Trivia / π

• Breakthrough Hit: For Darren Aronofsky. This indie film was lauded by critics and made his name in the industry.
• Channel Hop: Went from Artisan Entertainment to A24 (Aronofsky sold the rights to the latter, and they re-released the movie with 8K restoration in IMAX theaters).
• No Budget: The film was roughly made for $135,000 and is largely comprised of a few unglamorous locations and few characters. Darren Aronofsky earned the budget by having friends and family each invest $100 with the promise that they'd each receive $150 back on the film's profits. The crew couldn't afford permits to shoot in public and had one person act as a lookout to warn if cops were coming, if they weren't shooting a night to avoid looking conspicuous. Aronofsky's own mother provided the catering.
• Production Posse: Mark Margolis would go on to have supporting roles in most of Aronofsky's films.
• Real-Life Relative: One of the men delivering the suitcase is played by Darren Aronofsky's father Abraham.
• Trolling Creator: When asked as to how the production team filmed the climactic scene in which Max drives a drill into his skull, Aronofsky would only say, "Sean is a full-on method actor. We had an ambulance waiting."
• What Could Have Been: Aronofsky wanted Abe Vigoda as Sol Robeson, but Vigoda's asking price would have eaten the entire budget. Mark Margolis wound up deeply impressing the director and became part of his Production Posse.