Which films make the most money?

September's figures are out.

The past month saw a number of new releases on the worldwide cinema scene. “Insidious 2”, from “Saw” director and creator James Wan was the top release of the month, grossing over US$82m worldwide and US$70 m in North America alone. Foreign box office receipts for the film should increase substantially going forward as it is yet to be released in a number of major locations. These figures are already impressive considering the film was made off a budget of only US$5 million.

It has been a strong year for Wan. His last release “The Conjuring” topped box office charts in July and has grossed over US$297 million to date worldwide off a budget of only US$20 million.

The second biggest release in September was “Prisoners” starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. Since its 20 September release the film has grossed US$46m worldwide including US$40m in North America alone.

Vin Diesel much awaited “Pitch Black” and “Chronicles of Riddick” sequel, “Riddick” opened on the 6^th September and has grossed US$85m to date worldwide. This is a relatively healthy considering it was made off a budget of only US$3m. We expect the film to end off at around US$130m total worldwide gross.

Other major September releases included “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2”, “The Family” and “Rush”. “Rush” tells the true story of the Formula1 rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda and has received strong reviews on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes. Since its 20 September release it has grossed just over US$25m worldwide.

For October, international audiences can look forward to the release of:

“Gravity”, a space drama starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney.
“Captain Phillips”, from “Green Zone” director, Paul Greengrass and starring Tom Hanks. The film is based on the true story of merchant mariner Richard Phillips, who was taken hostage by Somali Pirates during the Maersk Alabama hijacking in 2009.
“Machete Kills”, the sequel to the cult hit “Machete”. Directed by “Desperado” director Robert Rodriguez, the film stars Hollywood hard man Danny Trejo in the lead role alongside a strong supporting cast featuring Michelle Rodriguez, Charlie Sheen, Jessica Alba and a debut performance from Lady Gaga.