Extremely Low-Budget Underdog Films That Birthed Huge Franchises

Movies are time-bound by nature. So, showing everything in a 2/3 hour Movie isn’t possible every time. Therefore, we have sequels and franchises. Some movies are so that it looks like they were birthed to form huge franchises. For instance, successfully running franchises are MCU, Star Wars, and how can we forget Harry Potter? However, not all franchises started with a big-budget and promising film. There were cases when a low-budget underdog film spawned huge franchises. They saved the studios from bankrupting. It was amusing that those movies even managed to make it to the theatres! The case was that bad. However, all’s well that ends well. The underdog films proved to be massive and gave birth to huge franchises. Which movies were they? Check it out! Here’s a list of extremely low-budget films that gave birth to huge franchises!

1. A Nightmare On Elm Street

New Line Cinema was already not going through a good time because of its financial issues. However, it took the chance of picking Craven’s script that almost every studio passed. The case was so bad that the film was getting shut down in the middle because New Line Cinema was going bankrupt. Thankfully, the shooting was complete and the movie smashed the cinemas and single-handedly revived the studio!

2. Halloween

The budget for this film was so low that John Carpenter was paid only $10K  (plus percentages) for directing, writing, and scoring the entire film. However, this movie became a classic and a blueprint for horror films. Not to forget, Michael Myers is to date the most horrifying villain.

3. Rocky

Rocky became a household name and everybody loved Sylvester Stallone. However, the budget of the film was low yet it could manage to be a blockbuster hit and spawn a huge franchise.

4. The Terminator

The film had a budget of $6 million. Well, the amount sounds enough for a film. But, for a film that heavily depended on futuristic technologies, it wasn’t. Moreover, the film had a gritty effect because of which the studio didn’t want to release it. But, all of us know how famous the franchise is now!

5. Saw

Two broke filmmaking students from Australia came together to make a short horror film with the least budget. That’s how ‘Saw’ came into existence. Evolution Entertainment loved the script so much that they offered the duo $1 million to make the film.

6. Paranormal Activity

The original movie had a budget of only $15k by a dude who bought cameras and pieces of equipment and local actors to shoot within in his home. The movie was so good that the words traveled to director Steven Speilberg. Rest is history!

7. The Purge

The budget for the movie was so low, that the main lead played by Ethan Hawke wasn’t paid upfront. He was a friend of Jason Blum and they decided Hawke will settle for a few percentages from the profit instead. The film was set in largely one location and was shot in 19 days. Luckily, the movie was received at the theatres.