Sad Movies that Made the Most Money

Published: April 25, 2024 by Tracy Farnsworth

Movies have the power to make you laugh, talk to the screen, hide behind a pillow, or sob for hours. It’s the sad movies that always get me. What’s the saddest movie to you? Is it one of the top sad movies that made the most money?

One of the first I remember crying over was the original “The Incredible Journey.” Watching Tao fall into the river and get swept away broke my heart. If you haven’t seen it and know what happens to Tao and his friends Bodger and Luath, I highly recommend the original and not the remake.

My mom was gifted a Siamese kitten born on the same day she had me. We spent 20 years together, so that breed is my favorite. Due to our bond while growing up, “The Incredible Journey” will always be my pick for the best sad movie. Some sad movies have been big hits at the box office, but “The Incredible Journey” didn’t do as well as others.

Sad movies come in all themes. I’ve sobbed watching dramas, romances, and even thrillers. It can be a familiar topic, such as dementia in “Still Mine, or a lonely child (“Max & Mary”) that gets the tears flowing.

If you look at the highest-grossing movies of all time, you’ll find “Avatar” and other sci-fi/action movies in the top three spots. That’s not to say there aren’t sad movies that haven’t succeeded. What are the sad movies that made the most money? Our list looks at the 50 saddest movies that did well in the theaters. (Explore them below after reading more about “The Highest-Grossing Movies of All Time.”)

To determine the sad movies that made the most money, 24/7 Tempo reviewed historical data on production costs from the film industry site The Numbers. Movies were ranked based on worldwide box office, adjusted for inflation. Data on the production budget is also from The Numbers. Box office and production budget figures were adjusted for inflation using historical ticket data from the National Association of Theatre Owners. Supplemental data on IMDb user rating is current as of April 2024.

50. Crash (2004)

Source: Courtesy of Lionsgate Films

Worldwide box office: $149.2 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $10.8 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (427,361 reviews)
Starring: Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Thandiwe Newton

49. I Am Sam (2001)

Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema

Worldwide box office: $150.0 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $35.7 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (146,714 reviews)
Starring: Sean Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dakota Fanning

48. Imitation of Life (1959)

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Worldwide box office: $156.8 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: N/A
IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (15,508 reviews)
Starring: Lana Turner, John Gavin, Sandra Dee

47. Bicentennial Man (1999)

Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Worldwide box office: $158.3 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $162.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (113,709 reviews)
Starring: Robin Williams, Embeth Davidtz, Sam Neill

46. The Prince of Tides (1991)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Worldwide box office: $162.7 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $65.3 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (17,443 reviews)
Starring: Barbra Streisand, Nick Nolte, Blythe Danner

45. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

Source: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

Worldwide box office: $164.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $12.3 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (466,095 reviews)
Starring: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell

44. Dear John (2010)

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) | Woody Harrelson and Frances McDormand in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

Source: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

N/A

Source: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

Worldwide box office: $164.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $29.0 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (143,475 reviews)
Starring: Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried, Richard Jenkins

43. About Schmidt (2002)

Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema

Worldwide box office: $169.1 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $47.4 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (126,363 reviews)
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Hope Davis, Dermot Mulroney

42. Finding Neverland (2004)

Source: Courtesy of Miramax

Worldwide box office: $169.7 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $36.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (207,701 reviews)
Starring: Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie

41. The Notebook (2004)

Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema

Worldwide box office: $171.0 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $44.3 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (540,636 reviews)
Starring: Gena Rowlands, James Garner, Rachel McAdams

40. The Pianist (2002)

Source: Courtesy of Focus Features

Worldwide box office: $176.7 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $55.3 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (836,046 reviews)
Starring: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay

39. Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Worldwide box office: $176.7 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $23.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (70,612 reviews)
Starring: Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy, Mary Stuart Masterson

38. Ordinary People (1980)

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Worldwide box office: $178.1 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $21.1 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (49,514 reviews)
Starring: Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch

37. We Were Soldiers (2002)

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Worldwide box office: $181.1 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $110.6 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (144,099 reviews)
Starring: Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe, Greg Kinnear

36. War Horse (2011)

Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Worldwide box office: $181.1 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $80.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (151,930 reviews)
Starring: Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, David Thewlis

35. Bridge to Terabithia (2007)

Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

Worldwide box office: $183.7 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $33.3 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (149,031 reviews)
Starring: Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia Robb, Zooey Deschanel

34. The Impossible (2012)

Source: Courtesy of Lionsgate Films

Worldwide box office: $195.2 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $46.0 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (226,654 reviews)
Starring: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland

33. 12 Years a Slave (2013)

Source: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

Worldwide box office: $203.7 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $22.5 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (704,537 reviews)
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Kenneth Williams, Michael Fassbender

32. Seven Pounds (2008)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Worldwide box office: $212.6 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $68.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (293,833 reviews)
Starring: Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson

31. Me Before You (2016)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Worldwide box office: $220.5 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $21.2 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (226,903 reviews)
Starring: Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, Janet McTeer

30. Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995)

Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Worldwide box office: $223.8 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $65.3 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (37,180 reviews)
Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas

29. The Vow (2012)

Source: Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

Worldwide box office: $227.4 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $34.5 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (196,420 reviews)
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum, Sam Neill

28. World Trade Center (2006)

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Worldwide box office: $228.4 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $90.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.0/10 (84,756 reviews)
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Michael Peña, Maria Bello

27. Mystic River (2003)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Worldwide box office: $238.2 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $45.6 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (436,927 reviews)
Starring: Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon

26. Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Worldwide box office: $244.7 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $17.2 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (105,134 reviews)
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Jessica Tandy, Dan Aykroyd

25. Hidden Figures (2016)

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

Worldwide box office: $245.4 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $26.5 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (233,247 reviews)
Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe

24. The Help (2011)

Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Worldwide box office: $246.2 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $28.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (462,347 reviews)
Starring: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer

23. Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Source: Courtesy of Focus Features

Worldwide box office: $252.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $19.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (338,254 reviews)
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Michelle Williams

22. Stepmom (1998)

Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures

Worldwide box office: $312.0 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $97.7 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (63,913 reviews)
Starring: Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, Ed Harris

21. Terms of Endearment (1983)

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Worldwide box office: $315.3 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: N/A
IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (57,738 reviews)
Starring: Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson

20. A Time to Kill (1996)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Worldwide box office: $315.6 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $82.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (140,500 reviews)
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson

19. Marley & Me (2008)

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

Worldwide box office: $316.2 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $76.5 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (160,238 reviews)
Starring: Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Eric Dane

18. Wonder (2017)

Source: Courtesy of Lionsgate Films

Worldwide box office: $319.4 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $20.4 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (152,948 reviews)
Starring: Jacob Tremblay, Owen Wilson, Izabela Vidovic

17. The Terminal (2004)

Source: Courtesy of DreamWorks Distribution

Worldwide box office: $322.6 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $110.6 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (427,304 reviews)
Starring: Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chi McBride

16. Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Million Dollar Baby (2004) | Hilary Swank and Lucia Rijker in Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

N/A

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Worldwide box office: $342.1 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $44.3 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (657,818 reviews)
Starring: Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman

15. The Fault in Our Stars (2014)

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

Worldwide box office: $344.4 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $13.5 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (357,084 reviews)
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff

14. The Bridges of Madison County (1995)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Worldwide box office: $369.6 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $46.3 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (76,951 reviews)
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Meryl Streep, Annie Corley

13. The Blind Side (2009)

The Blind Side (2009) | Quinton Aaron in The Blind Side (2009)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

N/A

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Worldwide box office: $373.4 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $42.7 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (336,377 reviews)
Starring: Quinton Aaron, Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw

12. The Lost Weekend (1945)

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Worldwide box office: $374.2 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $42.5 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (35,404 reviews)
Starring: Ray Milland, Jane Wyman, Phillip Terry

11. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Worldwide box office: $382.5 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $145.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (298,247 reviews)
Starring: Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O’Connor

10. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Worldwide box office: $394.1 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: N/A
IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (139,028 reviews)
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander

9. Patch Adams (1998)

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Worldwide box office: $394.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $97.7 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (115,620 reviews)
Starring: Robin Williams, Daniel London, Monica Potter

8. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Worldwide box office: $429.8 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $76.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (517,291 reviews)
Starring: Will Smith, Thandiwe Newton, Jaden Smith

7. A Star Is Born (2018)

A Star Is Born (2018) | Bradley Cooper and Lukas Nelson in A Star Is Born (2018)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

N/A

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Worldwide box office: $434.2 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $36.2 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (355,833 reviews)
Starring: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliott

6. Philadelphia (1993)

Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures

Worldwide box office: $445.4 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $57.5 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (232,086 reviews)
Starring: Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Roberta Maxwell

5. Life Is Beautiful (1998)

Life Is Beautiful (1998) | Roberto Benigni in Life Is Beautiful (1997)

Source: Courtesy of Miramax

N/A

Source: Courtesy of Miramax

Worldwide box office: $448.0 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $39.1 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 8.6/10 (718,536 reviews)
Starring: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini

4. The Green Mile (1999)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Worldwide box office: $526.2 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $108.6 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 8.6/10 (1,204,006 reviews)
Starring: Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse

3. Dead Poets Society (1989)

Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Worldwide box office: $549.8 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $37.7 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (449,222 reviews)
Starring: Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke

2. Schindler’s List (1993)

Schindler's List (1993) | Liam Neeson in Schindler's List (1993)

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

N/A

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Worldwide box office: $712.9 million (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $55.3 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 9.0/10 (1,359,268 reviews)
Starring: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley

1. Titanic (1997)

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Worldwide box office: $4.4 billion (inflation-adjusted)
Production budget: $399.1 million (inflation-adjusted)
IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (1,181,693 reviews)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane