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.
It’s A Wonderful Life
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.
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.
Fireproof
Budget: $500K
The Christian-themed movie "Fireproof" is about a firefighter (Kirk Cameron) and his struggles with a failing marriage. Made on a budget and with a lot of help from the Christian community pitching in, religious fans also helped the movie earn $33.5 million at the box office.
This movie obviously ends with a triumphant reunion between the fireman and his wife. A book called "The Love Dare" came out of it too. It was the fictional name of the book that helped the fireman save his marriage. Since it didn’t exist, the creators wrote it and published it, just for their Christian supporters.
Brother
Budget: $50K
Sleeper hit "Brother" came out of Russia and was so well-liked it spawned two sequels. The hitman movie brought writer and director Aleksei Balabanov national fame and recognition as Russia’s best filmmaker.
Anti-hero Danila Bagrov became a cultural icon for a generation of coming-of-age Russians. The neo-noir movie was so inexpensive actors wore ill-fitting clothing rummaged from thrift stores or donations. Sergei Bodrov Jr. played the hitman and became a national superstar. Tragically, he was killed in an avalanche in a freak accident.