Synopsis

12-year-old genius Artemis Fowl, a descendant of a long line of criminal masterminds, seeks to find his father who has mysteriously disappeared. With the help of his loyal protector Butler, Artemis sets out to find him, and in doing so uncovers an ancient, underground civilization—the amazingly advanced world of fairies. Deducing that his father’s disappearance is somehow connected to the secretive, reclusive fairy world, cunning Artemis concocts a dangerous plan—so dangerous that he ultimately finds himself in a perilous war of wits with the all-powerful fairies.

What is the budget of Artemis Fowl?

"Artemis Fowl," an adventure released in 2020, was directed by Kenneth Branagh and stars Ferdia Shaw, Colin Farrell. The production budget was $125,000,000, placing it in the high-budget range for adventure productions of its era.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for an adventure production like this include:

Stunts, Action Sequences & Visual Effects: Action films allocate a substantial portion of their budget to choreographing and executing practical stunts, pyrotechnics, and CGI-heavy sequences.
Above-the-Line Talent (Cast & Director): A-list talent commands significant upfront fees plus backend participation.
Production Design, Sets & Locations: Action films frequently require multiple international shooting locations, large-scale set construction, vehicle acquisitions and modifications, and specialized equipment , all of which drive production costs well above those of dialogue-driven genres.
Casting: On September 18, 2017, it was reported that Judi Dench was in talks for an undisclosed role.

What were the major cost factors in Artemis Fowl?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Artemis Fowl."

Stunts: Stunts, Action Sequences & Visual Effects is one of the primary cost drivers in adventure productions of this scale.
Above-the-Line Talent (Cast: Above-the-Line Talent (Cast & Director) is one of the primary cost drivers in adventure productions of this scale.
Production Design: Production Design, Sets & Locations is one of the primary cost drivers in adventure productions of this scale.

How Does Artemis Fowl's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $125,000,000, Artemis Fowl sits in the high-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

After Earth (2013): Budget $130,000,000, Worldwide Gross $243,843,127
Ant-Man (2015): Budget $130,000,000, Worldwide Gross $519,311,965
300: Rise of an Empire (2014): Budget $110,000,000 , Gross $337,580,051
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018): Budget $140,000,000, Worldwide Gross $622,674,139
Armageddon (1998): Budget $140,000,000, Worldwide Gross $553,799,566

The median budget for wide-release adventure films in the 2020s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

Artemis Fowl Production History

On September 18, 2017, it was reported that Judi Dench was in talks for an undisclosed role. On December 20, 2017, it was announced that Irish newcomer and grandson of Robert Shaw, Ferdia Shaw, had been cast as Artemis Fowl II, alongside Dench as Commander Root, Josh Gad as Mulch Diggums, Lara McDonnell as Captain Holly Short, and Nonso Anozie as Butler. Colin Farrell was added to the cast as Artemis Fowl I during reshoots, and his involvement was revealed through the second trailer in March 2020.

Principal photography commenced on March 12, 2018. The film was shot in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, Italy, and Vietnam. Fowl Manor was built at Longcross Studios in Surrey and was designed to last for the production of sequels, but had been torn down by May 2020.

Awards and Recognition

2 nominations total

Critical Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 8% based on 177 reviews, and an average rating of . The website's critics consensus reads, "A would-be franchise-starter that will anger fans of the source material and leave newcomers befuddled, Artemis Fowl is frustratingly flightless." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 31 out of 100 based on 33 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.