20 HUGE Hit Movies NOBODY Saw Coming
16. The Blair Witch Project
In the grand pantheon of shock box office smash hits, The Blair Witch Project has basically no equal.
This early entry into the found footage canon was shot for only around $60,000, but even when factoring in post-production and marketing costs, its absolute max expense was just $750,000.
The film picked up huge buzz following its premiere at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival and was soon acquired by Artisan Entertainment, who gave it a limited release before expanding wide.
By the end of its run, The Blair Witch Project grossed an incredible $248.6 million, making it one of the most successful independent films in cinema history.
It's tough to picture anyone watching the film during its Sundance premiere and imagining that it would become one of the year's highest-grossing movies.
And yet despite the obvious potential to milk the brand for every drop with a glut of rehash sequels, we've only had two other Blair Witch movies since, neither of which made much of a dent financially.