Star Wars ($11 million budget)
Star Wars Episode IV was made on an $11 million budget and when it came out in 1977, it was the highest grossing film of all time, well, until Steven Spielberg released E.T in 1982. The first of many films went on to gross $775 million, an achievement that many movies will never accomplish.
The space film made Lucasfilm one of the most successful production companies of all time. The company was purchased by Disney in 2012 and it seems like they’re pumping out a new film every year, making billions of dollars in the process.