cry all the way to the bank

To be unfazed by the fact that one has profited or benefited from something that others consider disreputable or shameful. I would be horrified to have my name attached to these trashy novels, but this author seems to be crying all the way to the bank. A: "That was such a terrible movie." B: "And I'm sure the actors are crying all the way to the bank." They can mock us all they want because we'll be crying all the way to the bank when our banana re-peeler is sold in stores nationwide.

cry

/say uncle Informal

To indicate a willingness to give up a fight or surrender: tickled my brother until he cried uncle.

cry (one's)

eyes/heart out

To weep inconsolably for a long time.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

cried all the way to the bank, he/she

Exulted in a sizable monetary gain from something that either had been criticized for lacking merit or simply had not been expected to yield much. This expression, always used ironically, originated in the United States about 1960. The popular pianist Liberace, criticized by serious musicians for his flashy, sentimental style, is said to have so replied to a detractor (as reported in his autobiography, published in 1973). A kindred expression, laughed all the way to the bank, is occasionally substituted.