Today, giving Hollywood blockbusters budgets of $100 million plus has seemingly become common practice, with studios confident that their huge investment will be repayed by millions flocking to see their films. But what of the smaller budget films? How do they stand out above the sea of heavily promoted behemoths, out to steal the attention of the waiting audience? With the advent of the internet and the boom of social media, word of mouth has become increasingly important over the last decade, allowing a critically acclaimed movie to be slowly passed among the consciousness. Through the intense marketing campaigns that big budget films receive, smaller independent films can see themselves swamped, but through social media, a greater niche can be generated through particular genres or styles of filmmaking. For this list, the films in question must have been made in the last decade and had a budget of $15 million or less, a reasonably large budget, especially for an independent film but very low in comparison to blockbusters released today. While critical success is important, it is not necessarily essential to the commercial success of a film and therefore the worldwide box office gross will be the only indicator used to determine a hit. I will be writing the most notable box office hits from each respective year of the past decade and also include other notable budget hits after.
10. Lost in Translation (2003)
Budget: $4,000,000. Worldwide Box Office: $119,723,856
The minimalist masterpiece by writer/director Sofia Coppola caught many off guard with its depiction of loneliness and isolation against the backdrop of the visually stunning Tokyo. On paper, the film featuring the faded star of Bill Murray and a young Scarlett Johansson may not have been a promising prospect. But yet, through the connection the two characters share, with discussions of purpose, marriage and spirituality, the film gathered critical acclaim and thus this was represented through its box office takings. While made for a very small sum of $4,000,000, the film gathered momentum through the months after its release and eventually ended up with a worldwide total of $119 million. While audience interpretation has been narrowed down to either loving or hating the film, Coppola showed again that constructing a beautifully shot, well crafted movie will always create intrigue from audiences and ultimately bring success.
Other notable 2003 hits:
Texas Chainsaw Massacre Budget $9,500,000. Worldwide Box Office: $107,071,655