Paranormal Activity (2007) - $194 Million

Before it became a multi-million-dollar studio franchise, this found-footage movie was a simple passion project shot by a director with zero prior film experience. The minimalist story tracks a young, ordinary couple who suspect their new suburban home is haunted by a demonic presence, setting up a video camera at the foot of their bed to record the increasingly violent supernatural disturbances while they sleep. The deep, underlying theme taps into the intense anxieties surrounding economic security and domestic vulnerability, turning the foundational American dream of homeownership into an inescapable claustrophobic cage, demonstrating that no amount of modern surveillance technology, financial insulation, or physical walls can protect an individual from the quiet, internal rot eroding their personal relationships. Oren Peli filmed the entire movie inside his own house using a handheld camera and a tripod over just seven days for a legendary $15,000. Utilizing a unique viral marketing campaign where fans had to vote online to demand theatrical screenings, it went on to collect nearly $194 million worldwide to secure its spot as one of the most profitable movies ever made.