Donnie Darko
Since its release in 2001, Donnie Darko has had an unbelievable journey. Many people are still perplexed as to how this low-budget picture could become the enduring cult classic that it is today. According to director Richard Kelly, the film received a budget of just $.5 million, which was huge for the first-time director.
Luckily, with Drew Barrymore, it wasn’t hard getting other actors like Jake Gyllenhaal. The film was shot and finished in only 28 days, and although Jake credited Donnie Darko for kickstarting his career, he admitted that he never understood the movie. It only made $7.6 million at the box office, but with video sales, its earnings figure shot up to around $20 million.