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Sep 16, 2024 · by Benjamin Dzialdowski. BuzzFeed Staff. With Hollywood budgets being what they are, a budget under $10 million is practically tiny. Despite this, many films have gone on to make a killing at the...
- Taylor Horne
- Deep Throat (1972) Budget: $25,000. Profit: $22,528,467. While studio executives have long labeled an X (or NC-17) rating a kiss of death for box office totals, this infamous Linda Lovelace flick proved differently.
- Facing the Giants (2006) Budget: $100,000. Profit: $38,551,255. Sports movies have often led to major box office hits. But Alex Kendrick’s Facing the Giants had one additional plot point going for it: It’s a sports movie and a Christian drama, a sub-genre that has been turning modestly budgeted films into box office behemoths over the past several years.
- Paranormal Activity (2007) Budget: $450,000. Profit: $89,376,549. Written and directed by Oren Peli, this classic found footage horror film scared up nearly $90 million in theaters and ending up with an ROI of 19,761 percent.
- Fireproof (2008) Budget: $500,000. Profit: $57,096,178. Two years after directing Facing the Giants, Alex Kendrick directed Fireproof, another Christian drama—this one focused on the deterioration of the marriage between a fire captain (played by teen heartthrob-turned-Christian movie star Kirk Cameron) and his hospital administrator wife and how the threat of divorce turns him into a changed man.
Nov 8, 2023 · Low-budget films can achieve impressive box office returns, sometimes earning over a hundred times their initial investment. Success is not limited to any specific genre, with low-budget films in horror, comedy, action, and even documentaries finding success.
- Ben Gibbons
Feb 13, 2022 · A low-budget movie is a movie that’s (usually) financed through self-financing or small private funding. There’s some conjecture as to what the low-budget movie range is (especially when accounting for inflation) – but most analysts agree anything below $5 million USD can be characterized as low-budget.
- The Blair Witch Project
- Juno
- Little Miss Sunshine
- Annabelle
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding
- Rocky
- Saw
- Moonlight
- Friday The 13th
- Mad Max
Directors: Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez
The Blair Witch Project introduced audiences to a new kind of horror movie and set the aesthetic for many that followed. Although not the first of its kind, the independent film about a group of student filmmakers attempting to hunt down an urban legend is one of the most well-known found-footage films. It was also the first film to rely on a viral internet marketing campaign claiming that the events of the film were real. Despite just a $60,000 budget, The Blair Witch Project went on to make...
Director: Jason Reitman
For a small indie film that was made on just a $7.5 million budget, Juno really made a significant impact. The film had such a low budget that Jennifer Garner took a pay cut to keep the costs down. Surprisingly, the movie, starring Elliot Page and Michael Cera, brought in $232.3 million worldwide, including $143.4 million domestic. The film also garnered multiple Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director (Jason Reitman), and Best Actress in a Leading Role (Page), and Di...
Directors: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
Like Juno, Little Miss Sunshine is an indie film that blew up big time. The movie earned four Oscar nominations and two wins after hitting the screen in 2006. The movie, which was created for just $8 million, ended up earning over $101 million worldwide, including $59.9 million domestic. Even more impressive, the movie's widest release only reached 1,602 theaters. When the first showing of the film received a standing ovation, Fox Searchlight jumped at the opportunity, buying the film for a r...
Director: John R. Leonetti
Annabelle was made on a $6.5 million budget and was an absolute hit in theaters, despite some negative reviews from critics. The long-awaited horror movie managed to rake in $257.5 million. Naturally, it helped that the film was a spin-off of the already successful Conjuring franchise. A prequel was released in 2017 after the popularity of Annabelle called Annabelle: Creation. Due to the success of Annabelle, the prequel was created with a budget of $15 million, and it went on to make a stagg...
Director: Joel Zwick
My Big Fat Greek Wedding spent almost a full year in theaters. This long run allowed the film to bring in the big bucks. A $5 million budget turned into $368.7 million worldwide($241.4 million domestic). During its opening weekend, the film was only released to 108 screens, but still raked in $597,000. After 20 long weeks in theaters, My Big Fat Greek Wedding reached the No. 2 spot and spent 17 consecutive weeks in the Top 10. With impressive numbers came impressive award nominations. Nia Var...
Director: John G. Avildsen
If you thrive at Rocky trivia, then you may know that the first film isn't even the top-grossing installment of the blockbuster franchise. That said, none of the other films came close to the ridiculously cheap (around $1 million) budget of the original, which still brought in $225 million worldwide. Rocky, which featured a then-unknown Sylvester Stallone, won three Oscars, including Best Picture. Since the film’s 1976 release, the franchise has hauled in a mind-boggling $1.9 billion. WATCH O...
Director: James Wan
Saw was and still is a massive hit in the horror genre. It dominated the box office, making $103.9 million worldwide on a $1.2 million budget. In addition to making big bucks in theaters, Saw has become one of the most recognizable horror franchises in film. The first Saw movie was the young James Wan's directing debut, and he came out hot, finishing the film in just 18 days! Wan would go on to be the mastermind behind The Conjuring franchise, which has also been a money machine. All eight of...
Director: Barry Jenkins Moonlight was a pivotal film for its portrayal of Black and queer culture. The movie follows the main character, Chiron (played in different phases of his life by Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders, and Alex R. Hibbert), as he goes through significant transitions in his life. It discusses his struggles with his sexuality and id...
Director: Sean S. Cunningham
The Friday the 13th franchise has amassed an enormous following since the first film was made in 1980. The slasher film that was only made for $550,000 ended up capturing audiences and grossed $59.7 million worldwide. The famous hockey-masked villain, Jason Voorhees, sparked a massive franchisewith 12 films, comic books, video games, and merchandise galore. WATCH ON MAX
Director: George Miller
Although Mad Max has received critical acclaim and a huge following, the dystopian movie, led by a young Mel Gibson, was made with a mere $350,000. The 1979 action film set in future Australia tells a tale of societal collapse, murder, and revenge. The film made $100 million worldwide, which was once enough to set the Guinness World Record for Most Profitable Film. The film has also been credited with opening up the global market to Australian New Wave films. Mad Max birthed a franchise with...
Sep 7, 2023 · 10 Hollywood and Bollywood movies made on budgets as low as Rs 49 lakhs and that went on to become blockbusters. 1. Stree. Budget: Rs. 20 crores. Box office collection: Rs. 180.76 crore....
Low budgets films allow investors to reap potentially huge returns on their investment. While budget caps vary throughout the world and time, one authoritative definition sets the top end of the limit for movies with a current budget under $2,500,000 USD.
