Au Revoir les Enfants Budget

What is the budget of Au Revoir les Enfants?

"Au Revoir les Enfants," a drama released in 1987, was directed by Louis Malle and stars Gaspard Manesse, Raphael Fejtö. The production budget was $3,000,000, placing it in the micro-budget range for drama productions of the 1980s.

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 Au Revoir les Enfants?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Au Revoir les Enfants."

• 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 Au Revoir les Enfants's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $3,000,000, Au Revoir les Enfants sits in the micro-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

• Ghost in the Shell (1995): Budget $3,000,000, Worldwide Gross $10,000,000
• Witness for the Prosecution (1957): Budget $3,000,000, Worldwide Gross $9,000,000
• Perfect Blue (1998): Budget $3,000,000, Worldwide Gross $683,666
• In the Mood for Love (2000): Budget $3,000,000, Worldwide Gross $15,867,968
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975): Budget $3,000,000, Worldwide Gross $108,981,275

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

Au Revoir les Enfants Box Office Performance

"Au Revoir les Enfants" earned $4,542,825 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $3,000,000, the film showed modest profitability in theatrical release.

A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "Au Revoir les Enfants," that break-even threshold was roughly $6,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $4,542,825, the film fell short of that threshold but recouped its production costs in theatrical release.

• Production Budget: $3,000,000
• Worldwide Gross: $4,542,825
• Net Return: $1,542,825
• ROI: approximately 51.4%

At 51.4%, "Au Revoir les Enfants" returned its production investment but margin was tight after marketing and distribution costs.

Awards and Recognition

Nominated for 2 Oscars. 28 wins & 12 nominations total

• Louis Delluc Prize
• Golden Lion
• César Award for Best Film
• European Film Award for Best Screenwriter: Louis Malle (1st European Film Awards)

Critical Reception

The film was extremely well received by critics. Au Revoir, les Enfants has an approval rating of 97% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 37 reviews, and an average rating of 9.1/10, with the consensus: "Louis Malle's autobiographical tale of a childhood spent in a WWII boarding school is a beautifully realized portrait of friendship and youth." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 88 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".