Movie franchises are usually defined by huge $200 million tentpoles with explosive set pieces and large-scale battle sequences and post-credits scenes that set up additional sequels and spin-offs. But not all franchises are made on a giant Hollywood budget. Some franchises are able to draw in massive crowds of moviegoers without breaking the bank to accommodate a bunch of CGI effects and intellectual property acquisitions.

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A prime example of a low-budget movie franchise is the Before trilogy, Richard Linklater’s series of heartfelt romantic dramedies revolving around lovebirds Jesse and Céline and their fateful adventures in Europe, but there are plenty of others to enjoy.

The Before Trilogy

Jesse and Celine walking through Vienna in Before Sunrise

The Before trilogy is a tough sell as a movie recommendation. For three whole movies, two characters just wander around and talk. But thanks to Richard Linklater’s command of character and the electrifying chemistry shared by Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke, that simple premise resulted in one of the greatest love stories ever told.

There’s a nine-year gap between each movie (both in the story and in real life), but the trilogy works spectacularly as a whole if it’s watched in a single sitting.

John Wick

John Wick aiming a gun in a nightclub

With the increasing demand for John Wick sequels allowing for their budgets to creep above the $50 million mark, they’re hardly low-budget movies anymore. But they’re still much cheaper to produce than the average Star Wars movie or $300 million superhero crossover event, and Thanos is no match for Baba Yaga.

Keanu Reeves’ commitment to the physicality and pathos of the titular role has made John Wick a blockbuster franchise to be reckoned with, while director Chad Stahelski has deftly maintained the series’ slick neo-noir visual style while continually raising the stakes and building the intensity.

George A. Romero’s Dead Series

A horde of zombies in Night of the Living Dead

George A. Romero changed the face of horror cinema with his microbudget masterpiece Night of the Living Dead, which defined the modern zombie and set the template for every subsequent movie about the undead. Romero followed it up with a bunch of other similarly low-budget “...of the Dead” zombie movies.

This series is renowned for its use of horror motifs to convey social commentary: Night of the Living Dead is about racism, Dawn of the Dead is about consumerism, etc.

Dirty Harry

Clint Eastwood's 'Do you feel lucky?' speech in Dirty Harry

Tough-as-nails detective Harry Callahan is easily Clint Eastwood’s most iconic role. The Dirty Harry movies don’t have black-and-white morality; these are ethically challenging police thrillers. The third entry in the series, The Enforcer, laid the groundwork for Dredd by pairing up Harry with a young female rookie.

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The first Dirty Harry movie cost $4 million to produce, but the franchise gained so much traction over the years that the fifth and final movie, The Dead Pool, could command a budget of $31 million.

Rocky

Rocky Balboa

Sylvester Stallone became one of the biggest movie stars in the world overnight with his breakout role in Rocky. He also wrote the screenplay for the definitive underdog sports story, inspired by his own underdog struggle as a young actor looking for work.

Since the first Rocky movie became an unprecedented box office hit, it’s been followed by four sequels, a soft reboot, and two spin-offs, each with a new boxing opponent.

The Pink Panther

Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau

The original Pink Panther movie was an ensemble piece in which the titular jewel was the star. But Peter Sellers’ bumbling French detective character, Inspector Clouseau, proved to be so popular that he took center stage in all the sequels that followed.

Not all of The Pink Panther movies are comedy classics, but Sellers’ portrayal of Clouseau’s inept attempts at crime-solving are always hysterical.

Bill & Ted

Ted looks confused in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter play the titular pair of lovable time-traveling slackers in the Bill & Ted franchise, which finally released its long-awaited third installment in the summer of 2020.

The series’ blend of lofty sci-fi concepts and juvenile humor has made it entirely unique, and one of the few comedy franchises whose sequels explore new territory instead of just rehashing the most memorable jokes from the original.

The Dollars Trilogy

Clint Eastwood standing in the desert in The Good the Bad and the Ugly.

Sergio Leone pioneered the spaghetti western when he illegally remade Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo in a Wild West setting under the name A Fistful of Dollars. Leone followed this up with two loosely connected sequels: For a Few Dollars More and arguably the greatest western ever made, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

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While “Dirty” Harry Callahan is arguably Clint Eastwood’s most iconic role, the Man with No Name from the Dollars trilogy is a close second.

The Evil Dead

The Evil Dead

Sam Raimi created the now-overused “cabin in the woods” trope and made a star out of Bruce Campbell with his ultralow-budget feature The Evil Dead. By the good grace of Stephen King, a sequel was financed and a franchise was born.

The initial trilogy follows a zany trajectory — Evil Dead II is a more overtly comedic remake of the original, then Army of Darkness whisks the hero Ash back to the Middle Ages — while Fede Álvarez’s 2013 reboot was surprisingly satisfying.

View Askewniverse

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

Kevin Smith was way ahead of the curve on cinematic universes. Long before Marvel introduced Tony Stark to a larger world, Smith was setting his movies in a shared canon called the “View Askewniverse.”

Starting with Smith’s groundbreaking debut feature Clerks, the View Askewniverse revolves around a handful of oddballs in New Jersey. There are many recurring characters, including Jay and Silent Bob.

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