8 Iconic Movie Scenes That Were Only Made For Budget Reasons

We all know that not all Hollywood movies receive the same amount of production money. While some blockbusters like Avengers: Endgame have lots of investment, other movies struggle to stay within a minuscule budget. However, the amount of money invested in a film does not necessarily correspond with the movie's quality. A mega-budget film may end up an absolute disaster, whereas one with less budget can become a hit.
Toady, let’s figure out 8 most iconic movie scenes created only for budget reasons.

#1 Deadpool Forgetting His Gun Bag In The Cab In ‘Deadpool’

Apparently, $58 million is not a small amount of money for producing a movie. However, for a superhero film, a genre often requires substantial investments, this budget leaves little wiggle room for the producer. While  Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was filmed on a $260+ million budget, Deadpool's had to manage within a budget of $58 million.

Source: u/NHrynchuk

That was why the Merc with a Mouth “accidentally” forgot his gun bag in Dopinder's cab in a scene. It was clear that fewer weapons meant less budget use. 

#2 The Characters In ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ Using Coconuts As Horses

Over four decades, Monty Python and the Holy Grail is still an icon of comedic Entertainment. Do you know this fabulous movie was a real challenge for the moviemakers? After all, it was never easy to film a medieval farce in the Scottish countryside of the 1970s, let alone a budget of $400,000. 

Source: EMI Films

In the medieval world, horses were definitely crucial. So, what if the filmmakers couldn’t afford these animals for King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table? This awkward situation made Michael Palin think of the idea to use coconuts instead. Though it might sound ridiculous, his ingenious plan worked quite well eventually.

#3 The First Glimpse Of The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man In ‘Ghostbusters’

Dan Aykroyd’s original idea for Ghostbusters was so different from the onscreen version in 1984 that you could hardly imagine. While the 1984 film was a comedy staple, the vision in Aykroyd’s mind was far darker generally. He intended to let Ghostbuster travel through time and space, which was out of the question in the 1980s.

Source: Columbia Pictures

Originally, in the first introduction, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man involved a 300-foot incarnation of the character emerging out of the Hudson River next to the Statue of Liberty. This sounded brilliant, but the budget didn’t allow the producer to do it. Therefore, a fluffy behemoth of a much smaller size showed up and walked across a street at the scene. Though it was a far cry from the original script, it still looks quite good!

#4 The Opening Scene Of ‘Halloween’

Source: Compass International Pictures

Halloween was, undoubtedly, a stunning work that kickstarted the slasher genre. The horror movie began with a Steadicam shot following a six-year-old boy slinking around the house and stabbing his sister to death with a kitchen knife. The director decided to use the Steadicam tracking shot without cuts in the entire scene to finish it in one night. The person operating the Steadicam was an adult man, which explained why little Michael was so tall in the movie.

#5 Every Scene Set In The Dystopian Future Of ‘Mad Max’

A potential solution for a dystopian film with a minuscule budget is a deserted setting. With such an empty and rundown background, the producer doesn't have many things to worry about, and one of them is the extras.

Source: Warner Bros.

 That’s exactly how the movie 1979's Mad Max was made to stay within the tight budget. The film was set in the deserted outskirts of Melbourne, Australia instead of a bustling city to avoid unnecessary costs. Who could imagine these budgetary reasons made a sci-fi dystopian flick that spawned an eclectic franchise? But no matter whether you believe it or not, it did happen!

#6 The Jam-Packed House Party Scene In ’Swingers’

Source: Miramax Films

With a limited budget of $200,000 for scenes in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, the 1996's Swingers producer had to think out of the box to mitigate the costs. One potential solution was to reduce the cash spent on the extras, and the film crews had nailed it. In the party scene, the extras were actually their friends having a real party with liquor and beer provided by the filmmakers. By spending just a little money on alcohol, moviemakers could save a lot compared to paying people to be extras.

#7 Rocky And Adrian Ice Skating In An Empty Rink In ‘Rocky’ - Iconic Movie Scenes

Source: United Artists

In the 1976 original movie, there was a touching scene where Rocky and Adrian were together in an empty skating rink. In fact, the place was supposed to be full of other people, according to the script. However, the filmmakers couldn’t afford the extras, so they decided to move on without the figurants. This unexpected situation surprisingly created a better scene due to the intimate atmosphere.

#8 Shark Scenes In ‘Jaws’ Sans The Shark - Iconic Movie Scenes

The blockbuster Jaws might not have generated such a huge profit if there were more shark scenes in the film. At first, the producer didn’t intend to make the movie so shark-scarce, and they had already prepared three sharks for shooting. However, the animals were afflicted by the non-natural habitat, making them unable to work effectively in the water.

Source: Universal Pictures

This might be a piece of luck for the producer in hindsight because the lack of callous sharks made the audience freak out about what they couldn’t see. Spielberg, the director of the film, admitted that "Had the shark been working, perhaps the film would have made half the money and been half as scary."
Do you know any other creative movie moments that resulted from a limited budget? What do you think about those ideas? Let us know your view in the comment below, and don’t forget to check out our website for more fascinating stories!