20 Recent Movies You Had NO IDEA Were Box Office Hits
9. Kokuho
Many western moviegoers probably only heard of Japanese historical drama Kokuho after it recently received an Oscar nomination for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and likely didn't pay much thought to how it performed commercially.
But this gorgeous drama centered around the world of Kabuki theatre has grossed an astonishing $134 million worldwide, on a mere $8 million budget no less.
Unsurprisingly the film made roughly 99% of its box office money in its native Japan, and its performance was aided by a lengthy eight-month theatrical run there, where it went on to become the highest-grossing live-action Japanese film of all time, surpassing 2003's Bayside Shakedown 2.
That a seemingly niche drama about Kabuki theater went on to out-gross some of 2025's most anticipated Hollywood productions - including Mickey 17, Black Phone 2, Karate Kid: Legends, and The Accountant 2, to name just a few - is an outcome few could've ever seen coming.