Ali

2001

Drama2h 37m

Budget

$107,000,000

Domestic Box Office

$58,203,105

Worldwide Box Office

$87,812,729

Synopsis

In 1964, a brash new pro boxer, fresh from his Olympic gold medal victory, explodes on to the scene, Cassius Clay. Bold and outspoken, he cuts an entirely new image for African Americans in sport with his proud public self confidence with his unapologetic belief that he is the greatest boxer of all time. To his credit, he sets out to prove that with his highly agile and forceful style soon making him a formidable boxer who soon claims the heavyweight championship. His personal life is no less noteworthy with his allegiance to the Nation of Islam, his friendship with the controversial Malcolm X and his abandonment of his slave name in favor of Muhammad Ali stirring up controversy. Yet, at the top of his game, both Ali's personal and professional lives face the ultimate test with the military draft rules are changed, making him eligible for military induction during the Vietnam War. Despite the fact that he could easily agree to a sweetheart deal that would have meant an easy tour of duty for himself, Ali refuses to submit on principle to cooperate in an unjust war for a racist nation that treated his people so poorly. The cost of that stand is high as he finds himself unable to legally box in his own country while his case is contested in court. What follows is a battle for a man who would sacrifice so much for what he believes in and a comeback that would cement his legend as one of the great sports figures of all time.

What is the budget of Ali?

"Ali," a drama released in 2001, was directed by Michael Mann and stars Will Smith, Jamie Foxx. The production budget was $107,000,000, placing it in the high-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: The project began in 1992 when producer Paul Ardaji visited Ali on his 50th birthday and persuaded him to authorize the making of the film.

What were the major cost factors in Ali?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Ali."

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 Ali's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $107,000,000, Ali sits in the high-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

10,000 BC (2008): Budget $105,000,000, Worldwide Gross $269,784,201
300: Rise of an Empire (2014): Budget $110,000,000 , Gross $337,580,051
A Wrinkle in Time (2018): Budget $103,000,000, Worldwide Gross $132,675,864
1917 (2019): Budget $100,000,000, Worldwide Gross $446,064,352
A Good Day to Die Hard (2013): Budget $92,000,000, Worldwide Gross $304,654,182

The median budget for wide-release drama films in the 2000s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

Ali Box Office Performance

"Ali" earned $58,203,105 domestically and $87,812,729 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $107,000,000, the film faced challenges in theatrical release. Home video, streaming, and ancillary revenue may have contributed to its overall performance.

A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "Ali," that break-even threshold was roughly $214,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $87,812,729, the film did not reach break-even in theatrical release.

Production Budget: $107,000,000
Worldwide Gross: $87,812,729
Net Return: −$19,187,271
ROI: approximately -17.9%

At -17.9%, "Ali" did not recoup its production budget through theatrical release alone.

Awards and Recognition

Nominated for 2 Oscars. 10 wins & 27 nominations total

Critical Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Ali holds an approval rating of 69% based on 154 reviews, with an average rating of 6.30/10. The site's critics consensus: "Though perhaps no film could fully do justice to the fascinating life and personality of Muhammad Ali, Mann's direction and Smith's performance combine to pack a solid punch." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 65 out of 100, based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.