12 Comedies That Earned 30 Times Their Production Budget at the Box Office

      Here are 12 incredibly profitable comedy films that generated at least 30 times their budget at the box office, or even more.

      While these aren’t the top-grossing comedy productions, they boast some of the best returns on investment, transforming modest budgets into substantial earnings.

      Here we go.

      **Pink Flamingos (1972)**

      Credit: New Line Cinema

      John Waters’ second film is a raucous cult classic celebrating all things outrageous, paving the way for more of Waters' cult camp favorites.

      Created for just $12,000, it garnered at least $2 million, with some estimates suggesting it earned significantly more.

      This film was succeeded by two more in what Waters refers to as his Trash Trilogy: 1974’s Female Trouble and 1977’s Desperate Living.

      **American Graffiti (1973)**

      Credit: Universal

      Produced for only $770,000, George Lucas’ American Graffiti raked in $140 million — over 100 times its budget — and secured five Oscar nominations.

      Playing on audiences' nostalgia and benefiting from the charm of young actors like Ron Howard, Harrison Ford, and Cindy Williams, along with an unforgettable soundtrack, the film drew from Lucas’ teenage years racing cars in Modesto, California.

      The success of American Graffiti enabled Lucas to pursue another iconic film you may be familiar with.

      **Blazing Saddles (1974)**

      Credit: Warner Bros.

      Mel Brooks’ classic Western parody came at a time when his career was somewhat stagnant. He wrote in his 2020 memoir *All About Me!* that the two movies preceding Blazing Saddles, *The Producers* and *The Twelve Chairs*, “together didn’t make me enough money to buy a new car.”

      However, after 1974, he could afford multiple cars. Not only did Blazing Saddles gross about $120 million from a budget of under $3 million, but Brooks also saw success that year with *Young Frankenstein*, which was nearly as successful.

      Blazing Saddles was a box office success and also a creative triumph: AFI ranked it as the sixth-funniest comedy ever.

      **The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)**

      Credit: 20th Century Fox

      Created for approximately $1.4 million and based on Richard O’Brien’s popular stage musical, *The Rocky Horror Picture Show* initially flopped.

      But an executive at 20th Century Fox had an interesting idea — to hold midnight screenings for the unconventional musical horror comedy. It later became the longest-running theatrical release in history, as noted by Richard O’Brien’s son, Linus O’Brien, in the new documentary *Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror*.

      *The Rocky Horror Picture Show* recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, continues to be screened worldwide, and has earned over $166 million and counting.

      **Airplane! (1980)**

      Credit: Paramount

      Following the tremendous success of *The Kentucky Fried Movie*, which they wrote, the comedy trio of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker wanted to direct their next film — resulting in what’s regarded as one of the funniest films ever made. (AFI ranks it 10th among the funniest comedies.)

      *Airplane!* was made for under $4 million and went on to earn $171 million, including from re-releases.

      The ZAZ trio proved they could produce hits and subsequently created the *Naked Gun* franchise and other successes. They are behind some of the most profitable and beloved comedies in history.

      **Porky’s (1982)**

      Credit: 20th Century Studios

      One of those ‘80s comedies that unabashedly pushes boundaries, *Porky’s* was a significant success for genre-blending director Bob Clark, who also directed *Black Christmas*, *A Christmas Story*, and *Baby Geniuses*.

      Budgeted at under $5 million, *Porky’s* grossed a staggering $160 million at the box office, making it the sixth-highest-grossing film of 1982.

      It's no wonder it led to two sequels.

      **Crocodile Dundee (1986)**

      Credit: Paramount Pictures

      Before the phenomenal success of *Crocodile Dundee*, star and co-writer Paul Hogan was largely unknown to American audiences who hadn’t seen his Benny Hill-style show.

      However, in 1986, Hogan was everywhere thanks to his low-budget tale of an Outback adventurer who moves to New York City, delivering the now-famous line, “That’s not a knife — that’s a knife.”

      The film earned an impressive $328 million on a budget of under $9 million. That’s a clear success.

      **The Full Monty (1997)**

      Credit: Fox Searchlight Pictures

      Known as one of the UK’s most profitable comedies, *The Full Monty* tells the