[Music]
low budgets require big imaginations
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our picks for the top ten
low-budget movies it’s really not much
of a scratch I don’t think it’s even the
size in question here for this list
we’ll be taking a look at films that
were made by major studios or
independent investors with a budget no
greater than 1 million dollars and these
films not only earned huge returns at
the box office they also became cult
favorites launching the careers of some
of Hollywood’s most profitable directors
in the process looking I’ll kick your
fuckin ass shit yeah dude I’m off call
me ten bucks
number ten Napoleon Dynamite last week
Japanese scientist explains place
explosive detonators at the bottom of
lake loch ness if you think featuring
no-name actors and spending little to no
money on advertising or good ways to
break into the film industry then you
have a lot in common with Napoleon
Dynamite director Jared Hess I see you
drinking 1% is that because you think
you’re fat with a $400,000 budget has
this comedy debut about an awkward teen
and his equally awkward family and
friends has made a staggering 46 point 1
million dollars and that doesn’t even
include the massive sales on all those
vote for Pedro t-shirts Pedro just
listen to your heart that’s what I do
but what the film brought to starring
actor Jon Heder is something money can’t
buy
mad props for his epic dance skills and
nobility status in meme history it’s
just too bad he didn’t have the gift of
foresight when he agreed to star in the
film for a mere $1,000 don’t worry they
paid him more later number 9 clerks
37 my girlfriend stuck 37 dicks in a row
who would ever want to watch a film
about a day in the lives of two
convenience store clerks that would be
like coming into work twice but clerks
had perfect timing because the 90s were
a decade where movies about two guys
just talking were perfectly acceptable
but they brought into bendiga
none that thing plumbers aluminum ciders
roofers not just appearance is that what
you’re getting exactly just like slacker
from which Kevin Smith drew his
inspiration the film cost under $30,000
to make and has managed to become a cult
classic it garnered 3.2 million dollars
at the box office through nothing but
subdued charm and static camerawork
launching Kevin Smith’s directing career
and making sure the iconic duo Jay and
Silent Bob had the chance to strike
again and again in Smith’s subsequent
films all you motherfuckers are gonna
pay you are the ones who are the ball
lickers number eight the Evil Dead
oh god we’re gonna miss some do comedy
some do horror but only Sam Raimi can do
both like the perfect grilled cheese
sandwich the marriage of two understated
ingredients creates something
stupendously cheesy
[Music]
when the film screened at the 1982 can
Film Festival it sparked the
appreciation of many horror fans
including the master himself Stephen
King and though it’s now a beloved cult
classic it took a few good decades and
international exposure for the film to
gross over 29 million dollars aside from
cementing the dreaded cabin in the woods
cliche in horror history the film also
became a self-referential media
franchise with film sequels video games
comic books and more recently a TV
series number 7 Night of the Living Dead
annoyed at the number of zombie themed
movies Hollywood has been pumping out
lately
you can thank George a Romero this film
started the zombie genre and is
considered one of the most influential
in horror history purposely shot to
conserve every bit of the 114 thousand
dollar budget
Romero carefully thought-out each aspect
of production along with the
socio-political undertones attributed to
the film it sparked controversy due to
its graphic nature it is tough for the
kid that her old man is so stupid now to
get the hell down in the cellar we can
be the boss down there I’m boss up here
however it was a critical success
worldwide making an estimated 30 million
dollars at the box office
it probably would have made more if it
weren’t for a copyright oversight on
behalf of the distributor which
registered the film under public domain
and made it the internet archive’s most
downloaded film number six hi 12:45
restate my assumptions one mathematics
is the language of nature Darren
Aronofsky’s directorial debut into
surreal territory won him the directing
award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival
though most people know Aronofsky for
requiem for a dream that films box
office earnings weren’t even twice its
budget high on the other hand has been
extremely successful making 3.2 million
at the box office with a budget of
68,000 and limited distribution give
hear of Kabbalah no Jewish mysticism
look I’m kind of busy right here I
understand as if math weren’t enough to
induce paranoia in the average viewer
the combination of religious themes and
mysticism contributed to the bleak and
uneasy atmosphere that is now considered
Aronofsky’s signature style it’s
mathematics numbers ideas number five
Mad Max look any longer out on that road
and I’m one of them you know a terminal
crazy back in the day Mel Gibson was
just an Aussie actor trying to break
into Hollywood when he starred in Mad
Max with a three hundred and fifty
thousand dollar budget a very modest one
by industry standards it was an
astounding success that brought a near
100 million dollar return
that impressive budget to earnings ratio
also nabbed it the Guinness World Record
for most profitable film ever made if
you’re lucky you can heck through your
ankle
well almost it held that title for 20
years until another film on our list
beat its record more on that later
Mad Max is post-apocalyptic theme
inspired several sequels including fury
road starring Tom Hardy a man who is no
stranger to high grossing indie films
number 4 El Mariachi special effects in
cinematography aren’t cheap but in the
hands of a magician a little imagination
goes a long way in his directorial debut
Robert Rodriguez was able to create
magic with a mere seven thousand dollars
just twenty three years old at the time
Rodriguez shot the film in Mexico with
limited resources and Columbia Pictures
executives were so impressed they
decided to distribute it in the US the
gamble was worth every penny as El
Mariachi made around two million dollars
at the box office windows ds-10 esto lo
al Rado 10 completely later later
the Western action flick was inducted
into the Library of Congress for its
national significance and inspired
subsequent sequels the total box office
earnings for the Mexico trilogy one
hundred and twenty five million dollars
[Music]
number three the Blair Witch Project in
the torso of each man the intestines had
been torn out crudely love it or hate it
the Blair Witch Project is almost solely
responsible for the found-footage genre
and in the age of the selfie stick this
genre is only too happy to make a
comeback with the gimmick that real
witches live in our national forests it
easily duped audiences into shelling out
two hundred and forty eight million
dollars at the box office the real
mystery is how the film costs sixty
thousand dollars to make when all it
took was three actors a shaky camera and
some camping equipment
Heather that is so not cool I know it’s
not that is so not cool no it’s not cool
despite this the Blair Witch Project
crew has the undying gratitude of any
independent filmmaker for discovering a
winning B horror formula the shaky or
the camera the bigger their revenues and
it’s not because I made that we’re here
o hungry cold and hunted number two
Halloween
Michael
this film and its antagonist might as
well be known as the sucker that just
won’t die with seven sequels for the
franchise and what seems like near
eternal immortality for Michael
Halloween was put together with a
$300,000 budget and made 70 million
dollars at the box office
the film’s horror elements rely very
little on special effects instead opting
to build tension through editing and a
haunting musical score composed by
director John Carpenter himself
carpenter admitted to being inspired by
another low-budget slasher The Texas
Chainsaw Massacre series which also made
a killing at the box office before we
unveil our number one pick here are some
honorable mentions there was value in
the thing clearly that they were certain
huh but what is the application in a
matter of hours they’ve granted it to
everything from mass transit to
satellite launching now stand aside
worthy adversary tis but a scratch a
scratch your arms off no it isn’t but
what’s that
[Music]
number one paranormal activity you can
either buy a second-hand car or you can
make another paranormal activity movie
it took director Oren Peli a handheld
camera a budget of $15,000 and a week
off work to create what is now known as
the most profitable horror film of all
time who’s that
hey come inside with the power of the
World Wide Web
word of mouth an interesting marketing
strategy and some wishful thinking
Paranormal Activity pulled in a whopping
193 million dollars at the box office
Haley Haley breathing heavy and spawned
a never-ending stream of equally
lucrative sequels for a combined total
of 889 million dollars but not only did
it bring home the bacon paranormal
activity also scared the bejesus out of
everyone do you agree with our list link
seems pretty good what’s your favorite
low-budget movie
for more cinematic top 10s published
every day be sure to subscribe to
watchmojo.com hey try not to suck any
dick on the way to the parking lot
hey hey you get back here
[Music]
low budgets require big imaginations
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our picks for the top ten
low-budget movies it’s really not much
of a scratch I don’t think it’s even the
size in question here for this list
we’ll be taking a look at films that
were made by major studios or
independent investors with a budget no
greater than 1 million dollars and these
films not only earned huge returns at
the box office they also became cult
favorites launching the careers of some
of Hollywood’s most profitable directors
in the process looking I’ll kick your
fuckin ass shit yeah dude I’m off call
me ten bucks
number ten Napoleon Dynamite last week
Japanese scientist explains place
explosive detonators at the bottom of
lake loch ness if you think featuring
no-name actors and spending little to no
money on advertising or good ways to
break into the film industry then you
have a lot in common with Napoleon
Dynamite director Jared Hess I see you
drinking 1% is that because you think
you’re fat with a $400,000 budget has
this comedy debut about an awkward teen
and his equally awkward family and
friends has made a staggering 46 point 1
million dollars and that doesn’t even
include the massive sales on all those
vote for Pedro t-shirts Pedro just
listen to your heart that’s what I do
but what the film brought to starring
actor Jon Heder is something money can’t
buy
mad props for his epic dance skills and
nobility status in meme history it’s
just too bad he didn’t have the gift of
foresight when he agreed to star in the
film for a mere $1,000 don’t worry they
paid him more later number 9 clerks
37 my girlfriend stuck 37 dicks in a row
who would ever want to watch a film
about a day in the lives of two
convenience store clerks that would be
like coming into work twice but clerks
had perfect timing because the 90s were
a decade where movies about two guys
just talking were perfectly acceptable
but they brought into bendiga
none that thing plumbers aluminum ciders
roofers not just appearance is that what
you’re getting exactly just like slacker
from which Kevin Smith drew his
inspiration the film cost under $30,000
to make and has managed to become a cult
classic it garnered 3.2 million dollars
at the box office through nothing but
subdued charm and static camerawork
launching Kevin Smith’s directing career
and making sure the iconic duo Jay and
Silent Bob had the chance to strike
again and again in Smith’s subsequent
films all you motherfuckers are gonna
pay you are the ones who are the ball
lickers number eight the Evil Dead
oh god we’re gonna miss some do comedy
some do horror but only Sam Raimi can do
both like the perfect grilled cheese
sandwich the marriage of two understated
ingredients creates something
stupendously cheesy
[Music]
when the film screened at the 1982 can
Film Festival it sparked the
appreciation of many horror fans
including the master himself Stephen
King and though it’s now a beloved cult
classic it took a few good decades and
international exposure for the film to
gross over 29 million dollars aside from
cementing the dreaded cabin in the woods
cliche in horror history the film also
became a self-referential media
franchise with film sequels video games
comic books and more recently a TV
series number 7 Night of the Living Dead
annoyed at the number of zombie themed
movies Hollywood has been pumping out
lately
you can thank George a Romero this film
started the zombie genre and is
considered one of the most influential
in horror history purposely shot to
conserve every bit of the 114 thousand
dollar budget
Romero carefully thought-out each aspect
of production along with the
socio-political undertones attributed to
the film it sparked controversy due to
its graphic nature it is tough for the
kid that her old man is so stupid now to
get the hell down in the cellar we can
be the boss down there I’m boss up here
however it was a critical success
worldwide making an estimated 30 million
dollars at the box office
it probably would have made more if it
weren’t for a copyright oversight on
behalf of the distributor which
registered the film under public domain
and made it the internet archive’s most
downloaded film number six hi 12:45
restate my assumptions one mathematics
is the language of nature Darren
Aronofsky’s directorial debut into
surreal territory won him the directing
award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival
though most people know Aronofsky for
requiem for a dream that films box
office earnings weren’t even twice its
budget high on the other hand has been
extremely successful making 3.2 million
at the box office with a budget of
68,000 and limited distribution give
hear of Kabbalah no Jewish mysticism
look I’m kind of busy right here I
understand as if math weren’t enough to
induce paranoia in the average viewer
the combination of religious themes and
mysticism contributed to the bleak and
uneasy atmosphere that is now considered
Aronofsky’s signature style it’s
mathematics numbers ideas number five
Mad Max look any longer out on that road
and I’m one of them you know a terminal
crazy back in the day Mel Gibson was
just an Aussie actor trying to break
into Hollywood when he starred in Mad
Max with a three hundred and fifty
thousand dollar budget a very modest one
by industry standards it was an
astounding success that brought a near
100 million dollar return
that impressive budget to earnings ratio
also nabbed it the Guinness World Record
for most profitable film ever made if
you’re lucky you can heck through your
ankle
well almost it held that title for 20
years until another film on our list
beat its record more on that later
Mad Max is post-apocalyptic theme
inspired several sequels including fury
road starring Tom Hardy a man who is no
stranger to high grossing indie films
number 4 El Mariachi special effects in
cinematography aren’t cheap but in the
hands of a magician a little imagination
goes a long way in his directorial debut
Robert Rodriguez was able to create
magic with a mere seven thousand dollars
just twenty three years old at the time
Rodriguez shot the film in Mexico with
limited resources and Columbia Pictures
executives were so impressed they
decided to distribute it in the US the
gamble was worth every penny as El
Mariachi made around two million dollars
at the box office windows ds-10 esto lo
al Rado 10 completely later later
the Western action flick was inducted
into the Library of Congress for its
national significance and inspired
subsequent sequels the total box office
earnings for the Mexico trilogy one
hundred and twenty five million dollars
[Music]
number three the Blair Witch Project in
the torso of each man the intestines had
been torn out crudely love it or hate it
the Blair Witch Project is almost solely
responsible for the found-footage genre
and in the age of the selfie stick this
genre is only too happy to make a
comeback with the gimmick that real
witches live in our national forests it
easily duped audiences into shelling out
two hundred and forty eight million
dollars at the box office the real
mystery is how the film costs sixty
thousand dollars to make when all it
took was three actors a shaky camera and
some camping equipment
Heather that is so not cool I know it’s
not that is so not cool no it’s not cool
despite this the Blair Witch Project
crew has the undying gratitude of any
independent filmmaker for discovering a
winning B horror formula the shaky or
the camera the bigger their revenues and
it’s not because I made that we’re here
o hungry cold and hunted number two
Halloween
Michael
this film and its antagonist might as
well be known as the sucker that just
won’t die with seven sequels for the
franchise and what seems like near
eternal immortality for Michael
Halloween was put together with a
$300,000 budget and made 70 million
dollars at the box office
the film’s horror elements rely very
little on special effects instead opting
to build tension through editing and a
haunting musical score composed by
director John Carpenter himself
carpenter admitted to being inspired by
another low-budget slasher The Texas
Chainsaw Massacre series which also made
a killing at the box office before we
unveil our number one pick here are some
honorable mentions there was value in
the thing clearly that they were certain
huh but what is the application in a
matter of hours they’ve granted it to
everything from mass transit to
satellite launching now stand aside
worthy adversary tis but a scratch a
scratch your arms off no it isn’t but
what’s that
[Music]
number one paranormal activity you can
either buy a second-hand car or you can
make another paranormal activity movie
it took director Oren Peli a handheld
camera a budget of $15,000 and a week
off work to create what is now known as
the most profitable horror film of all
time who’s that
hey come inside with the power of the
World Wide Web
word of mouth an interesting marketing
strategy and some wishful thinking
Paranormal Activity pulled in a whopping
193 million dollars at the box office
Haley Haley breathing heavy and spawned
a never-ending stream of equally
lucrative sequels for a combined total
of 889 million dollars but not only did
it bring home the bacon paranormal
activity also scared the bejesus out of
everyone do you agree with our list link
seems pretty good what’s your favorite
low-budget movie
for more cinematic top 10s published
every day be sure to subscribe to
watchmojo.com hey try not to suck any
dick on the way to the parking lot
hey hey you get back here
[Music]
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