Ever notice that some films with small budgets tend to be surprising successful? Here are 13 films that made millions despite their tiny budgets.
The Blair Witch Project
Thr Blair Witch Project was an introduction to a new kind of horror movie–one that inspired many others like it. The “found footage” horror movie follows a group of students chasing down an urban legend. It was also the first movie to rely on an internet campaign to backup the idea that it was real. Despite just a $60,000 budget, it went on to make $246.8 million worldwide at the box office.
Juno
Juno was a film about a teenager who get pregnant, and explores the controversial topic in a different way. The film had a $7.5 million budget. Jennifer Garner even had to take a pay cut to make the film happen. But the film grossed $231.4 million at the box office, and went on to win several awards–including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Little Miss Sunshine
Little Miss Sunshine was an indie film that blew up at the box office. With a budget of only $8 million, the movie earned $100.5 million worldwide. It also earned four Oscar nominations and two awards. The movie only hit 1602 theaters.
Annabelle
Annebelle is a part of the Conjuring franchise, which has been hugely successful. Surprisingly, Annabelle only had a $6.5 million budget, but managed to make $37.1 million at the box office. After its success, a prequel was made called Annabelle: Creation. The prequel had a muge larger budget of 15 million due to the success of the original movie.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
My Big Fat Greek Wedding had a budget of only $5 million, yet grossed $368.7 million at the box office after staying in theaters for nearly a year. The film hit number 2 after 20 weeks, and stayed in the top 10 for 17 weeks. The film won Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars and was nominated for Best Picture at the Golden Globes.
Rocky
The first Rocky film isn’t even the one that grossed the most at the box office, and it also had a tiny $1 million budget–which is less than the other films. And the film grossed $117.2 million at the box office. Sylvster Stallone was an unknown actor back then. The film went on to win three Oscars. The franchise itself is so popular that it holds the top four spot of highest grossing boxing films.
Saw
Saw is a significantly recognizable franchise in the horror world. Now with nine sequels, the original film only had a $1.2 million budget. But it dominated the box office, bringing in $103.9 million. The film was also finished in only 18 days. It was James Wan’s directing debut, and he went on to direct movies in the Conjurying franchise as well.
Moonlight
Moonlight was a pivotal film for queer and black culture. It explores many topics for the main character, such as discovering his sexuality, and processing the abuse he had as a child. It was filmed with a $4 million budget and brought in $65.3 million at the box office. It also won Best Picture at the Oscars.
Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th is another horror film that spawned an entire franchise, and flourished along the way. The film had a $550,000 budget and grossed $92.7 million at the box office. The franchise has multiple sequels, video games, merch, and much more. It was also the highest grossing franchise in the world until 2018, when a new Halloween movie was released.
Mad Max
Mad Max is a dystopian movie starring a young Mel Gibson. The movie has gained a huge following over the years, and was filmed with only a $300,000 budget. It brought in $378.9 million worldwide. It was at one point the Guiness Book of World Records most profitable film. It also opened up the global market for Australian New Wave films. The film has three sequels: Mad Max 2, Beyond Thunderdome, and Fury Road.
Split
Created by M. Night Shyamalan, Split was a horror movie created on a $9 million budget. The movie is an indirect sequel to Ubreakable. The story follows a man with dissociative identity disorder who kidnaps three teenage girls. The film brought in $278.5 million at the box office. The movie got a nomination for Best Thriller Film at the Saturn Awards.
Star Wars
George Lucas’ Star Wars at one point was the highest grossing film of all time–until E.T. came out. It was made with only an $11 million budget, but managed to gross $775.4 million at the box office. Today it’s a multi-billion dollar franchise–spawning sequels, TV shows, movies, books, merch and more.
Halloween
Halloween was another low-budget horror film that spawned an entire franchise. It is known for making the slasher genre popular among the masses. It spawned several sequels, books, merchandise, a video game and more. And it all started with a $300,000 budget. It brought in $255.5 million worldwide. Michael Myers mask was just a $2 Captain Kirk mask that was spray painted, and Jamie Lee Curtis’ whole wardrobe was bought at JC Penney for $100. They worked so hard to save money during production, many of the scenes were shot in a single take to save expenses.
