Open Water ($130,000 budget)
Open Water’s plot was simple. It was about a couple who became stranded in shark-infested waters after the crew on their scuba diving trio accidentally leaves them behind. It was this simplicity that helped the film to become a box office success, raking in $55 million.
The movie which is said to be based on an unconfirmed true story got some fairly decent reviews. In the years following, two sequels were released although they did not perform as well as the original. Unlike many other movies, production used real sharks instead of the standard mechanical props or CGI.