"King Arthur" reimagines the legendary tale of the iconic British leader, presenting a gritty and action-packed narrative that delves into the origins of the Arthurian legend. Set in a tumultuous time, the film follows Arthur, a young man raised in a world of violence and betrayal, who discovers his royal lineage. As he grapples with his identity, Arthur must unite a band of misfits and warriors to reclaim his rightful place on the throne. With the help of his loyal allies, including the fierce Guinevere and the wise Merlin, he faces formidable foes and navigates treacherous political landscapes. The story unfolds with epic battles, personal sacrifices, and the timeless struggle between good and evil, ultimately leading to Arthur's rise as a legendary king destined to unite the fractured kingdoms of Britain.

What is the budget of King Arthur?

"King Arthur," an adventure released in 2004, was directed by Antoine Fuqua and stars Clive Owen, Ioan Gruffudd. The production budget was $120,000,000, placing it in the high-budget range for adventure productions of its era.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for an adventure production like this include:

Stunts, Action Sequences & Visual Effects: Action films allocate a substantial portion of their budget to choreographing and executing practical stunts, pyrotechnics, and CGI-heavy sequences.
Above-the-Line Talent (Cast & Director): A-list talent commands significant upfront fees plus backend participation.
Production Design, Sets & Locations: Action films frequently require multiple international shooting locations, large-scale set construction, vehicle acquisitions and modifications, and specialized equipment , all of which drive production costs well above those of dialogue-driven genres.

What were the major cost factors in King Arthur?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "King Arthur."

Stunts: Stunts, Action Sequences & Visual Effects is one of the primary cost drivers in adventure productions of this scale.
Above-the-Line Talent (Cast: Above-the-Line Talent (Cast & Director) is one of the primary cost drivers in adventure productions of this scale.
Production Design: Production Design, Sets & Locations is one of the primary cost drivers in adventure productions of this scale.

How Does King Arthur's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $120,000,000, King Arthur sits in the high-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003): Budget $120,000,000 , Gross $259,175,788
Frankenstein (2025): Budget $120,000,000, Worldwide Gross $480,678
Geostorm (2017): Budget $120,000,000, Worldwide Gross $221,600,160
How Do You Know (2010): Budget $120,000,000, Worldwide Gross $48,668,907
I, Robot (2004): Budget $120,000,000, Worldwide Gross $347,234,916

The median budget for wide-release adventure films in the 2000s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

King Arthur Box Office Performance

"King Arthur" earned $51,882,244 domestically and $203,567,857 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $120,000,000, 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 "King Arthur," that break-even threshold was roughly $240,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $203,567,857, the film fell short of that threshold but recouped its production costs in theatrical release.

Production Budget: $120,000,000
Worldwide Gross: $203,567,857
Net Return: $83,567,857
ROI: approximately 69.6%

At 69.6%, "King Arthur" returned its production investment but margin was tight after marketing and distribution costs.