What is the budget of 13 Hours The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi?

"13 Hours The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi," a war released in 2016, was directed by Michael Bay and stars John Krasinski, James Badge Dale. The production budget was $50,000,000, placing it in the mid-budget range for war productions of its era.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a war production like this include:

Above-the-Line Talent: Drama films live or die on the strength of their performances.
Location Filming & Period Production Design: Authentic locations , whether contemporary or historical , require scouting, permits, travel, lodging, and often significant dressing to match the story's time period.
Post-Production, Color Grading & Score: The editorial process for dramas is typically longer than genre films, with careful attention to pacing and tone.
Development: On February 10, 2014, it was announced that Paramount Pictures was in talks with 3 Arts Entertainment to acquire the film rights to the book 13 Hours, written by Mitchell Zuckoff, with Erwin Stoff to produce.

What were the major cost factors in 13 Hours The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "13 Hours The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi."

Above-the-Line Talent: Above-the-Line Talent is one of the primary cost drivers in war productions of this scale.
Location Filming: Location Filming & Period Production Design is one of the primary cost drivers in war productions of this scale.
Post-Production: Post-Production, Color Grading & Score is one of the primary cost drivers in war productions of this scale.

How Does 13 Hours The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $50,000,000, 13 Hours The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi sits in the mid-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

Angela's Ashes (1999): Budget $50,000,000, Worldwide Gross $13,042,112
Dredd (2012): Budget $50,000,000, Worldwide Gross $41,037,742
Lord of War (2005): Budget $50,000,000, Worldwide Gross $72,600,000
Shall We Dance? (2004): Budget $50,000,000, Worldwide Gross $170,128,460
The Iron Giant (1999): Budget $50,000,000, Worldwide Gross $23,300,000

The median budget for wide-release war films in the 2010s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

13 Hours The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi Box Office Performance

"13 Hours The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" earned $69,411,370 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $50,000,000, the film showed modest profitability in theatrical release.

A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "13 Hours The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi," that break-even threshold was roughly $100,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $69,411,370, the film fell short of that threshold but recouped its production costs in theatrical release.

Production Budget: $50,000,000
Worldwide Gross: $69,411,370
Net Return: $19,411,370
ROI: approximately 38.8%

At 38.8%, "13 Hours The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" returned its production investment but margin was tight after marketing and distribution costs.

13 Hours The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi Production History

On February 10, 2014, it was announced that Paramount Pictures was in talks with 3 Arts Entertainment to acquire the film rights to the book 13 Hours, written by Mitchell Zuckoff, with Erwin Stoff to produce. Chuck Hogan was set to adapt the book, based on the true events of The Benghazi Attack by militants on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi Libya, on the evening of September 11, 2012.

On January 14, 2015, John Krasinski was cast to play a leading role, playing a former US Navy SEAL. On February 3, Pablo Schreiber also signed on to star in the film, playing Kris "Tanto" Paronto, one of the six-man security team. On February 6, James Badge Dale was set to star, as the leader of the security team.

Critical Reception

13 Hours received mixed reviews from critics, though some viewed it as a welcomed tame effort from Michael Bay. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 51% based on 224 reviews, with an average rating of 5.60/10.