10 Movies Made With Shockingly Low Budgets

It's easy to watch Slumdog Millionaire and think it cost more than it actually did. The use of elaborate costumes, expensive sets, high-value props, and the grandiose way the film presents itself make it seem like an expensive film, but it actually only cost $15 million to make.

The script was written by Simon Beufoy as an adaptation to the novel Q & A, and seeing as he made three trips to India as research in putting it together, you would think that might increase the cost, but overall, the movie wasn't very expensive.

One of the reasons costs were kept low was the locations it was filmed in. Most of the shots were done in the actual slums of Mumbai and Juhu, which required little in the form of expenses with much of the money going towards crowd control as those slums are incredibly overcrowded.

Other details like a low salary requirement and minimal costs for direction and writing mean the movie needed a relatively low budget to produce. Given the fact that it took in $378 million, was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, and won eight to include the coveted Best Picture, it's hard to look back and see that it only cost $15 million to make.