Day for Night Budget

What is the budget of Day for Night?

"Day for Night," a comedy released in 1973, was directed by François Truffaut and stars Jacqueline Bisset, Valentina Cortese. The production budget was $700,000, placing it in the micro-budget range for comedy productions of the 1970s.

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.
• Casting: Truffaut used international actors because he felt French cinema did not have the mythological aspect he wanted.

What were the major cost factors in Day for Night?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Day for Night."

• 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 Day for Night's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $700,000, Day for Night sits in the micro-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

• The Conformist (1971): Budget $750,000, Worldwide Gross $233,493
• The General (1926): Budget $750,000, Worldwide Gross $1,000,000
• Meet the Feebles (1989): Budget $750,000, Worldwide Gross $80,000
• Kung Fury (2015): Budget $630,019
• The Night of the Hunter (1955): Budget $795,000

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

Day for Night Box Office Performance

"Day for Night" earned $509 domestically and $850,000 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $700,000, 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 "Day for Night," that break-even threshold was roughly $1,400,000. With worldwide earnings of $850,000, the film fell short of that threshold but recouped its production costs in theatrical release.

• Production Budget: $700,000
• Worldwide Gross: $850,000
• Net Return: $150,000
• ROI: approximately 21.4%

At 21.4%, "Day for Night" returned its production investment but margin was tight after marketing and distribution costs.

Day for Night Production History

Truffaut used international actors because he felt French cinema did not have the mythological aspect he wanted. He said the film was influenced by The Golden Coach and Singin' in the Rain (both 1952); the latter was his favourite film about filmmaking because it showed everyone involved in a film, not just the director and star. Jacqueline Bisset was cast in part because she spoke French.

The film was shot mainly in Nice on an enormous set for a Paris street originally built by an American company and used for Lady L (1965) and The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969). Truffaut got the idea while editing Two English Girls (1971). Author Graham Greene makes a cameo appearance as an insurance company representative, billed as "Henry Graham".

Awards and Recognition

Won 1 Oscar. 13 wins & 7 nominations total

• Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (46th Academy Awards)