An Elephant Sitting Still Budget
Updated
Synopsis
In the northern Chinese city of Manzhouli, they say there is an elephant that simply sits and ignores the world. Manzhouli becomes an obsession for the protagonists of this film, a longed-for escape from the downward spiral in which they find themselves. Among them is schoolboy Bu, on the run after pushing Shuai down the stairs, who was bullying him previously. Bu's classmate Ling has run away from her mother and fallen for the charms of her teacher. Shuai's older brother Cheng feels responsible for the suicide of a friend. And finally, along with many other characters whose fates are inextricably bound together, there's Mr. Wang, a sprightly pensioner whose son wants to offload him onto a home. In virtuoso visual compositions, the film tells the story of one single suspenseful day from dawn to dusk, when the train to Manzhouli is set to depart.
What is the budget of An Elephant Sitting Still?
"An Elephant Sitting Still," a drama released in 2018, was directed by Hu Bo and stars Peng Yuchang, Wang Yuwen. The production budget was $2,500,000, placing it in the micro-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.
What were the major cost factors in An Elephant Sitting Still?
Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "An Elephant Sitting Still."
- 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 An Elephant Sitting Still's Budget Compare to Similar Films?
At $2,500,000, An Elephant Sitting Still sits in the micro-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:
- Paper Moon (1973): Budget $2,500,000, Worldwide Gross $30,900,000
- Wings of Desire (1987): Budget $2,500,000, Worldwide Gross $3,548,590
- Before Sunrise (1995): Budget $2,500,000, Worldwide Gross $5,987,386
- Play Dirty (2025): Budget $2,500,000
- The Mother (2003): Budget $2,500,000, Worldwide Gross $1,062,253
The median budget for wide-release drama films in the 2010s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.
An Elephant Sitting Still Box Office Performance
"An Elephant Sitting Still" earned $32,556 domestically. Against a production budget of $2,500,000, 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 "An Elephant Sitting Still," that break-even threshold was roughly $5,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $32,556, the film did not reach break-even in theatrical release.
- Production Budget: $2,500,000
- Worldwide Gross: $32,556
- Net Return: −$2,467,444
- ROI: approximately -98.7%
At -98.7%, "An Elephant Sitting Still" did not recoup its production budget through theatrical release alone.
Awards and Recognition
24 wins & 47 nominations total
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did it cost to make An Elephant Sitting Still (2018)?
The production budget was $2,500,000, covering principal photography, cast and crew salaries, locations, sets, post-production, and music. Marketing and distribution (P&A) costs are estimated at an additional $1,250,000 - $2,000,000, bringing the total studio investment to approximately $3,750,000 - $4,500,000.
How much did An Elephant Sitting Still (2018) earn at the box office?
Box office figures are not publicly available.
Was An Elephant Sitting Still (2018) profitable?
Insufficient data for a profitability assessment.
What were the biggest costs in producing An Elephant Sitting Still?
The primary cost drivers were above-the-line talent (Peng Yuchang, Wang Yuwen, Zhang Yu); talent compensation, authentic period production design, and meticulous post-production.
How does An Elephant Sitting Still's budget compare to similar drama films?
At $2,500,000, An Elephant Sitting Still is classified as a micro-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: Paper Moon (1973, $2,500,000); Wings of Desire (1987, $2,500,000); Before Sunrise (1995, $2,500,000).
Did An Elephant Sitting Still (2018) 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 awards did An Elephant Sitting Still (2018) win?
24 wins & 47 nominations total.
Who directed An Elephant Sitting Still and who were the key crew members?
Directed by Hu Bo, written by Hu Bo, shot by Fan Chao, with music by Hualun, edited by Hu Bo.
Where was An Elephant Sitting Still filmed?
An Elephant Sitting Still was filmed in China. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Filmmakers
An Elephant Sitting Still
Official Trailer
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