This action movie with a young Mel Gibson was made for mere pennies, but instantly became cult classic

The movie not only paid for itself but also earned a fortune.

In the film industry, much is like a lottery. Often, directors and producers place huge bets on their creations, only for them to fail. They don't achieve audience love or substantial fees. But sometimes the opposite happens. This was the case with George Miller's action film “Mad Max” (1979).

About $350,000 was spent on production (equivalent to approximately $1.8 million in 2020). Mere pennies for Hollywood, even at that time. But the creators simply didn't have more money. Miller was a doctor by education and financed the film with his hard-earned money.
Young Mel Gibson in a motorcycle suit lies on the asphalt, a motorcycle is visible in the background
Shot from the movie "Mad Max"
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And what about the numerous expensive cars in the frame, you may ask? And the special effects, which were quite impressive even for that time?

The cars were taken almost from the junkyard. These were old wrecks that had to be patched up and brought to proper condition. All the motorcycles on the set were given to Miller for free. During filming, they were smashed to pieces.
Shot from the movie "Mad Max": a gang of motorcyclists attacks a driver
Almost all the vehicles were destroyed during filming
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The final editing stage took place in the director's house, not in a studio, again due to a lack of funds. Miller handled the visual effects himself, and producer Byron Kennedy worked on the sound editing.

$15,000 of the film's budget had to be paid to the 24-year-old for his work. But all expenses were recouped in the first days of “Mad Max” being shown on the big screen. By 1982, the total worldwide box office gross was $100 million.
Photo of the "Mad Max" crew on the filming location. Director George Miller can be seen on the left in a coat
Photo from the set of "Mad Max"
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The ratio of investment to the final box office earnings was so significant that the film was entered into the Guinness Book of Records. It wasn't until 2000 that it was surpassed by “The Blair Witch Project”: the horror film was made for $215,000 (of which only $15,000 was spent on filming) and earned $193 million at the box office.
Thus, on what was frankly low-budget material, according to zoomboola.com, a landmark film was created, which is now considered a legendary blockbuster and is recommended for all fans of the “post-apocalypse” genre.