The 10 Most Successful Low-Budget Movies

You don’t always need a huge budget, explosions, and over-the-top CGI to make a great movie. Sometimes all it takes is a good script, captivating performances, and good cinematography to make a movie the best it can be. These ten movies did a lot with a small budget and became huge hits!

Annabelle

Though its sequels have gone on to make a huge splash, the original Annabelle comes from humble beginnings. It was made for only $6.5 million, despite being a spinoff of the already-successful Conjuring franchise. It made a stunning $257 million globally, easily surpassing expectations.

Moonlight

The 2016 drama Moonlight cost either $4 million or $1.5 million to make—the film’s director, Barry Jenkins, has stated the official tally is inaccurate and that the movie was made for far less than $4 million. In either case, it made a ton of money, raking in $65 million and winning Best Picture in 2017.

Juno

Juno was made for just $7.5 million in 2007, and it was bolstered by amazing performances from newcomers Elliot Page and Michael Cera. The movie went on to make over $232 million, owing largely to great word-of-mouth and buzz from reviewers.

Saw

James Wan got his start with the gritty, low-budget Saw. It cost only $1.2 million, with the most expensive thing in the original likely being Cary Elwes. In fact, his contract stipulated a certain percentage of the film’s earnings, which means its $103 million performance became a hotly-contested point in Elwes suit against the film’s producers when he came looking for his paycheck.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

My Big Fat Greek Wedding pulled off an unusual feat and stayed in theaters for almost a year. The reason for this bizarre release was that it only hit 108 screens the week it debuted, but positive reaction from audiences and a strong box office performance propelled the $5 million movie to way more screens and a $368 million haul.

Rocky

There was a time when Sylvester Stallone wasn’t a huge actor, and that’s what helped the original Rocky come in with a price tag under $1 million. It then earned $255 million, brilliantly mirroring the underdog story the franchise itself set out to tell.

Little Miss Sunshine

Little Miss Sunshine is a beloved indie film that was made for only $8 million. It made a lot more than that, raking in some $101 million. The most expensive-looking thing about the movie is that Steve Carrell is in it, but it’s impossible to mistake this quaint (and excellent) film for a blockbuster production.

Friday the 13^th

The gargantuan Friday the 13^th franchise had humble beginnings, as the original was made for only $550,000 back in 1980. It absolutely blew the doors off the slasher genre and tallied up an astonishing $60 million against its shoestring budget.

Mad Max

George Miller and then-unknown actor Mel Gibson made the first Mad Max movie with just $350,000. The franchise wouldn’t hit its stride until the second entry, The Road Warrior, but the first film made $100 million, so it was an undeniable box office success.

The Blair Witch Project

The spooky found-footage movie The Blair Witch Project was made with just $60,000. That’s basically pocket change when it comes to movie budgets, and yet, this indie film managed to create its own subgenre of horror and kickstarted a whole host of inferior imitators.