budget box office

Note: The profit and loss figures are very rough estimates based on domestic and international box office earnings and domestic video sales, extrapolated to estimate worldwide income to the studio, after deducting retail costs. Meanwhile, a remake of the original film also came out in 2009. These movies cost almost nothing to make, but brought in the big bucks when they hit the big screen. It’s still considered one of the best martial arts films ever made, and the movie that turned Bruce Lee into an icon. The film also inspired a sequel, although that only made $92 million. The movie became revered among many people (especially horror lovers), and became a successful franchise with 10 more movies made after it. These movies made millions to the cult franchise, and we’re not even counting the video games and merchandise. Don’t get us wrong, the kids would’ve had a blast – but mom and dad probably wouldn’t have approved. How many of these low-budget gems did you see at the theatre? In the film and media industry, if a film released in theatres fails to break even by a large amount, it is considered a box office bomb (or box office flop), thus losing money for the distributor, studio, and/or production company that invested in it. The movie had a budget of $8.5 million budget, but managed to make $50.3 million at the box office. Box office. It was even nominated for several Academy Awards, including Best Picture. We sincerely hope no parent took their kids to see this movie in the late ’90s, thinking it was Where the Wild Things Are. It seems the appeal behind the film is that it was inspired by a true story. It not only became a pop culture phenomenon – it also grossed $248 million worldwide. He had to check himself into a medication trial to raise money to make it, and shot the whole thing without sound (which he added later). Movies released in 2005 or earlier are highlighted because we don't have home market data before 2006. In 2006, horror director Wes Craven made an equally terrifying remake, which made $69.6 million. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, Untitled Spider-Man: Far From Home Sequel, Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). Owen Wilson, who usually goes for comedy roles, gives the performance of a lifetime, which might just be one of the reasons for this film’s success – it made $54.4 million against a $5 million budget. It also features Riz Ahmed, who later became a huge star in the TV miniseries The Night Of. It didn’t really matter, however, since it managed to earn $101 million in the box office, according to Box Office Mojo. If you have additional information or corrections, please let us know at corrections@the-numbers.com. The charming film, starring Trainspotting actor Robert Carlyle, was made with only a $3.5 million budget. Home Loan For Savvy Aussie Refinancers. We all remember that one fateful mistake at the 2017 Oscars – when Hollywood veterans Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were handed the wrong envelope and announced La La Land as the winner of Best Picture. The final budget was a mere $10.5 million, which was dwarfed by its $76.3 million box office gross. Released only a year later, Sliver was skewered by critics but nevertheless managed to make bank at the box office. And as the film showed his significant health decline, Spurlock also showed how the giant fast food chain has managed to indoctrinate itself into mainstream American culture. There was so much buzz about the film after its first screening, it actually caused a bidding war between studios as to who would get to distribute it. The Gift is a psychological thriller with particularly important messages about bullying. The data we have is, to the best of our knowledge, accurate but there are gaps and disputed figures. Distributor Screen Gems. Writer Diablo Cody took home the Oscar for best original screenplay. Cruel Intentions is a very interesting adaptation of a novel, because it took the source material’s plot outline and moved it from 18th-century France to present-day New York City. And once the film is in the can, you have to spend more money to market it. “The Conjuring” is another horror film that made a whole lot of money without costing too much to make. Lavish Hollywood blockbusters can be delightful to watch, but some of the most financially successful movies ever made were produced for surprisingly little. theaters, 5.0 weeks average run per theater: Infl. The film, about awkward teenager Napoleon Dynamite who helps his friend Pedro run for class president, starred Jon Heder and was much beloved by the viewers and the critics alike. A fresh take on sports: the biggest news and most entertaining lists. The film, written and directed by John Carney, was released in 2007 and became hugely popular with the audience as well as the critics. But in 2017 he co-wrote with his wife Emily V. Gordon the romantic comedy The Big Sick, which is loosely based on their own lives. Even more impressive, the film only cost $500,000 to make. The highlighted records in above table are movies that were recently released and/or movies for which we do not have complete data yet. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is the film that introduced action star Jason Statham to the world, after previously being a competitive diver. They soon realize that they’re playing a deadly game with a serial killer. British horror film 28 days later is a post apocalyptic zombie film, about a man who wakes up from a coma at an abandoned hospital, only to realize the world had been overrun by zombies, infected with a fatal virus. The film’s earnings were as high as $29.5 million against a $65,000 budget – not bad for a documentary! The production budget for the movie was a mere US$114,000, and it went on to earn more than US$30 million at the worldwide box office. Related: 10 Roles That Made Scarlett Johansson Stand Out (And 5 She Should’ve Rejected). More detailed financial analysis of films is available through our research services. It made an impressive $318 million against a $20 million budget (granted, it’s not exactly a small budget, but it’s still phenomenal). Open Water is yet another low-budget horror film to make it big in the box office. Perhaps, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” is the box office hit that no one saw coming, with the exception of its producers, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson. The soundtrack—written and recorded by the film’s stars, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová—was also a success. There are so many factors involved with taking an idea and turning into a box office hit, and one of these factors is, of course, money. 15 Low Budget Films That Were Actually Box Office Hits. The 2004 film is a horror/serial killer flick that was directed and co-written by James Wan. Written by Jon Favreau, who also starred in the movie along with Vince Vaughn, the film became a huge success. Before that, however, the original dystopian film starring Mel Gibson was made on a budget of just $300,000 and turned out to be an enormous box office success. When you think of a cult horror film, what immediately comes to mind is The Blair Witch Project. No, Basic Instinct isn’t a low budget movie per se, with its $49 million price tag. A complete list of all movies for which we have budget information can be found here. In the last couple of weeks, I have looked at a number of topics around movie budgets. The film earned $103.9 million at the box office. The film’s budget isn’t one of the lowest on this list – $9.9 million – but it made an impressive $157.1 million, which is over 15 times its budget. It touched on many important subjects, and was loved by audiences, so it managed to make $258 million nonetheless. Run Lola Run is a 1998 German thriller, about a girl who needs to obtain a large sum of money within twenty minutes, in order to save her boyfriend’s life (showing three different ways for the plot to unfold). The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was critically acclaimed, with both the lead actors getting nominated for major awards for their excellent performances. The romantic drama came out in 2010, and starred Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, were also served as co-executive producers for the movie. Writer/director Robert Rodriguez raised US$9,000 to make his first feature-length film, El Mariachi, but ended up using only US$7,225 of it. Overall, the film cost $6.5 million to make. The sexy and funny story of an artistic woman juggling three lovers was adapted into a Netflix series in 2017 that ran for two seasons. Estimated expenses are based on the domestic theatrical distribution pattern of the film. Required fields are marked *. Despite him being essentially paralyzed, he manages to control his left foot, and eventually becomes a painter, author, and poet. Sadly, Lee died six days before the premiere of the film. The producers originally didn’t want Sylvester Stallone, who wrote the script, to star in the movie. Note: The profit and loss figures are very rough estimates based on domestic and international box office earnings and domestic video sales, extrapolated to estimate worldwide income to the studio, after deducting retail costs. Napoleon Dynamite is perhaps one of the most successful comedies ever made. The movie had a budget of $8.5 million budget, but managed to make $50.3 million at the box office. Movies released in 2005 or earlier are highlighted because we don't have home market data before 2006. When Sylvester Stallone wrote the screenplay for Rocky, he didn’t realize what a cult success it was going to be, or what a huge star the anonymous actor was going to become. It received a nearly perfect critical score and had so much buzz going around it, it even managed to snag four Oscar nominations (even though horror movies are usually overlooked by the Academy). Studios often try to keep the information secret and will use accounting tricks to inflate or reduce announced budgets. Most of all, it gained an unbelievable cultural influence that lasts until today. Actor, writer and director Kevin Smith is known for his comedy films, and mostly the ones featuring the recurring characters of Jay and Silent Bob (these movies are part of the View Askewniverse). But he was eventually granted a meager budget, which he stretched by casting family and friends, filming with handheld cameras, and using the first take for most of the scenes. Buried, a psychological thriller starring Ryan Reynolds, came out in 2010 and was made with a small budget of only $2 million. On the other hand, many movies, made with a small budget, became some of the biggest hits we still remember today. Rodriguez’s innovative approach gave birth to two action-packed sequels starring Antonio Banderas (Desperado and Once Upon A Time In Mexico). Writer and actress Nia Vardalos was catapulted to stardom when her 2002 film about a Greek woman trying to get her traditional family to accept her non-Greek fiancé became one of the most talked-about films of the year. As a whole, the franchise has grossed $884 million – and counting! Note: Budget numbers for movies can be both difficult to find and unreliable. The film reportedly cost an estimated $5 million to make. Here’s another film that proves you don’t need to spend a lot to develop an effectively scary film. When done well, a film can evoke emotion, provide inspiration, and even make a bad day better. And both Horror and Drama movies are seeing a weakening of the connection between their budgets and cinema takings. with its five subsequent films, it’s still regarded as a cult film that influences horror filmmaking until this very day. Made in 2004 by Morgan Spurlock, the film shows the deterioration of one man, as he restricts himself to only eating McDonalds meals for 30 days. You could say that “Get Out” is the breakout film of 2017. It launched one of the most successful film franchises in history, but the original 1976 Rocky film, which grossed US$225 million at the box office, was made for a mere US$1 million. This chart shows the budget of every film in our database, where we have it. At the same time, you also have to pay for other costs of making the film - equipment, travel, studio use and more. Over the years, the film also inspired sequels. With an extreme shoestring budget of $15,000, the movie was shot using a handheld camera in only seven days, and was crafted by Israeli director Oren Peli who had no previous directorial experience. Freddy Krueger is the nightmarish antagonist haunting teenagers’ dreams, making them scared to fall asleep lest something horrible happens to them. To complete this trilogy, I am turning to the connection between a movie’s budget and the amount of money it collects at the box office. Following two scuba divers who become stranded in the water with a shark lurking around them, the movie was shot with a $500,000 budget. “Lost In Translation” is a critically acclaimed film that featured incredible performances from actors Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, and Bill Murray. The film went on to earn $248 million worldwide. Producers Bob Chartoff and Irwin Winkler actually had to mortgage their homes to get this film made on a $1 million budget, but it certainly paid off for everyone. With a budget of only $7,000, the film went on to making $2 million, turning Robert Rodriguez into a sought out director. In the documentary “Super Size Me,” director Morgan Spurlock participates in an unhealthy social experiment wherein he consumed McDonald’s food for an entire month. they both rise/fall together). The film was so successful, it received its own franchise with three sequels. Kumail also starred in the heartwarming film, which captivated audiences everywhere. Opening $7,845,658. Little Miss Sunshine was another indie comedy that received many accolades, as well as Oscar nominations and even two wins. Many people know the 2008 film Juno received several Oscar nominations, Best Picture being one of them. Not only did it gain a cult following, but it earned a 100 times its budget! In addition to earning critical praise, the movie was a box office success, raking in more than US$65 million. Next: Here Are All The 2020 Oscar-Winning Movies (And Where To Watch Them). It was made on a budget of between $8 and $10 million, but made $41.1 million in global box office receipts. Written and directed by Sam Raimi (who’s behind other horror flicks like The Grudge and Boogeyman), this film is a supernatural horror classic. Pakistani-American comedian and actor Kumail Nanjiania is mostly famous for his main role in the popular HBO comedy Silicon Valley. The previous chart lumps all movies together so we should dig a little deeper and see how different types of films fare. Indeed, it's easy for films to cost millions. Our movie profit and loss records, based on this budget information, can be found here. The dark comedy Lost In Translation starred Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray, became a huge hit in the box office, as well as an award season favorite. In the same way that each genre has a different overall figure, the 20-year trends differ between genres. In fact, it made more than its budget in the very first week of playing in theaters. We wonder how much of that was spent on pies… Anyway, no one thought American Pie would make as much as it did, and certainly not that it’d continue making money two decades later. Sofia Coppola wrote and directed the 2003 film and had critics raving about it, thanks to an Oscar-winning screenplay. When their hotel is attacked by armed rebels, the couple has to think on their feet to get themselves, and their daughters, away from danger. – while the original grossed $235.5 million. The movie, written and directed by John Carney, was shot in 17 days. The film features Bill Murray as a washed-up movie star and Scarlett Johansson as the lonely woman who bonds with him in Tokyo. Before there was ever a “galaxy far, far away,” George Lucas was a relatively unknown director. The trends for Romance and Fantasy movies are static (although within a fairly volatile year-on-year picture). I’ll be using my dataset of 5,713 feature films released domestically for which I could find a public budget figure. Making a movie isn’t easy at all. ... Budget $35,000,000. “Juno” is an Indie film that turned out to be a big payday for Jennifer Garner. But did you know the movie grossed $231 million in the box office? These movies cost almost nothing to make, but brought in the big bucks when they hit the big screen. Star Wars came out in 1977 and was immediately a major hit at the box office. The film made more than US$2 million at the box office. Produced on a budget of US$375,000, the movie earned more than US$29 million worldwide and inspired a popular franchise, including the forthcoming, and highly anticipated, Evil Dead Rise. Despite its $114,000 budget, it grossed $30 million worldwide – over 250 times its original budget! The movie revolves around the downward spiral of a couple, while telling the story of how they became involved. The moving story was turned into a film with a $600,000 budget, but ended up earning $14.7 million at the box office, as well as several important award nominations. Connect with friends faster than ever with the new Facebook app. With a production budget of only US$200,000, the film went on to make more than US$99 million worldwide and was followed up with several successful sequels. It then went on to make nearly $60 million in the box office. If this sounds familiar, then you’re probably familiar with AMC’s show The Walking Dead, which starts off pretty much the same (although creator Robert Kirkman had said it was a complete coincidence). Adj. Release Date May 24, 2019 - … But its producers probably weren’t expecting it to become one of the most profitable films in history. Instantly, you're looking at wages for the actors and crew members. Could we trouble you for a vector graph with outliers, when you have a moment? More data and/or additional revenue can result into this movie making more profit and moving up on this list. As The Guardian pointed out, the movie doesn’t always manage to hide its low budget and rushed schedule, but that doesn’t make it any less impactful. Release Date Sep 8, 2017 - Dec 14, 2017. When a married couple runs into someone from the husband’s past, problems ensue and secrets are revealed as he begins stalking them. Nonetheless, the flick grossed an unbelievable $193.4 million worldwide. With only a $160,000 budget and a song in their hearts, the creators behind this film managed to make it a box office hit with $20.7 million in earnings. Midsommar is definitely one of those movies. Initially, the actress agreed to take a pay cut since the film wasn’t expected to gross a lot. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website, Cardi B & 9 Other Celebs Who Filed For Divorce In 2020, 15 Low Budget Films That Were Actually Box Office Hits, The 20 Best Horror Movies To Look Out For In 2020, Scathing Documentary Vs. 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The movie had considerable star power, with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair all starring. In the end, the Oscar-winning film spent $8 million throughout its production. It turned a profit of $25 million at the box office, and became one of the classic horror films ever made. The Conjuring was released in 2013, and its massive success took everyone by surprise. MPAA R. It takes place in the future, where civilians are allowed to commit crimes without receiving punishment for 12-hours every year. 1964’s Goldfinger starred Sean Connery and was made with a $3 million budget. 3.71 (domestic box office/biggest weekend) Domestic Share: 71.4% (domestic box office/worldwide) Production Budget: $25,000,000 (worldwide box office is 2.0 times production budget) Theater counts: 4 opening theaters/2,457 max. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories, Trump loses but results show Republican party has Trumpism in its bones, Scott Morrison thanks Donald Trump, congratulates Joe Biden on US election victory, Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article, Here's How To Get A Home Loan With Low Deposit, How Australians Are Saving Hundreds In Credit Card Fees, [2.39% p.a.] In 2017, Spurlock made a sequel, Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!, which focuses on the myth that fast food is getting healthier. It’s spin-off Anabelle, about a haunted (and particularly creepy) doll, actually made a no less impressive $257 million against an even lower budget of just $6.5 million. If you love nothing more than getting your nose into a good book, then you’re probably going to ... College roommates can quickly become friends for life - or those we spend the next few years trying ... University Fox is your source for the highest quality college related content in the digital era. However, it soon became clear that producers had themselves a box office bargain. The popular film made $29.4 million against its $400,000 budget, and became a trilogy. My Big Fat Greek Wedding was definitely a surprise hit. This 1978 slasher classic starring Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, the enduring survivor pursued by maniac Michael Myers, was produced for US$325,000 and made US$70 million at the box office. Related: Scathing Documentary Vs. Russell Simmons Shines At Sundance. Over a budget of $10 million, the movie not only made $83.6 million in profits, but also gained a cult-like following. BO: $36,001,502 See full company information. when one goes up, the other always goes down) and a result of one means they’re perfectly correlated (i.e. This 2007 “modern-day musical” about two struggling musicians falling in love was made for a … Starring Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, the film reportedly came with a $20-million budget. Studios and film-makers often try to keep the information secret and will use accounting tricks to inflate or reduce announced budgets. For Spurlock, working on the film only cost $65,000. In fact, at $20 million, it had a respectable amount. Clearly, there is a vast market for horror movies. There’s just something about horror movie, isn’t there? When writer/directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez made the 1999 film The Blair Witch Project, they had no idea it would go on to become one of the most influential horror moviesof all time. Despite a relatively low budget of $8.5 million, Pulp Fiction earned $213.9 million at the box office and became a cult classic and one of the most notable films of our time. 10:41 am. Indie writer/director Sofia Coppola found mainstream success with her 2003 comedy/drama Lost in Translation. The $4 million film ended up making $119.7 million worldwide, no doubt a fantastic revenue. The black-and-white comedy was made on a micro-budget of only $27,575, but it made as much as $3.1 million at the box office, as people loved Smith’s original way of doing comedies. It also won three Oscars. Just check out these films: “The Blair Witch Project” instantly became a cult favorite because it showed something that had never been done before in a horror/thriller. Note: Budget numbers for movies can be both difficult to find and unreliable. Cult classic The Hills Have Eyes came out in 1977, and told the story of a family which is stranded in the middle of the desert – only to be targeted by another family of savages. Just like a television show, a film starts with an idea that makes its way into a script. M. Night Shyamalan is known both for his dark and twist-filled movies, as well as his ability to bring viewers to the theaters. Estimated expenses are based on the domestic theatrical distribution pattern of the film. However, against all odds, some films get made with relatively low budgets. Sliver’s biggest claim to fame might be that it’s the racy thriller starring Sharon Stone that WASN’T Basic Instinct. Moreover, it also won an Oscar. It went on to making $117.2 million worldwide, and won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The movie follows three individuals who try to rob a blind man’s home, and realize they messed with the wrong person as they get trapped inside. The highly successful film, starring Daniel Kaluuya and Girls’ Allison Williams, ended up being one of the most profitable movies of 2017, with a whopping $255 million in earnings worldwide. Note: Budget numbers for movies can be both difficult to find and unreliable. We wouldn’t expect any less from the legendary Star Wars creator. The highlighted records in above table are movies that were recently released and/or movies for which we do not have complete data yet. I manually fixed any suspect figures I found, such as the Chinese war epic which IMDb claims cost $18. Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez actually wrote a book about his extraordinary experience making this adventure film. Here’s the thing, though. Not only did it gross $89 million worldwide, but it also became the lowest-budgeted movie to finish first in the box office since 1988. Filmmaker Kevin Smith produced his 1994 cult comedy classic about a day in the life of two convenience store clerks for the small sum of US$27,000. As it mostly takes place inside a coffin – where the main character finds himself buried alive inside – it didn’t require a huge budget either. “Rocky” went on to make over $200 million in the box office. Meanwhile, it took home $368.7 million at the box office. And while it only had a marketing budget of $1 million, it gained enough attention to receive several important nominations, and gross $368.7 million. With a US$5 million production budget, the movie grossed almost US$375 million internationally and holds the record for the highest-grossing romantic comedy ever made. A movie needs a budget, but that doesn’t mean it necessarily has to be a large budget. The documentary made huge waves, as it showed the true face of the fast food industry, as well as the terrible effects of poor, fast-food based nutrition. It was rated one of the funniest films ever made, and helped advance its cast careers in a major way. The strongest correlations are found among Musicals (0.974), Westerns (0.965) and Music-based films (0.884). The Purge is another horror movie with an exceptionally original concept. It even received a Grammy Award nomination for the music, composed by the stars of the film, Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard. Vertigo Entertainment Stephen King. Even if they’re made on a shoestring budget, relatively speaking of course, they can still slay at the box office (pun definitely intended). However, making a movie takes a lot time, effort, and of course, money. It’s no mystery why this thriller did so well, either. It was an independent horror film about a group of people who find themselves trapped inside a farmhouse, as they try to escape a herd of living-dead monsters. In the chart below I have added an average trendline to make the change easier to spot. Super Size Me is one of the most well-known documentary films in the world. With only $400,000 to its making, the endearing film grossed $46.1 million worldwide, a phenomenal success by any scale. Share Share Tweet Email Comment. The 2006 flicks revolves around a young girl (played by Abigail Breslin) who goes on a cross-country trip with her family to participate in a beauty pageant. The movie received many accolades by critics, mainly due to Ryan Reynolds’ compelling performance, and saw much success in the box office as well. The $1.2 million film was shot in only 18 days and made $103.9 million worldwide. The movie was made for US$7 million but earned more than US$231 million in worldwide box office sales. More data and/or additional revenue can result into this movie making more profit and moving up on this list. Cast information Crew information Company information News Box office. Note: The profit and loss figures are very rough estimates based on domestic and international box office earnings and domestic video sales, extrapolated to estimate worldwide income to the studio, after deducting retail costs. One of the highest earning independent films out there is the 1978 classic horror flick Halloween, starring no other than Jamie Lee Curtis. That’s not a bad little return on their investment. It turns out that there are some pretty big differences between genres.