget: $20.0 million
> Starring: Thomas Haden Church, Josh Wiggins, Luke Kleintank
> Directed by: Boaz Yakin
Max is a fictional service dog who is too traumatized to stay in service after his handler, Kyle, is killed in Afghanistan. Kyle’s family adopts the dog. The movie shows how the soldier’s former dog and his family help each other recover from the terrible and sudden loss.
9. Lions for Lambs (2007)
> Profit: $28.2 million
> Worldwide box office: $63.2 million
> Production budget: $35.0 million
> Starring: Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, Robert Redford
> Directed by: Robert Redford
In this 2007 war drama focused on the U.S. involvement in Iraq, Streep plays TV journalist Janine Roth who interviews a U.S. senator played by Tom Cruise about his plan to win the war on terror. The movie was meant to encourage dialogue about America’s role in the fight against terrorism. The Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes found the film disjointed.
8. The Hurt Locker (2008)
> Profit: $34.9 million
> Worldwide box office: $49.9 million
> Production budget: $15.0 million
> Starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty
> Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow
Kathryn Bigelow made history at the Oscars in 2010. Her low-budget, apolitical Iraq war film “The Hurt Locker” won a total of six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. The movie follows three American soldiers, members of a bomb-disposal unit in Baghdad, who are at the end of their tours.
7. 12 Strong (2018)
> Profit: $36.1 million
> Worldwide box office: $71.1 million
> Production budget: $35.0 million
> Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Pena
> Directed by: Nicolai Fuglsig
“12 Strong” is the story of the first Special Forces team that was deployed to Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Once there, they partner up with an Afghan warlord to fight the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
6. War Dogs (2016)
> Profit: $36.2 million
> Worldwide box office: $86.2 million
> Production budget: $50.0 million
> Starring: Jonah Hill, Miles Teller, Steve Lantz
> Directed by: Todd Phillips
The movie is only loosely based on a true story. “War Dogs” follows two friends who try to make money as international arms dealers. Problems begin when they win a $300 million contract to supply weapons to Afghan forces.
5. The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)
> Profit: $43.3 million
> Worldwide box office: $67.3 million
> Production budget: $24.0 million
> Starring: Ewan McGregor, George Clooney, Kevin Spacey
> Directed by: Grant Heslov
“The Men Who Stare at Goats” tells the fictional story of a struggling reporter who, after receiving a tip about a unit of psychic soldiers, follows them on a dangerous mission to Iraq.
4. Body of Lies (2008)
> Profit: $51.1 million
> Worldwide box office: $118.6 million
> Production budget: $67.5 million
> Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong
> Directed by: Ridley Scott
The action thriller follows an insubordinate CIA operative in Jordan who is on a quest to track down a terrorist leader. He finds himself in a difficult situation between the unclear intentions of his supervisor and Jordan intelligence services.
3. Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
> Profit: $82.1 million
> Worldwide box office: $134.6 million
> Production budget: $52.5 million
> Starring: Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Chris Pratt
> Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow
“Zero Dark Thirty” chronicles the hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist group leader Osama bin Laden after the 9/11 attacks through to his death at the hands of the Navy SEAL Team 6 in May 2011. The film was directed by Kathryn Bigelow, the first woman to have won an Oscar for best directing (“The Hurt Locker”). The movie was nominated for five Oscars and won one — for Best Achievement in Sound Editing.
2. Lone Survivor (2013)
> Profit: $109.8 million
> Worldwide box office: $149.8 million
> Production budget: $40.0 million
> Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch
> Directed by: Peter Berg
“Lone Survivor” is based on the true story of four Navy SEALs who go on a mission to take out a Taliban leader in Afghanistan in 2005. As in many U.S.-made movies set during the war in Afghanistan, the American soldiers in “Lone Survivor” find themselves outnumbered by enemies.
1. American Sniper (2014)
> Profit: $489.3 million
> Worldwide box office: $547.3 million
> Production budget: $58.0 million
> Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Kyle Gallner
> Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Legend Clint Eastwood’s homage to the U.S. soldier as a killing machine, the film’s base is “American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History,” written in part by its subject sniper Chris Kyle who kills 244 of the enemy in the Iraq War. It is the highest grossing film ever made, or starred in by Eastwood with a box office take of over $550 million to date. The film received criticism for its unusually heroic glorification of a man whose only role was to hunt and kill.