14 Indie Films That Broke the Box Office

1. Paranormal Activity (2007) – $194.2 million

Creaks in the night, floating sheets, and a camera in perpetual night mode. That's Paranormal Activity for you, a nail-biting found-footage film. A young couple, plagued by a malevolent spirit, documents the eerie goings-on. Your average suburban home turns into a theater of the absurd. A horror film, stripped down to its bare essentials, yet chilling to the bone. What's there? What isn't? The flickering lights won't tell.

2. The Blair Witch Project (1999) – $248.6 million

Speaking of found footage, here's the granddaddy of them all. The film shadows three aspiring filmmakers, lost in the woods, chasing a myth: the Blair Witch. Their journey? It's like following breadcrumbs only to find a hungry wolf at the end. Disorientation and mounting dread serve as the plot's compass, guiding us through shaky camera work and real-time terror.

3. Juno (2007) – $231.4 million

Switching gears, say hello to Juno MacGuff—a sharp-tongued 16-year-old navigating the labyrinth of teenage pregnancy. Yeah, she's carrying a bun in the oven but opts for adoption instead of a morose tale of teenage woe. Dialogue snaps like a pop song, punctuated by a quirky soundtrack. Juno's navigating love and, um, prenatal vitamins while dishing out one-liners. Indie at its finest, with a heart as big as its box office earnings.

4. Slumdog Millionaire (2008) – $378.4 million

Imagine your life's most miserable experiences helping you win a game show. That's Jamal Malik, a Mumbai teen who's one question away from winning Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Accused of cheating, he recounts how life's hardships prepped him for each question. The movie doesn't just hop timelines; it hopscotches across them. Every flashback is a breadcrumb, leading you to the jackpot of an ending.

5. My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) – $368.7 million

What happens when an ordinary, wallflower-type Greek girl falls for a WASP-ish, non-Greek prince charming? A comedy of cross-cultural snafus, that's what. Enter a big, loud, and immensely lovable Greek family, desperate to see Toula tie the knot—preferably to a nice Greek boy.

6. Little Miss Sunshine (2006) – $101 million

Ever seen a dysfunctional family huddled in a yellow VW bus, embarking on a cross-country trip just so their little girl could compete in a beauty pageant? Well, you will in Little Miss Sunshine. Quirks and flaws collide on a road trip that's as much about self-discovery as it is about clutch problems. Life lessons interspersed with roadside calamities, topped with a beauty pageant that's anything but traditional.

7. Get Out (2017) – $255.4 million

You're cordially invited to the estate of the Armitage family—just don't expect to leave. Chris, a young Black man, attends his white girlfriend's family gathering, and what starts as awkward social interactions soon morphs into a chilling nightmare. Think Stepford Wives meets systemic racism. A horror film on the surface, yes, but dig deeper, and it's a social critique with a venomous bite: no wonder Get Out enjoyed such a buzz at the Oscars, with 4 nominations and 1 win for Best Original Screenplay.

8. Napoleon Dynamite (2004) – $46.1 million

Tucked away in a sleepy Idaho town, we find Napoleon Dynamite: a high schooler so socially awkward he makes wallflowers look like blooming roses. Life? Oh, it's just a series of bizarre events—llamas, time machines, tetherball, and a dance number so iconic, it defies description. Scrapbook of weird moments. No plot? No problem.

9. Whiplash (2014) – $49 million

Ever felt like giving up, and then you meet someone who pushes you to your absolute limits? Whiplash beats its way into our list with a story about a young jazz drummer and his maniacal instructor. You might say it's not just drumming; it's war. An incessant tug-of-war between passion and obsession. So, where's the line between genius and madness? Don't ask; just keep drumming.

10. Moonlight (2016) – $65.3 million

Close your eyes, and picture Miami but forget the glitz and glam. Instead, envision a young black man's struggle with his identity across three defining chapters of his life. You've just entered Moonlight. The story's like a mosaic—small pieces that complete a larger picture. Chiron navigates a labyrinth of drug abuse, bullying, and sexual identity. It's not a sob story but a raw look at life's jagged edges.

11. Black Swan (2010) – $329.4 million

Picture a ballet dancer, poised and elegant. Now, rip away that exterior, and what do you get? Nina, a character teetering on the edge of reality and delusion in Black Swan. No pirouettes here, folks; we're talking mind-bending twists and haunting imagery. A battle royale but in a ballet setting. The story soars, dives, and ultimately spirals into the abyss of a fractured psyche.

12. The Shape of Water (2017) – $195.3 million

Imagine falling in love with a creature that's half-man, half-fish. Welcome to The Shape of Water, where love knows no bounds, or species. Elisa, a mute cleaning lady, discovers a top-secret experiment: a mysterious aquatic creature. Romance blossoms amid Cold War tensions. It's a love story sprinkled with elements of horror and political intrigue. Think Beauty and the Beast, but with a much darker, twisted undertow.

13. Lady Bird (2017) – $79 million

High school, man, a time when life seems so darn complicated yet exceedingly simple. Welcome to the world of Lady Bird—a self-named, self-proclaimed teen hero in the throes of teenagehood. A bittersweet cocktail of love, friendship, and ambition. Lady Bird wants out of her Sacramento life and into, well, something—anything—that feels meaningful. It's a narrative as restless as its protagonist, hopping from one teenage crisis to another.

14. Ex Machina (2014) – $37.3 million

A young programmer, Caleb, wins a contest to spend a week with the company's reclusive CEO. But there's a catch: he's there to administer a Turing test on an alluring AI, Ava. It's man vs. machine, but who's testing whom? An intricately woven web of ethics and artificial intelligence, the story simmers until it reaches an explosive finale.