Budget: $6-10M
Who knew the cutthroat nature of dog shows before “Best In Show”? No one. The comedy by Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy takes a satirical look at American dog shows. Since no dog show event would allow cameras, the creators made one up. The film follows five dogs and their entourage, which is to say, owners, handlers, and trainers.
The mockumentary covers the fictional Mayflower Dog Show. Christopher Guest, Nigel in “This Is Spinal Tap,” based “Best In Show” on the annual Westminster Dog Show. The movie has a 94 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $20.8M.
Avengers: Infinity War
Budget: $356M
A sure way to make millions upon millions is to place the entire cast of every single Marvel film and put them all together in one giant CGI-filled super-hero spectacle. That's precisely what happened with the 2018 film "Avengers: Infinity War." The film from the Avengers franchise had the highest-grossing domestic opening weekend of all time after its release.
The film made $2,003,241,872. Just as well, as it cost $356 million to make. We suppose we should all thank the star-studded cast which included, Robert Downey, Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Elizabeth Olsen, Mark Ruffalo, Bradley Cooper, and many, many more.
Jurassic World
Budget: 150M
Steven Speilberg's 1993 sci-fi-action-adventure classic came a long way. Now a multi-million dollar franchise, this installment earned almost $2 billion. The films have since taken a slightly darker turn and now feel more like sci-fi horror, thanks to the vision of the director, Colin Trevorrow. There have been three more since this one, so you know it's a success.
The film starred Hollywood favorites Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Ty Simpkins and was released in 2015.
Garden State
Budget: $2.5M
Zach Braff writes, directs, and stars in the twentysomething coming-of-age comedy "Garden State." It is his directorial debut. Bringing in $35M at the box office, Braff proved his movie-making prowess. The soundtrack he arranged received acclaim as well.
The film also stars a young Natalie Portman, who was a senior at Harvard at the time. She plays Sam and Braff plays Andrew. It has been compared favorably to "The Graduate." The entire $2.5M budget was financed by a wealthy donor named Gary Gilbert. It was a good investment. The film grossed $35M.
Bronson
Budget: $230K
"Bronson" follows the story of Charles Bronson, the most violent prisoner in Britain’s history. He got locked up for petty crimes, but once he was thrown in the slammer, he attacked guards, took prisoners hostage, and earned the title of most violent UK inmate.
Tom Hardy portrayed the boxer-turned-criminal-turned-artist in Bronson. The movie was made on a shoestring budget, for far less than a half-million dollars, and eked out a box office net of $2.3M.