The Most Surprising Box Office Hits Of 2022

So many people in the movie business looked to 2021 as the year that was going to save the industry following the disaster that was 2020. Not quite. In truth, the recovery has been more gradual and uneven than any of us expected, though 2022 brought us much closer to something resembling normalcy. And sure, a big part of that was expected hits like "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" and "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" bringing in the big bucks. Heck, even "Halloween Ends" did over $100 million against largely negative reviews with a day-and-date release on Peacock. It was closer to business as usual and, with any luck, 2023 will be even better.

But a big part of what helped is that there were a number of surprise winners at the box office this year to go along with the likes of "Jurassic World Dominion" pulling in $1 billion. And yeah, sure, we had more than our fair share of flops this year as well, with movies like "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore," "Strange World," and "Morbius" doing far less business than expected. But, on the flipside, original horror movies, adult-friendly dramas, rom-coms, and even Indian blockbuster epics managed to draw unexpectedly large crowds. So, let's take a look at some of the most surprising box office hits of 2022 and see what we can learn from them.

It was, all told, a pretty brutal year for original movies at the box office. Yes, original horror did well (and some of those titles are on this list), but adult-oriented originals floundered miserably on the whole. Yet, a charming little man and his dog tale, simply titled "Dog," managed to cut through the noise. Channing Tatum co-directed and starred in the movie, and United Artists found themselves with a low-key hit. Against solid reviews, the comedic drama netted a very solid $84.7 million worldwide, including a whopping $61.7 million domestic, all against a very reasonable $15 million budget. This, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly why studios should not abandon mid-budget movies. Even if this had cost $25 million pre-marketing, it still would have been a big win.

As mentioned earlier, adult-friendly fare had a tough go in 2022, while superheroes and horror flicks were gobbling up most of the money from moviegoers. But Baz Luhrman and Warner Bros. got the formula right with the Elvis Presley biopic starring Austin Butler, simply titled "Elvis." An over-the-top flare mixed with a potentially Oscar-worthy performance convinced audiences to show up en masse for this one, with the film ultimately pulling in a damn great $286 million worldwide. The best part? WB managed to not overspend on this one, with the budget sitting at $85 million. Below $90 million seems to be the sweet spot if you're not going for big blockbuster movie money. Sure, an Elvis biopic always seemed like a fine idea, but in the post-pandemic era? It was never a guaranteed moneymaker. The fact that it earned well over three times its budget is a nice surprise of the highest order.

Sequels that have long gaps between the original and the follow-up are often not a recipe for success. Think "Zoolander 2." Prequels, for all intents and purposes, are going to function similarly. That's why "Orphan: First Kill" seemed like a downright silly gamble as a sequel 13 years after the fact to "Orphan," a movie that was a hit but not a huge hit in its day. Not only that, but the lead Isabelle Fuhrman had to, convincingly, play someone who looked like they were 12 years old again in this prequel, even though she is actually a full grown adult. No easy task. Yet, somehow, this prequel worked and audiences were surprisingly hungry for it. So much so that the movie managed to make a downright surprising $37 million worldwide. The vast majority of that came from international audiences, but a little over $5 million of it was domestic. The reason? Paramount decided to release it on Paramount+ rather than do a full theatrical play. Given the numbers we ended up with (and given another movie we're going to talk about in a minute), I can't help but wonder if they would rethink that decision. Even so, against a $10 million budget, this move did better than anyone might have expected. Maybe if we get "Orphan 3," the studio will do the right thing.

In a year that saw "Halloween Ends" and "The Black Phone" also arrive to mainstream success, it is downright stunning that I sit here before you to talk about "Smile," an original horror film from director Parker Finn with a $17 million budget based on the short "Laura Hasn't Slept" that somehow reigns as this year's highest-grossing horror movie. Not just original horror, mind you, but horror of any kind. And honestly, it's not even all that close, as Jordan Peele's "NOPE" ($171.2 million) would be next in line. And "Smile" made an astounding $216.1 million, with a nearly even domestic/international split. This is another win for original cinema in 2022 and, more importantly, something that will make studios look twice before releasing a movie direct to streaming. The reason? "Smile" was, amazingly enough, originally supposed to go directly to Paramount+. But Paramount opted to change strategies following positive test screenings, and they were rewarded handsomely for that decision.

Because Netflix has been dominating the rom-com market for years (well before the pandemic), it seemed like the genre was dead as a theatrical concern. But Paramount, again coming through with a win, decided that "The Lost City" was a worthwhile gamble. With Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum leading the way, not to mention a stellar bit part from Brad Pitt, the movie managed to attract mainstream moviegoers en masse. It certainly helps that the movie was genuinely good, but still, it's doubtful anyone thought this film would go on to make $190.8 million globally, including a stellar $105.8 million domestic. So, even with its reported $74 million budget, that is a sound hit for Paramount, and one that also performed very well on VOD and on Paramount+ for them after the fact. Theatrical hits, we're learning, actually seem to perform better on streaming than films released straight to digital platforms. This is the business model that is probably best suited for longterm success in post-COVID Hollywood, and Paramount executed it superbly all year long.

Lastly, we get one more reminder that mid-budget movies should not be ignored and, if anything, Hollywood should really look to do more in this arena instead of less. Case in point: "Where the Crawdads Sing," an adaptation of the hit novel of the same name, managed to sneakily become a downright huge hit for Sony right in the heart of the summer moviegoing season. It never once topped the box office and debuted with a decent $17 million, but it served as counterprogramming against the likes of "Thor: Love and Thunder" and "Minions: The Rise of Gru." After chugging along week after week, it piled up $90.2 million just in domestic ticket sales, with another $50 million coming internationally. All told, director Oliva Newman's drama, fronted by Daisy Edgar-Jones, pulled in $140.2 million against a very reasonable $24 million budget. Plus, Sony doesn't have a dedicated streaming service, so it made some dough licensing it to Netflix, where it also became a streaming hit, as well as reaping the benefits of VOD. A home run that never climbed higher than number three on the charts. That's the good stuff right there.