Many people think of overblown budgets and many expensive special effects when somebody mentions science fiction movies. It's true that this movie genre is often more expensive than others since it doesn't have to be set in the current world. Instead, it works with elements and inventions that don't exist.
As a result, sci-fi movies do generally cost a lot of money. But just like with every rule, there are exceptions to it. Some great sci-fi movies were made on a shoestring budget, yet they continue to captivate the audience and have a lot to offer. These movies are a good example that when there's creativity and resourcefulness, money isn't everything.
5 Mad Max (1979)
The sci-fi post apo Mad Max turned Mel Gibson into a star, and it also started an entire franchise. The latest movie addition to the series was Mad Max: Fury Road in 2015 and these days, the sequel Furiosa is in the works. None of this would have been possible without George Miller's first Mad Max movie which cost only $300,000 to make. In the world of million-dollar budgets, this is pocket money. Mad Max didn't use that many special effects and was centered on Max, which made it easier to save money.
Just like other low-budget pieces, the movie went on to become a huge hit and made more than $8 million worldwide. George Miller managed to finish the movie in just 12 weeks, and he made a part of the money needed for it by working as a doctor. Because of the low budget, the crew used discarded police cars. Only Mel Gibson got to wear a leather jacket in the movie. The rest of the policemen had costumes made from vinyl. And finally, the company Kawasaki gave Miller all the older motorcycles seen in the movies.
4 Cube (1997)
Cube is another good example of a low-budget sci-fi movie that inspired a series. It's set in an unusual future prison in which a group of people wakes up and tries to find their way out. On their journey, they face rooms filled with deadly traps, so not all of them will make it. Cube creates an intense atmosphere and keeps it until the very end. In this movie, it's unwise to get attached to any of the characters since it's almost guaranteed they'll die sooner or later. However, the actors give strong performances, which makes it impossible not to become invested in their destinies.
Cube's budget was a mere $365,000 and it earned over $500,000 at the box office. Considering the budget, the movie took only twenty days to make, and most of it was filmed with a handheld camera. The movie was filmed in a single room. The only thing that changed was the colored panels on the walls to make it seem like the heroes moved throughout various rooms in the cube.
3 Primer (2007)
When discussing great sci-fi movies with a shoestring budget, it's impossible not to mention Primer. The movie cost only $7,000 and it made over $500,000 in cinemas. It focuses on four friends and amateur inventors who like to tinker in a garage in the evenings. One day, one of them accidentally creates a time travel machine.
The movie then subsequently poses the question of how such a machine works and whether it's a good idea to use it for personal purposes (spoiler alert: it usually isn't). Some viewers found the movie confusing, but others appreciated its complex script. Primer has the power to make the audience think and since it runs under 80 minutes, it never becomes dull. It was made in the director Shane Carruth's house for the most part and most of the budget was used on the film material for the movie.
2 The Man From Earth (2007)
The Man from Earth is the ultimate example that sometimes all a filmmaker needs to make an excellent sci-fi movie is a group of good actors and a strong script. If these two conditions are met, the sci-fi can even take place in a single location. In this movie, the main hero John Oldman meets his friends in his cabin after quitting his job. During the goodbye party, John reveals something unexpected - he's immortal and over 10,000 years old. Throughout the evening, John and his guests discuss John's revelation, and what it could mean if it was true.
The movie has a clever script and keeps the audience guessing whether John is telling the truth about his immortality or whether he's just making fun of his friends. The actors all give solid performances and the movie contains more than one emotionally charged scene. Since most of it is set in a single room, it cost much less to make than other sci-fi movies - only $200,000. The movie was filmed on two Panasonic DVX100 cameras. The exact details about the movie's box office gross aren't known, but some sources state it made over a million dollars, five times its budget.
1 Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)
Time travel movies usually feature epic special effects, making it difficult to create them on a lower budget. Safety Not Guaranteed works with the topic of time travel as well, but it cost only $750,000 to make. It helps that the movie primarily functions as a sci-fi comedy. It centers on three men intrigued by an unusual ad in the newspapers. The author of the ad, Kenneth, is looking for a time-travel companion. As the main characters try to discover whether Kenneth can indeed travel through time, the movie takes some unexpected twists and turns.
It has the power to make the audience laugh, and it keeps a fast pace. Safety Not Guaranteed stars some familiar faces as well, such as Aubrey Plaza. An interesting fact is that its story was based on an ad printed back in 1997. Audiences generally liked the movie, and it made over $4 million worldwide. The director Colin Trevorrow subsequently went on to direct high-budget sci-fi movies, such as Jurassic World (2015).