Green Balls is a 2024 Robloxian film directed by Harry Blockingson on limited budget, featuring a mix of adventure and comedy, with a group of friends who discover mysterious green spheres that give them unusual abilities related to zombies. The film was produced by Picscreen Film Productions and released across Robloxia on March 15, 2024. The screenplay was written by Harry Blockingson, Liora Vex, Jordan Davidson, and Amy Smith. The soundtracks used to support the film were composed by Moises Stone and illustrations were done by Paolo Kendrick. The film is said to have quickly gained attention for its imaginative storyline, and its “odd” name. Despite its limited budget, the film was commercially successful grossing over 128 million.
The film has also been a subject to controversy for a short period due to some viewers believing that the film had copied some aspects from Balls Of Green (1997) which is also a comedy film. The story follows the main characters as they explore the origins of the green balls and navigate challenges that test their teamwork, courage, and creativity. While the film is recorded, it uses CGI animating techniques in order to add the magical green spheres and zombie-themed elements to life. Scenes were developed over several months in Picscreen Film Productions’ studio with a small team. The film had a low budget, due to financial struggles among the production company. Upon release, Green Balls mostly received positive reviews from critics, with many claiming that the film is highly creative and “hooking” to the viewers. The film also resulted in a small cult in Middlesborough although a handful of conflicts occured which contributed to the controversy of the film.
The team behind Green Balls had a wide range of actors. The main roles are played by Zara Lune, Jennifer White, Jack Paxton, and Darren Royce, who portray the group of friends discovering the mysterious green spheres in a Forest. Supporting roles include Mika Harvey, Jonas Greer, and Lila Jackson, who provide comedic relief and help advance the story. Many scenes required the actors to perform in costumes and makeup, especially during scenes involving zombie-themed effects. Interviews with the cast showed their strong enthusiasm for the project with many from the production team describing the behind the scenes of the film as “collaborative” and “social”. Green Balls was produced on an estimated budget of approximately $3.5 million. The film became a major commercial success, grossing over $128 million worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing Robloxian films of 2024.
Plot
The film begins with a group of four friends living in a quiet neighborhood which seems to be mundane and lacks notable events. One afternoon, they set out to a forest to explore when planning to film a short video. However, they accidentally discover several glowing green balls hidden behind an abandoned storage building a few kilometres into the forest. At first, the objects appear harmless, however, magical, as the balls bounce and shake unpredictably, making strange noises. After Amy, one of the teenager, touches the balls, the group slowly realizes that they have unusual effects, including increased strength, sudden energy bursts, and unexplained visions. Around the same time, unusual “zombie-like” behavior incidents start appearing in nearby areas, leaving the group thinking whether the green balls are associated with the recent events.
As the story progresses, the friends attempt to understand where the green balls came from and why they seem to react differently to each person. Some characters become overly confident, while others grow suspicious and paranoid. Throughout the story, the group occasionally divides as they argue whether the balls should be destroyed, studied, or used for personal gain. Several awkward situations occur, including accidental transformations and failed attempts to hide the balls from authorities. In the final act, the group confronts the source of the outbreak, learning that the green balls were never meant to be found. The film ends on an ambiguous note, with one green ball still glowing faintly, suggesting that the story may not be over, hinting an upcoming sequel.
Reception
Green Balls received generally positive responses from critics and audiences shortly after its release. Many critics praised the film’s creative concept, humor, and unusual premise, particularly noting how the film was exceptionally successful for a limited budget. Many commentators emphasised on the film’s energetic plot and its ability to mix comedy with light horror elements in a way that attracted younger viewers. However, some criticism was directed toward the film’s technical limitations. This included the quality of certain visual effects and the CGI not matching physical acting in some scenes. There were also comparisons made with Balls of Green (1997), though many reviewers stated that Green Balls developed its own identity as the story progressed.
Cult following
Following its initial release, a growing cult was formed in Middlesborough, within the state of Roregon. The cult caused a controversy in the film due to physical conflicts being caused among the cult and other cults, particularly in December 2024. In total, at least 30 were injured throughout all the incidents relating to cults of the film.
Production
Development
The development of Green Balls began in March 2022 when the crew of Picscreen Film Productions began discussing ideas for a simple adventure comedy film. The team decided to use limited budget for the simple film, as the company was facing financial struggles during the time period. The original concept of the film from early 2022 was “a simple story involving mysterious objects found in a forest” according to Charles Johnson, a crew member, who however, had not participated in later production. Many early drafts were created, however the idea of “zombies”, was not apparent. But, the idea of making a comedic film for younger audiences was apparent. As the production continued, the idea slowly evolved, although the core idea of “mysterious objects” remained. Harry Blockingson proposed adding zombie-related elements to increase tension and appeal to younger audiences. The team also preferred the film to be “weird yet hooking”, believing that it would become viral in social media. Due to limited funding, the project was approved as a low-budget film with a short production timeline. As there was a low budget, the crew members focused more on creating a film that would rely on their own creativity rather than expensive effects. Several filming locations were chosen based on accessibility and low cost. The forest setting was selected early to reduce the need for constructed sets. The first meetings were often informal and involved a small group of producers, writers, and technical staff. Around April 2022, the project almost got cancelled due to financial uncertainty.
Writing
The screenplay for Green Balls was written collaboratively by Harry Blockingson, Liora Vex, Jordan Davidson, and Amy Smith. Writing began with a loose outline rather than a full script. Most scenes were developed through brainstorming sessions among the writing team rather than formal drafting and the writers initially focused on keeping dialogue simple and direct. The writers from the team also intentionally wrote scenes to feel awkward and unexpected, with several scenes being rewritten multiple times not due to “awkwardness”, but with the aim to fit “perfect” filming locations based on early interviews. However, improvisation was also encouraged, and some dialogue used in the final film was not part of the original script. After early test readings, the writers adjusted the story to include an ambiguous ending, although they some from the team were concerned if an ambiguous ending would result in controversy. Due to this, they attempted to make the film as “creative, fun, imaginative and interesting” as possible, despite the limited budget. Amy Smith in between the writing, suggested that they could hint an upcoming sequel because the team enjoyed the plot and that the sequel idea would avoid the criticism of an ambiguous ending to Green Balls. Throughout the writing process, the zombie behavior in the film was written to be intentionally unclear, with some plot points being left unexplained and vague to encourage discussion among viewers.
Filming
Filming took place through several months in 2023 using a small crew. Most scenes were filmed in in forests near Middlesborough such as Mosswood Forest while urban scenes were limited due to permit restrictions. The production relied heavily on natural lighting such as the sunlight to reduce costs and weather conditions caused multiple delays, particularly during outdoor shoots. Due to the low budget, many sound issues were faced promoting the team to rerecord multiple times. Throughout the film, the actors were required to perform physical scenes involving running, falling, and light stunt work with safety coordinators being present during these scenes, which were often zombie chases. Several locations were also reused to represent different areas in the film due to the limited budget and some actors also performed multiple roles due to the small team size.
Music
All of the film’s music was composed by Moises Stone who began composing while filming was still ongoing. The soundtrack was designed to balance humor and tension. Simple melodic themes were created to represent the green spheres. During zombie chases, the compositions contained electronic elements to evoke suspense and make viewers feel unsettled, while music with acoustic instruments were added to more lighter and peaceful moments. Stone composed some tracks in a home studio rather than a professional recording space to save money. After the scenes were edited, music was slightly adjusted to fit in properly and several tracks were reused in multiple scenes with slight variations. Stone worked closely with the director, Harry Blockingson, to match music to pacing.
Post-production
The film’s editing took place over four months in late 2023. The editing team focused on maintaining a fast pace in most scenes with scenes being shortened or removed entirely. Sound was mixed to improve dialogue clarity in many scenes with color grading being used to give forest scenes a “green” tone. Several alternate endings were considered before the final cut was selected. The final runtime was reduced to meet distributor requirements. Test audiences provided mixed feedback, leading to minor changes, and the film was eventually finalized shortly before its scheduled release date.