About Time Budget
DramaRomanceFantasy2h 3mUpdated
Synopsis
At the age of 21, Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson) discovers he can travel in time... The night after another unsatisfactory New Year party, Tim's father (Bill Nighy) tells his son that the men in his family have always had the ability to travel through time. Tim can't change history, but he can change what happens and has happened in his own life-so he decides to make his world a better place...by getting a girlfriend. Sadly, that turns out not to be as easy as you might think. Moving from the Cornwall coast to London to train as a lawyer, Tim finally meets the beautiful but insecure Mary (Rachel McAdams). They fall in love, then an unfortunate time-travel incident means he's never met her at all. So they meet for the first time again-and again-but finally, after a lot of cunning time-traveling, he wins her heart. Tim then uses his power to create the perfect romantic proposal, to save his wedding from the worst best-man speeches, to save his best friend from professional disaster and to get his pregnant wife to the hospital in time for the birth of their daughter, despite a nasty traffic jam outside Abbey Road. But as his unusual life progresses, Tim finds out that his unique gift can't save him from the sorrows and ups and downs that affect all families, everywhere. There are great limits to what time travel can achieve, and it can be dangerous too.
What is the budget of About Time?
"About Time," a drama released in 2013, was directed by Richard Curtis and stars Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams. The production budget was $12,000,000, placing it in the low-budget range for drama productions of its era.
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.
- Production: By Curtis's own admission the conception of the idea "was a slow growth".
What were the major cost factors in About Time?
Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "About Time."
- 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 About Time's Budget Compare to Similar Films?
At $12,000,000, About Time sits in the low-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:
- Goon (2012): Budget $12,000,000, Worldwide Gross $6,985,158
- Jobs (2013): Budget $12,000,000, Worldwide Gross $42,100,000
- All That Jazz (1979): Budget $12,000,000, Worldwide Gross $37,823,676
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): Budget $12,000,000 , Gross $71,923,560
- Wolfwalkers (2020): Budget $12,000,000, Worldwide Gross $1,310,720
The median budget for wide-release drama films in the 2010s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.
About Time Box Office Performance
"About Time" earned $15,322,921 domestically and $87,100,449 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $12,000,000, 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 "About Time," that break-even threshold was roughly $24,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $87,100,449, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.
- Production Budget: $12,000,000
- Worldwide Gross: $87,100,449
- Net Return: $75,100,449
- ROI: approximately 625.8%
At 625.8%, "About Time" earned roughly $7.26 for every $1 invested in production.
About Time Production History
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 and Recognition
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did it cost to make About Time (2013)?
The production budget was $12,000,000, covering principal photography, cast and crew salaries, locations, sets, post-production, and music. Marketing and distribution (P&A) costs are estimated at an additional $6,000,000 - $9,600,000, bringing the total studio investment to approximately $18,000,000 - $21,600,000.
How much did About Time (2013) earn at the box office?
About Time grossed $15,322,921 domestic, $71,777,528 international, totaling $87,100,449 worldwide.
Was About Time (2013) profitable?
Yes. Against a production budget of $12,000,000 and estimated total costs of ~$30,000,000, the film earned $87,100,449 theatrically - a 626% ROI on production costs alone.
What were the biggest costs in producing About Time?
The primary cost drivers were above-the-line talent (Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy); talent compensation, authentic period production design, and meticulous post-production; international production across United Kingdom, United States of America.
How does About Time's budget compare to similar drama films?
At $12,000,000, About Time is classified as a low-budget production. The median budget for wide-release drama films in the 2010s ranges from $30 - 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles. Comparable budgets: Goon (2012, $12,000,000); Jobs (2013, $12,000,000); All That Jazz (1979, $12,000,000).
Did About Time (2013) 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 About Time?
The theatrical ROI was 625.8%, calculated as ($87,100,449 − $12,000,000) ÷ $12,000,000 × 100. This measures gross revenue against production budget only - it does not account for P&A or exhibitor shares.
What awards did About Time (2013) win?
3 wins & 9 nominations total.
Who directed About Time and who were the key crew members?
Directed by Richard Curtis, written by Richard Curtis, shot by John Guleserian, with music by Nick Laird-Clowes, edited by Mark Day.
Where was About Time filmed?
About Time was filmed in United Kingdom, United States of America. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Filmmakers
About Time
Official Trailer
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