It’s refreshing to see that quite a fewindependent filmshave made it big-time and turned into memorable blockbusters. These films have found the perfect balance between a low budget and captivating content while also racking up a huge return on investment. Who knows? Your favorite movie may be on this list.
The Blair Witch Project
Directors: Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez
The Blair Witch Projectintroduced audiences to a new kind of horror movie and set the aesthetic for many that followed. Although not the first of its kind, the independent film about a group of student filmmakers attempting to hunt down an urban legend isone of the most well-knownfound-footage films. It was also the first film to rely on a viral internet marketing campaign claiming that the events of the film were real.
Despite just a $60,000 budget,The Blair Witch Projectwent on to make $248.6 million worldwideat the box office, including $140.5 million domestic. This number is even more surprising when you learn that the film was made in eight days, and there wasn’t a finished script when filming began.
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Director: Jason Reitman
For a small indie film that was made on just a $7.5 million budget,Junoreally made a significant impact. The film had such a low budget thatJennifer Garnertook a pay cut to keep the costs down. Surprisingly, the movie, starringElliot PageandMichael Cera,brought in $232.3 million worldwide, including $143.4 million domestic.
Thefilm also garnered multiple Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director (Jason Reitman), and Best Actress in a Leading Role (Page), andDiablo Codytook home the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. The film was a huge hit, especially for young women, thanks to its hilarious and realistic take on a controversial topic.
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Little Miss Sunshine
Directors: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
LikeJuno,Little Miss Sunshineis an indie film that blew up big time. The movie earned four Oscar nominations and two wins after hitting the screen in 2006. The movie, which was created for just $8 million,ended up earning over $101 million worldwide, including $59.9 million domestic.
Even more impressive, the movie’s widest release only reached 1,602 theaters. When the first showing of the film received a standing ovation,Fox Searchlight jumped at the opportunity, buying the film fora record-breaking $10.5 million. To this day, the film remains a fan favorite among audiences.
Director: John R. Leonetti
Annabellewas made on a $6.5 million budget and was an absolute hit in theaters, despite some negative reviews from critics. Thelong-awaited horrormovie managed to rake in $257.5 million. Naturally, it helped that the film was a spin-off of the already successfulConjuringfranchise. A prequel was released in 2017 after the popularity ofAnnabellecalledAnnabelle: Creation. Due to the success of Annabelle, the prequel was created with a budget of $15 million, and it went on to make a staggering $306.5 million worldwide, including $102 million domestic.
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My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Director: Joel Zwick
My Big Fat Greek Weddingspent almost a full year in theaters. This long run allowed the film to bring in the big bucks. A$5 million budget turned into $368.7 million worldwide($241.4 million domestic). During its opening weekend, the film was only released to 108 screens, but still raked in $597,000.
After 20 long weeks in theaters,My Big Fat Greek Weddingreached the No. 2 spot and spent 17 consecutive weeks in the Top 10. With impressive numbers came impressive award nominations.Nia Vardalos earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, and the film was nominated for Best Picture at the Golden Globes.
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Director: John G. Avildsen
If you thrive atRockytrivia, then you may know that the first film isn’t even the top-grossing installment of the blockbuster franchise. That said, none of the other films came close to the ridiculously cheap (around $1 million) budget of the original, which stillbrought in $225 million worldwide.Rocky,which featured a then-unknown Sylvester Stallone, won three Oscars, including Best Picture. Since the film’s 1976 release, the franchise has hauled in amind-boggling $1.9 billion.
Director: James Wan
Sawwas and still is a massive hit in the horror genre. It dominated the box office,making $103.9 million worldwide on a $1.2 million budget. In addition to making big bucks in theaters,Sawhas become one of themost recognizable horror franchises in film.The firstSawmovie was the young James Wan’s directing debut, and he came out hot, finishing the film in just 18 days! Wan would go on to be the mastermind behindThe Conjuringfranchise, which has also been a money machine. All eight of theSawfilms have added up to a total of $1.1 billion.
Director: Barry Jenkins
Moonlightwas a pivotal film for its portrayal of Black and queer culture. The movie follows the main character, Chiron (played in different phases of his life byTrevante Rhodes,Ashton Sanders, andAlex R. Hibbert), as he goes throughsignificant transitions in his life. It discusses his struggles with his sexuality and identity while also exploring the emotional abuse he endured growing up.
A cast of unforgettable performances was followed up by a memorable moment at the 2017 Oscars when it won Best Picture… after it wasmistakenly awarded toLa La Land. The highly decorated movie reportedly cost $4 million (directorBarry Jenkins tweetedthat the budget was in fact $1.5 million), but either way, the filmraked in an impressive $65.1 millionworldwide!
Friday the 13th
Director: Sean S. Cunningham
TheFriday the 13thfranchise has amassed an enormous following since the first film was made in 1980. The slasher film that was only made for $550,000 ended up capturing audiences andgrossed $59.7 million worldwide. Thefamous hockey-masked villain, Jason Voorhees, sparked a massive franchisewith 12 films, comic books, video games, and merchandise galore.
Friday the 13th is a horror-slasher film by director Sean S. Cunningham and follows a group of camp counselors who are stalked and murdered by an unknown assailant while trying to reopen a summer known to be the site of a child’s drowning and a grisly double murder. The film began a decades-long franchise that would eventually lead to the creation of Jason Voorhees, one of the most popular horror icons of all time.
Director: George Miller
AlthoughMad Maxhas received critical acclaim and a huge following, the dystopian movie, led by a youngMel Gibson, was made with a mere $350,000. The 1979 action film set in future Australia tells a tale of societal collapse, murder, and revenge.
The film made $100 million worldwide, which was once enough toset the Guinness World Record for Most Profitable Film. The film has also been credited with opening up the global market to Australian New Wave films.Mad Maxbirthed afranchise with three sequels,Mad Max 2(also known asThe Road Warrior),Beyond Thunderdome, andFury Road.
