Action
From Fast and Furious knock offs and Expendables-style exotic country invasions to drug wars and downtown street fighters, action genre has been one of the most commercially predictable niches through the years for highly successful micro budget film producers. Below are a few models which have been trending in cycles, and are dependent on big Hollywood blockbuster releases.
Mercenary movies
A classic mercenary movie model involves putting together a team of imprisoned convicts who are highly skilled in tactical warfare or gathering together retired commanders for a private special mission which only they are able to execute. Such movies have been around forever, starting from Commando sequels in the 80s starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, with the most recent ones like Expendables starring classic action movie starts like Silvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham and Dolph Lundgren; or even putting together a team of sexy Charlie's Style private agents. In order to differentiate, filmmakers can follow current TV trends to exploit similar themes that can be applied to this model.
Mercenaries
Action/Adventure
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Vigilante Diaries
Action
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Federal Agent, police and SWAT movies
A commercially stable sub-genre that has always found a strong audience across generations led by cult classics, such as Spy Game and Die Hard as well as hit TV series in the 90s, including Nikita and recent Video On Demand (VOD) hits like 24.
For micro budget movie producers, the ability to use drones has been a great breakthrough, helping to improve the quality of this genre. It allows them to shoot immersive aerial shots giving a feeling of an expensive production, while mixing it with cost effective fights and suspense drama scenes.
SWAT: Unit 887
Action / Thriller
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Operator
Action / Thriller / Drama
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Martial arts
Micro budget martial arts movies have been dominated by the influence of the cult classics like Fight Club. Also, the influence of film director Quentin Tarantino has created a strong demand for leading female characters. But in recent years, we have also seen a rise of action superhero Jackie Chan style pure martial arts movies, which are shot, cost effectively, often in deserted locations like warehouses and industrial areas.
Female fight squad
Action / Drama
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Fight to the finish
Action / Romance / Sport
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Street racers
The legacy of the Fast and Furious franchise has been a feeding ground for street racing, themed b-movies throughout the years.
200 MPH
Action / Adventure / Drama
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Born to Race
Action / Romance / Sport
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Gangster comedies
Gangster movies have been dominated by British cult classics like Snatch, Trainspotting, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, followed by new crime movie sequels like Rise of the Footsoldier. Whether a comedy or a crime drama, the main theme of the movie is led by lads, geezers and mates.
Geezas
Action / Comedy
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Gangsters Gamblers and Geezers
Action / Comedy
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