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\n Since the dawn of the R rating in the 1980s, it\u2019s been a more limited stamp on a film\u2019s box office prospects. There\u2019s a much lower box office ceiling on R-rated movies than there is for those of the PG-13 variety, and thus Hollywood doesn't normally back R-rated ventures with the big budgets that accompany your standard PG-13 franchise-starter. That said, some R-rated films still manage to break out in a big way regardless of budget, striking a chord with audiences that spurs repeat business and strong word of mouth.
\nDeadpool was one such film, standing as the first R-rated superhero movie programmed against the glut of Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Cinematic Universe efforts, which regularly aim to cross the $1 billion mark. Deadpool\u2019s success caught everyone by surprise, going on to gross over $780 million worldwide. It was a success story, full stop, but it\u2019s far from the only R-rated success story.
\nBelow, we\u2019ve assembled a list of the top 20 highest grossing R-rated movies of all time, ranked according to their domestic box office. It\u2019s a neat overview of the kinds of films that really hit big with audiences, and the diversity of content here is a testament to how hard it is to make an R-rated movie that makes huge amounts of money.
\n\n 1. The Passion of the Christ (2004)\n
\n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \nDomestic Total: $370,782,930
\nWorldwide Total: $611,899,420
\nFilmmaker Mel Gibson\u2019s gruesome take on the Biblical death of Jesus Christ should probably have been rated NC-17 for the sheer intensity of gore and violence on display, but this film was a massive hit fueled by a grassroots campaign that targeted church-fulls of Christians across the country.
\n\n 2. Deadpool (2016)\n
\n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \nDomestic Total: $363,070,709
\nWorldwide Total: $783,112,979
\nThe success of Deadpool came out of nowhere, and is even more impressive when you consider the movie opened in February\u2014a month not usually known for launching blockbusters. The film surpassed any and all expectations.
\n\n 3. American Sniper (2014)\n
\n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \nDomestic Total: $350,126,372
\nWorldwide Total: $547,426,372
\nFilmmaker Clint Eastwood\u2019s story of true-life marksman Chris Kyle was a holiday smash, opening in limited release in December before really exploding upon wide release in January.
\n\n 4. It (2017)\n
\n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \nDomestic Total: $327,481,748
\nWorldwide Total: $700,381,748
\nWhen It scored the highest opening weekend for a horror movie ever, folks knew this was going to be big. No doubt fueled by the success of the similarly 80s-set coming-of-age hit Stranger Things, this Stephen King horror adaptation ended up outgrossing Warner Bros.\u2019 own superhero crossover event Justice League.
\n\n 5. The Matrix Reloaded (2003)\n
\n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \nDomestic Total: $281,576,461
\nWorldwide Total: $742,128,461
\nThe anticipation surrounding The Matrix Reloaded was absolutely massive, and this rare R-rated blockbuster\u2014carrying a budget north of $150 million\u2014indeed brought a lot of folks to theaters. But the curious story regarding Reloaded is how it completely turned people off the franchise, to the point that the trilogy closing The Matrix Revolutions, which hit theaters just six months later, only grossed a little over half of what Reloaded made.
\n\n 6. The Hangover (2009)\n
\n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \nDomestic Total: $277,322,503
\nWorldwide Total: $467,483,912
\nWarner Bros.\u2019 $35 million The Hangover was a breakout hit, spawning an entire franchise and garnering the kind of repeat business that studios hope to see with comedies. Nine years later, it still stands as the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all time.
\n\n 7. The Hangover Part II (2011)\n
\n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \nDomestic Total: $254,464,305
\nWorldwide Total: $586,764,305
\nWhile domestically The Hangover Part II made about as much money as the first film, worldwide it topped the original by over $100 million. This is all the more impressive when you consider the pretty scathing reviews this sequel made\u2014although 2013\u2019s The Hangover Part III fell prey to a Matrix Revolutions-esque situation and grossed only $112 million domestic.
\n\n 8. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)\n
\n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \nDomestic Total: $234,760,478
\nWorldwide Total: $316,360,478
\nBeverly Hills Cop is one of the R-rated films that\u2019s been on this top-grossers list the longest, and even today that $234 million domestic total is incredibly impressive. This was the epitome of a word-of-mouth hit, bolstered by the starpower of lead Eddie Murphy.
\n\n 9. The Exorcist (1973)\n
\n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \nDomestic Total: $232,906,145
\nWorldwide Total: $441,306,145
\nOver 40 years later, The Exorcist still stands as one of the scariest\u2014and highest-grossing\u2014horror films ever made.
\n\n 10. Logan (2017)\n
\n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \nDomestic Total: $226,277,068
\nWorldwide Total: $619,021,436
\nSpurred by the success of the R-rated Deadpool, 20th Century Fox allowed director James Mangold and star Hugh Jackman to finally go fully R-rated with Wolverine\u2019s final sendoff, and audiences responded enthusiastically. The film even garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
\n\n 11. Ted (2012)\n
\n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \nDomestic Total: $218,815,487
\nWorldwide Total: $549,368,315
\nFamily Guy creator Seth MacFarlane stepped into the feature realm with a raunchy comedy about a talking bear named Ted, and audiences\u2014especially internationally\u2014turned out in droves. Curiously, as is becoming a theme on this list, the 2015 sequel Ted 2 grossed a whopping $300 million less than its predecessor, and thus was a massive disappointment.
\n\n 12. Saving Private Ryan (1998)\n
\n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \nDomestic Total: $216,540,909
\nWorldwide Total: $481,840,909
\nSteven Spielberg\u2019s ode to World War II veterans famously lost the Best Picture Oscar in a close call, but the film was a bona fide box office smash right in the heart of the summer movie season.
\n\n 13. 300 (2007)\n
\n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \nDomestic Total: $210,614,939
\nWorldwide Total: $456,068,181
\nFilmmaker Zack Snyder\u2019s stylish graphic novel adaptation 300 was a must-see film for a key demographic in the mid-2000s, packed with violence and sexuality, but presented in a then-unique, painterly visual style.
\n\n 14. Wedding Crashers (2005)\n
\n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \nDomestic Total: $209,255,921
\nWorldwide Total: $285,176,741
\nHere\u2019s an example of a fairly standard comedy that didn\u2019t exactly translate to international audiences, but performed pretty spectacularly on the domestic front. The pairing of Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn for Wedding Crashers was an inspired choice, and given how well the film did, it\u2019s a bit of a surprise that New Line Cinema never made a sequel.
\n\n 15. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)\n
\n\n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \nDomestic Total: $205,881,154
\nWorldwide Total: $520,881,154
\nDirector James Cameron has made two of the greatest sequels in history, and while Aliens performed so-so at the box office, Terminator 2: Judgment Day was an event film of the highest order in the 1990s.
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