Her Budget
RomanceScience FictionDrama2h 6mUpdated
Synopsis
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?
"Her," a romance released in 2014, was directed by Spike Jonze and stars Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson. The production budget was $23,000,000, placing it in the mid-budget range for romance productions of its era.
Key Budget Allocation Categories
While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a romance production like this include:
- Lead Cast Compensation: Romantic films depend entirely on the chemistry and appeal of their leads, making star casting decisions the most consequential budget item.
- Location Filming: Picturesque, often international locations are central to the romantic genre's visual appeal.
- Music Supervision & Soundtrack: Iconic songs can cost $250,000 to 500,000 to license per use, and a well-curated soundtrack is often as important to marketing as the trailer itself.
What were the major cost factors in Her?
Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Her."
- Lead Cast Compensation: Lead Cast Compensation is one of the primary cost drivers in romance productions of this scale.
- Location Filming: Location Filming is one of the primary cost drivers in romance productions of this scale.
- Music Supervision: Music Supervision & Soundtrack is one of the primary cost drivers in romance productions of this scale.
How Does Her's Budget Compare to Similar Films?
At $23,000,000, Her sits in the mid-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:
- The Secret World of Arrietty (2010): Budget $23,000,000, Worldwide Gross $149,660,003
- Bad Santa (2003): Budget $23,000,000, Worldwide Gross $76,500,000
- Chasing Liberty (2004): Budget $23,000,000, Worldwide Gross $12,195,626
- Chéri (2009): Budget $23,000,000, Worldwide Gross $9,400,000
- Eddie the Eagle (2016): Budget $23,000,000, Worldwide Gross $46,152,411
The median budget for wide-release romance films in the 2010s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.
Her Box Office Performance
"Her" earned $25,568,251 domestically and $47,351,251 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $23,000,000, 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 "Her," that break-even threshold was roughly $46,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $47,351,251, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.
- Production Budget: $23,000,000
- Worldwide Gross: $47,351,251
- Net Return: $24,351,251
- ROI: approximately 105.9%
At 105.9%, "Her" earned roughly $2.06 for every $1 invested in production.
Awards and Recognition
Won 1 Oscar. 83 wins & 187 nominations total
- National Board of Review Award for Best Film
- Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Original and Adapted Screenplay: Spike Jonze
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
- Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay: Spike Jonze (86th Academy Awards)
- Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay: Spike Jonze
- Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay: Spike Jonze
- Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film (40th Saturn Awards)
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did it cost to make Her (2013)?
The production budget was $23,000,000, covering principal photography, cast and crew salaries, locations, sets, post-production, and music. Marketing and distribution (P&A) costs are estimated at an additional $11,500,000 - $18,400,000, bringing the total studio investment to approximately $34,500,000 - $41,400,000.
How much did Her (2013) earn at the box office?
Her grossed $25,568,251 domestic, $21,783,000 international, totaling $47,351,251 worldwide.
Was Her (2013) profitable?
The film did not break even theatrically, earning $47,351,251 against an estimated $57,500,000 needed. Ancillary revenue may have improved the picture.
What were the biggest costs in producing Her?
The primary cost drivers were above-the-line talent (Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Lynn Adrianna); lead talent, aspirational location filming, and a carefully curated soundtrack.
How does Her's budget compare to similar romance films?
At $23,000,000, Her is classified as a low-budget production. The median budget for wide-release romance films in the 2010s ranges from $30 - 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles. Comparable budgets: The Secret World of Arrietty (2010, $23,000,000); Bad Santa (2003, $23,000,000); Chasing Liberty (2004, $23,000,000).
Did Her (2013) go over budget?
There are no widely reported accounts of significant budget overruns for this production. However, studios rarely disclose precise budget overrun figures publicly. The reported production budget reflects the final estimated cost.
What was the return on investment (ROI) for Her?
The theatrical ROI was 105.9%, calculated as ($47,351,251 − $23,000,000) ÷ $23,000,000 × 100. This measures gross revenue against production budget only - it does not account for P&A or exhibitor shares.
What awards did Her (2013) win?
Won 1 Oscar. 83 wins & 187 nominations total.
Who directed Her and who were the key crew members?
Directed by Spike Jonze, written by Spike Jonze, shot by Hoyte van Hoytema, with music by Win Butler, Tim Kingsbury, edited by Eric Zumbrunnen, Jeff Buchanan.
Where was Her filmed?
Her was filmed in United States of America. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Filmmakers
Her
Official Trailer
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