What is the budget of First Man?

"First Man," a history released in 2018, was directed by Damien Chazelle and stars Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy. The production budget was $70,000,000, placing it in the high-budget range for history productions of its era.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a history production like this include:

Above-the-Line Talent: Drama films live or die on the strength of their performances.
Location Filming & Period Production Design: Authentic locations , whether contemporary or historical , require scouting, permits, travel, lodging, and often significant dressing to match the story's time period.
Post-Production, Color Grading & Score: The editorial process for dramas is typically longer than genre films, with careful attention to pacing and tone.

What were the major cost factors in First Man?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "First Man."

Above-the-Line Talent: Above-the-Line Talent is one of the primary cost drivers in history productions of this scale.
Location Filming: Location Filming & Period Production Design is one of the primary cost drivers in history productions of this scale.
Post-Production: Post-Production, Color Grading & Score is one of the primary cost drivers in history productions of this scale.

How Does First Man's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $70,000,000, First Man sits in the high-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

A Civil Action (1998): Budget $70,000,000, Worldwide Gross $56,709,981
Babylon A.D. (2008): Budget $70,000,000, Worldwide Gross $72,109,200
Beowulf (2007): Budget $70,000,000, Worldwide Gross $195,735,876
Couples Retreat (2009): Budget $70,000,000, Worldwide Gross $171,844,840
Dudley Do-Right (1999): Budget $70,000,000, Worldwide Gross $10,000,000

The median budget for wide-release history films in the 2010s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

First Man Box Office Performance

"First Man" earned $44,936,545 domestically and $105,713,218 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $70,000,000, 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 "First Man," that break-even threshold was roughly $140,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $105,713,218, the film fell short of that threshold but recouped its production costs in theatrical release.

Production Budget: $70,000,000
Worldwide Gross: $105,713,218
Net Return: $35,713,218
ROI: approximately 51%

At 51%, "First Man" returned its production investment but margin was tight after marketing and distribution costs.