A Few Good Men

Production Budget Analysis

What was the production budget for A Few Good Men?

Directed by Rob Reiner, with Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore leading the cast, A Few Good Men was produced by David Brown Productions with a confirmed budget of $40,000,000, placing it in the mid-budget category for drama films.

With a $40,000,000 budget, A Few Good Men sits in the mid-range of studio releases. Marketing costs for a wide release at this level typically add $30–60 million, putting the break-even point near $100,000,000.

Budget Comparison — Similar Productions

• 42 (2013): Budget $40,000,000 | Gross $95,020,213 → ROI: 138% • 8 Mile (2002): Budget $41,000,000 | Gross $242,875,078 → ROI: 492% • Along Came Polly (2004): Budget $42,000,000 | Gross $178,300,000 → ROI: 325% • 28 Days (2000): Budget $43,000,000 | Gross $62,198,945 → ROI: 45% • A Monster Calls (2016): Budget $43,000,000 | Gross $47,309,313 → ROI: 10%

Key Budget Allocation Categories

▸ Above-the-Line Talent Drama films live or die on the strength of their performances. Securing award-caliber actors and experienced directors represents the single largest budget line item, often consuming 30–40% of the total production budget.

▸ 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. Period dramas add the cost of era-accurate props, vehicles, and set decoration.

▸ Post-Production, Color Grading & Score The editorial process for dramas is typically longer than genre films, with careful attention to pacing and tone. Color grading, a nuanced musical score, and detailed sound mixing are critical to achieving the emotional resonance that defines the genre.

Key Production Personnel

CAST: Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland Key roles: Tom Cruise as Lt. Daniel Kaffee; Jack Nicholson as Col. Nathan R. Jessep; Demi Moore as Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway; Kevin Bacon as Capt. Jack Ross

DIRECTOR: Rob Reiner CINEMATOGRAPHY: Robert Richardson MUSIC: Marc Shaiman EDITING: Robert Leighton, Steven Nevius PRODUCTION: David Brown Productions, Castle Rock Entertainment FILMED IN: United States of America

Box Office Performance

A Few Good Men earned $141,340,178 domestically and $101,900,000 internationally, for a worldwide total of $243,240,178. Revenue was split 58% domestic / 42% international.

Break-Even Analysis

Using the industry-standard 2.5x multiplier (P&A + exhibitor shares of 40–50% + distribution fees), A Few Good Men needed approximately $100,000,000 to break even. The film surpassed this threshold by $143,240,178.

Return on Investment (ROI)

Revenue: $243,240,178 Budget: $40,000,000 Net: $203,240,178 ROI: 508.1%

Detailed Box Office Notes

A Few Good Men premiered at the Odeon Cinema, Manchester, England, and opened on December 11, 1992, in 1,925 theaters. It grossed $15,517,468 in its opening weekend and was the top film at the box office for the next three weeks. Overall, it grossed $141,340,178 in the U.S. and $101,900,000 internationally for a total of $243,240,178.

Profitability Assessment

VERDICT: Highly Profitable

A Few Good Men was a clear financial success, generating $243,240,178 worldwide against a $40,000,000 production budget — a 508% ROI. After estimated marketing costs, the film still delivered substantial profit to David Brown Productions.

INDUSTRY IMPACT

The outsized success of A Few Good Men likely influenced studio greenlight decisions for similar drama projects.

PRODUCTION NOTES

▸ Filming & Locations

Filming began on October 21, 1991, at the Arlington Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C. The film's Guantanamo Bay scenes were filmed in Southern California at Crystal Cove State Park, Fort MacArthur, and Naval Air Station Point Mugu. Although 200 off-duty Marines were allowed to serve as extras for the film, the U.S. Department of Defense denied the production permission to film at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. The courtroom scenes were filmed at Culver Studios in Culver City, California.

[Filming] Filming began on October 21, 1991, at the Arlington Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C. The film's Guantanamo Bay scenes were filmed in Southern California at Crystal Cove State Park, Fort MacArthur, and Naval Air Station Point Mugu. Although 200 off-duty Marines were allowed to serve as extras for the film, the U.S. Department of Defense denied the production permission to film at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. The courtroom scenes were filmed at Culver Studios in Culver City, California.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Summary: Nominated for 4 Oscars. 11 wins & 30 nominations total

Awards Won: ★ Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor — Jack Nicholson ★ National Board of Review: Top Ten Films ★ MTV Movie Award for Best Movie ★ Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor — Jack Nicholson

Nominations: ○ Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay ○ Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film ○ Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture ○ MTV Movie Award for Best Movie ○ Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama ○ Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama ○ Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (65th Academy Awards) ○ NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture ○ MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance ○ Academy Award for Best Sound (65th Academy Awards) ○ MTV Movie Award for Best Villain ○ Academy Award for Best Film Editing (65th Academy Awards) ○ MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable Male ○ American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases ○ MTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance ○ Academy Award for Best Picture (65th Academy Awards) ○ Golden Globe Award for Best Director

CRITICAL RECEPTION

left|On Rotten Tomatoes, A Few Good Men has an approval rating of 85% based on 133 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "An old-fashioned courtroom drama with a contemporary edge, A Few Good Men succeeds on the strength of its stars, with Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, and especially Jack Nicholson delivering powerful performances that more than compensate for the predictable plot." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 62 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale, one of fewer than 60 films in the history of the service to earn that grade.

Vincent Canby of NYT wrote the film lacked "the surprises of Witness for the Prosecution nor does it probe very deeply into the psyche of men who exercise the power of dictators". He disliked when it seemed "to force-feed the audience", yet found it satisfyingly entertaining. Canby praised Bodison's "melancholy shock value" and Nicholson for "giving it a weight, density and point". Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote the performances were "uniformly outstanding" and Reiner directed "with masterly assurance, fusing suspense and character." Richard Schickel in Time called it "an extraordinarily well-made movie, which wastes no words or images in telling a conventional but compelling story". Todd McCarthy in Variety magazine predicted: "The same histrionic fireworks that gripped theater audiences will prove even more compelling to filmgoers due to the star power and dramatic screw-tightening." Roger Ebert was less enthusiastic in the Chicago Sun-Times, giving it two-and-a-half out of four stars and finding its major flaw was revealing the courtroom strategy to the audience before the climactic scene between Cruise and Nicholson. Ebert wrote: "In many ways this is a good film, with the potential to be even better than that.