The Greatest Showman#666 - see also record

At the 2010 Telluride Film Festival, Drake Doremus persuaded Renly Hall to join Crazy in Love for just $20,000. By the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, Crazy in Love won both the Jury Prize and the Jury Special Award. Focus Features stood out among the competitors and secured the film's distribution rights. In October 2011, Crazy in Love was released quietly, with a limited approach.

At first glance, Crazy in Love might seem like a typical independent film. The ideal trajectory for such works is something like Blue Valentine or Winter's Bone—using Sundance as a platform for attention, leading to awards season, with the Oscars as the ultimate goal.

However, reality followed a different path.

Despite fierce competition and a flood of high-profile releases, Crazy in Love remained steadfast, showing exceptional commercial potential for an art film. Its box office performance was impressive, with a weekly box office decline remaining gratifyingly small and a rapid increase in cumulative earnings. Within just six weeks, the film's North American box office had surpassed $80 million.

For comparison, the six-week total for Iron Armored Steel Fist was around $81 million. If trends continue, Crazy in Love is poised to surpass it next week.

The contrast in distribution strategies is stark. Iron Armored Steel Fist debuted in 3,400 theaters, while Crazy in Love began in only four. Despite these differences, Crazy in Love's growth is striking. While Iron Armored Steel Fist has seen a consistent decline, with its weekend box office dipping below $2 million, Crazy in Love's weekly drops have remained below 30%, with a weekend box office above $5 million. The $100 million mark in North America is almost certain.

Two weeks ago, predictions from Us Weekly now appear to be coming true.

While a $200 million box office has become the benchmark for commercial films and $100 million more attainable, art films have historically struggled to reach such levels. Over the past three years, only a handful of Oscar-nominated art films have crossed $100 million in North America—The Curious Case of Benjamin Button among them—and only The Blind Side has surpassed $200 million.

Notably, among these films, District 9 remains the only true independent film.

For a love story—particularly an art film—Crazy in Love's success is even more remarkable. Romantic dramas have seen a steep decline in box office returns since the millennium. Films like Blue Valentine ($9 million), 500 Days of Summer ($32 million), and An Education ($12 million) have had modest box office performances.

In other words, breaking $100 million in North America is an impressive feat for any romantic drama, and even more so for an independent art film. It's rare for a romantic drama to reach such levels, and even more so for one to replicate the success of Juno from 2007.

In the third week of November, Twilight Saga 4: New Moon (Part 1) earned over $100 million, but Crazy in Love managed to surpass Iron Armored Steel Fist, marking a significant achievement.

By mid-December, Crazy in Love crossed the $100 million mark at the North American box office, settling at $100.23 million.

In early January, the film expanded again, showing continued growth. By April's third week, Crazy in Love ended its run after 21 weeks, with a final box office total of $125 million—a remarkable result for a $250,000 budgeted independent film.

This makes Crazy in Love the second highest-grossing romantic drama in North American box office history, after Pearl Harbor, and the sixth highest-grossing romance film overall, behind only Titanic, Ghost, Pearl Harbor, Sweetheart, and A Gentleman's Officer. Interestingly, four of these films were nominated for major Oscars, with only Pearl Harbor missing out on major accolades.

This outcome signals the decline of romantic drama films in the mainstream market, a genre that's increasingly seen as less commercially viable. Major studios are shifting focus to romantic comedies, while art films in the romantic genre become more niche and independent.

Over the past few years, few romantic dramas have been able to succeed during awards season. Blue Valentine garnered significant praise but earned only a Best Actress nomination. The market for romantic dramas has shrunk, a reflection of broader shifts in the film industry and cultural trends.

But Crazy in Love stands out.

It's the first romantic drama in North America to break $100 million in ten years and is ranked sixth in box office performance for this genre. It has also earned rave reviews from critics.

So, can it maintain its Oscar nominations streak from Sundance? Can it reverse the trend of romantic dramas being sidelined? Can it replicate An Education's success and earn a Best Picture nomination? Can it continue to perform well in the awards season and break more records?

Crazy in Love exceeded expectations at the box office, and even without an Oscars win, it's already a major success.

Globally, the film expanded to 45 countries. While not on the scale of Harry Potter's international distribution, the film's reach was still significant. The film industry's distribution strategies tend to favor commercial films, but art films, especially those with Golden Globe or Oscar recognition, can also benefit from such a strategy.

Crazy in Love saw a satisfying international box office performance. In the UK, where the film was partly shot and where Renly and Felicity have strong followings, the film earned $19 million, easily topping the overseas box office.

Germany and Australia each contributed over $10 million, while Spain, France, and Mexico each added more than $8 million, making Crazy in Love's global performance strong.

Renly's star power also played a key role. After his involvement in Fast & Furious 5, his growing popularity resulted in 27% of overseas audiences attending Crazy in Love due to his involvement—higher than the 13% in North America. Audience satisfaction was over 95%, indicating that Renly is gaining a loyal following.

Ultimately, Crazy in Love, a film without big stars, flashy effects, or major advertising, is a success both domestically and internationally. With a total overseas box office of over $100 million, the film is the first love drama since Pearl Harbor to reach this milestone.

The global success of Crazy in Love marks a significant chapter in the history of romantic dramas, showcasing the power of a well-crafted, independent film that resonated with audiences worldwide.