2. The Artist (2011)
Budget: $15,000,000. Worldwide Box Office: $133,432,856
The Artist was a 2011 silent film written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius and was seen as a tribute to the silent era that had come many years before it. On paper, admittedly, the idea of sitting through a newly produced silent film may seem archaic and outdated for some, but Hazanavicius takes everything that was charming about the era and places it for modern audiences to see, to witness an age of cinema they may have been completely oblivious too. The film exploded critically and commercially, with some hailing its nostalgic roots as avant-garde and laced with grace and charm. The lead performance by Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo were hailed as charismatic and audiences agreed. From its initial budget of $15 million the film gained a worldwide total of $133 million.
Other notable 2011 hits
Drive - Budget: $15,000,000. Worldwide Box Office: $76,175,166 Ides of March Budget: $12,500,000. Worldwide Box Office: $75,993,061