Get Hard
Synopsis
When millionaire hedge fund manager James is convicted of fraud and sentenced to a stretch in San Quentin, the judge gives him one month to get his affairs in order. Knowing that he won't survive more than a few minutes in prison on his own, James desperately turns to Darnell-- a black businessman who's never even had a parking ticket -- for help. As Darnell puts James through the wringer, both learn that they were wrong about many things, including each other.
Production Budget Analysis
What was the production budget for Get Hard?
Directed by Etan Cohen, with Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart, Alison Brie leading the cast, Get Hard was produced by Gary Sanchez Productions with a confirmed budget of $40,000,000, placing it in the mid-budget category for comedy films.
With a $40,000,000 budget, Get Hard sits in the mid-range of studio releases. Marketing costs for a wide release at this level typically add $30–60 million, putting the break-even point near $100,000,000.
Budget Comparison — Similar Productions
• 42 (2013): Budget $40,000,000 | Gross $95,020,213 → ROI: 138% • A Few Good Men (1992): Budget $40,000,000 | Gross $243,240,178 → ROI: 508% • Big Trouble (2002): Budget $40,000,000 | Gross $8,493,890 → ROI: -79% • Boomerang (1992): Budget $40,000,000 | Gross $131,052,444 → ROI: 228% • Fifty Shades of Grey (2015): Budget $40,000,000 | Gross $569,651,467 → ROI: 1324%
Key Budget Allocation Categories
▸ Talent Salaries & Producing Deals Established comedic talent can command $15–20 million per film, with top-tier stars earning even more through producing credits and backend deals. Comedy ensembles multiply this cost across several well-known performers.
▸ 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. Studios typically spend 50–100% of the production budget on marketing, with comedy trailers and social media campaigns being particularly expensive.
Key Production Personnel
CAST: Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart, Alison Brie, Craig T. Nelson, T.I. Key roles: Will Ferrell as James King; Kevin Hart as Darnell Lewis; Alison Brie as Alissa; Craig T. Nelson as Martin
DIRECTOR: Etan Cohen CINEMATOGRAPHY: Tim Suhrstedt MUSIC: Christophe Beck EDITING: Michael L. Sale PRODUCTION: Gary Sanchez Productions, RatPac Entertainment FILMED IN: United States of America
Box Office Performance
Get Hard earned $111,800,000 in worldwide box office revenue.
Break-Even Analysis
Using the industry-standard 2.5x multiplier (P&A + exhibitor shares of 40–50% + distribution fees), Get Hard needed approximately $100,000,000 to break even. The film surpassed this threshold by $11,800,000.
Return on Investment (ROI)
Revenue: $111,800,000 Budget: $40,000,000 Net: $71,800,000 ROI: 179.5%
Profitability Assessment
VERDICT: Profitable
Get Hard delivered a solid return, earning $111,800,000 worldwide on a $40,000,000 budget (180% ROI). Combined with ancillary revenue, the film was a financial positive for Gary Sanchez Productions.
INDUSTRY IMPACT
PRODUCTION NOTES
▸ Production
On December 7, 2012, it was announced that Warner Bros. was in talks to acquire the film written by Ian Roberts and Jay Martel, while Adam McKay and Will Ferrell's Gary Sanchez Productions would produce. On September 17, 2013 Etan Cohen was set to direct.
On December 7, 2012, Ferrell and Kevin Hart were attached to starring roles. On March 17, 2014 Alison Brie signed on to star, playing the fiancée of Ferrell's character. On March 21, 2014, Edwina Findley joined the cast to play Rita Hudson, wife to Hart's character. On March 24, 2014 Dan Bakkedahl joined the cast to play Rick, Ferrell's hated enemy at their office. On March 25, 2014, T.I. joined the cast, playing a character named Russell, Hart's character's streetwise cousin.
Principal photography began on March 17, 2014, in New Orleans, and ended on May 14, 2014. The film was somewhat controversial with some perceiving that it was playing into race-related stereotypes. During some scenes Cohen asked Hart's opinion on how some jokes would be perceived by African American audiences and made some changes accordingly. Warner Bros. and Cohen also performed extensive testing to make sure the humor came across well.
▸ Music & Score
On October 30, 2014, Christophe Beck was hired to compose the music for the film.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
No awards data currently available for this title.
CRITICAL RECEPTION
Get Hard has received generally negative reviews, with many critics citing the film's overuse of racial jokes. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 28% based on 186 reviews, with an average rating of 4.40/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A waste of two fine funnymen, Get Hard settles for tired and offensive gags instead of tapping into its premise's boundary-pushing potential." On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 34 out of 100, based on reviews from 43 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews. CinemaScore polls conducted during the opening weekend recorded that audiences gave Get Hard an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.
Richard Corliss of Time magazine wrote: "Laughter trumps political fairness, and Get Hard made me laugh at, and with, situations I hadn’t thought could tickle me. The movie has a warm heart beating under its seemingly scabrous shell."
The film was criticized for its gay panic jokes and homophobia.
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