25 Things You Didn't Know About The Mask

25. Jim Carrey's Expressive Face Kept The Budget Low

Despite its extensive and ground-breaking use of visual effects, The Mask actually ended up costing a relatively sensible $23 million, only $6 million more than Carrey's Dumb and Dumber released later that year, and a whole $7 million less than 1994's action extravaganza Speed.

But a big part of the reason for this, as revealed by director Chuck Russell, was Carrey himself, whose rubber-faced expressiveness went far beyond the expectations of both Russell and the VFX team.

Between his naturally cartoonish facial expressions and elastic body movements, it quickly became apparent that his performance wouldn't need as many post-production enhancements as expected, quickly shaving precious dollars off the film's budget.

Ultimately it probably wouldn't have mattered, though, as The Mask ended up grossing over $350 million, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of 1994. Not bad.