The rise ofSam Raimiis an inspirational one for any aspiring filmmakers, as the cult movie icon came from humble beginnings and turned into one of the industry’s most profitable filmmakers. While he initiated his career working on low-budget horror films working withhis lifelong friend and frequent star,Bruce Campbell,Raimi has created some of the most profitable film franchises of all-time. Without the success of Raimi’sSpider-Mantrilogy, it’s unlikely that the superhero genre would be as successful as it is today.
While he certainly has a track record ofgetting great performances from his actors,not all of Raimi’s films have been hits. His ambition to break into other genres led to a few creative and financial setbacks. However, Raimi has managed to overcome these setbacks and continues to leave his own stamp on the film industry with his upcoming projects. Here are the highest-grossing Sam Raimi movies.
Worldwide gross: $18,636,537
The Quick and the Deadtried to take advantage of the rising popularity of Westerns in the 1990s, as hits likeUnforgivenandYoung Gunshad revitalized interest in the genre.Earning over $18 million at the global box office,The Quick and the Deadwas still considered a financial disappointment, as audiences weren’t as charmed by Raimi’s subversive take on genre archetypes as they were with more traditional Westerns. Despite the star power ofSharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, and a youngLeonardo DiCaprio,The Quick and the Deadput Raimi’s commercial prospects in jeopardy.
While its box office performance was disappointing,The Quick and the Deadhas been embraced as a cult classicby hardcore fans of Raimi’s work. The film draws from many of the “splatter horror” elements of Raimi’s early work to create a wholly unique version of a gunslinger story.
The Quick and the Dead
The Quick and the Dead: In a lawless town ruled by a notorious gunman, a mysterious woman arrives to participate in a quick-draw elimination tournament. As competitors face off in lethal duels, her true motives and secrets gradually unfold, amidst a tense atmosphere of rivalry and retribution.
Rent on Amazon
9‘The Gift’ (2000)
Worldwide gross: $44,567,606
While he is acclaimed as one of the most successful horror directors of all time,Raimi took a risk on a more serious supernatural drama with his 2000 filmThe Gift. Although it lacked the action of hisSpider-Manfilms and the scariness of hisEvil Deadfranchise,The Giftstill managed to earn a respectable gross ofover $44 million at the global box office. Considering its modest budget and relatively non-traditional narrative structure,The Giftsucceeded about as well as it ever could have hoped to given the parameters of its genre.
While not necessarily ranked as one of his best films,The Giftis an outlier within Raimi’s filmography due to its more mature themes of societal responsibility, loss, and overcoming grief. In retrospect, Raimi’s grounded approach and theunderrated performance byCate Blanchetthave become the subject of critical acclaim.
Watch on Pluto TV
8‘For The Love Of The Game’ (1999)
Worldwide gross: $46,112,640
Kevin Costner’s name is almost synonymous with sports movie classics, as films likeTin Cup, Field of Dreams, Bull Durham,andDraft Dayare remembered as some of the best in the genre. Unfortunately, Costner’s collaboration with Raimi on the 1993 baseball filmFor The Love Of The Gamefailed to revitalize interest in sports cinema.Grossing over $46 million at the global box officeon a budget of $80 million,For The Love Of The Gamewas a financial disaster that put Raimi’s future prospects as a filmmaker in jeopardy.
While reviews were critical of the film’s antiquated approach,it’s still admirable that Raimi attempted to try something radically different from anything he’d attempted before. While he’s certainly most closely associated with his horror and superhero films, Raimi’s willingness to experiment with different genres is what makes him such an appealing artist.
For Love of the Game
A veteran baseball pitcher contemplates retirement as he plays what might be his final game. Throughout the game, he experiences flashbacks of his life, his loves, and his career, providing a poignant look at the challenges and triumphs of his life both on and off the field. The stakes are high as he aims for a perfect game, making each pitch a metaphor for his life’s successes and regrets.
7‘Darkman’ (1990)
Worldwide gross: $48,878,502
Before hisSpider-Mantrilogy initiated one of the most popular comic book franchises in film history,Raimi delivereda very different type of superhero moviewith his 1990 thrillerDarkman. Despite being a dark, R-rated revenge thriller with aspects of horror,Darkmanearnedan impressive global box office total of over $48 million. Considering that the film was moderately budget at only $8 million,Darkmanwas an unqualified success that spawned several sequels that Raimi was not involved with.
In addition to proving Raimi’s merits as a superhero director,Darkmanintroduced Liam Neeson’s potential as an action star. The Irish actor got his breakout role thanks to Raimi, and would become one of the 1990s’ most popular actors. Neeson would later come to dominate the action genre two decades later thanks to the success of films likeThe Grey, Non-Stop, Run All Night,and theTakenfranchise.
6‘Drag Me To Hell’ (2009)
Worldwide gross: $90,842,646
While his success with theSpider-Manfranchis had endeared him to a larger audience,Raimi returned to his horror roots with 2009’sDrag Me To Hell.Proving that PG-13 horror films could be just as terrifyingas their R-rated counterparts,Drag Me To Hellwas an unabashed throwback to Raimi’s originalEvil Deadfilms with its shocking gore sequence and dark sense of humor. It became his most commercially successful horror film to date, earning an impressiveglobal box office total of over $90 million.
Drag Me To Hellproved why the horror genre is such a hot commodity, as its relatively low badger of $30 million allowed it to become very profitable. WhileDrag Me To Hellwas not connected to a previously established franchise, Raimi’s name was enough to attract viewers, as strong word-of-mouth allowed the film to maximize its financial potential.
Drag Me To Hell
5‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ (2013)
Worldwide gross: $493,311,825
One of the more confusing projects of Raimi’s career wasOz the Great and Powerful, as it was unclear why the horror-themed filmmaker would be asked to direct a prequel to one of the most iconic family fantasy films of all-time.It’s unclear how successfulOz the Great and Powerfulactually was, as despite an impressiveglobal box office gross of over $493 million, its sizable budget of $215 million suggested that Walt Disney Pictures may have been expecting a greater total sum. The film was also notably Raimi’s first experiment with 3D.
Despite thepopularity of theWizard of Ozfranchise,Oz the Great and Powerfulfailed to kickstart a new series for Raimi. The film led him to take the longest break between films of his entire career before he began working with Marvel Studios on the sequel toDoctor Strange.
Oz the Great and Powerful
4‘Spider-Man 2’ (2004)
Worldwide gross: $788,976,453
While it’s often considered to be one of thegreatest superhero films ever made,Spider-Man 2was actually the lowest-grossing film in Raimi’sSpider-Mantrilogy. Despite coming in with a slightly lower global box office total than its predecessor,Spider-Man 2’s impressive $788 milliongross indicated that the superhero genre was now a mainstay in popular culture. In addition to establishing an all-time great villain withAlfred Molina’s Doctor Otto Octavian,Spider-Man 2ended with a compelling cliffhanger for the third entry in the series.
TheSpider-Manfranchise continues to be immensely popular, even when the phrase “superhero fatigue” begins to feel more like a reality. There is still a lot of nostalgia for the work that Raimi did with his trilogy, asTobey Maguire’s cameo inSpider-Man: No Way Homehelped push the MCU sequel to greater box office highs.
Spider-Man 2
Watch on Disney+
3‘Spider-Man’ (2002)
Worldwide gross: $825,025,036
Although 1998’sBladeand 2000’sX-Menwere both modest hits that indicated that the superhero genre had potential, 2002’sSpider-Mansolidified the blockbuster status of comic book films. Earningan astounding box office total of over $825 million, Raimi’s origin story for the masked webslinger managed to appeal to both lifelong readers ofStan Lee’s comics and those completely unfamiliar with the character. It initiateda trilogy that is often ranked among the best in cinematic history.
While the film obviously had the benefit of the wealth of source material,Spider-Man’s success is largely indebted to Raimi himself. By incorporating action, drama, romance, suspense, and cheeky humor in equal measure, Raimi created a quintessential summer blockbuster that had viewers returning to the theater out of pure elation. While the film has been in development for years, it was the perseverance of Raimi’s vision that turned it into a massive hit.
Spider-Man
Watch On Disney+
2‘Spider-Man 3’ (2007)
Worldwide gross: $894,983,373
Despite being regarded as a massive disappointment when compared to the first two installments in the series,Spider-Man 3became the highest-grossing film in Raimi’s trilogy, and remained the highest-grossingSpider-Manfilm untilSpider-Man: Far From Homepassed it in 2019. Although the film’s gloomy tone and overabundance of villains may have given it less rewatch value, the film still clocked in withan incredible box office total of $894 million globally.
Despite being the biggest hit of the series thus far,Spider-Man 3’s behind-the-scenes drama brought Raimi’s version of the series to an early end.Frustrated by Sony Pictures’ creative meddling with the script and insertion of additional characters,Raimi chose to leave the production ofSpider-Man 4out of fear of disappointing the fans once more. While the bad review didn’t hurtSpider-Man 3’s box office, they may have drained Raimi’s enthusiasm for the series.
Spider-Man 3
1‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ (2022)
Worldwide gross: $955,775,804
WhileMarvel Studios has struggled in the aftermath ofAvengers: Endgamewith many disappointing films,Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesswas a massive win for the MCU and became Raimi’s highest-grossing film to date.Grossing over $955 million at the global box office,Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessoutperformed the firstDoctor Strangefilm, in no small part thanks to the popularity ofElizabeth Olson’s Wanda Maximoff in the aftermath of Disney+’sWandaVisionseries.
Given that the film earned generally favorable reviews and teased future possibilities for the Marvel Multiverse,it’s somewhat surprising that a thirdDoctor Strangefilm has yet to be announced. While Marvel Studios films likeThe MarvelsandAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniaoffered diminishing returns, theDoctor Strangeseries may have the potential to keep succeeding with additional installments.
