Budget: $60,000
“The Blair Witch Project” had a terrific PR campaign before it hit theatres. The previews of these teenagers lost in the woods on what looked like homemade footage were so thrilling because it was unlike anything audiences had ever seen before. That probably contributed in large part to the fact it brought in nearly $250 million worldwide. Although the previews ended up showing pretty much the best parts of the film, which was created by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez, who did all of the writing, directing, and editing themselves.
After it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1999, it grabbed the attention of distribution companies and earned itself a $1.1 million distribution deal. Since the film’s release, several other directors have followed suit in this film style, creating other “found footage” hits like “Paranormal Activity.” The film also prompted the release of a few sequels, “Blair Witch” (2016) and “Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2,” which came out just a year after the original.
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Budget: $1.5M
Wes Craven’s "A Nightmare on Elm Street" is arguably one of the best horror movies ever made. It is the ultimate cult classic that launched an incredible franchise — and Johnny Depp’s career. Who could possibly forget the bedroom scene with a teenage Johnny? If you haven’t seen the classic and you actually needed another reason, there it is!
The film, which centers around a psychopathic madman who kills teenagers in their dreams, was produced with a budget of $1.5 million and grossed over $25 million after its release in 1984. The movie forever solidified Wes Craven’s place in the horror hall of fame as one of the greatest (and most twisted) minds of all time. Now, there are 11 movies in the super successful franchise.
Get Out
Budget: $4.5M
"Get Out" is a tantalizingly unique thriller directed by comedian turned director Jordan Peele. It was the first film that Peele has directed, though because of his status; he was able to scrounge together a cool $4.5 million in funds to produce the mind-bending film. The movie stars Daniel Kaluuya, who plays the boyfriend of a woman (Allison Williams) when the two go visit her family for one of their reunions at her parents’ house, and Daniel gets more than he bargained for when something turns out to be very, very wrong.
The film grossed over $220 million at the box office and earned Peele his well-deserved industry cred as a director. "Get Out" was nominated for a number of awards, including Best Picture and Original Screenplay, at the Academy Awards and 5 different nominations at the 23rd Critics Choice Awards. It wound up being on the top 10 list of most profitable films in 2017.
Little Miss Sunshine
Budget: $8M
Abigail Breslin found her breakthrough role in the form of Olive Hoover, daughter of Sheryl and Frank in "Little Miss Sunshine," for which she won her own Academy Award. The film, which follows an eclectic family across the country on a road trip in their yellow van, brought in over $100 million in theatres. In the grand scheme of things, that may not seem like a lot, but it is considering the fact they created the masterpiece with only $8 million.
It was written by a newbie screenwriter named Michael Arndt, who was actually planning on crowdsourcing as much as possible and shooting it with a handheld camera himself. He even wrote the final scene for the screenplay just 6 weeks before it debuted at Sundance. Luckily, he ended up pitching it to the professionals instead and sold it for a quarter-million dollars to Marc Turtletaub, who also paid the $8 million in production costs for the movie to come to life.
Buried
Budget: $2M
Buried is an underrated film that hasn’t gotten as much credit as it really deserves. The film stars Ryan Reynolds as a soldier who finds himself in a terrifying predicament — he’s buried alive with only his lighter and thoughts to keep him company. The movie was produced using only $2 million, thanks in large part to the fact they didn’t need a ton of locations for filming.
But since the story and acting were so incredible, audiences flocked to theatres to see Reynolds in action, and the movie ended up bringing in over $20 million. The profit is more than was originally anticipated, but not surprising considering how intense the storyline and thrills are throughout the film.