To attract the viewer to the cinema, producers spend millions of dollars on special effects, royalties to Hollywood stars, an advertising campaign, etc. As a result, the budget of the picture can be hundreds of millions. However, such costs are not always recouped and profitable.

Meanwhile, there are examples in history of how a film worth several tens of thousands of dollars brought the creators profit and fame. It is these films that are included in today's Top 5 cheapest films in the history of cinema.

5. The night of the living dead (budget - $ 114 thousand)

To create this horror film, they used an impressively nightmare make-up and pork offal instead of computer graphics. The creator of the picture, George Romero, originally planned to make a comedy, however, it turned out to be a rather creepy film, from which blood runs cold. In addition, it was after the "Night of the Living Dead" that the term "zombie" appeared in the movies. At the box office, the film was incredibly popular, bringing the creators $ 42 million.

4. The Blair Witch: Coursework from the other world (budget - $ 20 thousand)

This low-budget horror film was shot in 1999 by fans of independent American cinema. According to the plot, three students got lost in the forest during the filming of a course project on a local legend - the mysterious witch from Blair.

Filming on an amateur camera, designed to reduce the cost of the picture, was perceived by the audience as an original find. Investors rated the film, and Artisan Entertainment acquired Blair Witch for $ 1.1 million. At the box office, the picture raised $ 248 million.

3. Fuse (budget - $ 7 thousand)

The tape of the previously unknown Shane Carruta won the first prize of the prestigious Sundance Independent Film Festival. The director himself wrote the script and also starred in one of the main roles. The plot tells about time travel, and the film takes place in the home of Shane Carruta. The entire family of the director starred in the episodes.

Despite the praise of the jury of the festival, the audience scolded the film for the disgusting sound quality and the not entirely convincing play of the cast. However, during the shows, no one left the hall, noting that the picture has some fascinating appeal, despite all the shortcomings.

2. In bad taste (budget - $ 3 thousand)

This film was the first work of the famous New Zealand director Peter Jackson. Filming this science fiction film took several years, because The entire budget consisted of a Jackson student scholarship. All the alien weapons in the film were made of aluminum pipes, and the masks for aliens were made by Peter Jackson's mother in a home oven. So the creator of The Lord of the Rings and King Kong did not even think about any computer technologies and special effects.

The director himself played 2 roles in the film, the rest went to his friends. By the way, not a single female character is in the movie.

1. Big train robbery (budget - $ 100)

This 1903 film lasts only 11 minutes. It was shot by Thomas Edison, creating the first picture, which not only demonstrates an episode from life, but has a short path, but a plot. The film is based on real events, and briefly talks about the bold robbery of the Union Pacific train in 1900. By the way, the film turned out to be one of the highest grossing in the film industry. The fees from the show "Robbery" amounted to $ 20 thousand, which is 200 times the budget of the picture. For example, Avatar paid off at the box office only 11 times.

Watch the video: The Highest-Grossing Movies of every Year compared - 1969-2019 (June 2025).