What is the budget of Conan the Destroyer?

"Conan the Destroyer," a adventure released in 1984, was directed by Richard Fleischer and stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Grace Jones. The production budget was $18,000,000, placing it in the low-budget range for adventure productions of the 1980s.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a 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: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mako Iwamatsu, who played the Wizard of the Mound and narrator in the first film, return for the second film, while Mako's character is now named Akiro.

What were the major cost factors in Conan the Destroyer?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Conan the Destroyer."

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 Conan the Destroyer's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $18,000,000, Conan the Destroyer sits in the low-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

127 Hours (2010): Budget $18,000,000, Worldwide Gross $35,700,000
A Dog's Way Home (2019): Budget $18,000,000, Worldwide Gross $17,643,857
Amadeus (1984): Budget $18,000,000, Worldwide Gross $90,007,557
And So It Goes (2014): Budget $18,000,000, Worldwide Gross $25,312,387
Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004): Budget $18,000,000 , Gross $65,070,412

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

Conan the Destroyer Box Office Performance

"Conan the Destroyer" earned $31,042,035 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $18,000,000, 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 "Conan the Destroyer," that break-even threshold was roughly $36,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $31,042,035, the film fell short of that threshold but recouped its production costs in theatrical release.

Production Budget: $18,000,000
Worldwide Gross: $31,042,035
Net Return: $13,042,035
ROI: approximately 72.5%

At 72.5%, "Conan the Destroyer" returned its production investment but margin was tight after marketing and distribution costs.

Conan the Destroyer Production History

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mako Iwamatsu, who played the Wizard of the Mound and narrator in the first film, return for the second film, while Mako's character is now named Akiro. Sven-Ole Thorsen, who played Thorgrim in the first film, also returned. However, this time, he had to partially cover his face with a mask, as he was playing Togra, a different character.

Shooting took place in Mexico City from November 1, 1983, to February 10, 1984. [Filming] Shooting took place in Mexico City from November 1, 1983, to February 10, 1984.

The musical score of Conan The Destroyer was composed, conducted, and produced by Basil Poledouris, and was performed by the orchestra Unione Musicisti Di Roma. Poledouris, who scored director John Milius's Big Wednesday, also scored Milius's first Conan, and the track "The Orgy" is used again, this time during the attempted virgin sacrifice at the end.

Awards and Recognition

1 win & 3 nominations total

Golden Raspberry Award for Worst New Star: Olivia d'Abo (5th Golden Raspberry Awards)

Critical Reception

Roger Ebert rated the film 3 out of 4 stars and wrote that Conan the Destroyer is "sillier, funnier, and more entertaining" than the first film. In praising the film's use of character actors, Ebert singled out Jones, who he said brings rock star charisma to her role. Variety called it "the ideal sword and sorcery picture" and also praised Jones. Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote that Schwarzenegger struggles with the film's more comedic tone.