1.8 Million by today's standards is ridiculously low budget. Anything below 4 million is low budget. Anything below a million is microcinema!
A modestly budgeted film is in the 8 figure range.
Who has that kind of money though?
There are over six million millionaires in the United States alone. I live in the middle of nowhere and I know at least four in the local area. The money is out there. It's having something that people will want to invest in that's the trick.