What is the budget of Bombshell?

"Bombshell," a drama released in 2019, was directed by Jay Roach and stars Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie. The production budget was $32,000,000, placing it in the mid-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.
Casting: Alongside the directing and writing announcements, it was reported that Charlize Theron had entered negotiations to portray Kelly in the film.

What were the major cost factors in Bombshell?

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

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 Bombshell's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $32,000,000, Bombshell sits in the mid-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

A History of Violence (2005): Budget $32,000,000, Worldwide Gross $61,477,797
Alive (1993): Budget $32,000,000, Worldwide Gross $36,700,000
Bad Times at the El Royale (2018): Budget $32,000,000, Worldwide Gross $31,882,724
Bogus (1996): Budget $32,000,000
Apocalypse Now (1979): Budget $31,500,000, Worldwide Gross $150,000,000

The median budget for wide-release drama films in the 2010s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

Bombshell Box Office Performance

"Bombshell" earned $31,762,808 domestically and $61,404,394 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $32,000,000, 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 "Bombshell," that break-even threshold was roughly $64,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $61,404,394, the film fell short of that threshold but recouped its production costs in theatrical release.

Production Budget: $32,000,000
Worldwide Gross: $61,404,394
Net Return: $29,404,394
ROI: approximately 91.9%

At 91.9%, "Bombshell" returned its production investment but margin was tight after marketing and distribution costs.

Bombshell Production History

Alongside the directing and writing announcements, it was reported that Charlize Theron had entered negotiations to portray Kelly in the film. Later that month, it was announced that John Lithgow had been cast as Roger Ailes. In September 2018, it was reported that Allison Janney had been cast as lawyer Susan Estrich and that Kate McKinnon had been cast to play a fictional producer.

Principal photography for the film began on October 22, 2018, in Los Angeles, California. [Filming] Principal photography for the film began on October 22, 2018, in Los Angeles, California.

Awards and Recognition

Won 1 Oscar. 25 wins & 63 nominations total

Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Kazu Hiro (92nd Academy Awards)
Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Vivian Baker (92nd Academy Awards)
Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Anne Morgan (92nd Academy Awards)
Producers Guild Stanley Kramer Award

Critical Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critics consensus reads: "Bombshell benefits from a terrific cast and a worthy subject, but its impact is muffled by a frustrating inability to go deeper than the sensationalistic surface." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, based on reviews from 46 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.