Success Doesn't Have To Be Expensive
The expression "you have to spend money to make money" may be true—and when it comes to these uber-profitable movies, the filmmakers didn't have to spend a lot of money to make a lot of it. You will be shocked by the budgets on some of these high-grossing flicks.
The Blair Witch Project: (Budget: $200,000–750,000)
Box Office: $248.6 million
This is probably the first film that most people think about when the question of low cost/high return movies is brought up.
Haxan Films, The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Pretty Woman (Budget: $14 million)
Box Office: $463.4 million
To this day, it still ranks as the romantic comedy with the highest estimated domestic tickets sold. You know what rom-com is number two?
Touchstone Pictures, Pretty Woman (1990)
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (Budget: $5 million)
Box Office: $368.7 million
My Big Fat Greek Wedding made big fat profits.
HBO, My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
El Mariachi: (Budget: $7,225)
Box Office: $2 million
The shockingly low budget was later boosted by $200,000 in post-production costs. The film also won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature.
Troublemaker Studios, El Mariachi (1992)
Napoleon Dynamite: (Budget: $400,000)
Box Office: $46.1 million
$46.1 million will buy a whole lotta tater tots.
Paramount Pictures, Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
Clerks: (Budget: $230,000)
Box Office: $4.4 million
Kevin Smith maxed out 8-10 credit cards to make his directorial debut.
Taken (Budget: $25 million)
Box Office: $226.8 million
This movie had a very particular set of skills to make lots of money at the box office.
Eraserhead: (Budget: $10,000)
Box Office: $7 million
As much as this budget may surprise people, so too were people shocked by how much money this film made back in 1977.
American Film Institute, Eraserhead (1977)
Paranormal Activity: (Budget: $215,000)
Box Office: $194.2 million
Even the second film was impressive with its $3 million budget and $177.5 million earnings.
Blumhouse Productions, Paranormal Activity (2007)
Catfish: (Budget: $30,000 budget)
Box Office: $3.5 million
Was it real or a fake documentary? We don't know for sure. But we do know that the $3.5 million box office haul was real.
Relativity Media, Catfish (2010)
She's Gotta Have It (Budget: $175,000)
Box Office: $7.1 million
Spike Lee's directorial debut pulled in big money.
40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, She's Gotta Have It (1986)
Pi (Budget: $134,815)
Box Office: $3.2 million
As did Darren Aronofsky's directorial debut.
The Brothers McMullen: (Budget: $25,000)
Box Office: $19.3 million
Following the film's premier at the Sundance Film Festival (where it won the Grand Jury prize), they got a distribution deal and put in another $238,000 for more post-production and the rights to the Sarah McLachlan song "I Will Remember You".
Searchlight Pictures, The Brothers McMullen (1995)
Night Of The Living Dead: (Budget: $114,000)
Box Office: $30 million
The OG of Zombie movies!
Image Ten, Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Tarnation: (Budget: $218.32)
Box Office: $1.2 million
Jonathan Caouette created this autobiographical documentary about living with his mentally ill mother for less than the cost of....well, the cost of anything that's priced over $218.32.
Tarnation Films, Tarnation (2003)
Deep Throat: (Budget: $47,500)
Box Office: $20-$600 million
As you can see, the exact box office figures are uncertain. But whatever the numbers, this movie made a very nice profit while becoming a cultural phenomenon of the '70s.
Once: (Budget: $150,000)
Box Office: $23.3 million
The film's soundtrack also saw great success and included an Oscar-winning Best Original Song as well.
Summit Entertainment, Once (2007)
Halloween: (Budget: $300,000–325,000)
Box Office: $70 million
What do you think the budget's dollars-to-scare ratio is on this one?
Compass International Pictures, Halloween (1978)
Friday The 13th: (Budget: $550,000)
Box Office: $59.8 million
It sure wasn't unlucky for the studio.
Paramount Pictures, Friday The 13th (1980)
Beverly Hills Cop (Budget: $13 million)
Box Office: $234 million
There was a time in the '80s when Eddie Murphy could pretty much do no wrong. Beverly Hills Cop was one example. This next film was another.
Paramount Pictures, Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
Trading Places (Budget: $15 million)
Box Office: $120.6 million
Many comedies would've traded places with this classic given that nice profit margin.
Paramount Pictures, Trading Places (1983)
Saw: (Budget: $1.2 Million)
Box Office: $103.9 Million
The studio had originally planned on releasing Saw straight-to-video. But after it premiered well at the Sundance Film Festival, they opted for a theatrical release. And the rest is a $103.9 million dollar history.
Open Water (Budget:$500,000)
Box Office: $55.5 million
The studio was swimming in profit with this one.
Plunge Pictures LLC, Open Water (2003)
Rocky (Budget: $1,100,000)
Box Office: $225 million
Rocky might've lost the fight, but the movie certainly won the box office war.
Chartoff-Winkler Productions, Rocky (1976)
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (Budget: $80,000–140,000)
Box Office: $30.9 million
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre scared up a very nice profit.
Vortex, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Super Size Me (Budget: $65,000)
Box Office: $22.2 million
We assume most of that $65,000 was spent at McDonald's.
American Graffiti (Budget:$777,000)
Box Office: $140 million
Star Wars wasn't George Lucas' first big hit.
Lucasfilm, American Graffiti (1973)
Terrifier 2 (Budget: $250,000)
Box Office: $15.7 million
Writer/director Damien Leone even launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise money for this horror sequel.
Fuzz on the Lens, Terrifier 2 (2022)
Facing The Giants (Budget: $100,000)
Box Office: $10.2 million
This Christian sports drama saw some heavenly profits.
Sherwood Pictures, Facing the Giants (2006)
Mad Max (Budget: $350,000–400,000 (Australian Dollars))
Box Office: $100 million (US Dollars)
There's nothing dystopian about those profits.
Kennedy Miller Mitchell, Mad Max (1979)
Batman (Budget: $48 million)
Box Office: $411.6 million
$48 million might seem a tad high to be talking about here, but we wanted to mention this one to point out how it was the best film in the original quadrilogy, and the least expensive to make. Batman Returns cost $50-$80 million, while the awful Joel Schumacher ones each came in at over $100 million (none of them made as much at the box office either).
Jaws (Budget: $9 million)
Box Office: $476.5 million
Yes, it was 1975. But still, those are crazy impressive numbers. And speaking of impressive numbers from the '70s, check this out...
Universal Pictures, Jaws (1975)
Star Wars: (Budget: $11 million)
Box Office: $775.4 million
Even if you want to do the whole adjusted-for-inflations thing, Star Wars still comes in at a budget of about $64 million with a box office haul of $2.9-$3 billion.
