20 HUGE Hit Movies NOBODY Saw Coming

There was very little suggestion pre-release that Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire would do much business at all.

Boyle has always been a relatively inconsistent performer at the box office, and an Indian-set drama with no name actors to the Western world, adapted from a niche novel no less, suggested little chance of a breakout.

Warner Bros. had so little faith in it that they actually planned to sent Slumdog Millionaire straight-to-video in the U.S., but ultimately agreed to share a theatrical rollout with Fox Searchlight.

And the film's fortunes truly changed once it won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival - a strong indicator a film will receive a Best Picture Oscar nod - allowing it to ride the wave of awards season buzz and become a global hit, grossing $378 million against its $15 million budget.

And that's without even mentioning the eight Oscar wins that followed, including Best Picture and Best Director.