Zyzzyx, it turns out, actually made $20. On Dec. 31, 2006, the movie-biz site CHUD.com posted the short, snarky story that made Zyzzyx famous.
The film gained notoriety from its gross ticket sales of only $30 on its opening run, due to its intentionally limited release at a single cinema; it is the lowest-grossing film in U.S. history in terms of box office sales.
The Blair Witch Project would go on to earn an astounding $248 million and is widely regarded as the most profitable, widely seen low budget film of all time.
But if we told you that one major motion picture earned just 30 bucks total, there's no way you're buying it, right? Well, believe it. Zyzzyx Road, released in 2006, was probably never bound for greatness.
Avatar, Jurassic Park, Titanic, Star Wars... We review the 53 films that have made history after raising more than a billion dollars.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Writers, directors and editors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez spent between $35,000 and $60,000 shooting “The Blair Witch Project,” making it arguably the cheapest movie ever made. It later received between $200,000 and $750,000 from Artisan Entertainment for post-production.
Primer is a 2004 American science fiction film written, directed and produced by Shane Carruth, a former mathematician and engineer, who also starred, and was completed on a budget of only $7,000. Also in 2004, the documentary Tarnation had a budget of $218.32, but grossed $1,200,000.
'The Hobbit''s Reported $500M Budget May Make It The Most Expensive Movie Production Ever | News | MTV.
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - 11
The 2003 film won all 11 of its nominations including best picture, director, adapted screenplay, editing, set decoration, costume design, makeup, original score, original song, sound mixing and visual effects.
The first film to have a budget of US$100 million (the £64.1 million) was True Lies (US 1994), starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Rebel Without a Crew — El Mariachi (1992)
It's about a traveling musician who's mistaken for an assassin, which forces him to try and hide from the very dangerous people looking for him. Having cost only a measly $7,000 USD, El Mariachiis the lowest-budgeted film ever to make a million dollars at the box office.
No-budget films have often been made in the past using Super 8 film or video, but recent films have taken advantage of low-cost digital cameras and editing programs.
Low Budget Films Can Make Money
In fact, sometimes keeping the budget low provides more margin for profit. If the film flies and costs little to produce, then you are on to a real winner. The classic example of a low budget indie film that made it big, is The Blair Witch Project.
The Longest James Cameron Movie
Additionally, two other commercially successful films directed by James Cameron are also notably lengthy. "Avatar" boasts a runtime of 162 minutes (2 hours and 42 minutes), while its sequel, "Avatar: The Way of Water," has a runtime of 192 minutes (3 hours and 12 minutes).