(500) Days of Summer Budget
ComedyDramaRomance1h 35mUpdated
Synopsis
After it looks as if she's left his life for good this time, Tom Hansen reflects back on the just over one year that he knew Summer Finn. For Tom, it was love at first sight when she walked into the greeting card company where he worked, she the new administrative assistant. Soon, Tom knew that Summer was the woman with whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life. Although Summer did not believe in relationships or boyfriends - in her assertion, real life will always ultimately get in the way - Tom and Summer became more than just friends. Through the trials and tribulations of Tom and Summer's so-called relationship, Tom could always count on the advice of his two best friends, McKenzie and Paul. However, it is Tom's adolescent sister, Rachel, who is his voice of reason. After all is said and done, Tom is the one who ultimately has to make the choice to listen or not.
What is the budget of (500) Days of Summer?
"(500) Days of Summer," a comedy released in 2009, was directed by Marc Webb and stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel. The production budget was $7,500,000, placing it in the low-budget range for comedy productions of its era.
Key Budget Allocation Categories
While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a comedy production like this include:
- Talent Salaries & Producing Deals: Established comedic talent can command $15 to 20 million per film, with top-tier stars earning even more through producing credits and backend deals.
- Production & Location Filming: While comedies generally avoid the VFX costs of action films, location shooting in recognizable cities or exotic locales adds meaningful production expense.
- Marketing & P&A (Prints & Advertising): Comedies rely heavily on marketing to build opening-weekend momentum.
- Filming & Locations: David Ng of the Los Angeles Times describes architecture as a star of the film.
What were the major cost factors in (500) Days of Summer?
Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "(500) Days of Summer."
- Talent Salaries: Talent Salaries & Producing Deals is one of the primary cost drivers in comedy productions of this scale.
- Production: Production & Location Filming is one of the primary cost drivers in comedy productions of this scale.
- Marketing: Marketing & P&A (Prints & Advertising) is one of the primary cost drivers in comedy productions of this scale.
How Does (500) Days of Summer's Budget Compare to Similar Films?
At $7,500,000, (500) Days of Summer sits in the low-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:
- Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966): Budget $7,500,000, Worldwide Gross $33,736,689
- Your Name. (2016): Budget $7,500,000, Worldwide Gross $405,320,132
- Breaking the Waves (1996): Budget $7,500,000, Worldwide Gross $23,000,000
- Juno (2007): Budget $7,500,000, Worldwide Gross $232,372,681
- The Bye Bye Man (2017): Budget $7,400,000, Worldwide Gross $26,700,000
The median budget for wide-release comedy films in the 2000s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.
(500) Days of Summer Box Office Performance
"(500) Days of Summer" earned $32,391,374 domestically and $60,781,545 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $7,500,000, the film performed strongly at the box office.
A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "(500) Days of Summer," that break-even threshold was roughly $15,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $60,781,545, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.
- Production Budget: $7,500,000
- Worldwide Gross: $60,781,545
- Net Return: $53,281,545
- ROI: approximately 710.4%
At 710.4%, "(500) Days of Summer" earned roughly $8.1 for every $1 invested in production.
(500) Days of Summer Production History
David Ng of the Los Angeles Times describes architecture as a star of the film. Buildings used include the Los Angeles Music Center (which includes the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion) and the towers of California Plaza. The older Fine Arts Building is featured in the film, in a scene where Tom shows it to Summer and mentions its designers, Walker and Eisen, two of his favorite architects.
Two soundtrack albums were released for (500) Days of Summer. The first, consisting of various pop songs from the film, was released through Sire Records and reached no. 42 on the Billboard 200 sales chart.
Awards and Recognition
17 wins & 58 nominations total
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Critical Reception
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film four stars out of four, describing the film as "a delightful comedy, alive with invention". He particularly praised the strong performances of Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel and summarized his review by adding, "Here is a rare movie that begins by telling us how it will end and is about how the hero has no idea why". Premiere also awarded the film four stars out of four, stating "Much like the actual summer (the season, not the character), we never wanted it to end".
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did it cost to make (500) Days of Summer (2009)?
The production budget was $7,500,000, covering principal photography, cast and crew salaries, locations, sets, post-production, and music. Marketing and distribution (P&A) costs are estimated at an additional $3,750,000 - $6,000,000, bringing the total studio investment to approximately $11,250,000 - $13,500,000.
How much did (500) Days of Summer (2009) earn at the box office?
(500) Days of Summer grossed $32,391,374 domestic, $28,390,171 international, totaling $60,781,545 worldwide.
Was (500) Days of Summer (2009) profitable?
Yes. Against a production budget of $7,500,000 and estimated total costs of ~$18,750,000, the film earned $60,781,545 theatrically - a 710% ROI on production costs alone.
What were the biggest costs in producing (500) Days of Summer?
The primary cost drivers were above-the-line talent (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Geoffrey Arend); star comedian salaries, location filming, and aggressive marketing campaigns.
How does (500) Days of Summer's budget compare to similar comedy films?
At $7,500,000, (500) Days of Summer is classified as a micro-budget production. The median budget for wide-release comedy films in the 2000s ranges from $30 - 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles. Comparable budgets: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966, $7,500,000); Your Name. (2016, $7,500,000); Breaking the Waves (1996, $7,500,000).
Did (500) Days of Summer (2009) go over budget?
There are no widely reported accounts of significant budget overruns for this production. However, studios rarely disclose precise budget overrun figures publicly. The reported production budget reflects the final estimated cost.
What was the return on investment (ROI) for (500) Days of Summer?
The theatrical ROI was 710.4%, calculated as ($60,781,545 − $7,500,000) ÷ $7,500,000 × 100. This measures gross revenue against production budget only - it does not account for P&A or exhibitor shares.
What awards did (500) Days of Summer (2009) win?
17 wins & 58 nominations total.
Who directed (500) Days of Summer and who were the key crew members?
Directed by Marc Webb, written by Michael H. Weber, Scott Neustadter, shot by Eric Steelberg, with music by Rob Simonsen, Mychael Danna, edited by Alan Edward Bell.
Where was (500) Days of Summer filmed?
(500) Days of Summer was filmed in United States of America. David Ng of the Los Angeles Times describes architecture as a star of the film. Buildings used include the Los Angeles Music Center (which includes the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion) and the towers of California Plaza. The older Fine Arts Building is featured in the film, in a scene where Tom shows it to Summer and mentions its designers, Walker and Eisen, two of his favorite architects. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Filmmakers
(500) Days of Summer
Official Trailer
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