Made in Rs 6 lakh, grossed Rs 800 crore, bigger than RRR, Jawan: Why most profitable film ever paid actors just Rs 20000

Oren Peli’s groundbreaking horror film Paranormal Activity was never meant to be the blockbuster it became. Made on a shoestring budget of $15,000 (Rs 6 lakh at the time), the 2006 release ended up being the sleeper hit for the ages, minting $194 million (Rs 800 crore) worldwide. This 1320000% profit remains a record in cinema history

Paranormal Activity was shot on a handheld camera in a style of found footage films, keeping its costs low. The actors were also new and there was very little pre-production. Eventually, the film was acquired by Paramount Pictures. The studio spent $200,000 (Rs 80 lakh) on reshoots and marketing, re-releasing it worldwide

Paramount marketed the film as a found footage story, leading many to believe that the film contained real footage of haunting. That, along with the eerie new style of storytelling, was the USP of Paranormal Activity and horror fans lapped it up. Its $193 million gross is even higher than big budget Indian films like RRR ($166 million), KGF Chapter 2 ($150 million),Kalki 2898 AD ($140 million), Jawan ($138 million), Pathaan ($126 million), and Animal ($110 million)

Paranormal Activity was the brainchild of Israeli filmmaker Oren Peli. Born in Israel, he moved to the US at the age of 19 and began working as a software programmer before learning filmmaking himself. Paranormal Activity was his first film

The two stars of the film – Katie Featherston and Micah Slot – were struggling actors who were hired by Peli on a $500 (Rs 20,000) contract for a couple of weeks of shoot. Given the project’s low profile and the actors’ lack of fame, this was possible

The success of the film at the box office spawned a film franchise that has seen seven sequels and spinoffs. Collectively, the films have earned over $890 million at the box office, or roughly around Rs 5000 crore