Australian filmmaking brothers Lucas and Curtis Nicotra, better known to their millions of followers as Sticks, released a viral video documenting their audacious quest: to make a movie on a micro-budget of under $1. With the help of horror mastermind Jason Blum. Their ultimate ambition: to surpass the legendary budget-to-box-office return ratio of Blumhouse’s seminal blockbuster, Paranormal Activity.
Shattering a Legendary Horror Record on a Dollar Budget
The stunt began when the Nicotra brothers revisited the legendary success story of Paranormal Activity. It cost roughly $15,000 to produce and grossed over $193 million globally. Wondering whether they could shatter that historic return-on-investment ratio, Lucas and Curtis set out in late 2024 to shoot a short film for $1. How? By relying entirely on a volunteer crew, borrowed camera gear, and donated locations.
The script itself serves as a meta-tribute to Jason Blum. It recounts how the producer originally fought to turn Paranormal Activity into a global phenomenon. After recruiting actor Jake Lewis to portray a young Blum, the brothers completed the shoot. They then pitched their proposition directly to the Blumhouse founder. However, would he purchase “the world’s most expensive movie ticket” for $12,891 to pass the torch to the next generation? He did.
A $12,891 Ticket and an Unprecedented Return on Investment
In August, Lucas and Curtis secured a private screening with Blum to show him the finished project. Deeply impressed by the film’s humor and spirit, Blum agreed to the deal and officially purchased the $12,891 ticket.
“What Lucas and Curtis pulled off is exactly the kind of creative audacity this business needs,” said Jason Blum. “It’s inspiring to see young filmmakers so passionate about making movies and telling stories. That energy is creating new ways for audiences to discover films and get excited about seeing them in theaters. Supporting the next generation of filmmakers is essential to the future of our industry. And if that means helping them break one of my own records, I am more than happy to do it.”
To celebrate the achievement, Blum invited the entire cast and volunteer crew to a secret advance screening of Insidious: Out of the Further.
When calculating their final production ledger, Lucas and Curtis discovered an astonishing financial loop: they never actually spent the original full dollar. Their total production expenditure came to just 25 cents, paid to editor Jake Lewis, meaning their short film yielded a staggering 51,564-fold return on its original budget.
About Sticks
Lucas Nicotra (30) and Curtis Nicotra (27) are Australian filmmaking brothers operating under the channel name Sticks. Over the past five years, they have built a subscriber base of over 1.1 million and accumulated over 62 million YouTube views. Starting from their bedroom in Western Sydney, they have collaborated with world-renowned digital creators including MrBeast, Ryan Trahan, Mark Rober, Zach King, MatPat, and Emma Chamberlain, including creating a commercial for MrBeast’s Feastables line that exceeded 45 million views. The brothers are currently pitch-developing a narrative biopic feature centered on MrBeast’s life with major Hollywood studios. And get this: you can watch the film now.
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