11 Incredibly Successful Movies (That Shockingly Made No Profit)
9. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Despite never reaching the #1 spot at the box office, My Big Fat Greek Wedding was nevertheless a monstrous sleeper hit when it released in 2002, and grossed over $241.4 million in North America alone (its worldwide total being $368.7 million).
In 2003, the original producers of the film, MPH Entertainment, Inc., sued writer/star Nia Vardalos and producers Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson for their share of the profits. They had originally bought the script from Vardalos, then sold it to bigger companies in exchange for 3% of the profits.
MPH didn't receive any profits, however, and in the lawsuit, an accounting statement from Gold Circle Films revealed that the movie had actually lost $20 million, despite its massive earnings from the box office and home video.
This wasn't the only lawsuit for Gold Circle Films, though, as Hanks and Wilson would later sue the studio, which they claimed still owed them a share of the profits. Hanks ultimately dropped the lawsuit a year later.