Production Budget Analysis

What was the production budget for Dazed and Confused?

Directed by Richard Linklater, with Jason London, Matthew McConaughey, Joey Lauren Adams leading the cast, Dazed and Confused was produced by Gramercy Pictures with a confirmed budget of $6,900,000, placing it in the micro-budget category for comedy films.

At $6,900,000, Dazed and Confused was produced on a modest budget. Lower-budget films benefit from reduced break-even thresholds, with profitability achievable at approximately $17,250,000.

Budget Comparison — Similar Productions

• Kiki's Delivery Service (1989): Budget $6,900,000 | Gross $4,493,017 → ROI: -35% • Capote (2005): Budget $7,000,000 | Gross $49,327,405 → ROI: 605% • Norm of the North (2016): Budget $7,000,000 | Gross $17,062,499 → ROI: 144% • Incendies (2010): Budget $6,800,000 | Gross $6,788,659 → ROI: -0% • American Psycho (2000): Budget $7,000,000 | Gross $34,269,748 → ROI: 390%

Key Budget Allocation Categories

▸ Talent Salaries & Producing Deals Established comedic talent can command $15–20 million per film, with top-tier stars earning even more through producing credits and backend deals. Comedy ensembles multiply this cost across several well-known performers.

▸ 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. Studios typically spend 50–100% of the production budget on marketing, with comedy trailers and social media campaigns being particularly expensive.

Key Production Personnel

CAST: Jason London, Matthew McConaughey, Joey Lauren Adams, Rory Cochrane, Wiley Wiggins Key roles: Jason London as Pink; Matthew McConaughey as Wooderson; Joey Lauren Adams as Simone; Rory Cochrane as Slater

DIRECTOR: Richard Linklater CINEMATOGRAPHY: Lee Daniel EDITING: Sandra Adair PRODUCTION: Gramercy Pictures, Alphaville Films, Detour Filmproduction FILMED IN: United States of America

Box Office Performance

Dazed and Confused earned $8,249,404 domestically and $9,672 internationally, for a worldwide total of $8,259,076. The film skewed heavily domestic (100%), suggesting strong North American appeal.

Break-Even Analysis

Using the industry-standard 2.5x multiplier (P&A + exhibitor shares of 40–50% + distribution fees), Dazed and Confused needed approximately $17,250,000 to break even. The film fell $8,990,924 short in theatrical revenue. Ancillary streams (home media, streaming, TV) may have bridged the gap.

Return on Investment (ROI)

Revenue: $8,259,076 Budget: $6,900,000 Net: $1,359,076 ROI: 19.7%