The Biggest Independent Films of All Time

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, Gordon Liu, Michael Parks
Release date: April 16, 2004
Box office gross: $154,116,796

At the top of our list is, of course, a Quentin Tarantino production. Kill Bill: Volume 2 continues The Bride’s quest for revenge after taking out a few names on her Kill List, looking to make it complete by killing Bill as the title commands. This film, while still full of action, focuses more on the history of The Bride and how she became one of the most deadly assassins in the world, and her relationship with Bill. As the quest comes to its conclusion, revelations that were previously unknown to our hero make her question her motives and grudge against those who wronged her.

While people view this film as inferior to the first, it was still a successful film that put a satisfying close to this story of vengeance and redemption.

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, James Parks, Channing Tatum
Release date: December 25, 2015
Box office gross: $156,480,177

The second Tarantino film on this list, The Hateful Eight is set several years after the Civil War, where a blizzard rages through the Wyoming Frontier. A ragtag group of bounty hunters, criminals, and unpleasant individuals all take refuge inside a remote stagecoach lodge. As to be expected with a group like this, suspicions arise as it becomes apparent that not everyone is who they claim to be. When reality hits, and the actual identities and affiliations become apparent, the lodge becomes a stage of survival as mistrust drives the inhabitants to the brink.

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen, David Carradine, Sonny Chiba, Julie Dreyfus, Chiaki Kuriyama
Release date: October 10, 2003
Box office gross: $180,899,045

Uma Thurman’s turn as a samurai sword-wielding badass is an amazing, kickass ride. A former assassin only known as “The Bride” (for now) wakes up from a four-year coma after her former boss, Bill, and fellow assassins kill her fiancé, family, and leave her for dead. The Bride embarks on a journey of revenge, setting out to kill everyone involved in the massacre. Incredible characters, insane fight scenes, and a killer soundtrack make this one of Tarantino’s best films.

Director: Steve Barron
Starring: Judith Hoag, Elias Koteas
Release date: March 30, 1990
Box office gross: $202,084,756

The Heroes in a Half-Shell’s first foray onto the big screen was a massive success and captured what every fan wanted: seeing the four mutated turtles in live action. Crime has hit New York as the Foot Clan, led by the evil Shredder, has engaged in a crime spree, threatening the safety of the city, and the children of New York are being corrupted. The Ninja Turtles, with the help of reporter April O’Neil, their sensei Splinter, and Casey Jones, take on the Shredder and his gang of ninja thieves, all trying to find the best place to score the best pizza. Not much of a description of Turtle Mania is needed, as everyone knows how massive the franchise was during this time. The movie was a massive hit and spawned two more sequels with varying results.

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Don Cheadle, Benicio del Toro, Michael Douglas, Luis Guzmán, Dennis Quaid, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Release date: December 27, 2000
Box office gross: $207,515,725

An engaging film featuring numerous interconnected stories about the illegal drug trade. The stories follow Robert Wakefield, a judge who is appointed as the country’s new drug czar while dealing with family struggles at home; a Mexican police officer, Javier Rodriguez, navigating corruption and violence within the department he serves; and the wife of a well-known drug trafficker who deals with the fallout of protecting her family and way of life after her husband is arrested. Del Toro would go on to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Maria de Medeiros, Ving Rhames, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arquette, Christopher Walken, Bruce Willis
Release date: October 14, 1994
Box office gross: $212,894,343

Considered by many to be Quentin Tarantino’s opus, Pulp Fiction is a series of separate stories featuring hitmen Vincent and Jules (John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson), boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis), gangster Marsellus Wallace, and his trouble-making wife (Ving Rhames and Uma Thurman). As each story is told, what starts out as a normal day spirals into an insane and darkly funny chain of events that eventually ties all the stories together. Everyone is firing on all cylinders in this film, and it even gave John Travolta a second life in terms of a career. Blood, guns, samurai swords, drugs, and basement shenanigans abound in this insane film, and it is a must-see for any indie fan.

Director: Luc Besson
Starring: Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Rihanna, Ethan Hawke, Herbie Hancock, Kris Wu, Rutger Hauer
Release date: July 21, 2017
Box office gross: $225,874,228

Based on the hit French comic book Valerian and Laureline, this movie would go on to become one of the most expensive European productions in film history. Major Valerian and Sergeant Laureline are special operatives of a human-led government task force that keeps the peace throughout the galaxy. One mission takes the duo to Alpha: The City of a Thousand Planets, home to a diverse array of species from across the galaxy who share their cultures, ideas, and technology. When peace is threatened by an unknown force, Valerian and Laureline must uncover the plot to ruin this peaceful oasis in space. While this movie made a lot of money, it was considered a failure considering how much it cost to make.

Director: Gus Van Sant
Starring: Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Stellan Skarsgård, Minnie Driver
Release date: December 5, 1997
Box office gross: $225,925,989

The movie that launched the careers of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, not only as actors but writers. Damon plays Will Hunting, a school janitor who is a genius capable of solving extremely complex math problems. When Will gets arrested after a fight, the school’s math professor arranges a deal for Will to avoid jailtime if he studies mathematics and attends therapy; the therapist in question ends up being Sean Maguire, played by Robin Williams. Williams delivers a performance of a lifetime, earning him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. The film also won Best Original Screenplay for Damon and Affleck, rocketing them to stardom.

Director: Michael Moore
Starring: Michael Moore, George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld
Release date: June 25, 2004
Box office gross: $222,446,882

Michael Moore was always known as someone to push back at current and past political administrations, and his follow-up to Bowling For Columbine was no exception. In this doc, President Bush is in Moore’s crosshairs, especially his actions after the 9/11 attacks on the US. Moore questions the motives of invading Iraq after the attacks, the US’s prior relationships with Saudi Arabia and the Bin Laden family, and highlights the personal costs of the conflict. This was a major movie when it came out, becoming the highest-grossing documentary of all time.

Director: David O. Russell
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Anupam Kher, Chris Tucker
Release date: November 16, 2012
Box office gross: $236,412,453

Being the highest-grossing independent rom-com is a feat in itself. Bradley Cooper plays Pat Solitano, fresh out of a stint in a psychiatric ward who heads back home to live with his family and rebuild his life while trying to reconnect with his estranged wife. While trying to find balance in his life outside the ward, he meets another damaged soul in Jennifer Lawrence’s Tiffany Maxwell, who recently became a widow. They form an unusual friendship to say the least, and Tiffany offers to help Pat rebuild his relationship with his wife if he enters a local dance competition with her. Of course, as these movies go, characters will have wandering eyes, and the strengths of relationships are tested. Cooper and Lawrence are great together, plus throw in Robert De Niro and Chris Tucker, and you have a good time on your hands.

Director(s): Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez
Starring: Heather Donahue, Michael Williams, Joshua Leonard
Release date: July 14, 1999
Box office gross: $248,639,099

While technically not the first, The Blair Witch Project revolutionized the found footage horror genre. With a budget of around $60,000, filmmakers set out to make a truly terrifying film about a legendary witch who lives in the woods, with three documentary filmmakers seeking the truth. When the trio sets up camp in the woods, strange, seemingly supernatural events occur, and soon they find themselves in a fight for their lives to escape. The film’s marketing was extremely effective, so much so that it convinced many people the movie was real and that the actors really did die.

Director: Alejandro Monteverde
Starring: Jim Caviezel, Mira Sorvino, Bill Camp
Release date: July 4, 2023
Box office gross: $250,570,396

This film was not without its controversies, due to the involvement of the cast and production’s relationships with Q’Anon conspiracy theories and the authenticity of events portrayed in the film, but all the same, this film was a box office success. The film stars Jim Caviezel as former US Government agent Tim Ballard (who’s an actual person) as he takes down child traffickers. His quest takes him to Colombia, where he abandons his government position to rescue children without being held back by red tape. Publicity for this movie was massive, leading it to have the massive box office it enjoyed.

Director: Bong Joon Ho
Starring: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Jang Hye-jin
Release date: May 30, 2019
Box office gross: $262,857,186

One of the more important international films of all time, this movie helped put South Korean entertainment into the mainstream market. Bong Joon-ho gave us great films before this, such as The Host and Snowpiercer, but this is the movie that put him on the map in American households. Parasite follows the Kim family as they struggle to make ends meet each week, living in an apartment far too small for their needs. When the son of the family, Ki-woo, lands a job tutoring for the wealthy Park family, each of the Kim family members manipulates their ways into landing various jobs within the Park household, concealing the fact that they are all related. Of course, this plan goes haywire as tensions escalate between the families and a battle for supremacy in the household erupts.

Director: Jonathan Demme
Starring: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine
Release date: February 14, 1991
Box office gross: $275,726,716

Anthony Hopkins’ turn as Hannibal Lecter became part of cinema history, even if he was only on screen for a combined total of 16 minutes. Serial Killer Buffalo Bill is on the loose and has long evaded capture by the police. To perhaps gain insight into the killer’s mindset and behavior, FBI agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is sent to interview imprisoned genius/psychopath Hannibal Lecter. Lecter’s evil mind may hold the key to capturing Buffalo Bill, but at a cost: Starling’s sanity. Foster and Hopkins’ chemistry on screen is astounding, which led to the film winning five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor.

Director: David Fincher
Starring: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, John C. McGinley
Release date: September 22, 1995
Box office gross: $328,125,643

One of the greatest crime thrillers of all time, David Fincher brought in Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, and a not-yet-disgraced Kevin Spacey, for an epically twisted whodunnit that has left a lasting legacy. A serial killer is on the loose whose murders coincide with the seven deadly sins. Previously retired Detective William Sommerset (Freeman) and newcomer Detective David Mills (Pitt) are put together in a race against time to figure out the pattern of the killer and stop him before he completes his twisted masterpiece of murder. This movie had excellent performances all around plus an ending that is still talked about to this day.

Director: Joel Zwick
Starring: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine, Gia Carides, Louis Mandylor, Andrea Martin, Joey Fatone
Release date: April 19, 2002
Box office gross: $368,744,044

Written by and starring Nia Vardalos, this movie tells the tale of Toula, a Greek woman belonging to a very traditional, large, and close-knit family. Toula meets and starts a relationship with a schoolteacher, who is very charming and endearing, but the problem is, he’s not Greek. When a marriage is set between the two, Toula must maneuver the cultural gaps between her fiancé and her family and make sure the first non-fully Greek wedding in her family’s history goes off without a hitch. Vardalos’ Toula was a very endearing and relatable character for audiences in the early 2000s, and the movie was a massive hit, launching a multi-film franchise.

Director: Tom Hooper
Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Timothy Spall, Derek Jacobi, Jennifer Ehlem, Michael Gambon
Release date: December 25, 2010
Box office gross: $423,999,102

Colin Firth won an Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Prince Albert Duke of York, which also led to the film itself winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards. This movie tells the story of a newly crowned King of England who must give a pivotal speech at the onset of WWII to inspire the nation. The problem is that he suffers from a speech impediment, and he reaches out to an Australian speech therapist, Lionel Logue. The performances from not just Firth but also Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush are astounding, making this one of the most important films of the 2010s.

Director: Kevin Costner
Starring: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, Rodney Grant
Release date: November 9, 1990
Box office gross: $424,208,805

Kevin Costner directs and stars in this incredible tale about a Union soldier during the events of the Civil War. Costner’s character, Lieutenant John J. Dunbar, requests an assignment to a remote outpost in the wilderness, leaving him alone with his journal and thoughts. Dunbar encounters and develops a relationship with the Lakota Sioux tribe, and they soon accept him as one of their own, giving him the name “Dances With Wolves”. When the U.S. military encroaches on the Sioux land, Dunbar questions his allegiances with his country or his newfound family.

Director(s): Éric Toledano, Olivier Nakache
Starring: François Cluzet, Omar Sy
Release date: November 2, 2011
Box office gross: $484,630,908

This independent film from France touched a lot of hearts with its beautiful story of friendship through tough situations and hardship. The story follows a rich paraplegic looking for a care giver who ends up being Driss, a man from a poor background with zero caregiving experience initially only taking the job to satisfy unemployment requirements. The two develop a bond and show each other what life truly is about. Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston starred in the 2017 remake of this, The Upside.

Director: Mel Gibson
Starring: Jim Caviezel, Monica Bellucci, Maia Morgenstern, Sergio Rubini
Release date: February 25, 2004
Box office gross: $611,486,736

This was not Mel Gibson’s first movie he directed, but it was absolutely his most talked about. Gibson told the story of the last few hours of Jesus Christ’s life in agonizing detail. Every bit of the brutal torture, beatings, and eventual crucifixion of Christ was portrayed, sparing no detail, no matter how gory or upsetting. This was a controversial movie on many levels due to its brutality and religious commentary, which made it one of the more intriguing films of the year and solidified its status as the most profitable independent film of all time.