Anna Foster has never had an ordinary life. At eighteen years old, she is the most protected girl in America; she is the First Daughter. Frustrated with her overprotective father, the President of the United States of America, Anna makes a deal with him: only two agents are allowed to guard her while she attends a concert in Prague. When her father backs out of his promise, Anna flies into a temper and goes on the run with Ben Calder, a handsome photographer she runs into outside of the music club. They travel together with the intention of going to the Love Parade in Berlin. Anna hasn't told Ben who she is but more importantly, Ben hasn't told her who he is. Under the orders of Anna's father, Ben is supposed to keep an eye on the rebellious girl but falling in love with her wasn't something he expected to do. Romance blossoms between the wild, sassy Anna and the cool, distant Ben as they backpack through Europe. Problem is, when it is time to go back and Anna finds out about Ben, what will happen to the two lovers?

What is the budget of Chasing Liberty?

"Chasing Liberty," a comedy released in 2004, was directed by Andy Cadiff and stars Mandy Moore, Matthew Goode. The production budget was $23,000,000, placing it in the mid-budget range for comedy productions of its era.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

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

Talent Salaries & Producing Deals: Established comedic talent can command $15 to 20 million per film, with top-tier stars earning even more through producing credits and backend deals.
Production & Location Filming: While comedies generally avoid the VFX costs of action films, location shooting in recognizable cities or exotic locales adds meaningful production expense.
Marketing & P&A (Prints & Advertising): Comedies rely heavily on marketing to build opening-weekend momentum.
Production: In November 2000, it was announced Alcon Entertainment had purchased Untitled First Daughter Project by screenwriters Derek Guiley and David Schneiderman with Andy Cadiff signed to direct.

What were the major cost factors in Chasing Liberty?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Chasing Liberty."

Talent Salaries: Talent Salaries & Producing Deals is one of the primary cost drivers in comedy productions of this scale.
Production: Production & Location Filming is one of the primary cost drivers in comedy productions of this scale.
Marketing: Marketing & P&A (Prints & Advertising) is one of the primary cost drivers in comedy productions of this scale.

How Does Chasing Liberty's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $23,000,000, Chasing Liberty sits in the mid-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

The Secret World of Arrietty (2010): Budget $23,000,000, Worldwide Gross $149,660,003
Bad Santa (2003): Budget $23,000,000, Worldwide Gross $76,500,000
12 Rounds (2009): Budget $22,000,000, Worldwide Gross $17,280,326
Before I Go to Sleep (2014): Budget $22,000,000, Worldwide Gross $17,669,776
1408 (2007): Budget $25,000,000, Worldwide Gross $133,000,000

The median budget for wide-release comedy films in the 2000s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

Chasing Liberty Box Office Performance

"Chasing Liberty" earned $12,195,626 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $23,000,000, 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 "Chasing Liberty," that break-even threshold was roughly $46,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $12,195,626, the film did not reach break-even in theatrical release.

Production Budget: $23,000,000
Worldwide Gross: $12,195,626
Net Return: −$10,804,374
ROI: approximately -47%

At -47%, "Chasing Liberty" did not recoup its production budget through theatrical release alone.

Chasing Liberty Production History

The exterior scenes of the White House were in fact filmed at Hylands House in Chelmsford, Essex, England, because of its resemblance to the White House. Blueprints of the White House were also used to create a digital replica, which helped make the exterior scenes look authentic. * Washington, D.C., United States * Prague, Czech Republic * Venice, Italy * Berlin, Germany * London, England * Hylands House, Chelmsford, Essex, England * Barrandov Studios, Prague, Czech Republic * Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England [Filming locations] The exterior scenes of the White House were in fact filmed at Hylands House in Chelmsford, Essex, England, because of its resemblance to the White House.

The original score by Christian Henson was nominated for the World Soundtrack Award in 2004. The film also features the songs: * "American Girl" , written by Tom Petty; performed by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers * "Life Will Go On" , written and performed by Chris Isaak * "If I'm Not in Love" , written by Dawn Thomas; performed by Faith Hill * "Stop the Rock" , written by Hoxley, Gray, Gray and Noko; performed by Apollo 440 * "Vivi Davvero" , written and performed by Giorgia * "Stay Away" , written by Robert Schwartzman; performed by Rooney * "Melody" , written by Joe DuBass Henson, Darren Rose, Wasi; performed by 7th Sun * "The Seed" , written by Tariq Trotter and Cody ChesnuTT; performed by The Roots * "Deja Vu" , written by Frantisek Cerny; performed by Frantisek Cerny, Milan Cimfe and Pavel Karlik * "If You Won't" , written and performed by Jesse Harris * "Who Needs Shelter" , written by Jason Mraz, Eric Schermerhorn and Chris Keup; performed by Jason Mraz * "Get Busy" , written by Sean Paul, S. Marsden; performed by Sean Paul * "You're Free" , written by John Ciafone, Lem Springsteen, Ultra Naté, Paul Masterson; performed by Yomanda * "Satisfaction" , written by A.

Awards and Recognition

5 nominations total

Critical Reception

The film received mostly negative reviews from critics. Chasing Liberty scored an 19% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 116 reviews, with a consensus that it was "Formulaic comfort food for the teen crowd."