Small Budget, Big Impact

Movies aren’t cheap to make, and if you look at the figures for some of your favourite movies, you’ll find that most of them had budgets at least in the double-digit millions, and a large number of them in the triple-digit millions. Even in 1996, Forrest Gump spent $55 million. In 2005, Walk the Line had a budget line of $28 million. Big budget movies are the ones usually in the triple digit range, like Pirates of the Caribbean (2003) at $140 million or Captain America: Civil War at $250 million.

So, the following movies are pretty impressive considering they took a big chance at not signing huge names and just tried to make a vision come to life. And I appreciate them because they not only got rewarded for their risk taking, they also managed to create a classic.

10. Little Miss Sunshine (2006), $8 million.

When you consider the cast of this movie, the budget does seem paltry. They weren’t A-listers, but still an impressive ensemble. And the level of classic is pretty high for me and most people who have seen it.

9. My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), $5 million. Most of us will remember the summer that this movie caught fire and became everyone’s new favourite rom-com. To put their profit margin into perspective, that year Star Wars Attack of the Clones had a huge budget, but they earned 3x the amount back in profit. Also that year, Spider-Man made 6x what was budgeted. MBFGW made 48x its budget.

8. Memento (2000), $5 million. You know how frustrating it can be to watch a movie and wonder what the heck is going on for most of it. But then there are times when the confusion is rewarded in the end with not only a rich reveal, but with something that’s fun to talk about for a long time. This is that movie, and before his big budget blockbusters like The Dark Knight, Inception, Interstellar, and Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan made this little film that opened the doors for these behemoths.

7. Get Out (2017), $4.5 million. From what I’ve found, it seems like small-budget movies with big impact are more commonly horror over any other genre. This one was a risk taken by Jordan Peele, an actor who most just saw as a comedic guy who was usually with that other guy making TV skits and a few movies. But it made such a splash that year, not only making a ton of money, but getting nominated for best picture. And it came at a time where it played an important role in turning the tide for movies with regards to diversity and racial equality in Hollywood.

6. Moonlight (2016), $4 million. With a tiny budget, a relatively unknown cast, and a gamble to tackle both race and sexual identity, this movie became a huge inspiration to other filmmakers. Those are all huge risks, and for it to win best picture that year is nothing short of miraculous.

5. Rocky (1976), $1 million. Of course, this one is a favourite of mine. Even in 1976 this was a humble amount to work with. And when we talk about the level of “classic,” this is perhaps king of the low-budget wonders.

4. My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown (1989), $736,000. Daniel Day-Lewis has been acknowledged as one of the greatest actors in history by many, but it was this movie that really broke him out. If you like biopics (who doesn’t??), this really is a must-watch. It still amazes me that it was made in 1989 with less than a million bucks.

3. Napoleon Dynamite (2004), $400,000. It wasn’t just a quirky movie with a cult following, it was a quirky movie that soon had the whole continent quoting it, referencing it, and making Halloween costumes from its characters. And remember what was said about My Big Fat Greek Wedding? Well, Napoleon made 115x its budget!

2. Once (2006), $180,000. If you are a fan of music and romance in movies, this one is waiting for you. Not only was its budget simple, so was its cast, story, set design, etc. But trust me, it will work its way into your mind and heart. If this is your genre, this is your movie.

1. Paranormal Activity (2007), $15,000. This movie just amazes me. $15,000?! You couldn’t get any simpler of a budget, yet it’s so watchable, so enthralling, so frightening! Being perhaps the scariest movie I’ve ever seen and earning nearly 13,000 times its budget in profits, maybe this one is even more of a champion than Rocky in this category.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: 

• Shaun of the Dead (2004), $6.1 million
  

• The Big Sick (2017), $5 million
  

• Moon (2009), $5 million

• Lost in Translation (2003), $4 million
  

• The Blair Witch Project (1999), $60,000

But only one can be our movie of the week…

Congratulations Napoleon Dynamite. This is your week.

And the Oscar goes to…

Best Actress:

Sandy Martin as Grandma in Napoleon Dynamite

Best Actor: Chris Farley as Mike Donnelly in Black Sheep

Best Quote: “My heart is pounding. Like a phone book in a dryer.” — Will Ferrell as Cam Brady in The Campaign

I’d like to give a big shout out to my father- and mother-in-law who just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They’ve always loved each other, still do, and are the two people responsible for bringing Joy Whitehouse into this world. Happy anniversary you crazy kids.