I Am Sam backdrop
I Am Sam poster
#2,159 All-time worldwide
#46 2001 releases

Movie profile

I Am Sam

2001 · 132 min · New Line Cinema

Drama
IMDb FilmDB Where to watch

Box office snapshot

Financial performance

Reference figures based on available reported data.
Worldwide gross $92.5M
Budget $22.0M
Gross minus budget $70.5M
ROI 4.21x

Domestic gross

$46.3M

Estimated from worldwide gross

International gross

$46.3M

Estimated from worldwide gross

Opening weekend

$8.3M

Estimated from worldwide gross

Ranking context

Where I Am Sam ranks

Positioned across the all-time chart, release year, studio, franchise and genre indexes where enough mapped data exists.
Open rankings
All-time worldwide #2,159 All-time chart position of 12,922 titles Compared with every rankable movie in the current worldwide dataset. 2001 releases #46 Release-year chart position of 250 titles Ranked against movies released in 2001. Studio / company #49 New Line Cinema of 178 titles Position inside the mapped New Line Cinema movie set. Primary genre #681 Drama of 5,859 titles Genre context based on the first mapped genre on this profile.

Nearby worldwide ranks

Comparable titles immediately around this movie by reported worldwide gross.

#2,156 Downton Abbey: A New Era 2022 · $92.7M #2,157 No Reservations 2007 · $92.6M #2,158 Five Feet Apart 2019 · $92.6M #2,160 Role Models 2008 · $92.4M #2,161 Four Brothers 2005 · $92.4M #2,162 Downfall 2004 · $92.2M

Quick answer

How did I Am Sam (2001) perform at the box office?

High confidence

I Am Sam (2001) earned a reported $92.5M worldwide against a reported $22.0M production budget. Its gross-minus-budget figure is about $70.5M. The current gross-to-budget multiple is 4.21x. In this database it currently ranks #2,159 in the current all-time worldwide chart set and #46 among 2001 releases.

Worldwide gross
$92,542,418
Budget
$22,000,000
Gross minus budget
$70,542,418
ROI
4.21x
Source: TMDb. Last updated: Jul 13, 2026. View source Gross-minus-budget is not studio net profit. It excludes marketing, distribution fees, revenue splits, tax incentives and later home/streaming revenue.

Synopsis

Story

Sam, a neurodivergent man, has a daughter with a homeless woman who abandons them when they leave the hospital, leaving Sam to raise Lucy on his own. But as Lucy grows up, Sam's limitations as a parent start to become a problem and the authorities take her away. Sam convinces high-priced lawyer Rita to take his case pro bono and in turn teaches her the value of love and family.

Movie facts

Production details

Release date
Dec 28, 2001
Production
New Line Cinema, Bedford Falls Productions, Red Fish, Blue Fish Films
Countries
US, DE

Related indexes

Browse related box office pages

Studio / production companyNew Line Cinema Release year chart2001 box office Genre chartDrama

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AI summary

Why this movie matters

Released in 2001, I Am Sam is positioned in this dataset as a Drama title from New Line Cinema. Its box office profile shows that available worldwide gross is $92.5M, reported production budget is $22.0M, gross-minus-budget is $70.5M, ROI is 4.21x. For comparison, it currently sits #2,159 all-time in the current chart set and #46 among 2001 releases. Streaming availability should be checked against the selected United States region because provider rights can change.

AI-generated contextual summary based on available movie, genre, ranking and box office data. It does not replace official distributor notes or financial reporting.
Data noteGross minus budget is not studio net profit. It excludes marketing, distribution fees, revenue splits, tax incentives and downstream revenue. Domestic, international and opening weekend figures marked as estimated are modelled estimates.