Airplane! (1980)

Airplane! (1980) reshaped comedy by launching the modern spoof genre, thanks to the ZAZ team's relentless gags. At just $3.5 million to produce, it grossed $83 million globally, a 23.7x return that dwarfs #4 Annie Hall's 4.7x multiplier. It holds a 97% Rotten Tomatoes rating, making it the highest certified fresh on this list by score, and is credited with influencing everything from The Naked Gun to Scary Movie. Its no-filler, rapid-fire joke structure set a new standard for parody.