From Dusk Till Dawn

1996

HorrorActionThrillerCrime1h 48m

Budget

$19,000,000

Domestic Box Office

$25,836,616

Worldwide Box Office

$25,800,000

Synopsis

After a bank heist in Abilene with several casualties, the bank robber Seth Gecko and his psychopath and rapist brother Richard Gecko continue their crime spree in a convenience store in the middle of the desert while heading to Mexico with a hostage. They decide to stop for a while in a low-budget motel. Meanwhile the former minister Jacob Fuller is traveling on vacation with his son Scott and his daughter Kate in a RV. Jacob lost his faith after the death of his beloved wife in a car accident and quit his position of pastor of his community and stops for the night in the same motel Seth and Richard are lodged. When Seth sees the recreational vehicle, he abducts Jacob and his family to help his brother and him to cross the Mexico border, promising to release them on the next morning. They head to the truck drivers and bikers bar Titty Twister where Seth will meet with his partner Carlos in the dawn. When they are watching the dancer Santanico Pandemonium, Seth and Richard fight with three bodyguards. But soon they discover that the bar is a coven of vampires and they need to fight until dawn to leave the place alive.

What is the budget of From Dusk Till Dawn?

"From Dusk Till Dawn," a horror released in 1996, was directed by Robert Rodriguez and stars George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino. The production budget was $19,000,000, placing it in the low-budget range for horror productions of the 1990s.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

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

Practical Effects, Prosthetics & Makeup: Horror productions invest disproportionately in practical effects , prosthetic applications, animatronics, blood and gore effects, and creature suits. A single hero creature suit can cost $50,000 to 200,000.
Atmospheric Production Design & Cinematography: Creating dread through environment is essential. Abandoned locations must be secured and dressed, lighting rigs designed for shadow and tension, and sets built to enable specific camera movements and reveals.
Sound Design & Score: Horror is arguably the most sound-dependent genre. Foley work, ambient textures, frequency manipulation, and jump-scare stingers require specialized sound designers working with unconventional techniques.

What were the major cost factors in From Dusk Till Dawn?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "From Dusk Till Dawn."

Practical Effects: Practical Effects, Prosthetics & Makeup is one of the primary cost drivers in horror productions of this scale.
Atmospheric Production Design: Atmospheric Production Design & Cinematography is one of the primary cost drivers in horror productions of this scale.
Sound Design: Sound Design & Score is one of the primary cost drivers in horror productions of this scale.

How Does From Dusk Till Dawn's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $19,000,000, From Dusk Till Dawn sits in the low-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

A Cinderella Story (2004): Budget $19,000,000, Worldwide Gross $70,067,909
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2011): Budget $19,000,000, Worldwide Gross $36,192,775
Action Point (2018): Budget $19,000,000, Worldwide Gross $5,059,608
Arthur the King (2024): Budget $19,000,000, Worldwide Gross $40,829,138
Back to the Future (1985): Budget $19,000,000, Worldwide Gross $381,109,762

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

From Dusk Till Dawn Box Office Performance

"From Dusk Till Dawn" earned $25,836,616 domestically and $25,800,000 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $19,000,000, 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 "From Dusk Till Dawn," that break-even threshold was roughly $38,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $25,800,000, the film fell short of that threshold but recouped its production costs in theatrical release.

Production Budget: $19,000,000
Worldwide Gross: $25,800,000
Net Return: $6,800,000
ROI: approximately 35.8%

At 35.8%, "From Dusk Till Dawn" returned its production investment but margin was tight after marketing and distribution costs.