Related
Summary
While so much aid has been given to massive smash hit releases , it is of import to shine a light on the low - budget successes and highlight all the incrediblemovies that have been made for under $ 1 million . While the latest large expiration are often made on budget amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars , those who have kept their monetary value humbled and still delivered compelling and technically impressive body of work must be commend . Despite budgetary restriction , there have been plenty of wildly successful movies that have struck a chord with hearing and critics alike .
One grounds unbelievable movies were often moved into production with restrictive budgets of under $ 1 million was that they were being made byfirst - time directorswho had yet to prove their credential for pull in a successful picture show . Other low - budget moves come from countries without as many funding streams as places like the United States and are forced to make do with much low-down budget than their premiss propose they needed . Whatever the reasonableness , several incredible movies have been made for less than $ 1 million .
10Badlands (1973)
Badlands was made on a budget of an estimated $300,000
One of the defining movies of the seventies , Badlandswas categorized by a strong handwriting , awe - inspiring filming , and engage functioning .
The downhearted - budget directorial debut by acclaimed filmmaker Terrence Malick , Badlandsstarred a then - unknown Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek , who had made a name for herself as a folk vocalist . To finance the movie , which told the story of a 15 - class - honest-to-god who goes on a killing spree with her partner , Malick ab initio raised $ 250,000 for a disruptive productionthat saw several crew members injure in an on - fructify explosion ( viaCriterion . ) One of the defining moving picture of the 1970s , Badlandswas categorise by a strong handwriting , awe - barrack filming , and engaging performance that acted as the genesis forMalick ’s varied and idiosyncratic career .
9Eraserhead (1977)
Eraserhead was made on a budget of approximately $100,000
Cast
The surrealist consistence horrorEraserheadwas the film launching of conductor David Lynch which hedeveloped for six years and made on a budget of about $ 100,000(viaThe Numbers . ) An impressive feat of nightmarish filmmaking , Eraserheadwas a picture that carve up audiences due to its creepy visuals and deeply alienating existentialist philosopher themes . Starring Jack Nance as Henry Spencer , a man left to care for a distorted child surrounded by a cheerless landscape , Eraserheadhas elements of odd comedy and put down the groundwork for the vocation of David Lynch , a director unmatchable in Hollywood for his peculiar and unique style .
8Rocky (1976)
Rocky was made on a budget of $860,000
This was all the more telling as it was made on a budget of $ 860,000 and free-base on a screenplay that its star Sylvester Stallone wrote in just three days .
TheRockyseries has become a pop refinement phenomenon with its montages and radical music being entrenched into the very fabric of American spiritualist culture . The firstRockymovie was a box berth knock and the highest - grossing movie of 1976 earning $ 225 million(viaThe Numbers . ) This was all the more impressive as it was made on a budget of $ 860,000 and ground on a screenplay that its whiz Sylvester Stallone wrote in just three day . By all accounts , Rockywas a triumph and paved the way for sequel , spin - offs , anda $ 1.8 billion franchise .
7Mad Max (1979)
Mad Max was made on a budget of approximately $400,000
George Miller ’s futurist dystopian action movieMad Maxwas produced for between $ 350,000 and $ 400,000and starred Mel Gibson as a constabulary ship’s officer wrick vigilante in the midst of total societal collapse . WhileMad Maxreceived a mixed reception when it was give up , it helped generalize Australian New Waves moving-picture show , made more than $ 100 million worldwide , and setthe Guinness World Record for the most profitable film ever . Mad Maxbecame a major franchise that continues to this twenty-four hour period with the upcoming 2024 freeing ofFuriosa : A crazy Max Saga .
6Slacker (1990)
Slacker was made on a budget of approximately $23,000
A wandering comedy - drama by futureSchool of Rockdirector Richard Linklater , Slacker was a low - budget slice - of - life-time narrative that accompany a single day in the life of a encompassing variety of Generation X slackers . With a budget of just $ 23,000 ( viaBox Office Mojo),Slackerwas a testament to the idea that anybody could make a filmif they had a good thought and were determined enough and acted as the starting for the independent filmmaking movement of the 1990s . Slackerstood outside the convention of mainstream cinema and featured UFO buffs , JFK conspirators , and those on the social and political fringe of American society .
5Clerks (1994)
Clerks was made on a budget of $27,000
Smith maxed out ten credit cards and soak his comic record book accumulation to raise the $ 27,000 budget of the film .
Kevin Smith ’s smutty - and - white comedyClerkswas perhaps the most famous example of an self-governing filmmaker putting it all on the line to get their movie made . Exploring one working day for two gismo store employees , Smith maxed out ten credit cardsand hock his comic rule book aggregation to upgrade the $ 27,000 budgetof the flick . A resounding success , Clerksmade over $ 3 million at the box office ( viaThe Numbers ) and act as the origin of Smith ’s View Askewniverse which saw his fictitious character , like Jay and Silent Bob , appear across the majority of his films .
4Brick (2005)
Brick was made on a budget of $450,000
The directional debut of Rian Johnson , who would go on to makeStar Wars : The Last JediandKnives Out , Brickwas a neo - noir secret star Joseph Gordan - Levitt . fix in modern times and following eminent - shoal scholar Brendan Frye , Bricktook the conventional of a hard - boiled detective story and embedded it with a contemporary and engaging energy . To getBrickmade , Johnson invested his own money and convinced friends and kinsperson to contribute(viaAV Club . ) finally , Johnson had the $ 450,000 he needed , andBrickgrossed $ 4,243,996 , almost ten times its initial budget .
3Once (2007)
Once was made on a budget of approximately €150,000
An Irish romantic musical , Oncestarred Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová , as two struggling player in Dublin writing , recording , and rehearsing together as they flow in love . Oncewas made with the help of the Irish Film Boardon a minuscule budget of € 150,000 ( viaThe Numbers ) the sheer power and beauty of its simple story helped the picture show bring home the bacon at the box office and realize over $ 23 million worldwide . shore up primarily by its exceptional euphony , Oncewon the Academy Award for Best Song for the track “ Falling Slowly . ”
2The Vast of Night (2019)
The Vast of Night was made on a budget of $700,000
The Vast of Nightwas a powerful debut that signaled Patterson as a director to watch .
A science fiction secret , The Vast of Nightwas produced on an imposingly low budget of $ 700,000 . The entry motion picture of theater director Andrew Patterson , the technical wonder of this eerie extraterrestrial report must be commend asthe film negociate to deliver a spectacle many multiplication more impressive than its low budget would suggest . The Vast of Nightwas a herculean debut that signaled Patterson as a director to watch , and whose next filmThe Rivals of Amziah Kingis set to asterisk Matthew McConaugheyand Kurt Russell in a highly anticipated follow - up .
1The Head Hunter (2018)
The Head Hunter was made on a budget of $30,000
bubble over with mental imagery and suspense it was shocking to discover thatThe Head Hunterwas made on a budget of just $ 30,000 ( viaAustin Chronicle.)The Head Hunterfollowed a bountifulness hunter for a local kingdom waiting for the retort of a creature who pop his daughter . With stunning motion-picture photography , a brooding atmosphere , and a compelling performance , The Head Hunterrose above its fantasy Bel - moving picture genre to produce a refreshing piece of suspensethat showcased just how far an imaginative and gifted filmmaker could debase a modified budget .
rootage : Criterion , The Numbers(Eraserhead),The Numbers(Rocky),Box Office Mojo(Slacker),The Numbers(Clerks),AV Club , The Numbers(Once),Austin Chronicle
Custom Image by SR Image Editor
