Honey Don't! Budget
ComedyCrimeMysteryThriller1h 29mUpdated
Synopsis
A small-town private investigator delves into a series of strange deaths tied to a mysterious church.
Production Budget Analysis
What was the production budget for Honey Don't!?
Directed by Ethan Coen, with Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans leading the cast, Honey Don't! was produced by Focus Features with a confirmed budget of $20,000,000, placing it in the low-budget category for comedy films.
At $20,000,000, Honey Don't! was produced on a modest budget. Lower-budget films benefit from reduced break-even thresholds, with profitability achievable at approximately $50,000,000.
Budget Comparison — Similar Productions
• 12 Years a Slave (2013): Budget $20,000,000 | Gross $187,000,000 → ROI: 835% • 21 Grams (2003): Budget $20,000,000 | Gross $60,427,839 → ROI: 202% • 3 Ninjas Kick Back (1994): Budget $20,000,000 | Gross $11,798,854 → ROI: -41% • A Guy Thing (2003): Budget $20,000,000 | Gross $17,400,000 → ROI: -13% • A Most Violent Year (2014): Budget $20,000,000 | Gross $12,007,070 → ROI: -40%
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: Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, Lera Abova, Jacnier Key roles: Margaret Qualley as Honey O'Donahue; Aubrey Plaza as MG Falcone; Chris Evans as Reverend Drew Devlin; Lera Abova as Chère
DIRECTOR: Ethan Coen CINEMATOGRAPHY: Ari Wegner MUSIC: Carter Burwell EDITING: Tricia Cooke, Emily Denker PRODUCTION: Focus Features, Working Title Films FILMED IN: United Kingdom, United States of America
Box Office Performance
Honey Don't! earned $5,810,510 domestically and $1,634,727 internationally, for a worldwide total of $7,445,237. The film skewed heavily domestic (78%), suggesting strong North American appeal.
Break-Even Analysis
Using the industry-standard 2.5x multiplier (P&A + exhibitor shares of 40–50% + distribution fees), Honey Don't! needed approximately $50,000,000 to break even. The film fell $42,554,763 short in theatrical revenue. Ancillary streams (home media, streaming, TV) may have bridged the gap.
Return on Investment (ROI)
Revenue: $7,445,237 Budget: $20,000,000 Net: $-12,554,763 ROI: -62.8%
Profitability Assessment
VERDICT: Unprofitable (Theatrical)
Honey Don't! earned $7,445,237 against a $20,000,000 budget (-63% ROI), falling short of theatrical profitability. Ancillary revenue may have reduced the deficit.
INDUSTRY IMPACT
The underperformance may have increased risk aversion around low-budget comedy productions.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
Summary: N/A
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did it cost to make Honey Don't! (2025)?
The production budget was $20,000,000, covering principal photography, cast and crew salaries, locations, sets, post-production, and music. Marketing and distribution (P&A) costs are estimated at an additional $10,000,000 - $16,000,000, bringing the total studio investment to approximately $30,000,000 - $36,000,000.
How much did Honey Don't! (2025) earn at the box office?
Honey Don't! grossed $5,810,510 domestic, $1,634,727 international, totaling $7,445,237 worldwide.
Was Honey Don't! (2025) profitable?
The film did not break even theatrically, earning $7,445,237 against an estimated $50,000,000 needed. Ancillary revenue may have improved the picture.
What were the biggest costs in producing Honey Don't!?
The primary cost drivers were above-the-line talent (Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans); star comedian salaries, location filming, and aggressive marketing campaigns; international production across United Kingdom, United States of America.
How does Honey Don't!'s budget compare to similar comedy films?
At $20,000,000, Honey Don't! is classified as a low-budget production. The median budget for wide-release comedy films in the 2020s ranges from $30 - 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles. Comparable budgets: 12 Years a Slave (2013, $20,000,000); 21 Grams (2003, $20,000,000); 3 Ninjas Kick Back (1994, $20,000,000).
Did Honey Don't! (2025) 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 Don't!?
The theatrical ROI was -62.8%, calculated as ($7,445,237 − $20,000,000) ÷ $20,000,000 × 100. This measures gross revenue against production budget only - it does not account for P&A or exhibitor shares.
What awards did Honey Don't! (2025) win?
N/A.
Who directed Honey Don't! and who were the key crew members?
Directed by Ethan Coen, written by Ethan Coen, Tricia Cooke, shot by Ari Wegner, with music by Carter Burwell, edited by Tricia Cooke, Emily Denker.
Where was Honey Don't! filmed?
Honey Don't! was filmed in United Kingdom, United States of America. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Filmmakers
Honey Don't!
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