About Time

Production Budget Analysis

What was the production budget for About Time?

Directed by Richard Curtis, with Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy leading the cast, About Time was produced by Universal Pictures with a confirmed budget of $12,000,000, placing it in the low-budget category for drama films.

At $12,000,000, About Time was produced on a modest budget. Lower-budget films benefit from reduced break-even thresholds, with profitability achievable at approximately $30,000,000.

Budget Comparison — Similar Productions

• Goon (2012): Budget $12,000,000 | Gross $6,985,158 → ROI: -42% • Jobs (2013): Budget $12,000,000 | Gross $42,100,000 → ROI: 251% • All That Jazz (1979): Budget $12,000,000 | Gross $37,823,676 → ROI: 215% • 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): Budget $12,000,000 | Gross $71,923,560 → ROI: 499% • Wolfwalkers (2020): Budget $12,000,000 | Gross $1,310,720 → ROI: -89%

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: Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Tom Hollander, Margot Robbie Key roles: Domhnall Gleeson as Tim Lake; Rachel McAdams as Mary; Bill Nighy as Dad; Tom Hollander as Harry

DIRECTOR: Richard Curtis CINEMATOGRAPHY: John Guleserian MUSIC: Nick Laird-Clowes EDITING: Mark Day PRODUCTION: Universal Pictures, Relativity Media, Working Title Films FILMED IN: United Kingdom, United States of America

Box Office Performance

About Time earned $15,322,921 domestically and $71,777,528 internationally, for a worldwide total of $87,100,449. International markets drove the majority of revenue (82%), indicating strong global appeal.

Break-Even Analysis

Using the industry-standard 2.5x multiplier (P&A + exhibitor shares of 40–50% + distribution fees), About Time needed approximately $30,000,000 to break even. The film surpassed this threshold by $57,100,449.

Return on Investment (ROI)

Revenue: $87,100,449 Budget: $12,000,000 Net: $75,100,449 ROI: 625.8%

Profitability Assessment

VERDICT: Highly Profitable

About Time was a clear financial success, generating $87,100,449 worldwide against a $12,000,000 production budget — a 626% ROI. After estimated marketing costs, the film still delivered substantial profit to Universal Pictures.

INDUSTRY IMPACT

The outsized success of About Time likely influenced studio greenlight decisions for similar drama projects.

PRODUCTION NOTES

▸ Production

By Curtis's own admission the conception of the idea "was a slow growth". The genesis of the idea came when Curtis was eating lunch with a friend and the subject of happiness came up. Upon admitting he was not truly happy in life, the conversation turned towards him describing an ideal day. From here Curtis realised that the day of the lunch, for him, constituted such a day, which led to him deciding to write a film about "how you achieve happiness in ordinary life". Thinking that the concept was too "simple" he decided to add a time travel element to the film.

Zooey Deschanel had been in talks for the role of Mary, but ultimately, the role went to McAdams.

▸ Music & Score

The soundtrack to the film was released on 3 September 2013 by Decca Records featured contemporary singles from artists include: the Cure, the Killers, Ellie Goulding, Amy Winehouse, Sugababes and Nick Cave, a new version of Ben Folds' song and Nick Laird-Clowes' score suite.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Summary: 3 wins & 9 nominations total

CRITICAL RECEPTION

About Time received mixed to favorable reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 71% based on 168 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Beautifully filmed and unabashedly sincere, About Time finds director Richard Curtis at his most sentimental." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 55 out of 100, based on reviews from 34 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

Catherine Shoard of The Guardian compared the film to Groundhog Day noting it "is about as close to home as a homage can get without calling in the copyright team" and describes Domhnall Gleeson as a "ginger Hugh Grant", which "at first, is unnerving; as About Time marches on, Gleeson's innate charm gleams through and this weird disconnection becomes quite compelling." Shoard gave the film two stars out of five. Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph praised the comic timing of McAdams and Gleeson, but criticised the film, comparing it to a quilt, calling it "soft, frayed at the edges, and oh so comfortable" and gives it three stars out of five.

Leslie Felperin of Variety called the film "reassuringly bland" and says there is a sense of déjà vu, especially for anyone who has seen The Time Traveler's Wife, also co-starring McAdams. Unlike that film, she has no knowledge of his powers in About Time, resulting in a "fundamental lack of honesty in their relationship." Felperin noted British reverse snobbery would put many off this and other Curtis films, but that this would be less of a problem among American Anglophiles and those willing to suspend disbelief, taking the characters as British "versions of Woody Allen's Manhattanites (but with less angst)".