If Beale Street Could Talk Budget

What is the budget of If Beale Street Could Talk?

"If Beale Street Could Talk," a romance released in 2018, was directed by Barry Jenkins and stars KiKi Layne, Stephan James. The production budget was $12,000,000, placing it in the low-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.
• Production: On July 10, 2017, it was announced that Barry Jenkins would direct an adaptation of James Baldwin's novel If Beale Street Could Talk. Jenkins wrote the screenplay during the summer of 2013, as he was writing Moonlight.

What were the major cost factors in If Beale Street Could Talk?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "If Beale Street Could Talk."

• 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 If Beale Street Could Talk's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $12,000,000, If Beale Street Could Talk sits in the low-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

• Goon (2012): Budget $12,000,000, Worldwide Gross $6,985,158
• Jobs (2013): Budget $12,000,000, Worldwide Gross $42,100,000
• All That Jazz (1979): Budget $12,000,000, Worldwide Gross $37,823,676
• 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): Budget $12,000,000 , Gross $71,923,560
• Wolfwalkers (2020): Budget $12,000,000, Worldwide Gross $1,310,720

The median budget for wide-release romance films in the 2010s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

If Beale Street Could Talk Box Office Performance

"If Beale Street Could Talk" earned $14,915,773 domestically and $20,572,691 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $12,000,000, 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 "If Beale Street Could Talk," that break-even threshold was roughly $24,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $20,572,691, the film fell short of that threshold but recouped its production costs in theatrical release.

• Production Budget: $12,000,000
• Worldwide Gross: $20,572,691
• Net Return: $8,572,691
• ROI: approximately 71.4%

At 71.4%, "If Beale Street Could Talk" returned its production investment but margin was tight after marketing and distribution costs.

Awards and Recognition

Won 1 Oscar. 108 wins & 194 nominations total

• National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
• Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress: Regina King (91st Academy Awards)

Critical Reception

upright|On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of , based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critical consensus reads: "If Beale Street Could Talk honors its source material with a beautifully filmed adaptation that finds director Barry Jenkins further strengthening his visual and narrative craft." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 87 out of 100, based on 53 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".