Honey Boy Budget
Drama1h 34mUpdated
Synopsis
From a screenplay by Shia LaBeouf, based on his own experiences, award-winning filmmaker Alma Har'el brings to life a young actor's stormy childhood and early adult years as he struggles to reconcile with his father through cinema and dreams. Fictionalizing his childhood's ascent to stardom, and subsequent adult crash-landing into rehab and recovery, Har'el casts Noah Jupe and Lucas Hedges as Otis Lort, navigating different stages in a frenetic career. LaBeouf takes on the daring and therapeutic challenge of playing a version of his own father, an ex-rodeo clown and a felon. Artist and musician FKA Twigs makes her feature-film debut, playing neighbor and kindred spirit to the younger Otis in their garden-court motel home. Har'el's feature narrative debut is a one-of-a-kind collaboration between filmmaker and subject, exploring art as medicine and imagination as hope.
What is the budget of Honey Boy?
"Honey Boy," a drama released in 2019, was directed by Alma Har'el and stars Shia LaBeouf, Lucas Hedges. The production budget was $3,500,000, placing it in the micro-budget range for drama productions of its era.
Key Budget Allocation Categories
While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a drama production like this include:
- Above-the-Line Talent: Drama films live or die on the strength of their performances.
- 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.
- Post-Production, Color Grading & Score: The editorial process for dramas is typically longer than genre films, with careful attention to pacing and tone.
What were the major cost factors in Honey Boy?
Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Honey Boy."
- Above-the-Line Talent: Above-the-Line Talent is one of the primary cost drivers in drama productions of this scale.
- Location Filming: Location Filming & Period Production Design is one of the primary cost drivers in drama productions of this scale.
- Post-Production: Post-Production, Color Grading & Score is one of the primary cost drivers in drama productions of this scale.
How Does Honey Boy's Budget Compare to Similar Films?
At $3,500,000, Honey Boy sits in the micro-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:
- Call Me by Your Name (2017): Budget $3,500,000, Worldwide Gross $43,143,046
- Kimi (2022): Budget $3,500,000
- Joe Bell (2020): Budget $3,500,000, Worldwide Gross $1,700,000
- The Rental (2020): Budget $3,500,000, Worldwide Gross $4,311,042
- First Reformed (2018): Budget $3,500,000, Worldwide Gross $3,988,612
The median budget for wide-release drama films in the 2010s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.
Honey Boy Box Office Performance
"Honey Boy" earned $3,012,615 domestically and $3,400,977 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $3,500,000, the film faced challenges in theatrical release. Home video, streaming, and ancillary revenue may have contributed to its overall performance.
A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "Honey Boy," that break-even threshold was roughly $7,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $3,400,977, the film did not reach break-even in theatrical release.
- Production Budget: $3,500,000
- Worldwide Gross: $3,400,977
- Net Return: −$99,023
- ROI: approximately -2.8%
At -2.8%, "Honey Boy" did not recoup its production budget through theatrical release alone.
Awards and Recognition
10 wins & 41 nominations total
- Sundance Special Jury Prize Dramatic
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did it cost to make Honey Boy (2019)?
The production budget was $3,500,000, covering principal photography, cast and crew salaries, locations, sets, post-production, and music. Marketing and distribution (P&A) costs are estimated at an additional $1,750,000 - $2,800,000, bringing the total studio investment to approximately $5,250,000 - $6,300,000.
How much did Honey Boy (2019) earn at the box office?
Honey Boy grossed $3,012,615 domestic, $388,362 international, totaling $3,400,977 worldwide.
Was Honey Boy (2019) profitable?
The film did not break even theatrically, earning $3,400,977 against an estimated $8,750,000 needed. Ancillary revenue may have improved the picture.
What were the biggest costs in producing Honey Boy?
The primary cost drivers were above-the-line talent (Shia LaBeouf, Lucas Hedges, Noah Jupe); talent compensation, authentic period production design, and meticulous post-production.
How does Honey Boy's budget compare to similar drama films?
At $3,500,000, Honey Boy is classified as a micro-budget production. The median budget for wide-release drama films in the 2010s ranges from $30 - 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles. Comparable budgets: Call Me by Your Name (2017, $3,500,000); Kimi (2022, $3,500,000); Joe Bell (2020, $3,500,000).
Did Honey Boy (2019) 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 Honey Boy?
The theatrical ROI was -2.8%, calculated as ($3,400,977 − $3,500,000) ÷ $3,500,000 × 100. This measures gross revenue against production budget only - it does not account for P&A or exhibitor shares.
What awards did Honey Boy (2019) win?
10 wins & 41 nominations total.
Who directed Honey Boy and who were the key crew members?
Directed by Alma Har'el, written by Shia LaBeouf, shot by Natasha Braier, with music by Alex Somers, edited by Dominic LaPerriere, Monica Salazar.
Where was Honey Boy filmed?
Honey Boy was filmed in United States of America. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Filmmakers
Honey Boy
Official Trailer
Budget Templates
Build your own production budget
Create professional budgets with industry-standard feature film templates. Real-time collaboration, no spreadsheets.
Start Budgeting Free
