Elysium Budget
Science FictionActionDramaThriller1h 49mUpdated
Synopsis
In the year 2154, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy, who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. The people of Earth are desperate to escape the planet's crime and poverty, and they critically need the state-of-the-art medical care available on Elysium - but some in Elysium will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve their citizens' luxurious lifestyle. The only man with the chance bring equality to these worlds is Max, an ordinary guy in desperate need to get to Elysium. With his life hanging in the balance, he reluctantly takes on a dangerous mission - one that pits him against Elysium's Secretary Delacourt and her hard-line forces - but if he succeeds, he could save not only his own life, but millions of people on Earth as well.
What is the budget of Elysium?
"Elysium," a science fiction released in 2013, was directed by Neill Blomkamp and stars Matt Damon, Jodie Foster. The production budget was $115,000,000, placing it in the high-budget range for science fiction productions of its era.
Key Budget Allocation Categories
While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a science fiction production like this include:
- Visual Effects & CGI Pipeline: Sci-fi films are among the most VFX-intensive productions in Hollywood.
- Production Design & World-Building: Creating a believable sci-fi world required significant investment in set construction, prop fabrication, and conceptual design , from physical environments through LED volume stages and virtual production technology.
- Technology & Camera Systems: Cutting-edge camera rigs, motion capture stages, LED volume stages (virtual production), and proprietary rendering technology often push the technical budget far beyond conventional filming costs.
What were the major cost factors in Elysium?
Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Elysium."
- Visual Effects: Visual Effects & CGI Pipeline is one of the primary cost drivers in science fiction productions of this scale.
- Production Design: Production Design & World-Building is one of the primary cost drivers in science fiction productions of this scale.
- Technology: Technology & Camera Systems is one of the primary cost drivers in science fiction productions of this scale.
How Does Elysium's Budget Compare to Similar Films?
At $115,000,000, Elysium sits in the high-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:
- Dante's Peak (1997): Budget $116,000,000, Worldwide Gross $178,127,760
- 300: Rise of an Empire (2014): Budget $110,000,000 , Gross $337,580,051
- Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003): Budget $120,000,000 , Gross $259,175,788
- Ocean's Twelve (2004): Budget $110,000,000, Worldwide Gross $362,744,280
- Deadpool 2 (2018): Budget $110,000,000, Worldwide Gross $785,896,632
The median budget for wide-release science fiction films in the 2010s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.
Elysium Box Office Performance
"Elysium" earned $93,050,117 domestically and $286,140,700 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $115,000,000, 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 "Elysium," that break-even threshold was roughly $230,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $286,140,700, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.
- Production Budget: $115,000,000
- Worldwide Gross: $286,140,700
- Net Return: $171,140,700
- ROI: approximately 148.8%
At 148.8%, "Elysium" earned roughly $2.49 for every $1 invested in production.
Awards and Recognition
1 win & 10 nominations total
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did it cost to make Elysium (2013)?
The production budget was $115,000,000, covering principal photography, visual effects, cast and crew salaries, locations, sets, post-production, and music. Marketing and distribution (P&A) costs are estimated at an additional $57,500,000 - $92,000,000, bringing the total studio investment to approximately $172,500,000 - $207,000,000.
How much did Elysium (2013) earn at the box office?
Elysium grossed $93,050,117 domestic, $193,090,583 international, totaling $286,140,700 worldwide.
Was Elysium (2013) profitable?
The film did not break even theatrically, earning $286,140,700 against an estimated $287,500,000 needed. Ancillary revenue may have improved the picture.
What were the biggest costs in producing Elysium?
The primary cost drivers were above-the-line talent (Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley); visual effects pipelines, virtual production technology, and speculative world-building.
How does Elysium's budget compare to similar science fiction films?
At $115,000,000, Elysium is classified as a big-budget production. The median budget for wide-release science fiction films in the 2010s ranges from $30 - 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles. Comparable budgets: Dante's Peak (1997, $116,000,000); 300: Rise of an Empire (2014, $110,000,000); Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003, $120,000,000).
Did Elysium (2013) go over budget?
There are no widely reported accounts of significant budget overruns for this production. However, studios rarely disclose precise budget overrun figures publicly. The reported production budget reflects the final estimated cost.
What was the return on investment (ROI) for Elysium?
The theatrical ROI was 148.8%, calculated as ($286,140,700 − $115,000,000) ÷ $115,000,000 × 100. This measures gross revenue against production budget only - it does not account for P&A or exhibitor shares.
What awards did Elysium (2013) win?
1 win & 10 nominations total.
Who directed Elysium and who were the key crew members?
Directed by Neill Blomkamp, written by Neill Blomkamp, shot by Trent Opaloch, with music by Ryan Amon, edited by Julian Clarke, Lee Smith.
Where was Elysium filmed?
Elysium was filmed in United States of America. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Filmmakers
Elysium
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
