The most successful indie films

Just a few indie films listed here to show you how little they were made for, how much money they made, and how successful they still are today.

Paranormal - It was made for 11 thousand dollars, it made 77 million the first week it opened, and it made over 200 million so far. Paramount/DreamWorks acquired the U.S. rights for $350,000. To date it is probably the "king" of movies in terms of return on investment. This movie will continue to make another 100 million at least in the next 5 years.

The Blair Witch Project - This film was in the Guinness Book Of World Records for "Top Budget:Box Office Ratio" (for a mainstream feature film). The film cost $22,000 to make and made back $240.5 million, a ratio of $1 spent for every $10,931 made.

Pink Flamingos - Directed by John Waters
John Waters got a loan from his parents for $12,000. This crazy little movie shows you what an insane script, shock, and a 300 lb. pound transvestite can do for an investor. The film became a cult hit making more than $6 million dollars. This gives it a cost to gross ratio of 500. Just for comparison, Titanic's cost to gross ratio is 3. According to production designer, the art department's budget was about $200. Half went to purchasing the trailer, half to decorating it.

El Mariachi - Directed by Robert Rodriguez
This film initially cost $7000 to make. Director Robert Rodriguez raised $3,000 of the $7,000 by volunteering to be a human "laboratory rat". He was used to test a cholesterol reducing drug. Paid $100 a day for 30 days, he wrote most of the script while locked in the lab. One actor was a fellow "rat", but could not speak Spanish. He delivered his lines from card held in his hand or out of shot. The film to date has made millions.

Clerks - The cost of obtaining the rights to the soundtrack (approx. US$27,000) outweighed the entire production costs for this film (approx. US$26,800) - a first in motion picture history. The movie made over $3 million at the box office.

Other interesting examples:

• Primer had a budget of $7 thousand and made over $560 thousand dollars
• Super Size Me had a budget of $65 thousand and made over $30 million
• Night of the Living Dead had a budget of $110 thousand and made over $30 million
• Mad Max had a budget: of $200 thousand and made over $100 million
• Halloween (1978) had a budget of $325 thousand and made over $70 million
• Easy Rider had a budget of $340 thousand and made over $50 million
• Napoleon Dynamite had a budget: of $400 thousand and made over: $46,000,000
• Open Water had a budget of $500 thousand and made over $50 million
• American Graffiti had a budget of $700 thousand and made over $140 million dollars. WOW!
• My Big Fat Greek Wedding cost $5 million and made over $350 million.
• Rocky had a budget of $1 million and made over $250 million.

Most of this information was found on the IMDB.com website (The Internet Movie Database) which is the authority for the movie business.

Don't forget that we can also show you other investments like store fronts, Internet businesses, and more.