Top 4 movies where the main character wins big

There’s nothing that makes better viewing than seeing the main character of a film taking their enemies to the cleaners to win a load of cash or outsmarting their foes in a race to win a different prize.

These sorts of films are watched by millions of people from around the globe who endeavor to chase their dreams against impossible odds, including Americans looking to find the best Prizeout games. 

This article takes a look at a few films where the main character(s) succeeds against all the odds and ends up walking away, winning big in the process. 

Casino Royale

We absolutely must include this here! This installment of the smooth talking British secret service agent, 007, in Casino Royale has him battling it out in a famous Texas hold‘em poker scene that is fit for the ages. After Mr Bond is entered into Le Chiffre’s poker tournament by MI6 for the huge sum of $10m, he initially doesn’t do well at all and ends up losing the original buy in.

A CIA agent acting as a fellow player, Felix Leiter, authorizes the additional $5m rebuy he needs in return for 007 agreeing to cooperate to take the main villain Le Chiffre into custody. Following the rebuy, the play continues, and eventually the money is all in play. When Le Chiffre throws down four of a kind aces, Mr Bond cooly turns over a five and seven of spades for a straight flush and subsequently win the tournament and all the money! 

Dumb and Dumber

Even though the main characters of Dumb and Dumber, Harry and Lloyd, don’t win any money, they definitely have their fair share of good luck when Lloyd collects Mary’s briefcase ahead of Joe and JP at the airport. Little does Harry know at the time, but the briefcase is full of ransom money that they’re going to put to good use later in the film! 

It’s hard not to feel sorry for Lloyd and Harry, both of whom are really nice guys but, how can we say it politely, a few sandwiches short of a picnic! The last straw is when, and this is a direct quote from the film: ‘I got robbed by a sweet old lady on a motorized cart.’ This results in them being left with no money, and their hopes of opening their long-desired worm farm in tatters. 

Our heroes embark on a mission to return Mary’s briefcase, and a series of calamities ensues. They end up poisoning one of the bad guys and heading in the wrong direction across America! 

It Could Happen to You

It Could Happen to You is an incredible film that’s based on a true story! The film depicts a New York City cop, played by Nicholas Cage, who wins the lottery. He decides to split it with a hardworking waitress, played by Bridget Fonda, who he met while visiting the diner she works in to help her out of a tricky financial situation caused by her ex-husband spending too much on her credit card. 

It really is one of those classic love films that makes you feel all good inside. Even though this film does depict the pair falling in love, it should be noted that this didn’t actually take place in real life as both people went their separate, rich ways! 

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

We need to include this all-time classic children’s film in our round-up of main characters winning a big prize. When watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, who didn’t want poor Charlie Bucket to scoop one of those elusive golden tickets and have a chance to visit the mysterious chocolate factory. 

Charlie is growing up in an extremely poor family, with many elderly members of his family confined to their beds. Charlie can only afford to buy one Wonka bar, so the chances of him winning anything are miniscule. Unfortunately for him, the first bar he gets isn’t a winner. It’s only when he happens to find some money that he decides to purchase a second bar. He waits until he gets home to open it and much to his and everyone else’s astonishment, that bar includes a golden ticket! 

This really is a story where the odds are stacked against the main character. The rich kids are literally getting hundreds of bars a day. One girl even orders her dad’s factory workers to open nothing but Wonka bars until they find a ticket. 

When the winners all finally visit the chocolate factory, out of the five children in attendance, Charlie is by far the best behaved. All the others are, how can we put it, a bit brattish! Wonka takes a shine to Charlie and ends up awarding him the grand prize – the keys to the chocolate factory.