Success in the movie business is all about relativity. Comic book movies have been all the rage for more than two decades because they can make a lot of money, but those movies and similar franchise blockbusters are also tremendously expensive to make, often costing $200 million or more in the modern era. Relatively few movies rise to the level of mass appeal to justify such an investment. For everything else, it comes down to making the right movie for the right price given its intended audience.
Every so often, a movie comes around that was made for practically nothing and entered theaters with minimal expectations, only to blow those expectations right out of the water. Sometimes that is apparent on opening weekend. Sometimes it takes years to realize a low-budget flick became a massive success. In any event, when it does happen, it can be pretty special. So, let’s have a look at some low-budget movies throughout history that have made millions at the box office, shall we?