Highest-Grossing ‘SNL’ Movies

By Rachel West. 21 May 2020 9:00 AM

“Saturday Night Live” has a long history of turning popular sketches into big-screen movies, though with varying degrees of box office success. As Will Forte’s action-hero comedy “MacGruber” turns 10 on May 21, we’re ranking the top-grossing movies based on an “SNL” sketch.

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11. ‘It’s Pat’
Buena Vista
Box office: $60,822

Release date: August 26, 1994

With a budget of $8 million, “It’s Pat” starring Julia Sweeney as the androgynous titular Pat only opened in three cities before being pulled from theatres entirely. Called “shockingly unfunny” by Variety, the movie has the dishonor of having a rare zero per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
10. ‘Stuart Saves His Family’
Paramount Pictures
Box office: $912,082

Release date: April 14, 1995

Directed by Harold Ramis and starring Al Franken as wannabe self-help guru Stuart Smalley, the film was a box office failure. Franken himself even poked fun at it in an “SNL” sketch in which Stuart laments audiences choosing to see “Dumb and Dumber” and “Bad Boys” instead of his film. In his 2003 memoir, Franken admits to having depression following the film’s failure. However, the movie did win some prominent fans, including critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert who gave it a “thumbs up” rating.
9. ‘MacGruber’
Alliance
Box office: $9,259,314

Release date: May 21, 2010

The “MacGyver” parody starring Will Forte, Maya Rudolph, and Kristen Wiig has become a cult classic in the decade following its release. While Forte initially thought the idea for the character was “too dumb,” Lonely Island’s Jorma Taccone eventually persuaded the comedian. The popularity of MacGruber even led to a series of Pepsi commercials featuring the bumbling character. “MacGruber” also has the distinction of being the last “SNL” spinoff movie.
8. ‘The Ladies Man’
Paramount Pictures
Box office: $13,743,212

Release date: October 13, 2000

Just barely breaking even at the box office, the film featuring Tim Meadows’ radio host and sex therapist Leon Phelps was widely panned by critics. Filmed in Toronto, the movie is also notable for featuring an inexplicable cameo by Julianne Moore as a lustful clown named Bloopie.
7. ‘Blues Brothers 2000’
Universal Pictures
Box office: $14,051,384

Release date: February 6, 1998

A sequel to 1980’s “Blues Brothers” made for $28 million, the musical comedy "Blues Brothers 2000" with Dan Aykroyd and John Goodman is most notable for the number of blues musician cameos in the film, including Eric Clapton, Lou Rawls, Aretha Franklin, Steve Winwood, Wilson Pickett and many more. Partially filmed around Ontario, “Blues Brothers 2000” made it into the Guinness Book of Records for the Biggest Car Pileup, a record previously held by the first film.
6. ‘Coneheads’
Paramount Pictures
Box office: $21,274,717

Release date: July 23, 1993

Called “dismal” by Roger Ebert, the comedy about an alien family stranded on Earth didn’t win over audiences or critics upon its initial release but we’re pretty sure there’s an entire generation of viewers who can’t hear “Tainted Love” without thinking about “Coneheads”.
5. ‘A Night At The Roxbury’
Paramount Pictures
Box office: $30,331,165

Release date: October 2, 1998

One of the few “SNL” movies to more-than-make-back its budget at the box office, “A Night At The Roxbury” was panned by critics for being too “one-note.” With Chris Kattan and Will Ferrell as two pathetic brothers you almost feel bad laughing at, the comedy’s Eurodance-heavy soundtrack featuring Haddaway’s “What Is Love” made it impossible not to get whiplash while bopping along to the song.
4. ‘Superstar’
Paramount Pictures
Box office: $30,636,478

Release date: October 8, 1999

Molly Shannon’s socially inept Catholic schoolgirl Mary Katherine Gallagher received mostly negative reviews but that didn’t stop audiences from turning out for the $14-million-budgeted comedy in droves. Directed by Edmonton-born “Kids In The Hall” alum Bruce McCulloch, the movie also featured a number of funny Canucks including Mark McKinney, Tom Green, and Harland Williams.
3. ‘Wayne’s World 2’
Paramount Pictures
Box office: $48,197,805

Release date: December 10, 1993

Coming one year after “Wayne’s World”, the sequel tried to capitalize on the success of the first film but found tough holiday-season box office competition from “Schindler’s List”, “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “The Pelican Brief”. “Wayne’s World” director Penelope Spheeris accused Mike Myers of encouraging Paramount to replace her with Canadian director Steve Surjik for the sequel due to personality conflicts on the first film – including having Myers argue against the now-iconic “Bohemian Rhapsody” scene. Revealing she “hated that bastard for years” in an interview with EW, Spheeris says the two have since made up.
2. ‘The Blues Brothers’
Universal Pictures
Box office: $115,229,890

Release date: June 20, 1980

The very first “SNL” movie was a huge success, paving the way for future sketch spinoffs. The movie about two men on “a mission from God” wasn’t without a few bumps on the road to the big screen. Production costs spiralled out of control due to a number of factors, including first-time screenwriter Dan Aykroyd’s lengthy and unconventional script that took six months to deliver to director John Landis, who ended up rewriting it. Though the film began shooting without a final budget in place, John Belushi’s notorious partying and drug use delayed production further and with the record-breaking car crash scenes, “The Blues Brothers” became one of the most expensive comedies ever produced by the time the final budget settled at $27 million.
1. ‘Wayne’s World’
Paramount Pictures
Box office: $183,097,323

Release date: February 14, 1992

Party on, Wayne! Twenty-eight years later, “Wayne’s World” is still the highest-grossing movie based on an “SNL” sketch. A critical and commercial success, the highly quotable movie had a huge impact on pop culture, even propelling the 17-year-old song “Bohemian Rhapsody” to the No. 2 spot on the Billboard charts, with the soundtrack becoming certified double-platinum.

Highest-Grossing ‘SNL’ Movies

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