10 Movies That Were Box Office Hits Despite Major Controversies

Movies embroiled in controversy can often be doomed before they even open in theaters, but some movies can use this controversy to achieve immense box office success. Movies can attract controversy for many different reasons, whether this is justified or not. Often, the way that movies handle different religious or political themes can spark intense debates, and it can be hard for audiences to divorce a movie from this context.

Some movies survive despite their many controversies, or perhaps, partly, because of the controversy. A protracted public debate about the content of a movie can sometimes be the perfect marketing, especially if the filmmakers are deliberately trying to create a divisive and thought-provoking movie. Although most movies strive to avoid causing offense and starting heated debates, this has worked in favor of some box office successes.

10

The Passion Of The Christ (2004)

$612 million

Any movie about important religious figures is bound to stir up controversy, since believers have their own interpretations of how these figures should be portrayed. Mel Gibson’s story of Jesus Christ’s last days has been criticized for its extreme focus on violence and gore. Gibson is a Christian, and his intention was to show the intense suffering that Jesus was forced to endure before and during his crucifixion.

The biggest controversy surrounding The Passion of the Christ is the movie’s portrayal of Jewish characters, and a lot of this has been fueled by some of Mel Gibson’s highly publicized comments about Jewish people. Despite this fiery debate, The Passion of the Christ has a sequel in production 20 years after the original, and Mel Gibson is returning to the director’s chair. The movie’s remarkable box office success is undoubtedly a huge reason for this.

9

The Life Of Brian (1979)

$20 million

The Life of Brian also drew ire from Christians, but for completely different reasons to The Passion of the Christ. The Monty Python movie follows a regular man named Brian who is mistaken for the new messiah and pursued relentlessly by people who want to be his disciples. Although it angered a lot of religious people who saw it as a parody of the story of Christ, The Life of Brian is widely considered to be Monty Python’s best movie.

The Life of Brian‘s iconic ending has been a particular point of controversy since its release. After Brian is wrongly accused of blasphemy, he is sentenced to death by crucifixion. The movie ends with Brian and the other men on the crucifixes around him engaging in a lighthearted song to pass the time. “Always Look On the Bright Side of Life” highlights the movie’s message not to take things too seriously, but it only alienated religious groups even further.

8

Oppenheimer (2023)

$953 million

The controversy surrounding Oppenheimer shows that movies are under just as much scrutiny as ever. Society’s values may have shifted, but this just means that movies have a different set of rules to abide by. Oppenheimer has been criticized for only showing one side of the Manhattan Project, and not spending any time on the victims of the bombings at Nagasaki and Hiroshima, or on the displaced indigenous Americans who lived near Los Alamos.

Oppenheimer‘s remarkable awards season success underlines how most of the initial controversy has since died down. The plot of Oppenheimer doesn’t see the full picture, but it’s a detailed biography of one man. Breaking away from his story to show the bombings in Japan could easily have been just as controversial. The Manhattan Project has been reassessed ever since the Second World War, so Oppenheimer was bound to spark fierce debates no matter how it approached the subject.

7

JFK (1991)

$205 million

Oliver Stone is no stranger to controversy. Some of his statements in interviews have come under intense scrutiny, and many of his movies have also been at the center of firestorms. Stone has directed several movies about important American political figures, including Nixon and W. JFK is controversial even by Stone’s standards, with many critics claiming that the movie perpetuates baseless conspiracy theories about the assassination of Kennedy.

JFK doesn’t tell the story of the assassination as it appears in the Warren Commission Report. Instead, Stone focuses on the trial of Clay Shaw. Shaw was indicted on suspicion of murdering the president by Louisiana District Attorny Jim Garrison in 1967. He was swiftly acquitted, but the case has fed conspiracy theories which claim that government agencies were involved in JFK’s death. Stone’s detractors have claimed that JFK gives legitimacy to these theories.

6

The Greatest Showman (2017)

$435 million

The Greatest Showman is a musical biopic of P.T. Barnum, a pioneering American circus owner. Despite the movie’s heartwarming story of kinship and its popular musical numbers, The Greatest Showman attracted criticism from the outset for its portrayal of Barnum as a benevolent entertainer. The true story of P.T. Barnum is much less uplifting, and it would not have made for such a cheery musical.

Barnum made a profit by exploiting people as sideshow attractions. Some had disabilities, while others were on display as living curiosities just because of the color of their skin. The Greatest Showman ignores this uncomfortable truth, and it goes so far as to depict Barnum as a kind man who is willing to care for and employ society’s outcasts. Barnum’s true talents lay in advertising, and he could hardly have wished for a more generous portrayal than The Greatest Showman.

5

Downfall (2004)

$92 million

There are several rules in Germany that ban Nazi iconography, but exceptions are made for artistic and educational contexts. Downfall was therefore a huge shock to German audiences when it premiered in 2004, as it brought Adolf Hitler back into the spotlight. The movie depicts Hitler’s final days in his bunker in Berlin as Allied forces close in. The movie caused a significant stir in Germany, with many people thinking it would be too painful for the country to revisit its dark past in such a way.

One of the most common anxieties about the movie before its release centered on the depiction of Hitler. There was a fear that the movie might find some kind of sympathy for Hitler, not necessarily because of who he was or what he did, but because it seemed hard for a movie about a man facing death to not show some sympathy. Downfall can be an uncomfortable watch, but it strikes the right tone.

4

Borat (2006)

$262 million

Like many other Sacha Baron Cohen projects, Borat is intentionally confronting and thought-provoking. Its raunchy humor and over-the-top caricatures are devised to confront society’s standards of taste, but Borat also stoked controversy for dozens of other reasons. The movie uses a mockumentary format with plenty of pranks, but some of these pranks have been accused of going too far, like the one in which Borat kidnaps Pamela Anderson, although Cohen has since claimed this was staged.

Borat is from Kazakhstan, and the character was heavily criticized by the Kazakhstani government. Since Borat is an ignorant, rude, antisemite, Cohen received backlash for what many perceived to be a negative stereotype. It doesn’t help that Western audiences aren’t usually familiar with Kazakhstani culture. Borat has also been subjected to several lawsuits from the participants in the movie’s interview segments, who claim they were lied to about the true nature of the mockumentary. The sequel, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, was just as controversial.

3

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

$114 million

Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Anthony Burgess’ novel has since undergone a critical re-evaluation, but at the time A Clockwork Orange was condemned by many for its graphic depictions of violence. The movie caused such an uproar that it was even banned in some countries, and Kubrick faced enough pressure to pull A Clockwork Orange from British theaters. Still, A Clockwork Orange achieved an impressive box office haul.

A Clockwork Orange follows a gang of violent anti-social thugs, and it shows many of their horrific crimes in excruciating detail. There were concerns when it was first released that A Clockwork Orange could inspire a spate of copycat crimes by glorifying the lives of the gang members. Although the movie had an R-rating, it had a huge impact on some teenagers and children who managed to see it, and it was cited in several court cases.

2

Bonnie & Clyde (1967)

$70 million

Before A Clockwork Orange, Bonnie and Clyde also shocked audiences with its graphic violence and its charismatic criminal protagonists. Bonnie and Clyde is based on the true story of the Barrow Gang, who robbed banks and killed police officers during the Great Depression. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Parker were already famous figures in American history, but the movie enshrined them as legends like never before.

Bonnie and Clyde contributed to the common idea of the two criminals as romantic heroes. The movie was widely condemned for glamorizing violence and ignoring the victims of the Barrow Gang, but it still became one of the highest grossing movies of 1967, even outperforming the James Bond movie You Only Live Twice. The ending was singled out as particularly gory, as Bonnie and Clyde are torn apart by machine gun fire in their car.

1

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)

$83 million

South Park has gleefully courted controversy ever since its first episode, and the movie was no different. For starters, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone used a dirty joke in the movie’s title, but this was just a minor indication of what was to come. South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut is packed full of obscene humor, filthy songs, and the kind of swearing that the creators can’t get away with on TV.

One of the oldest criticisms of South Park is that it looks like a children’s show, so children could easily take an interest in it, only to then be bombarded by things which aren’t appropriate for them. The South Park movie plays with this idea, as the four main characters go and see a movie starring Terrence and Philip, two Canadian entertainers who also trade in obscenity and immature humor. South Park has released other movies since, but Bigger, Longer and Uncut remains the most impactful.