There may not be an award for this, but there is certainly a sacred place in the film industry for films that get the most bang for their buck. You don’t necessarily need a huge budget to make a successful and well known film. Well-written, well-acted, and well-produced films on a tight budget can provide an excellent return on investment. Here are some of the cash-strapped films that let you optimize every dollar invested in a project.
Slacker (1990) - $23,000 budget.
Before Richard Linklater (adolescence, Dazed and confused) came to prominence in the mid to late 90s, working in his native Austin, Texas, making small independent films such as idler. Released in 1990 on a budget of just $23,000, the film grossed over $1.2 million. Linklater actually starred in his film about a group of floundering and unambitious artists in the Texas capital who shied away from real-life responsibility to pursue their eccentric and artistic dreams.
Blair Witch Project (1999) - $200,000 budget.
An outstanding found film was made for a measly $200,000. The Blair Witch Project depicts three young travelers who get lost in the woods in search of answers to questions about the mysterious Blair Witch. Production company Lionsgate Films ventured into making a small film produced by a group of directors, including Daniel Mirik and Eduardo Sanchezand were rewarded with a huge return on their investment. The Blair Witch Project will earn an astounding $248 million and is widely regarded as the highest-grossing, highly acclaimed low-budget film of all time.
El Mariachi (1992) - $7,000 budget.
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Another well-known director who had to prove himself in small independent projects before becoming successful is Robert Rodriguez (From dusk to dawn, Spy Kids). El Mariachi was made for a paltry sum of just $7,000 and went on to win the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature on its way to an impressive $2 million. Having demonstrated the ability to maximize every dollar he had, the studios were more than willing to bring the director on to much larger projects. Rodriguez currently has over thirty films to his credit.
Napoleon Dynamite (2004) - $400,000 budget
Made for just $400,000 Napoleon Dynamite was a huge success for the director, Jared Hess. If not for his foresight and efficient use of a small budget, we most likely would never have heard of John Heder and met the likes of Uncle RicoJohn Grice), Pedro (Efren Ramirez), and Kip (Aaron Ruell). With an ROI of over 1,000%, the film’s total gross of over $46 million is truly impressive, and the film is now considered a cultural phenomenon, with “Vote Pedro” shirts still flying off the shelves.
Clerks (1994) - $230,000 budget.
“I’m not even supposed to be here today” - mantra of the store clerk, Dante Hicks (Brian O’Halloran), who had to deal with weirdos like Jay (Jason Mewes), Silent Bob, (director Kevin Smith) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson) in film. Clerks was a labor of love with Smith making the most of his personal credit cards and actually going into debt as part of the film’s $230,000 budget. After the quirky and hilarious black-and-white independent film made $3.8 million at the box office, Smith’s Silent Bob was probably laughing all the way to the bank.
Eraserhead (1977) - $10,000 budget.
Master of the sublime and the surreal, David Lynchthe 1977 classic about Henry Spencer (Jack Nancy), his significant other Mary X (Charlotte Stewart), and their quirky reptilian offspring were created on a limited budget of just $10,000 and gave us a glimpse into the eccentric mind of one of the film industry’s greatest auteurs. After surprising with a whopping $7 million, he made this list without hesitation and launched Lynch’s brilliant, if not crazy, career.
Paranormal Activity (2007) - $15,000 budget.
When Katy gets in trouble at nightKatie Featherston) and Micah (Mika Slot), they set up cameras around the house in the hope of capturing anything that disturbs the peace and quiet. Made for just $15,000 paranormal activitydirector Oren Peli was able to maximize the tension at the edge of your seat with fantastic pace and thrilling suspense. They made the film so well that it unexpectedly grossed $193 million and is on par with The Blair Witch Project as one of the most lucrative investments in film history, and spawned a six-picture franchise to date.
Som (2010) - $30,000 budget
Capitalizing on the online phenomenon of identity theft and identity fraud, catfish there was a timely article about a phenomenon known as “catfish catching”. Director and producer Ariel Shulman talks about his brother Nev’s own experience with online identity fraud in an enlightening documentary about the lengths people are willing to go to misrepresent themselves online. For $30,000, Shulman was able to garner over $3.7 million in box office receipts worldwide in the process of exposing the scammers.
McMullen Brothers (1995) - $28,000 budget.
director Edward Burns made a name for himself in this little film that ended up being big business. Also serving as one of the film’s main characters, Burns’ character is one of three Irish Catholic brothers who work their way through relationships with each other and with the different women in their lives. The film resonated with its honesty and top-notch performance, earning $10 million on a budget of only $28,000 and earning Burns a place in Hollywood for years to come.
Night of the Living Dead (1968) - Budget $114,000
Widely known as the grandfather of zombie films, the legendary George A. RomeroX Night of the Living Dead was not meant to be the cult classic it is today. With just over $100,000 at his disposal, Romero managed to create an original horror masterpiece that continues to serve as the standard bearer by which all other zombie films are judged. When it grossed $30 million at the box office, it cemented Romero as the king of horror films and spawned a genre that is still relevant today.
Source: Collider
