It’s every young filmmakers dream to get a small loan from a family member, max out a credit card or two, and produce a masterpiece that resonates with audiences and makes a ton of money. It’s not easy to do, to say the least, but somehow the makers of the movies on this list pulled it off. Well, maybe on as little money as some stretched credit, but on pretty tight budgets. Our of movies with a small budget that made a big impact.
Clerks
According to Box Office Mojo, Clerks made a little over $3 million in theaters. While that might seem like much, consider how little it cost Kevin Smith to make. $27,000. That’s it. The lore is that first-time writer/director/star Smith maxed out his credit cards and enlisted his friends as actors to make the movie. Of course, it looks like it doesn’t have much of a budget, but it’s so funny and well done it doesn’t matter, the movie is a bonafide cult classic still.
The Blair Witch Project
There is no better example of a small budget having a huge impact than 1999’s The Blair Witch Project. The movie was made for just $60K, but when the word spread virally around the country in the early days of the internet, it started packing theaters. When all was said and done, it made just $1.5 million, more than 25 times its budget. Just incredible.
American Graffiti
Four years before he redefined what science fiction could be with Star Wars, George Lucas made a movie much closer to reality, at least how he saw reality in his formative years. American Graffiti didn’t have the smallest budget on this list, it was around $770,000, but it still had an outsized impact. The movie made $115 million in total.
28 Days Later
Director Danny Boyle has had some big-budget movies in his career, but he’s proven again and again that he doesn’t need a monster budget to make a great film. 28 Days Later is one of his most beloved movies and it was made for just £8 million. It took in over ten times that in box office receipts and has spawned multiple sequels.
Mad Max
When you think about how huge the Mad Max franchise has become, it’s important to remember how small it started. The original Mad Max starring Mel Gibson was made for about $250K in 1979. It made almost $9, but it spawned a franchise that has raked in cash over the decades since.
El Mariachi
The lore of El Mariachi runs deep. According to most reports, director Robert Rodriguez originally made the film for under $7,000. While this may be technically true, another couple hundred thousand eventually went into post-production when Columbia Pictures bought the film. Still, it was made on a shoestring budget either way.
Get Out
Until Get Out was released in 2017, director Jordan Peele was mostly known for his comedic work. The horror movie he made wasn’t comedy, but it was box office gold. It did have a budget of around $4.5 million, but when you consider it made over 50 times its budget at the box office, that number looks pretty darn small.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Every once in a while, a movie comes out of nowhere and becomes a massive hit. My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a classic example. The rom-com wasn’t perfect, but it was made for just $5 million in total, and it ended up grossing well over $350 and spawned two successful sequels.
The Conjuring
2012’s The Conjuring had a more robust budget than some of the movies on this list, at $20 million, but since it made well over 10 times that budget in theaters, it’s safe to call it a sound investment. It also led to a franchise that has released a slew of modestly budgeted films that have made big money.
Napoleon Dynamite
One movie that no list like this would be complete without is Napoleon Dynamite. The 2004 surprise hit was made on a meager budget of just $400K, but audiences adored it and it raked in over $100 million at the box office and is still beloved decades later.
Pi
Filmmaker Darren Aronofsky burst onto the scene with a tiny movie he made with a budget of just $34K, but Pi ended up bringing in over $3 million in theaters. It’s a wild movie and looks very much like the small-budget movie it is, but it’s exciting and fast-paced. In it, you can see the blueprint for Aronofsky’s later movies like Requiem for a Dream.
Swingers
Swingers was soooo money. Literally. Not only did the 1996 film launch the careers of Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, and Ron Livingston, as well as director Doug Liman, it made $4.5 million in theaters and oodles more on home media. All that on a budget of just $200K.
Paranormal Activity
The horror genre has always made the most of its budgets. Some of the most successful films, in terms of ROI, have been horror flicks. Paranormal Activity is a great example of this. The 2007 release was made for just $17,000 but took in nearly $200 million upon its release! It also led to multiple sequels.
Godzilla Minus One
It seems all the best Godzilla movies are made on tight budgets. Godzilla Minus One is no exception. While its budget was in the $10+ million range, it’s still astonishing what director Takashi Yamazaki was able to get out of that. It looks like its budget could be ten times that number, which is about how much money the movie made.
Rocky
In 1976, Sylvester Stallone introduced the character of Rocky Balboa to the world. The original movie, Rocky, had a budget of around $2 million and it crushed at the box office to the tune of $117 million. Of course, it spawned one of the most successful franchises of all time with a total box office gross in the neighborhood of $2 billion.
Nomadland
The 2021 Oscar winner for Best Picture was the indie film Nomadland. The stirring movie was made for just $5 million but on the strength of its reviews and its award haul, the movie brought in nearly $40 million. Not a bad ROI for a movie about people living in vans.
Hoodwinked!
2005’s animated indie flick Hoodwinked! was made for right around $8 million according to director Cory Edwards. It took in over $150 million at the box office. It was the first time an animated indie had ever done those kinds of numbers and none have done it since, either.
The Usual Suspects
1995’s The Usual Suspects had a bit of a slow burn at the box office. It started modestly, making just $645K when it first opened. As word of mouth spread about the mystery thriller, more and more people started seeing it. In total, it made $23 million on a $6 million budget, but it also was very successful on home media and is considered a stone-cold classic with an incredible plot twist at the end.
Sling Blade
Written, directed, and starring Billy Bob Thornton, Sling Blade was made for just around $1 million. Thornton was nominated for two Oscars, one for Best Actor and one for Screenplay, winning for the latter. The movie’s box office haul of about $36 million looks modest compared to big blockbusters, but with that kind of ROI, you can’t say it wasn’t a massive success.
Black Swan
Director Darren Aronofsky is a master of getting more for less. One great example is 2010’s Black Swan. On the surface, a movie about the ballet might seem like a risky bet, but that bet paid off big time when the movie brought in over $300 million against a $13 million budget. It also garnered five Oscar nominations with Natalie Portman winning for Best Actress.
Memento
In 2023, director Christopher Nolan released the phenomenally successful Oppenheimer. It made nearly a billion dollars on a $100 million budget. A couple of decades early, Nolan showed just what he could do with a tight budget as well. His first film, 2000’s Momento, was made for under $10 million and made about $50 million in theaters.
Garden State
Director and writer Zach Braff’s very personal 2004 movie Garden State was an indie darling when it was released. Made for a budget under $3 million, it brought in $35.8 in theater receipts. While some people make fun of it, it was a seriously buzzy film when it was released and still has huge fans today.
Halloween
John Carpenter’s Halloween is one of the most influential horror movies of all time. While the franchise has made hundreds of millions over the years, it all started with that one film in 1978. Made on a shoestring budget of just over $300K, it grossed $47 upon its release and the rest is horror history.
Searching
2018’s Searching by first-time filmmaker Aneesh Chaganty was a surprise hit. Made for just $880,000, the thriller raked in over $75 million at the box office. Chaganty has made two more movies on modest budgets, 2020’s Run which had mixed results financially, and 2023’s Missing, which, while not as successful in terms of ROI as Searching, still made an impressive $48 million on a $7 million budget.
The Whale
Nobody saw The Whale coming in 2022, but once again director Darren Aronofsky hit a home run with a modest budget. The movie took home a slew of awards including a Best Actor Oscar for Brendan Fraiser, leading to the “Brenaissance” for the veteran actor. Made for just $3 million, it made $57 million in theaters.
Insidious
When it comes to small-budget horror, Blumhouse Productions really knows what it is doing. One of the best examples is Insidious. The 2010 movie was made for about $1.5 million, and it took home a massive $100 million at the box office. It also launched a franchise that racked up more than $700 million in total. Just insane numbers.
Pulp Fiction
You might be surprised to see such an iconic film as Pulp Fiction on this list, but remember, it was Quentin Tarantino’s second film. Miramax financed the film with about an $8 million budget, far less than some of his future movies. Of course, it’s gone on to be a cultural touchstone and one of the most beloved movies of all time. When it was released, it brought in over $200 million at the box office.
Once
It’s common to see horror movies and comedies have huge ROIs on small budgets, but it’s very uncommon to see off-beat musicals do it. 2007’s Once is a massive exception. The movie, directed by John Carney, with original music by its stars Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, was made for $150K. Not only did it make $23 million in theaters, it led to a successful Broadway musical that won eight Tony Awards.
Trainspotting
1996’s Trainspotting wasn’t director Danny Boyle’s first movie, but it was the one that made him a star. The brutal movie about addicts in Scotland became a huge hit, making £48 million against a £7 million budget. It also helped launch the careers of Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, and Kelly Macdonald. Not bad for an indie.
Open Water
For anyone with hydrophobia, Open Water is an impossible movie to watch. Even viewers who don’t suffer that affliction might after seeing it. The horror thriller, released in 2003, was a surprise hit at the box office, making $55 million. All that for a movie with a budget well under one million bucks. Talk about swimming with sharks, wow.
Lost in Translation
Sofia Coppola’s 2003 hit Lost in Translation was the movie that officially brought her out from behind her father’s shadow. Bill Murray and Scarlet Johansson brought their immense talent to the small-budget flick ($4 million) and helped Coppola make a masterpiece that made over $100 million in theaters.
Saw
The Saw horror franchise is an unstoppable monster. With a collective box office haul of over $500 million, it’s crazy to think it all started with the original movie with a budget of right around $1 million. All this from a series that many people simply won’t watch at all because of the goriness. Amazing.