A Woman Under the Influence Budget

What is the budget of A Woman Under the Influence?

"A Woman Under the Influence," a drama released in 1974, was directed by John Cassavetes and stars Gena Rowlands, Peter Falk. The production budget was $1,000,000, placing it in the micro-budget range for drama productions of the 1970s.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a drama 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: John Cassavetes was inspired to write A Woman Under the Influence when his wife Gena Rowlands expressed a desire to appear in a play about the difficulties faced by contemporary women.

What were the major cost factors in A Woman Under the Influence?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "A Woman Under the Influence."

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

How Does A Woman Under the Influence's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $1,000,000, A Woman Under the Influence sits in the micro-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

• Gone in 60 Seconds (1974): Budget $1,000,000, Worldwide Gross $40,000,000
• Rear Window (1954): Budget $1,000,000, Worldwide Gross $37,042,336
• How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (2024): Budget $1,000,000, Worldwide Gross $73,800,000
• Raise the Red Lantern (1991): Budget $1,000,000, Worldwide Gross $16,600,000
• The Turin Horse (2011): Budget $1,000,000, Worldwide Gross $162,088

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

A Woman Under the Influence Box Office Performance

"A Woman Under the Influence" earned $13,336,830 domestically and $12,200,000 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $1,000,000, 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 "A Woman Under the Influence," that break-even threshold was roughly $2,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $12,200,000, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.

• Production Budget: $1,000,000
• Worldwide Gross: $12,200,000
• Net Return: $11,200,000
• ROI: approximately 1120%

At 1120%, "A Woman Under the Influence" earned roughly $12.2 for every $1 invested in production.

A Woman Under the Influence Production History

John Cassavetes was inspired to write A Woman Under the Influence when his wife Gena Rowlands expressed a desire to appear in a play about the difficulties faced by contemporary women. His completed script was so intense and emotional that she knew she would be unable to perform it eight times a week, so he decided to adapt it for the screen. At the start, the crew consisted mainly of professionals and students from the American Film Institute, where Cassavetes was serving as the first "filmmaker in residence" at their Center for Advanced Film Studies.

Filming took place in 65 days over twelve weeks starting in November 1972, shot on 35mm film on a Mitchell BNC, with the use of an Arri camera for hand-held recording. A few weeks into the shoot, the original cinematographer Caleb Deschanel was fired due to clashes with Cassavetes, leading to many of the initial crew members leaving alongside him. Deschanel was replaced by Mike Ferris, who had never shot a feature film at the time.

Awards and Recognition

Nominated for 2 Oscars. 10 wins & 7 nominations total

• National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Critical Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 88% of 40 critics' reviews of the film are positive; the site's "critics consensus" reads: "Electrified by searing performances from Gena Rowlands and Peter Falk, A Woman Under the Influence finds pioneering independent filmmaker John Cassavetes working at his artistic peak." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 88 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".