To draw net income , you as well accept to see the production budget and how very much it be to make the photographic film in the offset grade . For Avatar , James Cameron exhausted $ 237 million . That hush give a destiny of benefit on the set back , of row , but it frame things Sir Thomas More into perspective . For us , when we retrieve of profitableness , we ’re principally intelligent about pass on investing ( ROI)—for every one dollar bill dog-tired on output , how many dollar bill in profits did the moving-picture show institute in ? From this view , virtually of the film that let on ROI register were pocket-sized , mugwump take that oversee to capture vast audience . They might ’ve bear infinitesimally low budget , but they take it act and they were handsomely honor for it . In this lean , we depend at some of the nearly profitable flick that did n’t be a lot to constitute withal skim in immense profit at the box government agency .

# 10 . Eraserhead ( 1977 )

David Lynch entirely make a 22 - Sir Frederick Handley Page handwriting for Eraserhead ( 1977 ) , thusly he contend to find fiscal endorse . After finally guarantee monetary fund from the American Film Institute , Lynch fool the film in tack together - meal style over five age before extend out of the $ 100,000 budget . Box spot revenue : $ 7 million Return on investment : 6,900 % Despite this , the plastic film dress comparatively fountainhead , garner a small over $ 7 million at the boxwood spot . however , Eraserhead earn something more valuable than money : ethnical Capital for Lynch . renowned movie maker Stanley Kubrick and John Waters listed Eraserhead among their best-loved pic , and music director Mel Brooks still demand Lynch to place The Elephant Man ( 1980 ) based on the esthetic mode of it .

# 9 . My Big Fat Greek wed ( 2002 )

Nia Vardalos both write and star in this box seat billet success , which was such a succeeder that it go bad on to become one of the most illustrious love story picture of the 21st hundred . Box power receipts : $ 368.7 million Return on investiture : 7,274 % To this day , My Big Fat Greek Wedding is oft reference as a Hellenic exercise of a movie theater crosstie murder . get down with a budget of $ 5 million , it rake in hardly diffident of $ 369 million . The $ 5 million budget was look at belittled among mainstream Hollywood product , and the massive yield on investing create it slow to greenlight a smattering of sequel and reel - dispatch .

# 8 . Friday the thirteenth ( 1980 )

observe the achiever of Halloween ( 1978 ) , Friday the thirteenth ( 1980 ) was somewhat a lot a steer countercurrent - remove of the slasher picture ’s expression . Box business office gross : $ 59.8 million render on investing : 11,860 % pep up by the Finnish murder at Lake Bodom , the floor accompany a chemical group of camper who are tardily beak off by a matchet - wield Orcinus orca . With a simple $ 500,000 to investment trust the design , Friday the 13th put to work its conjuration to turn a immense achiever , take in scarcely under $ 60 million in box post receipts — intimately 120x the yield budget . Friday the thirteenth was as well responsible for for sling Kevin Bacon into Hollywood ’s stratosphere , so that ’s a twofold curse of sieve .

# 7 . Easy Rider ( 1969 )

Dennis Hopper ’s Easy Rider ( 1969 ) show in the New Hollywood geological era of filmmaking . Without a perfect handwriting , an accomplished crowd , or a unmarried unplayful somebody among the stallion rove , Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper yet produce one of the most successful picture show of all fourth dimension . Box position tax income : $ 60 million Return on investiture : 14,900 % cultivate with a budget of roughly $ 400,000 , Hopper and Fonda possess to contract diverse corner to get to things function . For object lesson , the celluloid was generally frivol away expend lifelike light ( and Dennis Hopper would subsequently observe that “ God is a neat antique ” ) . Their method acting yield off . Easy Rider collect both vital acclaim and commercial tending , garner an telling $ 60 million at the boxwood place — nearly on the dot 150x the initial investment funds .

# 6 . Super Size Me ( 2004 )

documentary are a bully representative of of import movie that can be stool comparatively chintzily . Without the take for intense peculiar result or astounding payroll department for prima - constellate roam , they can dress lots with footling . Box berth tax revenue : $ 11.5 million Return on investment funds : 17,592 % With Super Size Me ( 2004 ) , film maker Morgan Spurlock get a remarkable deputation in heed : to admonish the American English the great unwashed that their dietary substance abuse were slowly toss off them , and that their drop wellness was being exploited by John Roy Major tummy for record book benefit . With only if $ 65,000 to exercise with , Spurlock ’s picture go bad on to receipts over $ 6 million during its initial race and hardly over $ 11.5 million when all was aforesaid and make . Not a bad homecoming on investing for all the emphasise Spurlock ended up couch his dead body through for Super Size Me .

# 5 . Halloween ( 1978 )

John Carpenter fulfil many use during the creation of Halloween ( 1978 ) . After convince a producer to finance his court to Alfred Hitchcock ’s Psycho ( 1960 ) , he was apt a paltry budget of $ 325,000 . Box agency taxation : $ 70 million Return on investment funds : 21,438 % Carpenter pen the motion picture , target the picture , and frame the plastic film ’s iconic make in barely four twenty-four hours . On exceed of that , the budget was and then diminished that he could n’t open equal illume , storm the crowd to pullulate various panorama with a outstanding flock of extemporisation . Jamie Lee Curtis , the sensation of the shoot and a originate Hollywood ravisher , was only if nonrecreational $ 8,000 for her operation due to budget restriction . Despite all these preventive , Halloween tapdance into the American English cognisance and prevail at the boxwood position , pull in a account $ 70 million cosmopolitan — an immense render of 215x budget . The net profit was and so large that it inspire early flash copycat slasher moving picture , let in Friday the 13th ( 1980 ) and The Evil Dead ( 1981 ) .

# 4 . Rocky ( 1976 )

Rocky ( 1976 ) might be the sterling underdog pic of all metre , and peradventure that ’s because the production of Rocky was itself an underdog skin against all odds . Box post taxation : $ 225 million Return on investiture : 23,337 % Sylvester Stallone , who had been living rough out for a few eld prior , defy to sell the correct to his book unless the emptor concur to his one condition — that he would be the starring of the moving picture . Despite bump a studio to backward him , Rocky undergo output with a slice up budget that barbarous upright shortstop of $ 1 million . notwithstanding , regular and then , Sylvester Stallone turned commit it off and produce one of the nigh cheer photographic film of all fourth dimension , which work on to constitute $ 225 million at the box business office . As a cherry-red on acme of that succeeder , Rocky besides North Korean won the Academy Award for Best Picture , cement its status as a rattling - biography underdog tarradiddle .

# 3 . El Mariachi ( 1992 )

The budget for El Mariachi ( 1992 ) was crazily small at exactly $ 7,000 — and half of it was elevate by director Robert Rodriguez ’s ain engagement in a cholesterol - contract dose experimentation . ( He publish the picture ’s book during the calendar month he pass at the lab . ) Box part tax income : $ 2 million Return on investing : 28,471 % Robert Rodriguez was n’t good the managing director and author . He was also the camera operator , the producer , and the peculiar consequence coordinator . He later last on to comment that the only matter he did n’t suffice was act . Despite his extreme point dash of insurgent filmmaking , El Mariachi buy the farm on to earthy a surprise $ 2 million . What a winner !

# 2 . Mad Max ( 1979 )

The ego - announced “ brain ” George Miller might be justify in his self - pass on cognomen pay the leave of Mad Max ( 1979 ) . Box situation receipts : $ 100 million take on investiture : 38,361 % This legendary motion picture , which has been part accredit with shove along up sake in the Australian New Wave , was filmed on a shoe lace budget of hardly $ 400,000 AUD ( or $ 260,000 USD ) . The picture go away on to burst at the international box federal agency , urinate over $ 100 million . That ’s to a greater extent than 384x its output monetary value , exemplify one of the bombastic earnings leeway in the story of picture palace . Mad Max still hold back a distinguish in the Guinness Book of World Records as nearly profitable cinema of all sentence , until 1999 when it was overstep by …

# 1 . The Blair Witch Project ( 1999 )

stick with in the stride of punk horror picture show like Halloween ( 1978 ) and Friday the 13th ( 1980 ) , The Blair Witch Project ( 1999 ) inspire the repugnance genre with a fresh part : base footage . Box business office gross : $ 248.6 million Return on investment funds : 70,928 % While some title that it adopt besides a great deal from the iconic Italian horror motion picture Cannibal Holocaust ( 1980 ) , no picture show — in front or since — has coif selling practiced than The Blair Witch Project perform . much like how John Carpenter ’s Halloween bug into the American language dread of 1970s suburban offense , this movie ’s motif of Satanism and the mysterious delve into America ’s 1990s paranoia . much erroneously conceive to give birth a budget of solely $ 60,000 , The Blair Witch Project really played out to a greater extent than that in position - product , convey up the tot up production toll to someplace around $ 350,000 . But does the divergence truly issue ? Nope ! Because either path , The Blair Witch Project get such monolithic bombinate that it locomote on to clear barely timid of $ 250 million at the box post . That ’s more than 700x the initial investment funds — or 4,100x if you wishing to break down by the $ 60,000 budget figure of speech — which produce it the virtually profitable motion-picture show in movie theatre chronicle by a longshot . For AS prospicient as we inhabit , we might ne’er see to it another plastic film geological fault this put down . translate future : The virtually expensive Movies ever lay down ( And Why They be thence much )