Low Budget Films That Became Big Blockbusters

Napoleon Dynamite

Napoleon Dynamite was a famous 2004 comedy film created on a tight budget of $400,000. Jon Heder, who plays the title character in the movie, was only paid $1,000 for his work on the film! Not only that, the movie was edited in producer Jeremy Coon‘s apartment on a Mac.

When the film became a huge success, Heder re-negotiated his payment for the film and received a cut of the profits. Napoleon Dynamite made $46.1 million worldwide, including $44.5 million domestic. The film has developed quite a following over the years and was voted No. 14 on Bravo’s 100 Funniest Movies.

Get Out

Jordan Peele was already a well-known name in comedy before he made his directorial debut with this horror film. Get Out was made for just $4.5 million, and the film ended up being a huge success. It went on to make $255.4 million worldwide.

Get Out was a film of a different caliber, thanks to the creative marketing techniques that helped bring in $33.3 million opening weekend. The movie was so successful that it earned four Oscar nominations even though it was released almost a full year before the nominations were announced.

Super Size Me

This documentary changed the way we eat and see McDonald’s and fast food restaurants. The 2004 documentary followed director Morgan Spurlock as he ate nothing but McDonald’s food for 30 days to see the outcome.

Spurlock would eat Mickey D’s three times a day, intending to try every item on the menu at least once. As a result, Spurlock gained 24 lbs, increased his cholesterol, experienced mood swings, and experienced fat accumulation in his liver. The shocking documentary was created on a $65,000 budget, but went on to make $20.6 million worldwide.

Donnie Darko

Donnie Darko has had an incredible journey since its debut in 2001. Many people still wonder how this low budget film starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Drew Barrymore managed to become the lasting cult classic everyone is familiar with today.

Director Richard Kelly said, “In the year 2000, when we shot the film, the budget was $4.5 million. That was a fair bit for a debut movie, but it did have Drew on board, and she was one of the casting elements.” The film was shot in 28 days, and while Gyllenhaal has Donnie Darko to thank for launching his career, he has admitted that he has never understood the film. The movie went on to make $7.5 million worldwide and received critical acclaim for the story, acting, and tone.

American Psycho

The controversial film starring Christian Bale was news before it even began filming due to the talent. There were rumors that Leonardo DiCaprio was set to play the role of Patrick Bateman with a $20 million check in the works.

Although Leo never followed through, the dark comedy that took place on New York’s Wall Street, was an absolute hit with audiences. The film was a controversial one, as some of the scenes are hard to watch due to gore and sexual content. However, even the darkest of scenes are laced with an obscure humor that fans fell in love with. The film that was made with just $8 million ended up grossing $34.3 million.