Against All Odds Films Made On A Tight Budget That Earned Millions
When it comes to making a movie, there is a lot to consider. From casting to costume choices, the directors and producers have to make sure that they create a masterpiece within the budget that they’re allocated. There’s no surefire way to know if a film will succeed at the box office or not, but that’s part of the game. The movies on this list had small budgets, but when they hit the big screen, even the cast was surprised at the tremendous results!
The Fully Monty – $3.5 Million Budget
In this day and age, more people will think of Magic Mike when the topic is exotic male dancing. However, before Channing Tatum and the rest of the guys took over the stage, people associated the, ah, artform with The Full Monty. It followed a couple of unemployed steelworkers who opted to go into the field to make some money. The film earned $258 million even though it had a measly $3.5 million budget! It even got nominated for various Academy Awards.
The Full Monty – $3.5 Million Budget
Juno – $7.5 Million Budget
When Juno came out in 2008, viewers from all backgrounds fell in love with its realistic depiction of serious teenage problems. In the role of the title character, Ellen Page established herself in the field and shot to international stardom. The cast of the film also included Jennifer Garner, but only because she did not mind the low salary she was offered for the part. Despite everything, it made $231 million at the box office. It was also nominated for the Best Picture category.
Juno – $7.5 Million Budget
Little Miss Sunshine – $8 Million Budget
This indie film followed a young girl who wanted to be a beauty queen. It is pretty impressive that it did so well at the box office even though the crew only had a small budget to work with. This film also gave Abigail Breslin her big break and allowed other stars the opportunity to show off their acting chops. It won two awards at the Oscars. We daresay it deserved its $100.5 million earnings! Good job, team.
Little Miss Sunshine – $8 Million Budget
Moonlight – $4 Million Budget
Whenever its awards season, a lot of people claim that the winners are determined by politics more than anything else. It was not any different in 2017. That same year, hosts Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty announced that La La Land took home the Best Picture Academy Award. However, it was a mistake because they announced the wrong envelope! The prestigious award actually went to Moonlight, which is a black coming-of-age film set in Miami. Aside from the accolades it garnered, it also brought home $65.3 million in revenues even though it had a tight $4 million budget.
Moonlight – $4 Million Budget
The Purge – $3 Million Budget
The Purge had an original concept and script, although it was rather limited by its $3 million budget. Nonetheless, it raked in the big bucks, which is proven by its $89 million gross revenue. What makes it even more amazing is the fact that it was the lowest budget film to end up in the top box office spot since 1988. The movie is set in the not-so-distant future, a dystopia where people get to do whatever they want in a span of 12 hours. Part of its success has to do with its big-name lead stars, Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey. At any rate, it even spawned three installments!
The Purge – $3 Million Budget
Mad Max – $300,000 Budget
Let us go back in time a little – we are not talking about Mad Max: Fury Road, which made $378.9 million and spent $150 million. The original iteration of the film with Mel Gibson worked on a tight budget of $300,000. It came out in 1979 and ended up taking home more than $100 million. It also broke the record for the best profit-to-cost ratio, so it definitely deserves to be on the list. It was the fourth installment in the series, although each and every single one of them is worth a watch. However, the third one, Beyond Thunderdome, sparked debates about – was it the best or the worst?
Mad Max – $300,000 Budget
American Graffiti – $750,000 Budget
George Lucas is now known for Star Wars, although there was a time when he was just starting out with just THX 1138 under his belt. It was a film that garnered mixed reviews when it came out and was thought to be a flop. That must be the reason he only acquired $750,000 for his next work: American Graffiti. This coming-of-age drama still managed to win the hearts of viewers and critics alike. It was nominated for five Academy Award categories and raked in $115 million at the box office. The rest, as they say, is history.
American Graffiti – $750,000 Budget
Lost In Translation – $4 Million Budget
They might be an unlikely pair, but Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray had excellent chemistry when they appeared in the dark comedy film. Sofia Coppola directed and wrote this 2003 movie, which received plenty of critical acclaim. It even won an Oscar for its screenplay! We had a hard time believing the crew only had a budget of $4 million. At any rate, the film was a big success. Lost In Translation made $119.7 million, which translated to a huge amount of profit.
Lost In Translation – $4 Million Budget
Friday The 13th – $700,000 Budget
Can you believe that Friday the 13th only had $700,000 to work with? It is one of the lowest budgets on this list. Victor Miller and Sean S. Cunningham were still able to turn the film into a huge success, however. They made $59.8 million worldwide! Let us not forget that it also spawned 11 installments as well. The movies continued to rake in millions thanks to its cult followers. And no, this does not even include the merchandise and video games just yet.
Friday The 13th – $700,000 Budget
Open Water – $500,000 Budget
If you are already scared of the open water, you might want to refrain from watching this movie. The low-budget film did not have to spend a lot on the set, so they did not have that much of a problem with their $500,000 budget. The plot followed two scuba divers who get stranded as they are stalked by a shark. They actually shot it using handheld cameras to make it feel like an actual video. Open Water brought in $52 million when it was released in 2003. Color us impressed!
Open Water – $500,000 Budget
Paranormal Activity – $15,000 Budget
Have you noticed that a significant number of movies we have listed are in the horror genre? Well, you can add Paranormal Activity to the pile. It is hard to believe that it only took $15,000 to make such a groundbreaking film. Director Oren Peli shot it on a handheld camera in only seven days. This was his debut work as well, so we bet he was thrilled that it basically spawned a subgenre of films afterward. How awesome is that?
Paranormal Activity – $15,000 Budget
Rocky – $1 million Budget
Sylvester Stallone has appeared in a number of projects over the years, but Rocky is one of the most famous of these. We all like to watch him in the underdog boxer film that shot him into international fame, right? It is on the low end of this list as well, with only $1 million at its disposal. It’s a good thing the star, together with producers Irwin Winkler and Bob Chartoff, managed to make it all work. It earned $117.2 million in box office sales, three Oscars, and seven sequels. Whoa.
Rocky – $1 million Budget
Saw – $1.2 million Budget
Who would have thought that a film about a torture and revenge game would get this popular? James Wan is known for working on low budgets and still churning out awesome results. The first of these would have to be Saw, which launched a long-running series for a number of years. The team only spent 18 days and $1.2 million on the film, yet it has become a horror classic. It does have a lot of gratuitous violence, but we daresay the story is very intriguing as well.
Saw – $1.2 million Budget
Pulp Fiction – $8 Million Budget
Pulp Fiction is yet another hallmark film. This iconic film was definitely the coolest of the cool during the ‘90s. Quentin Tarantino, its director, has since cemented his status as a household name. Did you know that this action movie even fetched him the coveted Palm d’Or Award at Cannes? It also brought home an Academy Award as well as a large fanbase. It earned $213 million in box office sales and a legacy that continues to live on to this day.
Pulp Fiction – $8 Million Budget
Buried – $2 Million Budget
Ryan Reynolds might be a big Hollywood star, but Buried happens to be one of his less popular works. We daresay it is among the best, however. The compelling and tense psychological drama happens primarily in a coffin as the actor tries to get out of it alive. Although it might sound like a boring premise, we promise you that you will be at the edge of your seat while you watch it thanks to the actor’s incredible performance. It earned more than $21 million in box office sales.
Buried – $2 Million Budget
The Evil Dead – $400,000 Budget
Sam Raimi got a modest start in life and wrote the screenplay for The Evil Dead as he made ends meet by working as a cab driver and helping out at his dad’s furniture store. After he saved up enough money to make his script come true, he made a low-budget cult-classic horror movie that became a horror masterpiece. Its bizarre humor earned it its cult-classic status and $29 million box office sales. It is pretty impressive that he became such a big name in Hollywood despite everything!
The Evil Dead – $400,000 Budget
Napoleon Dynamite – $400,000 Budget
Jared Hess has a rather distinct visual style. Some people think that he makes American versions of Wes Anderson movies. Of course, let us not forget about the dry yet innocent comedy and cool style in his projects. When he worked on Napoleon Dynamite, he only had $400,000 to spend. As filming went on, he then realized that it had plenty of potential. He was right because it was a huge hit at the box office. The movie grossed more than $46 million all over the world!
Napoleon Dynamite – $400,000 Budget
Star Wars – $11 Million Budget
George Lucas makes it to the list yet again. Star Wars came out in 1977 and became a hit in no time. As we all know, the first movie was later renamed to Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope when the sequels came out. Its release basically started what would become a production company empire by the name of Lucasfilm. The franchise was beloved all over the globe and continues to be adored by fans out there. Before E.T. was released, it was the highest-grossing film in history with its $775.4 million revenue.
Star Wars – $11 Million Budget
Split – $9 Million Budget
M. Night Shyamalan is best known for his dark and twisted horror films. It continues to draw in lots of viewers! Back in 2017, his latest horror project, Split received a small budget of $9 million. The film followed a man portrayed by James McAvoy as he deals with his dissociative disorder and numerous identities. While the lead character has one humorous “identity”, the film boasted of tension like no other. We daresay that it would not have earned $278.5 million in the box office if it were not for the excellent acting by James McAvoy.
Split – $9 Million Budget
Nightcrawler – $8.5 Million Budget
Nightcrawler was initially written in a way that is focused on a number of tricky themes. The film wanted to show the typically unbalanced nature of unethical journalism in order to satisfy the demands of the customers. Another interesting topic it discussed was the lengths some people will go to get the scoop. Even though the movie boasted of a fairly modest budget amounting to $8.5 million, it still had Jake Gyllenhall at the helm. When you put two and two together, it is not a mystery that the film ended up earning $50.3 million in box office sales.
Nightcrawler – $8.5 Million Budget
Annabelle – $6.5 Million Budget
Remember James Wan, who we just talked about for creating the wildly successful Saw franchise? Well, he went into a different kind of horror several years after by working on The Conjuring. It did not take long before he was able to develop this film into its own universe by working on a follow-up under the title Annabelle. The spinoff had a budget of $6.5 million, which is pretty low. Nonetheless, the haunted doll horror film earned $257 million at the box office.
Annabelle – $6.5 Million Budget
My Big Fat Greek Wedding – $5 million Budget
Not a single soul out there, not even Nia Vardalos, its star and writer, predicted how much commercial and critical success My Big Fat Greek Wedding wound up getting. It only had a budget of $5 million, after all. Luckily, it did not stop the team from cooking up one of the most hilarious films in recent history. Audiences adored it, and you can tell from its $368.7 million gross earnings at the box office. It also got a sequel at one point.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding – $5 million Budget
Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels – $1.35 Million Budget
Guy Ritchie is more than just the ex-husband of pop superstar Madonna. He also happens to be a decorated director in his own right. Sometimes referred to as the British Tarantino, he has worked on films that revolved about anti-heroes from the crime world. His action films also boast of plenty of amazing dialogue, which is how they went on to be instant classics. Even though he only had $1.35 million for Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, it still earned $29 million in the box office.
Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels – $1.35 Million Budget
The Hills Have Eyes – $230,000 Budget
The ‘70s had been a great time for horror films as well. One of the masterpieces from that decade would be The Hills Have Eyes, which showed everyone the potential of small-budget projects. The film follows a family that got stranded in the desert. Unfortunately for them, they are attacked by hillbilly savages while they were trying to get out of the mess. It ran on a $230,000 budget and grossed an incredible $25 million. Isn’t that the neatest thing you have ever heard of?
The Hills Have Eyes – $230,000 Budget
Night Of The Living Dead – $118,000 Budget
If there was anyone who deserved the title of Godfather of Zombie Films, it is going to be George A. Romero. This horror master made a number of incredible zombie films over the years. It is no wonder he had such a loyal fan base. In the past, he was the first person who would come to mind when we talk about zombie movies. He launched his incredible career with Night of The Living Dead. Despite the small budget, it grossed more than $30 million.
Night Of The Living Dead – $118,000 Budget
Halloween – $300,000 Budget
When it comes to slasher films, you should always pay respect to one of the subgenre classics. Halloween is one of John Carpenter’s greatest works and we are sure you will agree with us. The prominent horror film director worked with Jamie Lee Curtis to create this movie about a babysitter being targeted by a madman called Mike Myers. It had such a big impact on pop culture that Mike Myers has become a horror icon. With a $300,000 budget, sales of $70 million is not bad at all!
Halloween – $300,000 Budget
Goldfinger – $3 Million Budget
Come on now, you cannot possibly claim to be a fan of James Bond if you have never heard of Goldfinger before. The movie is generally considered to be among the best of the early films in the franchise. Of course, we were also big fans of the dashing Sean Connery. There are numerous reasons why the movie became so successful. At any rate, it was able to earn $125 million when it comes to box office sales. That was an incredibly huge amount of money back in those days.
Goldfinger – $3 Million Budget
My Left Foot – $600,000 Budget
Before Daniel Day-Lewis killed it in Gangs of New York back in 2002, he first showed off his acting skills in My Left Foot. This 1989 film follows an Irish boy called Christy Brown who has cerebral palsy. Even though he is mostly paralyzed, the main character is able to control his left foot. The incredible thing about this is that he uses this body part to become a painter, poet, and author. The team brought it to life for $600,000 and still earned critical acclaim, nominations, and $14.7 million.
My Left Foot – $600,000 Budget
Blue Valentine – $1 Million Budget
The romantic drama Blue Valentine follows the story of a couple from the moment they met to the dramatic demise of the once-passionate relationship. With Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams in the lead roles, the film was able to earn plenty of success. It is interesting to hear that the stars did not only act in it – they were also executive producers for the project! We bet they were surprised but pleased when the film got a huge profit with its $16.6 million box office sales.
Blue Valentine – $1 Million Budget
The Big Sick – $5 Million Budget
Kumail Nanjiania is a popular Pakistani-American writer and funnyman best known for starring in the HBO series called Silicon Valley. In 2017, he decided to try his hand at feature-length filmmaking by co-writing The Big Sick together with Emily C. Gordon, his wife. After the release of the film, it was met with lots of critical success. Aside from that, it ended up raking in a grand total of $56.3 million in box office sales. Pretty impressive, huh?
The Big Sick – $5 Million Budget
28 Days Later – $6.6 Million Budget
If you’re a fan of the zombie film genre, then 28 Days Later is definitely one to put on your must-watch list. The film features some pretty unique and scary twists on otherwise cliched themes in zombie films but feels like it stays true to the genre the whole time. From the get-go, 28 Days Later grips you and doesn’t let go with action and horror all combined into a riveting experience. The film wound up grossing an amazing $85 million at the box office.
28 Days Later – $6.6 Million Budget
A Nightmare On Elm Street – $1.8 Million Budget
We have yet another horror icon on our list in the form of Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare On Elm Street. The man who created the terrifying character is deemed a cinematic genius for his slasher films that did well in the box office. Anyway, the film boasted of a young Johnny Depp and an incredibly original horror film plot. The casting, concept, and grotesque humor helped the film earn $25 million. To this day, it is still considered to be one of the greatest horror films out there.
A Nightmare On Elm Street – $1.8 Million Budget
Swingers – $200,000 Budget
In all honesty, there was no chance this film was going to bomb when names like Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn was attached to it. During the early ‘90s, the comedy factors had only been launching their careers. Back then, they were nothing more than Hollywood fledglings. The film follows characters dealing with similar situations, so the comedy had a very natural feel to it. Audiences ended up adoring the duo, which is how the movie raked in more than $4 million in box office sales. Great job, guys!
Swingers – $200,000 Budget
Once – $160,000 Budget
Once is kind of like a true love story that happens in the big screen. Directed by John Carney, it had a small team and only $160,000 of budget. Even though this must have been challenging, the movie still made more than $20 million in box office sales. The warm and charming romance film starred Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, who received an Oscar for a song they wrote for the project. This is proof that a tight budget will not be a hindrance if you have talent.
Once – $160,000 Budget
Get Out – $4.5 Million Budget
In 2017, horror fans were blessed with an amazing low-budget horror film called Get Out. It was the directorial debut of comedian Jordan Peele. You only need to look at the revenue it made to figure out that he is on the right path. It was a big hit among viewers and critics. All of them were glad to give the film the praise it deserves. Overall, this small film earned $255 million! If you ask us, that is pretty darn impressive.
Get Out – $4.5 Million Budget
The Blair Witch Project – $60,000 Budget
What is it about horror films and low budgets that seem to make for a winning combination? The Blair Witch Project is probably among the most unsettling horror films ever made. It was shot like a documentary, which explains how the $60,000 budget became doable. However, we think that it is this feature that made it such a big hit in the first place. Some viewers even thought that it was true footage, which is how it made $248 million!
The Blair Witch Project – $60,000 Budget
Supersize Me – $65,000 Budget
In general, a documentary works on a smaller budget than your regular feature film. However, they do not gross all that well at the box office as well. Supersize Me became a big hit as it followed the life of someone who ate nothing but food from McDonald’s in a span of a month. Morgan Spurlock, the director, pointed out various disturbing facts about the fast food industry. Audiences were so captivated that the film made more than $29 million at the box office! What an incredible feat.
Supersize Me – $65,000 Budget