10 Blockbusters You Didn’t Know Were Low Budget
Photo credit: Lionsgate
4. Open Water (2003)
“Open Water” is a drama/psychological horror film which was based on the true story of an American couple, Tom and Eileen Lonergan, who in 1998 went out with a scuba diving group on the Great Barrier Reef, and were accidentally left behind because the dive-boat crew failed to take an accurate headcount.
The whole thing was financed by writer and director Chris Kentis, along with his wife, producer Laura Lau, who are both huge fans of the sport and avid scuba divers themselves.
They spend $130,000 to make the film, but it was later bought by Lions Gate Entertainment for $2.5 million. It ultimately grossed $55 million worldwide.
