10 Huge Movie Box Office Hits NOBODY Saw Coming

On paper, Jordan Peele's directorial debut Get Out seemed like it'd be a modestly decent success, given the strong reviews from its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and mere $4.5 million budget. Horror rarely fails commercially, but nobody could've anticipated that Peele's satirical horror would end up grossing $255.4 million worldwide - more than 55x its budget.

Get Out's unique premise and mysterious must-see nature allowed it to become something of a viral phenomenon, no matter that it had no major names or existing IP behind it - just a tantalising idea, smartly written, sharply directed, and well acted.

All the same, for a totally original movie to make more money than fellow 2017 releases such as Alien: Covenant, Paddington 2, and John Wick: Chapter 2 is pretty damn astonishing.

With Get Out's commercial and awards success, Peele established himself as a branded auteur in his own right, whose name alone has gotten butts in seats for his subsequent projects Us and Nope, both of which were also hits.