Budget - $400,000. From 'The Blair Witch Project' to 'Napoleon Dynamite,' here are some low-budget movies that made big box office bucks. The plot was at once absurdly unique and comfortably familiar. Or will they all be dead on arrival, making this a weekend the studios would rather forget? Most of the situations in the movie are loosely based on the life of Jared Hess. Jon Heder, Who Played Napoleon, Received Only $1,000 For His Role May 10, 2022 by Danielle Koch "Napoleon Dynamite" is one of those insightful movies where viewers can get a different perspective on certain things. Jerusha really was like Deb growing up. Indie films and quirky comedies have almost become synonymous, and Napoleon Dynamite is a great example. So even if Jon Heder agreed to getting paid $1,000 for acting in Napoleon dynamite, he definitely earned more than the measly $1,000 that is being discussed. Heder was initially paid just $1,000 for the movie, but after it became a worldwide success, he renegotiated his contract and got a much bigger pay cheque. Share the best GIFs now >>> We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. ("Napoleon Dynamite," "Super Size Me" and "Paranormal Activity" are all low-budget examples.) Jeremy Coon convinced Hess to drop out of school and adapt it into a feature-length film, and he helped him to find investors for the project. So, how much money did Jon Heder make to play in Napoleon Dynamite? A sequel would be too high budget and I . The trial began on June 19, 2012. Related:20 Times Actors Were Injured On Film Sets. As of 2017, he has a net worth of $15 million. Everything leads up to this. Budget $400,000 Release Date (Wide) Jun 11, 2004 ( Aug 27, 2004 ) - Feb 6, 2005 MPAA PG Running Time 1 hr 36 min Genres Comedy In Release 569 days/81 weeks Widest Release 1,027 theaters IMDbPro. 1. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. '", When it came to shooting the dance scene for the final film, the producers scheduled to film it towards the end of the film. [52], In January 2023, Heder stated that he believed a sequel was "inevitable" and reiterated his interest in displaying a darker tone for the sequel. To increase their respect by demonstrating "skills," Napoleon and Pedro enter a Future Farmers of America competition, grading milk and cow udders. They only had one roll of film (approximately 10.5 minutes) left to shoot. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. For a description of the different acting role types we use to categorize acting perfomances, see our Glossary. In fact, even 16 years later . "[35] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 64 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Filmmakers shot the entire film on location in Preston, Idaho, on a budget of just $400,000. I was busting up when Rex was doing his scene. The positive word-of-mouth from fans really opened things up for Napoleon Dynamite, and once it caught on, it stayed around for quite a while. After his grandmother is injured in an accident, his life is made even worse when his strangely nostalgic uncle, Rico, shows up to keep an eye on him. With a production budget of $400,000, Napoleon Dynamite made more than $46 million in the worldwide box office grosses. [16][17] The song Napoleon Dynamite dances to at the end of the film"Canned Heat" by Jamiroquaicame out in 1999. [14] "It was very, very hot," Hess recalled in a Rolling Stone interview. Some people love it, some people loathe it, but in the end, everyone has seenNapoleon Dynamite at least one time at some point in their lives. '"[8], Hess describes the film as being "so autobiographical". How much was the budget for Napoleon Dynamite? In 2002, Brigham Young University film students Jon Heder and Jared Hess collaborated on a class project; the result was a 9-minute short movie shot on black-and-white 16mm film entitled Peluca about a nerdy high school student named Seth. But they were like, No, Jon, just figure it out. That film is the DVD Pick of the Week. And it is VERY funny. It has also generated $1 million for Preston . They moved my teeth.. Lets take a look and see how it all played out. Jon Heder did not make much for Napoleon Dynamite,but whatthe film did do for him was open up a ton of doors to a lucrative acting career. All the items, food or otherwise, used in the credits appear at some point Maybe somebody told him the name and he truly feels that he came to it by chance. Napoleon Dynamite was one of the most unlikely hit films of 2004 (or any other year, really). That said, it is still worth picking up, especially if you are the kind of person into movies enough to check out box office numbers, and I think that includes most people reading this column right now. Best Low-Budget Movies That Became Big . More All Time Domestic Box Office (Rank 2,001-2,100), All Time International Box Office (Rank 8,901-9,000), All Time Worldwide Box Office (Rank 3,101-3,200), All Time Domestic Highest Grossing Limited Release Movies, All Time Domestic Box Office for Comedy Movies (Rank 301-400), All Time International Box Office for Comedy Movies (Rank 1,601-1,700), All Time Worldwide Box Office for Comedy Movies (Rank 501-600), All Time Domestic Inflation Adjusted Box Office (Rank 2,101-2,200), All Time Domestic Non-Sequel Box Office (Rank 1,501-1,600), Top 2004 Movies at the Domestic Box Office, All Time Domestic Inflation Adjusted Box Office for Limited Release Movies, Top 2004 Limited Release Movies at the Domestic Box Office, All Time Domestic Box Office for Based on Short Film Movies, All Time Domestic Box Office for Live Action Movies (Rank 1,601-1,700), All Time Domestic Box Office for Contemporary Fiction Movies (Rank 901-1,000), All Time Domestic Box Office for PG Movies (Rank 401-500), All Time Domestic Box Office for Fox Searchlight Movies, All Time International Non-Sequel Box Office (Rank 8,001-8,100), All Time International Box Office for Based on Short Film Movies, All Time International Box Office for Live Action Movies (Rank 7,401-7,500), All Time International Box Office for Contemporary Fiction Movies (Rank 4,601-4,700), All Time International Box Office for PG Movies (Rank 801-900), All Time International Box Office for Fox Searchlight Movies (Rank 101-200), All Time Worldwide Non-Sequel Box Office (Rank 2,501-2,600), Top 2004 Movies at the Worldwide Box Office, All Time Worldwide Box Office for Based on Short Film Movies, All Time Worldwide Box Office for Live Action Movies (Rank 2,601-2,700), All Time Worldwide Box Office for Contemporary Fiction Movies (Rank 1,501-1,600), All Time Worldwide Box Office for PG Movies (Rank 501-600), All Time Worldwide Box Office for Fox Searchlight Movies, DVD and Blu-ray Releases for June 10th, 2014, Featured Blu-ray review: Napoleon Dynamite, DVD Releases for February 3, 2009 - Part I, Saw Remains on Top of Belated Rental Charts, Outfoxed - Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism, Weekend on the Per Theatre Chart is Anything but Dynamite, Major Expansions Highlight Limited Release Schedule, Movie Websites Launches for June 4 - June 10, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba - To the Swordsmith Village, 15.84 (domestic box office/biggest weekend), $400,000 (worldwide box office is 115.3 times production budget), 6 opening theaters/1,236 max. Napoleon Dynamite. The films unexpected financial success was also at the heart of a lawsuit between the films producers and the executives at Fox Searchlight. Heder's success in Napoleon Dynamite would ultimately become a launching pad for a successful career as an actor which is good because his original compensation on the film was limited. With no safe haven at home or at school, Napoleon befriends the new kid, Pedro, a morose Hispanic boy who speaks little English. [13] Among the established actors in the cast was comedy veteran Diedrich Bader, who filmed his scenes as virile martial art instructor Rex in one day. I danced three times and they took the best pieces from each of those. Operating on a tight budget of $400,000, Hess cast many of his friends from school, including Heder and Aaron Ruell, and he relied on the generosity of Preston locals, who provided housing and food to crew members. Napoleon Dynamite: I told you! Open Water (Budget: $500,000; Revenue: $52,100,882): 5,110.09% 15. In Napoleon Dynamite, Pedro is the . A few months later, I watched it a second time and I wasn't as impressed. By Jeffrey Speicher Dec 31, 2022. The latest movie news, trailers, reviews, and more. Napoleon Dynamite quotes are certainly quotable for movie fans. . Jason Lee was offered the role of Uncle Rico while Brad Garrett auditioned for Rex and enjoyed the script, but decided not to commit. Even though the film Napoleon Dynamite has roots in a short film and had relatively no budget, it was still able to conquer the box office when it finally hit theaters back in the 2000s. (First time I had to separate the list into three parts.) [53], In April 2010, Fox announced that an animated series was in development, with the original cast reprising their roles. "[46] The film was on several year-end lists. This movie is about this very type of thing a tribute to the ordinary every-day stuff that you have no reason or desire to remember like eating reheated leftover Hamburger Helper, or that old shirt you wear when you're working that you're not afraid to get dirty, or some magazine you flipped through to pass the time in the dentist's waiting room. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. This, of course, was my first interaction with a studio at all, so they flew out a hand model a couple weeks later, who had great hands but was five or six shades darker than Jon Heder. In 2004, Napoleon Dynamite was a small independent film that earned buzz at the Sundance Film Festival and was picked up by MTV films. In a post-credits scene set two months later, Kip and Lafawnduh get married, and Napoleon appears with a horse which the bride and groom ride out on. October 4, 2021. He also, asBustleexplains, completely freestyled the iconic dance scene. Napolean's constant, open-mouth, blank stare says, "I'm only tolerating this monotonous existence because I've got nothing better to do." For more information, please contact us at research@the-numbers.com. Napoleon's grandmother is injured in a quad-bike accident and asks their Uncle Rico to look after the boys while she recovers. "[39] In a mixed review, The New York Times praised Heder's performance and the "film's most interesting quality, which is its stubborn, confident, altogether weird individuality", while criticizing the film's resolution that comes "too easily. After he starts running down the road, he stops to look at his watch and the time and date says 5:54 p.m., Monday, 7/21. Of all of the theatrical releases coming out this week, Alan Partridge on DVD or Blu-ray is the one I'm most interested in seeing, but the screener is still late. Fifteen years after the film came out fans continue to visit Preston, primarily as a side trip as they make their way to Yellowstone National Park. [27], Napoleon Pictures also alleged that Fox had breached the agreement in multiple other respects, including underreporting pay television license fees, failing to report electronic sell-through revenue, charging residuals on home video sales, as well as overcharging residuals on home video sales, deducting a number of costs and charges Fox had no right to deduct and/or for which there is no supporting documentation. Now that it has been ten years since it came out, will I like it like the first time, or has it aged poorly? Napoleon Dynamite cost roughly $400,000 to make. This included Jon Heder, who received only $1,000 to star in Napoleon Dynamite. The film was extremely low-budget with most of the cast consisting of the creators' own family and friends. Instead, Ruell is a talented commercial director, as well as dabbling in small films. Yes, Napoleon Dynamite was the sleeper hit of the year, which is why it's so surprising to learn that reportedly, the star initially only banked $1,000 for his role. That's the whole theme of the movie. He is still quite active with about three films in post-production, and one currently filming. The films conclusion works its way up to a dance scene that has gone down in pop culture history. Patiently waiting for the X-Men to enter the MCU and help take down Galactus! It's really bothering me, can we re-shoot some of those? Despite a very limited initial release, Napoleon Dynamite was a commercial success. #NapoleonDynamite star Jon Heder and writer-director Jared Hess have had sequel talks: "We've thought about it. When youre shooting in independent film, you dont know what youre going to get the rights to. Sweet. But I did take pride in it. Ligers do exist. [18] Ruell, who played Kip, suggested the idea of the title sequence. Heder not only lent his talents to portraying the titular character, but he was involved in the film in other ways as well. The film is set during the 20042005 school year, as shown on Napoleon's student ID card in the title sequence. Next:Jon Heder First Got Paid $1000 For Napoleon Dynamite, Now Hes An Iconic Actor. While Heder has never opted to discuss what his final earnings for Napoleon Dynamite were, he was without any doubt paid a great deal more for the projects he landed later. Some guy dancing with her patted the sleeves and actually said, 'I like your sleeves they're real big,"' Hess said in an interview with Rolling Stone.[8]. It took me about 15 minutes into the movie and then I GOT it. While Tae Guik Gi: The Brotherhood of War missed $10,000 over the 3-day weekend, it managed $12,532 per theatre once Monday was taken into account. Last edited on 24 February 2023, at 02:16, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Napoleon Dynamite: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, "Fox Searchlight Acquires Worldwide Rights to, "Napoleon Dynamite - Box Office Data, DVD Sales, Movie News, Cast Information", "How 'Napoleon Dynamite' Became A Cultural Phenomenon (And Then Reached Critical Mass)", "Here There Be Ligers: An Oral History of Napoleon Dynamite", "Playing with 'Dynamite': BYU student hits the big time with his first movie", "Comic-Con 2011: Diedrich Bader Interview Napoleon Dynamite", "Land of 10,000 Lakes and Uncle Rico's van from "Napoleon Dynamite", "Exclusive Interview with Jon Heder of Napoleon Dynamite", "Blood And Chocolate (reissue) - Elvis Costello And The Attractions", "Did Napoleon Dynamite Borrow Elvis' Alias? To that song and another Jamiroquai song, "Little L." We danced to Michael Jackson, something off of Off the Wall. It is basically the full length version of a short film they made called Peluca. Part of the charm of Napoleon Dynamite was the very low budget feel. Napoleon Dynamite is a 2004 comedy film co-written and directed by Jared Hess and Jerusha Hess, starring Jon Heder in the role of the title character. Peluca made its own waves, winning rave reviews at the 2003 Slamdance Film Festival, a spinoff from Sundance.But before Peluca was even finished, Jared had already set to work with his wife, Jerusha Demke Hess (BA '10), writing a feature-length version, which he titled Napoleon Dynamite after a guy he met on his mission in Chicago.. And, to take a line from Hess's movie, all of his wildest . Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. 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