Budget: $2.3M
Independent label Liberty Films produced Frank Capra’s “It’s A Wonderful Life,” but it wouldn’t see financial success for 30 years. Despite the fact it led in Oscar nominations, the 1946 movie was a flop. It didn’t even recover its budget.
Liberty Films, as the name implies, was an effort to work outside of big studios, but it went belly-up because of “It’s A Wonderful Life”’s flop. The movie ended up under Republic Pictures. For some reason, the company did not renew its copyright. The movie went into the public domain and became the unassailable Christmas classic we know today.
Reservoir Dogs
Budget: $1.2M
Quentin Tarantino debuted his talent with "Reservoir Dogs." He wrote, directed, and starred in the 90s-era crime heist movie. It was a cult classic grossing $2.8 million. The film proved the director worthy of his film noir credentials and anticipated his next crime noir, "Pulp Fiction."
Filmed primarily in a warehouse, it did not portray the actual heist. Such efforts helped to keep production costs down. Tarantino tropes like violence, nonlinear storytelling, and profanity made their mark first in this movie.
Black Swan
Budget: $13M
"Black Swan" was a massive hit that surprised everyone, making it somewhat of a black swan event in itself. Made with a relatively low budget of $13 million, it went on to net over $330 million at theaters.
Natalie Portman won a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. The film, likewise, nabbed five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. Darren Aronofsky directed, and Andres Heinz wrote the screenplay. The story revolves around the New York City Ballet company staging a production of Tchaikovsky’s "Swan Lake."
Intouchables
Budget: $10.8
The French comedy "Intouchables" was one of the country’s highest-grossing films ever. It’s about a wealthy Parisian man paralyzed by a paragliding adventure gone bad and his Senegalese caregiver who was only interested in renewing his unemployment benefits.
The touching dynamic between the troublemaker and the aristocrat made it a 2012 favorite. The low-budget movie is based on the true story of champagne manufacturer Phillippe Pozzo di Borgo who was paralyzed in a 1993 hang gliding accident, and his caretaker.
High School Musical
Budget: $4.2M
Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens star in this surprise hit. Teens, cliques, and vibrant music is the gist of the Disney production turned franchise.
It was a massive hit, making it the most successful movie out of the Disney Channel Original Movie studio. The soundtrack for the film went to number one. It’s about a boy who is an athlete forming a relationship with an academically gifted girl.