Major motion pictures are certainly not cheap to produce. On one hand, you need to hire a big enough crew of people to work with to create the movie. Also, hiring actors, especially big name actors can cost upwards into the millions of dollars. Then, you also need to create sets, costumes, makeup, props, practical effects, stunts, and more. And not only that, but you also need to pay for the camera and audio equipment for your crew to use as well. All of that doesn’t even take digital effects into consideration, which could be a major portion of a movie’s budget for movies that use large amounts of special effects.

So, taking how expensive movies can be into consideration, producers must do whatever they can to minimize the cost of their film while also not sacrificing the quality of the movie that is being made. On many occasions, an excellent film could be made on a smaller budget, despite all the equipment and personnel needed to make a movie. Some movies are so well-made on a cheap budget, in fact, that many viewers may think that a certain film had a huge budget, but in reality it was quite small. Here are 10 films that look like they cost more than they actually did.

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10 Friday the 13th: $550,000

     Georgetown Productions

The movie that kicked off one of the most iconic horror franchises of all time, the original Friday the 13th was made with just $550,000. The film ended up earning over $92 million and was followed by more than 10 other movies, a video game, comic books, toys, and more. The success of the film helped show other directors in the horror genre just how much success can be had with a small budget and careful planning.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

Friday the 13th also proved that just because a director has a small budget, it does not mean that the film has to look cheap and cheesy. Director Sean S. Cunningham not only made a memorable film with a small amount of money, he made a lasting impact on the horror genre as a whole by showing what can be done with that small amount of money.

9 Saw: $1.2 million

     Twisted Pictures

Another movie that kicked off an iconic horror franchise, Saw’s budget of $1.2 million is surprising, as the film feels like it would have cost much more to produce. The film did so much right with that small budget that it went on to make over $100 million at the box office, making it one of the most profitable films in relation to its budget of all time. Saw was also the directorial debut for James Wan, who went on to direct multiple other very successful horror films, such as The Conjuring and Insidious.

The cheap budget can partially be attributed to most of the film taking place in one room, as well as having unknown actors at the time. Saw spawned a massive franchise afterwards and has racked up over $1 billion total since the original film’s release.

RELATED: The Best Low-Budget Horror Movies, Ranked

8 Lost in Translation: $4 million

     Focus Features

A film that helped to kickstart the career of Scarlett Johansson and grossed over $119 million worldwide, Lost in Translation is widely considered to be one of the most influential comedy-dramas in all of film. Many also say that the film is one of Bill Murray’s best performances throughout his career, playing as an aging movie star who finds an unlikely friend in Johansson’s character.

With its Tokyo setting and star actor Bill Murray attached to it, as well as its Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, most viewers would believe that the film would have cost more than just $4 million to make. However, with Murray taking a pay cut and director Sofia Coppola’s passion to make the film, $4 million was all that was needed, even though Coppola spent over $1 million before she even knew that Murray would show up.

7 Get Out: $4.5 million

     Universal Pictures

Yet another iconic horror film that was made with a shockingly low budget, Jordan Peele’s directorial debut Get Out was able to make over $250 million worldwide with just $4.5 million to make the film happen. Get Out’s production quality and special effects, along with the fact that the film won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, would lead the average viewer to believe that the modern horror classic was made with tens of millions of dollars, yet it was made with a very modest budget when it comes to today’s movie budget standards.

6 The Terminator: $6.4 million

     Paramount Pictures

Once again, a cheap first film that led to a massive film franchise, The Terminator having only a budget of $6.4 million is very surprising. Utilizing practical effects that looked very real and having Arnold Schwarzenegger starring would lead viewers to believe that the 1984 classic would have cost much more than it actually did, but the modest budget and the writing and directorial work of James Cameron caused the film to explode.

This rise in popularity also helped to create much more expensive and action-packed sequels that helped to evolve the modern movie landscape with their digital effects, especially in Terminator 2. The film was also huge for James Cameron, and he is still very much in the public discourse today with his newest directorial release, Avatar: The Way of Water.

RELATED: 9 Low-Budget Horror Movies That Doubled Their Returns

5 Pulp Fiction: $8 million

     Miramax

One of Quentin Tarantino’s very best, Pulp Fiction has gained cult classic status since its 1994 release. With such increased popularity since its release, along with the increased popularity of Tarantino as a director, one would imagine that Pulp Fiction had a large budget, especially with a star-studded cast including the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, and more.

The film’s seven Academy Award nominations and one win for Best Screenplay — Written Directly for the Screen, could also lead viewers to believe the film was an expensive venture, but with a budget of $8 million, Pulp Fiction has shown that a film does not need a massive budget to achieve massive success.

4 Star Wars: $11 million

     20th Century Fox

Okay, this is the last low budget film in the list that spawned a wildly successful franchise, don’t worry. But no other film on this list created a more successful franchise after it than the original Star Wars. While $11 million certainly isn’t a small amount of money, what Star Wars was able to accomplish with that money is nothing short of incredible. Using out-of-this-world practical and special effects to take viewers to the galaxy far, far away all the way back in 1977, George Lucas used every penny to create arguably the most successful media franchise ever. And with the insane budgets of Star Wars projects nowadays, the fact that the franchise started with such a relatively small budget makes the film’s success even more impressive, even if it did look like the film already had a huge amount of money behind it.

3 The Green Knight: $15 million

     A24

The most recent film to find itself on this list, The Green Knight takes its $15 million budget and runs with it as far as it possibly can. The practical and special effects, along with the sheer scale of the film, makes it look like The Green Knight would have a budget of $150 million instead of just $15 million. The cast is nothing to scoff at either, with numerous actors that are both very experienced and talented. The fact that such an expansive movie was made with such a relatively small budget in comparison to similar movies is mind-blowing, and is a testament to how efficiently every single dollar was spent.

2 Ex Machina: $15 million

Ex Machina looks so visually stunning that you would think the budget was $100 million. The visual effects were so excellent, in fact, that the film even won an Academy Award for Best Achievement in Visual Effects. The ability to turn Alicia Vikander into a very real looking robot every time she’s on the screen is incredible, and even more incredible that only $15 million was used to make these award-winning visual effects. The sleek look of the setting throughout most of the movie also would lead viewers to believe that there was a large budget to build such a set, but the estate in the movie is actually a stunning hotel in Norway, which saved producers from having to build or digitally create the place.

RELATED: The Best Low-Budget Sci-Fi Movies, Ranked

1 Baby Driver: $34 million

     Sony Pictures

$34 million is certainly a large amount of money to make a movie, and it’s over double the amount of any other budget on this list. However, with a massive cast with the likes of Jamie Foxx and car chases and stunts that will have you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire movie, it’s a miracle that director Edgar Wright was able to accomplish so many incredible scenes with the money that he had. Baby Driver puts you in the car with one of the best getaway drivers that you will see on film and does not let off the throttle as you fly through the streets of Atlanta. For having such a modest budget in comparison to other car-centric action flicks, Baby Driver is an incredible achievement in the stunt world.