Slumdog Millionaire: Does it Really Qualify as Low Budget?

Slumdog's Independence

The problem with the comments above is not that they are incorrect, it is that they are supporting the extreme, if 1 million dollars is the limit for a independent or low budget movie then we toss out Little Miss Sunshine 8 million dollars, and then lets compare that to the average Studio Financed film around 35-55 million dollars. Now, think about it, lower than average, hmm one might be inclined to think... LOW BUDGET? It doesn't really take a genius to recognize this statistical anomaly. To be low budget today especially to compete in the major box office you really need to peak 5 million if you want a massive return. You look at movies like Napoleon Dynamite (which is not a well crafted movie in any sense, just stupidly funny) which was made for god knows how little money, it looked like crap on film and essentially doomed Jon Heder to playing the same character for the rest of his life, your definitions of low budget seem to encompass grainy movies of really low caliber, aka the Blair Witch project which was famous not for its quality as a movie but its ability to spread the rumors of its truth on the internet. Come on pull your heads out of your butts and give Danny Boyle the credit he deserves for taking 15 mill and making one heck of a low budget film, while still being able to make it look like a high priced gem.

Paul Trebuss @ Feb 28, 2009 14:46:04 PM

Slumdog not low budget or independent

No, Slumdog doesn't qualify as "low budget" or "independent." Warner Independent bankrolled its $15 million budget and compromises were made along the way to get it to the screen. Clever and not inexpensive marketing was thrown at it (forgotten Oscar: Best Marketing for a Film).

Our indie film THE SENSATION OF SIGHT starring David Strathairn was made for $1 million in 18 days and all the financing was private with no strings attached, so we were able to do it the way we wanted. Our problem: getting out the word when our small distributor (Monterey Media) can't spend big marketing dollars.

Even the "Independent Spirit" awards are far from independent these days. What you're looking at is a string of studio arms. We need a new festival for true indies. $15-20 shouldn't qualify! Especially when a studio is really attached.

Kris McLaughlin, Either/Or FIlms (www.eitherorfilms.com) of NH @ Feb 23, 2009 12:36:36 PM

Napoleon Dynamite

What about Napoleon Dynamite?

Paul of CA @ Feb 23, 2009 00:35:33 AM

How about Ready? OK!

As one of the producers of the low budget indpendent film Ready? OK!, I have to step in and comment. We often hear people discussing how this or that film is both indie and low-budget. They are usually speaking of films bankrolled by the "independent" wing of one of the major studios, and the "low" budget usually ranges from 2 to 20 million dollars.

We made our film under the Ultra-Low Budget agreement from the Screen Actors Guild with an almost all-union cast, for under $75,000, including post-production.

We just played the Palm Springs International Film Festival to a sold-out screening, after a festival run on the gay and lesbian festival circuit, where we played over 30 fests. So you can make a film that is truly indie (financed by our three-person production company) truly low-budget ($75,000 on Slumdog probably covered their catering) and successful. www.readyokmovie.com

All that said, my hat is off to Slumdog Millionaire and its cast and crew for a job well done; it's a fine film.

Mark Holmes of CA @ Jan 22, 2009 13:50:32 PM

low budget El Mariachi????

As for El Mariachi, a version was made for $7000, but it had bad sound and had makeshift titles, the El Mariachi we saw in the cinemas had over $100,000 dollars spent on it by Columbia to make it watchable. The Robert Rodriguez Mariachi Myth machine seems to be alive and kicking.

Brian Hutton @ Jan 19, 2009 04:42:41 AM