12 Budget Movies That Became Blockbusters - Alvinology

12 Budget Movies That Became Blockbusters

Even if a filmmaker has a shortage of funds, it doesn’t imply that they can’t produce a superb movie that will earn them millions of dollars. When comes to making movies, one of the biggest challenges is having sufficient cash to bring the movie magic to life. With great storyline and creativity, these filmmakers found the secret key to produce movies at a low cost and bring huge cash at the box office. Here are the 12 budget movies that became blockbuster hits!

Rocky (1976)

Starring the unpopular actor back then, Sylvester Stallone, Rocky tells a story of the rags-to-riches story of Rocky Balboa, an Italian-American boxer living in Philadelphia. Filming just under $1 million, Rocky made an amazing $225 million after its 1976 launch. Rocky was chosen for 10 Academy Awards and the winner of 3 categories, Best Director, Best Picture and Best Film Editing.

Credit: Telegraph.co.uk

Budget: $1.1 million
Box Office Takings: $225 million

Halloween (1978)

Halloween was produced on a spending budget of $320,000 and made $47 million in the United States and $23 million globally. This makes the movie earned a whopping total of $70 million worldwide. Halloween has influenced many other film producers to copy the concept of this movie. Unlike many of its copycats, Halloween has minimum graphic physical violence and also gore. The concept of this movie is simple, the killer died and came back alive again in the same film.

halloween

Budget: $325,000
Box Office Takings: $70 million

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Upon its theatrical release, Pulp Fiction was nominated for 7 Oscars, which included Best Picture, Best Film Editing, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. It also got the Palme d’Or award at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival.

Credit: Wired.it
Credit: Wired.it

American black comedy crime film, Pulp Fiction is directed by Quentin Tarantino. Noted for its ironic mix of violence and humour, as well as its cinematic suggestions, the film links the intersecting stories of Los Angeles hooligans, fringe gamers, and one intriguing briefcase.

Budget: $8 million
Box Office Takings: $123.9 million

The Full Monty (1997)

A group of unemployed males, enduring the results of Sheffield’s declining steel-making sector, develop an all-male erotic dance act in an effort to become fully employed. The Full Monty was directed by filmmaker Peter Cattaneo. This heartfelt and comedy movie took place to achieve universal praise, getting an overall of 4 Academy Award nominations and also the BAFTA Award for the Best Film.

Credit: Fanpop.com
Credit: Fanpop.com

Budget plan: $3.5 million
Box Office Takings: $257.9 million

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

It shocked the movie industry when the indie horror film, The Blair Witch Project, go on to gross nearly $250 million in the worldwide box office sales with its micro-budget. This movie has additionally helped pave the way for future found-footage horror movies like Cloverfield and Paranormal Activity. Focusing on ‘less is more’, this movie shares the story of 3 film students during their documentation of the Maryland Legend. This mock documentary movie style focuses more on suspense rather than gore. It is also a smart viral marketing project which got people wondering about whether if it was real or fictional.

image-w1280

Budget: $60,000
Box Office Takings: $248.6 million

Super Size Me (2004)

Embarking on a 30-day McDonald’s-only diet, indie filmmaker, Morgan Spurlock, wants his audience to discover America’s obesity epidemic. Naming this movie Super Size Me, Spurlock ate at this world renowned fast-food chain for breakfast, lunch and also dinner for 7 days a week. In this movie, Spurlock has gained a total of 12kg. After the release of this movie, McDonald’s began phasing out its supersize portion after 2004.

Credit: Mountainfilm.org
Credit: Mountainfilm.org

Spending plan: $65,000
Box Office Takings: $20.6 million

Saw (2004)

The beginning of gruesome horror flicks, Saw was made on a budget of $1.2 million and took a box office earnings of $103 million worldwide. Shot over 18 days and directed by James Wan, the same director from The Conjuring, this American psychological horror film tells a story of how Jigsaw played with his victims. Probably the most gruesome trap ever created in the horror movie industry is the Reverse Bear Trap.

maxresdefault-2

Budget: $1.2 million
Box Office Takings: $103 million

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

British director, Danny Boyle, produce a feel-good movie titled Slumdog Millionaire. Starring Dev Patel as Jamal Malik, he lives in Mumbai’s slums who later won India’s variation of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”. Soon, Jamal was arrested due to suspicion of cheating during this game show. While being interrogated by police, the movie reveals flashbacks of how Jamal is able to have these amazing knowledge to win the game. The film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and took place to win 8 of them, including the Oscars for Best Picture as well as Best Director.

Credit: Slashfilm.com
Credit: Slashfilm.com

Budget plan: $15 million
Box Office Takings: $377.9 million

Paranormal Activity (2009)

Following the style of The Blair Witch Project, successful indie horror movie, Paranormal Activity, had the audiences scared out of their wits. All thanks to its creepy found-footage approach. Recorded inside supervisor Oren Peli’s own residence, this movie has a spending of only $15,000. Paranormal Activity went on to generate five more scary sequels for its fans.

paranormal-activity-1

Budget: $15,000
Box Office Takings: $194 million

The Purge (2013)

What if, murdering and committing criminal offences once a year for a 12-hour period is totally legal? Calling this movie The Purge, this unique scary film has a terrific cast, consisting of Ethan Hawke, and also took in nearly $90 million in the box office on a $10 million budget filming plan.

the-purge

Budget: $10 million
Box Office Takings: $118.4 million

The Conjuring (2013)

The Conjuring landed in movie theatres in 2013 and also took everyone by shock as it blew away the movie on the chart, The Lone Ranger, ending it up being an enormous movie hit. The film was made with a $20 million budget and made an astonishing $318 million around the world. A sequel, The Conjuring 2, was recently released in June 2016 with a budget of $40 million and a box office taking of $320.2 million.

maxresdefault-1

Budget: $20 million
Box Office Takings: $318 million

Don’t Breathe (2016)

Don’t Breathe is a 2016 American scary film guided by Fede Alvarez as well as written by Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues. Starring Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto as well as Stephen Lang, this movie concentrates on three close friends who were caught inside a blind man’s house while burglarizing it. Produced by Ghost House Pictures and Good Universe, this film was theatrically launched on August 26, 2016, by Screen Gems and Stage 6 Films. Don’t Breathe has obtained positive testimonials as well as earned over $152 million.

Credit: Theverge.com
Credit: Theverge.com

Budget: $10 million
Box Office Takings: $152.8 million

Leave a Reply

Related Posts