Belfast Budget

What is the budget of Belfast?

"Belfast," a drama released in 2021, was directed by Kenneth Branagh and stars Jude Hill, Jamie Dornan. The production budget was $11,000,000, 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: Kenneth Branagh started working on the film in March 2020.

What were the major cost factors in Belfast?

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

• 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 Belfast's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $11,000,000, Belfast sits in the low-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

• Forsaken (2015): Budget $11,000,000
• Barry Lyndon (1975): Budget $11,000,000, Worldwide Gross $31,500,000
• Alien (1979): Budget $11,000,000, Worldwide Gross $104,931,801
• Star Wars (1977): Budget $11,000,000, Worldwide Gross $775,398,007
• The Lighthouse (2019): Budget $11,000,000, Worldwide Gross $18,262,464

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

Belfast Box Office Performance

"Belfast" earned $9,250,870 domestically and $49,158,343 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $11,000,000, 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 "Belfast," that break-even threshold was roughly $22,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $49,158,343, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.

• Production Budget: $11,000,000
• Worldwide Gross: $49,158,343
• Net Return: $38,158,343
• ROI: approximately 346.9%

At 346.9%, "Belfast" earned roughly $4.47 for every $1 invested in production.

Belfast Production History

Principal photography began in September 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming initially took place in and around London before moving to Belfast. Production concluded by October 2020.

The film features music by Belfast native Van Morrison, including the score he composed, dominated by electric guitar and saxophone, eight of his classic songs, and a new song he wrote for the film, "Down to Joy". It is Branagh's first film since Peter's Friends not to be composed by Patrick Doyle.

Awards and Recognition

Won 1 Oscar. 63 wins & 259 nominations total

• European Film Award for Best Production Designer: Jim Clay (35th European Film Awards)
• European Film Award for Best Costume Designer: Charlotte Walter (35th European Film Awards)
• Toronto International Film Festival People's Choice Award

Critical Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 86% based on 334 reviews, with an average rating of 7.80/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "A deeply personal project for writer-director Kenneth Branagh, Belfast transcends its narrative deficits with powerful performances and directorial craft." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 75 out of 100, based on 55 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".