

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days Budget
Updated
Synopsis
During his summer vacation, "Wimpy Kid" Greg Heffley, the hero of the successful book series, hatches a plan to pretend he has a job at a ritzy country club - which fails to keep him away from the season's dog days, including embarrassing mishaps at a public pool and a camping trip that goes horribly wrong.
What is the budget of Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dog Days?
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dog Days," a comedy released in 2012, was directed by David Bowers and stars Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron. The production budget was $22,000,000, 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: The film was produced on a budget of $22 million.
What were the major cost factors in Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dog Days?
Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dog Days."
- 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 Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dog Days's Budget Compare to Similar Films?
At $22,000,000, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dog Days sits in the mid-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:
- 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
- Dances with Wolves (1990): Budget $22,000,000, Worldwide Gross $424,208,848
- Derailed (2005): Budget $22,000,000, Worldwide Gross $57,479,076
- Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005): Budget $22,000,000 , Gross $45,109,561
The median budget for wide-release comedy films in the 2010s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dog Days Box Office Performance
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dog Days" earned $49,008,662 domestically and $77,100,000 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $22,000,000, the film performed strongly at the box office.
A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dog Days," that break-even threshold was roughly $44,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $77,100,000, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.
- Production Budget: $22,000,000
- Worldwide Gross: $77,100,000
- Net Return: $55,100,000
- ROI: approximately 250.5%
At 250.5%, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dog Days" earned roughly $3.5 for every $1 invested in production.
Awards and Recognition
2 wins & 7 nominations total
Critical Reception
Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale, the same grade as the two previous films.
Official Trailer








































































Budget Templates
Build your own production budget
Create professional budgets with industry-standard feature film templates. Real-time collaboration, no spreadsheets.
Start Budgeting Free
