The recent film The Devil Inside is a good example. Independently produced outside the system. Shot in Romania, I believe. Reported budget "just under a millio

The recent film The Devil Inside is a good example. Independently produced outside the system. Shot in Romania, I believe. Reported budget "just under a million", but that's often code for "a few hundred thousand", which is what it looks like. Acquired by Paramount Insurge for a million. Insurge is a brand formed after the success of Paranormal Activity to make very low budget projects. But then Paramount spent $15 million to market the thing. So the cost of production was tiny percentage of the overall cost. It was the marketing that mattered in the end. And it worked. Opening weekend box office alone brought the film to breakeven, even after you deduct everything else. $35 million dollars gross. And it's almost universally thought to be an awful movie. But that didn't matter. Marketing. It's what the studios do best.