Budget: $4M
“Lost in Translation” stars Bill Murray as an actor who’s seen the high point in his career in his rearview mirror and befriends a college student (Scarlett Johansson) in the bustling city of Tokyo. The student’s going through a troubling time of her own and finds her friend at just the right moment, and a beautiful relationship develops. At the time of production, Scar-jo was just shy of 18 years old and already shaping up to be a huge star.
Neither she nor Murray auditioned for their respective roles in the film, which was directed (and written) by Sofia Coppola. The movie was up for 4 Academy Awards and won Best Original Screenplay. The dark comedy ultimately grossed nearly $120 million — not bad for a film that was made with just $4 mil.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Budget: $5M
Nia Vardalos both wrote and starred in 2002’s hilarious comedy, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," but could she have possibly imagined the incredible amount of success the film would have? $5 million isn’t a terribly low amount of money to be working with, but when you’re talking in terms of Hollywood blockbusters, it’s a different story. Still, she knocked it out of the park, and the film grossed a whopping $250 million at the box office.
It was such a huge hit that it was followed several years later by the sequel, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2," and a TV series dubbed "My Big Fat Greek Life." The film centers around Greek bride-to-be, Toula (Nia Vardalos), and her hilarious pre-wedding escapades to try and get her family to be more accepting of her non-Greek fiancé, Ian (John Corbett).
Rocky
Budget: $1M
Rocky is a classic fighting movie from 1976, starring Sylvester Stallone as a boxer fighting his way through tough times in Philadelphia. Stallone’s popularity increased tenfold as a result of this film, which wound up grossing around $200 million, an impressive feat, considering the small budget director John Avildsen had to work with. The film was so popular that it’s resulted in 7 sequels, the latest being "Creed II" in 2018.
In 1977, "Rocky" was not only nominated for 7 Academy Awards but won 3 others, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Film Editing. Among the numerous nominations were the awards for Best Actor and Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Writing, and Best Music/Original Song.
Split
Budget: $9M
"Split" is a strange and yet very interesting movie, which received somewhat mixed reviews among some critics and audiences. The dark and twisted movie stars James McAvoy as the mind of more than 20 different people living inside one body (with multiple personality syndrome, aka split personality disorder). He kidnaps a few teenage girls, and chaos ensues as his personalities battle each other, and he struggles to find himself in the 2017 film that was produced for $9M. Despite the mixed reviews, the film brought home nearly $270 million.
The drama/thriller was created by horror master M. Night Shyamalan, which explains why it’s so creepy and odd but also unquestionably brilliant. And McAvoy’s performance alone is worth watching the film for. On Rotten Tomatoes, "Split" has a certified fresh score of 77%. Not too shabby.
Pulp Fiction
Budget: $8M
Quentin Tarantino’s crime-thriller masterpiece "Pulp Fiction" came out in 1994 and wowed critics and audiences around the world. The unique and seedy film about the underground world of mobsters, gangsters, and the women they love was created using a budget of only $8 million but ended up making $212 million at the box office.
Multiple critics throughout the years have called it one of the greatest films to ever be made. Perhaps the fact that it was full of stars like John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson contributed to its outrageous success in theatres. Whatever the reason, "Pulp Fiction" rightfully earned its place on this list. It was nominated for 7 Oscars and won 1 for Best Original Screenplay.