IMDB
Everybody loves an underdog success story, and these low budget movies are classic examples of little guys making it big. From classic horror movies to well-loved comedies and action thrillers, some of the most famous movies of all time were actually made on the cheap, proving that you don’t need a ton of money to tell a great story. To a regular person, a budget of a few million dollars sounds astronomical, but in Hollywood, that’s chump change. Read on to see our ranking of the most successful low budget movies, ranked from lowest to highest earning. You’re in for some big surprises.
This 1992 film from writer and director Robert Rodriguez is an incredible low budget success story. El Mariachi is a thrilling tale of mistaken identity about a mariachi who is mistaken for a killer known for packing heat in his guitar case. The titular mariachi unwittingly finds himself running for his life from a cold-blooded drug lord and his relentless henchmen.
IMDB
Rodriguez actually worked as a test subject for medical experiments to raise money to make his movie. With a budget of just $7,000, El Mariachi brought in $2 million at the box office. Following El Mariachi’s success, Rodriguez went on to direct big budget hit movies like Desperado and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. Talk about an incredible low budget success!
NEXT: Making this comedy on the cheap launched its director’s career.
Here’s another low budget movie that launched the successful career of its writer/director. Kevin Smith’s 1994 movie Clerks is a day-in-the-life flick that follows two convenience store clerks as they debate the minutiae of Star Wars trivia, endure romantic woes, and shut down the shop to play hockey on the roof. Although at times it’s really obvious that Smith was working with amateur actors, the strength of his comedic writing still shines through brilliantly.
IMDB
Shot entirely in black and white for just $27,000, Clerks made $3.9 million at the box office and remains a cult favorite of slackers everywhere. It even spawned a sequel, 2006’s Clerks II, and a spin-off, 2001’s Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Looks like in this case, a slacker mentality turned out to be pretty darn profitable.
NEXT: This movie is so money, even though nobody expected it.
This 1996 romantic comedy with an all-star cast doesn’t seem like a low budget film, but that’s Hollywood magic for you! Starring Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, and Heather Graham, Swingers tells the story of two struggling actors in Los Angeles trying to navigate the dating scene. If you’ve ever waited three days to call a new love interest, you can thank Swingers for popularizing the notion that waiting a few days to call is totally “money”.
Miramax
Star Jon Favreau wrote Swingers, and it was directed by Doug Liman. They made Swingers for just $200,000, but it made $4.6 million at the box office and is still a fan favorite today. Before getting his big break in Swingers, Favreau played a clown in an episode of Seinfeld. Now, he’s landing roles in films like 2013’s Wolf of Wall Street and 2015’s Entourage.
NEXT: This bizarre cult classic is a low budget wonder!
Ready to get weird? David Lynch’s dark 1977 horror classic Eraserhead is a low budget movie that packs a big punch. This black and white body horror tale follows the struggles of a man who discovers his newborn baby is a terrifying mutant who will not stop screaming. Ah, the joys of parenthood! Lynch creates a world in this film that is dark, surreal, and capable of haunting your nightmares for years to come.
IMDB
Eraserhead stars Jack Nance, a Lynch favorite who would go on to act in many of the director’s other projects, including cult classics Blue Velvet and the original Twin Peaks series. Made for just $100,000, Eraserhead brought in $7 million at the box office. Not too shabby for a nightmarish indie movie that only kind of makes sense.
NEXT: Get your tissues ready, we’ve got a sob-fest coming up.
2010’s Blue Valentine is a tear-jerker starring Michelle Williams and my future husband Ryan Gosling. The drama moves back and forth in time to tell the story of a marriage slowly coming apart and the dysfunctional background stories of both partners. Michelle Williams was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of the unhappy wife Cindy.
IMDB
Despite the big name cast, Blue Valentine was made for just $1 million. Williams’ and Gosling’s stunningly raw performances drew in tons of viewers, however, and the movie made $16.6 million at the box office. Unfortunately, there’s no data on Kleenex sales generated by the movie, but I’m willing to bet there are a few more millions there.
NEXT: Do you want fries with that? Next up is a documentary that takes on the fast food industry.
Morgan Spurlock’s 2004 documentary Super Size Me explores what a diet of nothing but McDonalds for one month can do to your health. Spurlock used himself as a guinea pig in this experiment, eating at McDonalds three times a day for 30 days. As if that’s not unhealthy enough, he also pledged to super size his fries every time a cashier asked.
Samuel Goldwyn Films
Not surprisingly, eating McDonald’s every day was really bad for Spurlock’s physical health, though it did do wonders for his wallet. He made Super Size Me for just $65,000 and made $20.6 million on the movie at the box office. Here’s hoping he spent some of that on fitness classes and kale!
NEXT: It didn’t cost much to make this love story told through songs.
This 2007 musical about a street musician and a Czech immigrant in Dublin was a surprise smash hit. Once tells how this unlikely pair fell in love and expressed their feelings to each other in their songs. Featuring a gorgeous soundtrack and a romance sure to tug at your heartstrings, Once took the world by storm and became an instant classic.
Irish Film Board
With a budget of just $150,000, nobody expected Once to take off the way it did. Ultimately, the movie made $20.7 million at the box office and took home the Oscar for Best Original Song for “Falling Slowly”.
NEXT: Keep your eyes open for this classic low budget horror movie.
This truly chilling horror flick was brought to us by Wes Craven, one of the masters of the genre. The Hills Have Eyes follows a regular family on their way to California who get stranded in the desert. While they attempt to continue their journey, a violent family of inbred cannibals preys on them with deadly results.
IMDB
Craven made The Hills Have Eyes in 1977 for just $230,000, and it made $25 million at the box office. The movie was followed by a 1985 sequel and a 2006 remake. The remake, in turn, had its own sequel in 2007. There must be a lot of money in the hills, too.
NEXT: You don’t have to be “Material Girl” to love this crime comedy.
Set in London, this 1998 movie shows how a card game gone wrong causes a motley crew of gangsters, pot growers, loan sharks, and other unsavory characters to clash in a series of unexpected events. This hilarious romp through London’s seedy underbelly was a big hit in the UK and across the pond in America, too.
IMDB
Madonna’s ex-guy Guy Ritchie directed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, which was made for just $1.35 million. This movie must have been Ritchie’s “Lucky Star,” as it grossed $28.1 million at the box office. After this success, Ritchie directed another beloved heist film, Snatch, snatching him even more box office cash.
NEXT: There are more scares ahead! Have you seen one of your favorite movies on the list yet?
It doesn’t take big bucks to create big scares, and writer/director Sam Raimi’s 1981 movie The Evil Dead is just another example of the power of cheap thrills. In the film, a group of friends vacationing in a cabin accidentally call on an evil spirit that kills them one by one.
IMDB
Raimi made The Evil Dead for just $400,000, but it went on to make $29.4 million at the box office. Since the ’80s, The Evil Dead has become a true cult classic, inspiring sequels, remakes, video games, comic books, and even a stage musical. Over the years, rabid horror fans have done everything they can to keep the evil alive.
NEXT: Keep on screaming with this black and white horror classic.
Shocking audiences in 1968 with its gory depiction of flesh-eating zombies, The Night of the Living Dead continues to scare movie-lovers and inspire filmmakers today. In the film, a group of people hide out in a farmhouse during an outbreak of a zombie plague. Sound familiar to any fans of The Walking Dead?
IMDB
Director George Romero made Night of the Living Dead for a mere $114,00, and the rest is history. After the movie made $30 million at the box office, Romero turned the living dead into a zombie empire. Romero made five sequels to the film, and there have been a number of remakes since the original movie entered the public domain.
NEXT: You’ll never look at power tools the same way again after this!
Here comes another great low budget slasher! From 1974, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was inspired by the true crimes of serial killer Ed Gein. In the movie, a group of teenagers is picked off one at a time by some creepy, power-tool loving cannibals.
IMDB
Often cited as the first true slasher movie, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre had a budget of $300,000. Because the movie was so violent for its time, they had trouble getting distribution, but it ultimately made $30.8 million. Like many other great scary movies, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has inspired sequels, prequels, and remakes, but it’s alone in the great honor of having a Ramones song written about it.
NEXT: This offbeat teen comedy surprised everyone with its box office success.
This quirky indie comedy from 2004 follows a charmingly awkward teenager Napoleon in his efforts to help another outsider, his friend Pedro, win the title of class president. Napoleon also has an endearingly strange family, a predilection for tater tots, and a heartwarming crush on a classmate. Deadpan acting and a weird 80’s inspired aesthetic helped propel this indie sleeper to mainstream success.
IMDB
Made in Idaho for just $400,00, Napoleon Dynamite brought in $46.1 million at the box office. That’s a lot of tots, Napoleon! By embracing outsiders and awkwardness and letting geeks win the day, Napoleon Dynamite captured lots of hearts, leading to tons of Napoleon merchandise and even Halloween costumes.
NEXT: Trick or treat! This scary movie will have you on the edge of your seat!
This 1978 slasher by John Carpenter features a young Jamie Lee Curtis in her first starring role. Curtis plays a teenaged babysitter who, along with her friends, is terrorized by a deranged killer on Halloween night. Carpenter’s tight direction and ominous score make this horror flick feel like a million bucks, though it was made for much, much less.
IMDB
With a $325,000 budget, Carpenter’s original Halloween made more than anyone involved thought possible. The box office total came to $47 million, and it led to sequels, remakes, and a recent podcast called Halloween Unmasked that digs into the fascinating details of how this iconic film was made.
NEXT: This low budget movie went on to win Best Picture!
In his 2016 film Moonlight, director Barry Jenkins follows a young African-American gay man’s coming of age in a bad neighborhood in Miami. Based on the book In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue, the movie unfolds in three parts, showing scenes from the protagonist’s childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood.
IMDB
Despite its humble low budget beginnings, Moonlight ended up making history as the first film featuring an all black cast and the first LGBTQ movie to win the Oscar for Best Picture. Made for just $1.5 million, Moonlight earned $65 million at the box office and made movie history. Jenkins just released another beautiful film about the black experience in America, If Beale Street Could Talk.
NEXT: This 1984 action blockbuster will have you saying, “I’ll be back.”
In this classic action movie, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays an indestructible android sent back in time to kill a waitress whose future son is destined to lead an uprising against machines. This 1984 flick was a breakout success for blockbuster director James Cameron and for Schwarzenegger its star.
IMDB
The Terminator was made for $6.4 million dollars, making it one of the more expensive low budget movies we’ve looked at so far. It wound up bringing in $78.3 million at the box office and Schwarzenegger was back as promised for several sequels. The Terminator has also inspired novelizations and comic books.
NEXT: Time to hit the road! This next movie takes road rage to another level.
Set in a near-future dystopia, the 1979 movie Mad Max is the story of a highway cop out for revenge after violent road gangs murder his wife and child. Filmed in Australia with real outlaw bikers portraying gang members, this movie also gave Mel Gibson his first breakthrough role.
IMDB
Director George Miller made Mad Max on a $200,000 budget. The movie raked in $99.75 million at the box office and ignited a blockbuster franchise. Stars like Tina Turner and Charlize Theron have appeared in sequels, and it looks like there may be even more Mad Max on the road ahead.
NEXT: Let’s get some sunshine. This indie comedy is a real charmer.
This hit indie comedy starring Toni Collette, Steve Carell, and Greg Kinnear is a quirky road trip movie about a dysfunctional family on a quest to see their daughter in the finals of a beauty pageant. Over the course of their trip, the family faces challenges together and ultimately grows closer in the process.
IMDB
With a relatively small budget of $8 million, Little Miss Sunshine shone brightly at the box office, bringing in $100.5 million. In addition to raking in the dough, Little Miss Sunshine racked up quite a few nominations and awards, including the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
NEXT: This terrifying low budget thriller would go on to become a franchise worth millions.
Do you want to play a game? This 2004 movie kicked off a seriously twisted franchise with one low budget horror flick with a simple premise. Two strangers wake up trapped in the serial killer Jigsaw’s game. The killer pits the two men against each other in a horrifying battle for their lives.
IMDB
Saw was made on a $1.2 million budget, but you’d never know it from the big box office numbers. Bringing in $104.7 million, Saw was made on a tight schedule in just 18 days. Although movie critics weren’t enamored with Saw or its sequels, Saw’s torture scenes and suspenseful plot have earned it a passionate fan following.
NEXT: You don’t need a translator to enjoy this indie flick.
This 2003 film from writer/director Sofia Coppola stars Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. Murray plays an older actor who travels to Japan to shoot a whiskey commercial. While there, he meets Johansson as a young, unhappily married woman and the two strike up an unlikely friendship.
IMDB
Coppola shot Lost in Translation in Japan with a budget of $4 million. At the box office, the film made $119.7 million. It was also critically acclaimed and nominated for several Oscars, winning the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Though this touchingly quiet film leaves a lot unsaid, it’s clear that it won’t be lost to time.
NEXT: The first George Lucas movie on the list is coming up!
George Lucas’ 1973 flick American Graffiti is a great American classic. Set on the last night of summer vacation in 1962, the movie follows two friends through their last night of freedom before going away to college. Inspired by Lucas’ youth and starring Ron Howard, American Graffiti serves up a slice of life look at American small town living in the ’60s.
Universal Pictures
American Graffiti had a tiny budget of just $770,000, but at the box office it scored big. Coming in at $140 million, American Graffiti proves that George Lucas doesn’t need spaceships or special effects to make a big hit movie.
NEXT: A found-footage inspired style kept costs low on this insanely profitable low budget movie.
2007’s Paranormal Activity is yet another low budget horror flick with big scares. It tells the story of a young couple who move into a new house in San Diego. Frightened by nightly supernatural episodes, they set up cameras to capture evidence of a demonic presence.
IMDB
Shot on home video cameras with a meager budget of $15,000, Paranormal Activity is widely considered to be one of the most profitable movies of all time in terms of return on investment. The movie racked up an incredible $193 million at the box office and led to a series of successful sequels and a VR game.
NEXT: In France, they call this “un bon film.”
Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 hit Pulp Fiction boasts an all-star ensemble cast, an innovative plot, and a killer soundtrack. Told in a nonlinear format, Pulp Fiction pieces together stories about two hitmen, a boxer, a pair of robbers, and a gangster’s lonely wife. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Bruce Willis, and Uma Thurman, it’s hard to believe this movie was made on a relatively small budget.
Miramax
Pulp Fiction cost just $8.5 million to make, but it made a killing at the box office. Coming in at $213 million, Pulp Fiction also took home an Oscar that year for Best Original Screenplay. The movie’s stylish direction, witty banter, and unique storytelling have made it an iconic modern classic.
NEXT: This underdog movie knocked out the competition and came out on top at the box office.
Sylvester Stallone’s breakout performance as Rocky Balboa in this 1976 movie launched his career and this seemingly endless franchise of great boxing movies. Stallone plays a young, poor fighter in Philadelphia who gets the chance to fight a heavy-weight champion.
IMDB
Made on a low budget of just $1.1 million, Rocky became the highest grossing movie in 1976, earning $225 million at the box office. In addition to being acclaimed as one of the best sports movies of all time, Rocky is also famous for its often parodied training montage in which Stallone is shown running up the steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
NEXT: Horror and laughs collide in this smart black comedy.
Comedian Jordan Peele made his directorial debut with this 2017 horror film. Get Out centers on a young black man who goes away for a weekend with his white girlfriend to meet her family. His visit to their estate grows progressively stranger until he discovers a terrifying secret.
Universal Pictures
Peele made Get Out with a budget of $4 million. It was an incredible success at the box office, making over $230 million. Combining humor, horror, and sharp racial comedy, Get Out was the movie everyone was talking about in 2017. It was nominated for Best Picture and won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
NEXT: This movie will have you reaching for your hamburger shaped phone.
Starring Michael Cera and Ellen Page, this sharp 2007 indie comedy made a big splash at the box office. Page plays a teenager who discovers she has accidentally gotten pregnant. While considering terminating her pregnancy, she changes her mind and decides to have the child and give it up for adoption.
Fox Searchlight
Despite the unusual subject matter for a comedy, Juno was a hit. It cost just $7.5 million to make and earned $231 million at the box office. The soundtrack, largely written and performed by indie rocker Kimya Dawson, was also a chart topper. This quirky little indie comedy also won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
NEXT: You won’t believe how much this frightening mockumentary made with its tiny budget.
The Blair Witch Project is the story of three students who went into the woods to make a documentary. Intrigued by local tales of a supernatural presence in the forest, they went in search of the truth and never returned. The movie is presented as the real footage of their final days.
IMDB
Although it was fully fictional, many viewers mistook The Blair Witch Project for an actual documentary. Its profits, however, are totally nonfiction. Made on a shoestring budget of $600,000, The Blair Witch Project made $248 million at the box office. The movie was shot in just eight days with no script.
NEXT: This movie is not afraid to bare it all.
This 1997 British comedy became a surprise worldwide hit. It tells the story of six men who have been laid off. Struggling to make ends meet for their families, the men band together and start a striptease act. To differentiate themselves from other male strippers, the men vow to show “the full monty” and strip completely nude.
IMDB
The Full Monty was made with a budget of $3.5 million, and it made $257 million. It was a critical and commercial success and was nominated for several Oscars. The Full Monty has since been adapted to a stage play and a musical.
NEXT: This big, fat movie was made on a teeny, tiny budget!
This 2002 indie romantic comedy struck a major chord with audiences, despite its humble beginnings. It tells the story of a young Greek-American woman whose family wants her to marry a Greek man. However, she gets engaged to a WASPy outsider. As she introduces him to her family and their customs, hilarity ensues.
Keystone Press
My Big Fat Greek Wedding was made for just $5 million, but it made $368 million at the box office. The movie still holds the title for the highest grossing romantic comedy of all time. Pretty impressive for a movie that began as a one-woman show written by its star Nia Vardalos.
NEXT: At number one, we’ve got another entry from George Lucas!
Finally, this 1977 space fantasy is the highest earning low budget movie on the list. Star Wars follows young Luke Skywalker, a bored teenager on a desert planet who wants more excitement in his life. He teams up with droids, a wookie, and a smuggler to save a rebel princess from the evil Darth Vader.
IMDB
George Lucas made the first Star Wars with a budget of $11 million. At the box office, it made $775 million. This beloved movie revolutionized special effects and sparked a franchise that is still going strong. With two trilogies complete and one in progress, two animated TV series, rides at Disneyland, and an army of fans worldwide, Star Wars fever is still going strong.
