Production Budget Analysis

What was the production budget for First They Killed My Father?

Directed by Angelina Jolie, with Sareum Srey Moch, Phoeung Kompheak, Sveng Socheata leading the cast, First They Killed My Father was produced by Bophana Production with a confirmed budget of $24,000,000, placing it in the low-budget category for war films.

At $24,000,000, First They Killed My Father was produced on a modest budget. Lower-budget films benefit from reduced break-even thresholds, with profitability achievable at approximately $60,000,000.

Budget Comparison — Similar Productions

• Double Take (2001): Budget $24,000,000 | Gross $31,600,000 → ROI: 32% • Faster (2010): Budget $24,000,000 | Gross $23,081,726 → ROI: -4% • Fences (2016): Budget $24,000,000 | Gross $64,400,000 → ROI: 168% • Foxcatcher (2014): Budget $24,000,000 | Gross $12,096,300 → ROI: -50% • Howl's Moving Castle (2004): Budget $24,000,000 | Gross $236,049,757 → ROI: 884%

Key Budget Allocation Categories

▸ Above-the-Line Talent Drama films live or die on the strength of their performances. Securing award-caliber actors and experienced directors represents the single largest budget line item, often consuming 30–40% of the total production budget.

▸ 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. Period dramas add the cost of era-accurate props, vehicles, and set decoration.

▸ Post-Production, Color Grading & Score The editorial process for dramas is typically longer than genre films, with careful attention to pacing and tone. Color grading, a nuanced musical score, and detailed sound mixing are critical to achieving the emotional resonance that defines the genre.

Key Production Personnel

CAST: Sareum Srey Moch, Phoeung Kompheak, Sveng Socheata, Mun Kimhak, Heng Dara Key roles: Sareum Srey Moch as Loung; Phoeung Kompheak as Pa; Sveng Socheata as Ma; Mun Kimhak as Kim

DIRECTOR: Angelina Jolie CINEMATOGRAPHY: Anthony Dod Mantle MUSIC: Marco Beltrami EDITING: Xavier Box, Patricia Rommel PRODUCTION: Bophana Production FILMED IN: United States of America

Box Office Performance

Theatrical box office data is not publicly available for First They Killed My Father (2017). This may indicate a limited release, direct-to-streaming, or a release predating modern box office tracking.

Profitability Assessment

Insufficient publicly available data to assess profitability.

INDUSTRY IMPACT

PRODUCTION NOTES

▸ Production

On July 23, 2015, it was announced that Angelina Jolie would direct a film adaptation of the memoir First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung for Netflix, for which Jolie and Ung co-wrote the script. Jolie would also produce the film along with Rithy Panh, while Jolie's son Maddox Jolie-Pitt would be an executive producer.

▸ Filming & Locations

Principal photography on the film began in early November 2015 in Siem Reap and wrapped in February 2016 in Battambang, Cambodia. The filming also took place in Phnom Penh.

[Filming] Principal photography on the film began in early November 2015 in Siem Reap and wrapped in February 2016 in Battambang, Cambodia. The filming also took place in Phnom Penh.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Nominations: ○ International Submission to the Academy Awards

Additional Recognition: The film was selected as the Cambodian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the 90th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. It was the first time a prominent American director's non-English film was submitted since the Academy set a rule in 1984 that a country's submission has "artistic control" from a "creative talent of that country"; Jolie has dual citizenship with the U.S. and Cambodia.