Theodore is a lonely man in the final stages of his divorce. When he's not working as a letter writer, his down time is spent playing video games and occasionally hanging out with friends. He decides to purchase the new OS1, which is advertised as the world's first artificially intelligent operating system, "It's not just an operating system, it's a consciousness," the ad states. Theodore quickly finds himself drawn in with Samantha, the voice behind his OS1. As they start spending time together they grow closer and closer and eventually find themselves in love. Having fallen in love with his OS, Theodore finds himself dealing with feelings of both great joy and doubt. As an OS, Samantha has powerful intelligence that she uses to help Theodore in ways others hadn't, but how does she help him deal with his inner conflict of being in love with an OS?

What Is the Budget of Her (2013)?

Directed by Spike Jonze, with Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Lynn Adrianna leading the cast, Her was produced by Annapurna Pictures with a confirmed budget of $23,000,000, placing it in the low-budget category for romance films.

At $23,000,000, Her (2013) sits within the typical budget range for romance productions. Productions at this scale require filmmakers to make precise choices about where money appears on screen, typically concentrating resources on one or two standout elements rather than spreading spend evenly across departments.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

Her (2013)'s $23,000,000 budget was concentrated in the areas where romance's commercial appeal is actually built:

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 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 emotional resonance.

How Does Her (2013)'s Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $23,000,000, Her (2013) operates well below the typical budget range for romance productions. The contrast with comparable productions contextualizes what the film achieved relative to its resources:

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) — Budget $25,000,000 | Worldwide $58,000,000. the canonical example of a film that dramatically underperformed theatrically before becoming one of the most rewatched films in history.
A Beautiful Mind (2001) — Budget $58,000,000 | Worldwide $313,000,000. demonstrates how prestige dramas with strong awards positioning can sustain long theatrical runs beyond their opening weeks.
The Social Network (2010) — Budget $40,000,000 | Worldwide $224,000,000. Fincher's proof that a dialogue-driven drama about technology can command blockbuster attention when execution is exceptional.

Her (2013) Box Office Performance

Her (2013) earned $25,568,251 domestically and $47,351,251 worldwide at the box office. Worldwide gross: $47,351,251 Domestic: $25,568,251 International: $21,783,000 Her did not break even theatrically (break-even threshold: $57,500,000).

A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For Her (2013), that break-even threshold was roughly $46,000,000. Based on its Annapurna Pictures release, Prints and Advertising costs are estimated at approximately $16,100,000, bringing the total estimated investment to approximately $39,100,000. With worldwide earnings of $47,351,251, the film cleared that threshold by $1,351,251.

Production Budget: $23,000,000
Worldwide Gross: $47,351,251
Net Return: $24,351,251
ROI: approximately 105.9%

At 105.9%, Her (2013) earned roughly $2.06 for every $1 invested in production, representing a profitable theatrical run.

Her (2013) Production History

Her (2013), directed by Spike Jonze and produced by Annapurna Pictures, represents a production that brought together key creative collaborators to realize the film's central vision. The screenplay was written by Spike Jonze.

The film assembles Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Lynn Adrianna in principal roles, with the casting choices reflecting the production's commitment to the material's commercial and artistic ambitions.

Awards and Recognition

Won 1 Oscar. 83 wins & 187 nominations total

Critical Reception

Her (2013) received strongly positive critical reception, earning a 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a Metacritic score of 91 out of 100, an IMDb user score of 8.0 out of 10. Reviews consistently highlighted the film's craft, performances, and tonal coherence as evidence of filmmaking that matched its ambitions.

Critical and audience scores align closely, suggesting Her (2013) delivers what both audiences and reviewers were looking for -- a consistency that is rarer than it appears and typically reflects strong tonal control in production.