Production Budget Analysis

What was the production budget for Land of Bad?

Directed by William Eubank, with Liam Hemsworth, Russell Crowe, Luke Hemsworth leading the cast, Land of Bad was produced by Broken Open Pictures with a confirmed budget of $18,000,000, placing it in the low-budget category for action films.

At $18,000,000, Land of Bad was produced on a modest budget. Lower-budget films benefit from reduced break-even thresholds, with profitability achievable at approximately $45,000,000.

Budget Comparison — Similar Productions

• 127 Hours (2010): Budget $18,000,000 | Gross $35,700,000 → ROI: 98% • A Dog's Way Home (2019): Budget $18,000,000 | Gross $17,643,857 → ROI: -2% • Amadeus (1984): Budget $18,000,000 | Gross $90,007,557 → ROI: 400% • And So It Goes (2014): Budget $18,000,000 | Gross $25,312,387 → ROI: 41% • Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004): Budget $18,000,000 | Gross $65,070,412 → ROI: 262%

Key Budget Allocation Categories

▸ 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. For large-scale productions, VFX alone can account for 20–30% of the total budget, with additional costs for stunt coordinators, rigging, and safety crews.

▸ Above-the-Line Talent (Cast & Director) A-list talent commands significant upfront fees plus backend participation. Lead actors in major action franchises typically earn $10–25 million per film, with directors often receiving comparable compensation packages tied to box office performance.

▸ 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.

Key Production Personnel

CAST: Liam Hemsworth, Russell Crowe, Luke Hemsworth, Ricky Whittle, Milo Ventimiglia Key roles: Liam Hemsworth as Kinney; Russell Crowe as Reaper; Luke Hemsworth as Abel; Ricky Whittle as Bishop

DIRECTOR: William Eubank CINEMATOGRAPHY: Agustin Claramunt MUSIC: Brandon Roberts EDITING: Todd E. Miller PRODUCTION: Broken Open Pictures, Volition Media Partners, Highland Film Group, Hoodlum Entertainment, R.U. Robot Studios, Moonbow, Gosdom Entertainment, Short Porch Pictures, The Avenue Entertainment FILMED IN: United States of America, Australia, Czech Republic

Box Office Performance

Land of Bad earned $4,620,045 domestically and $2,401,056 internationally, for a worldwide total of $7,021,101. The film skewed heavily domestic (66%), suggesting strong North American appeal.

Break-Even Analysis

Using the industry-standard 2.5x multiplier (P&A + exhibitor shares of 40–50% + distribution fees), Land of Bad needed approximately $45,000,000 to break even. The film fell $37,978,899 short in theatrical revenue. Ancillary streams (home media, streaming, TV) may have bridged the gap.

Return on Investment (ROI)

Revenue: $7,021,101 Budget: $18,000,000 Net: $-10,978,899 ROI: -61.0%

Profitability Assessment

VERDICT: Unprofitable (Theatrical)

Land of Bad earned $7,021,101 against a $18,000,000 budget (-61% 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 action productions.

PRODUCTION NOTES

▸ Production

The film, originally titled JTAC, was written by David Frigerio and William Eubank in 2012 and in 2013 at Satellite Coffee coffee shops in Albuquerque during production of their film The Signal. Shortly after writing the script, Eubank and Frigerio shadowed real-life JTACs for two weeks at Fort Irwin National Training Center; their immersion in the world of forward air control was extensive with the two radioing in "nine lines" (close air support briefings) to F-35 pilots overhead during exercises.

The cast project, with Eubank also directing, was first announced at the 2022 Cannes Film Market, with Russell Crowe and Liam Hemsworth as the first cast members attached to the film. In September 2022, additional casting announcements added Milo Ventimiglia, Luke Hemsworth, Ricky Whittle, Daniel MacPherson, Chika Ikogwe, and Robert Rabiah. George Burgess was brought to the cast by Crowe.

In interviews, Eubank explained that the primary inspirations for the film were the 2001 war film Black Hawk Down by director Ridley Scott, the 2010 combat documentary Restrepo by photojournalist Tim Hetherington and writer Sebastian Junger, and the war comedy television series M*A*S*H developed by Larry Gelbart.

Principal photography began in September 2022, running through November 2022 in the Gold Coast, Queensland.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Summary: 1 nomination total

CRITICAL RECEPTION

Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com gave the film two out of four stars and wrote, "Land of Bad may sell itself as a post-Black Hawk Down rescue mission thriller, but it's too often a baggy dramatized lecture about what's really wrong with the American military and modern warfare."

In a positive review, Nick Schager of The Daily Beast wrote, "The film trades in aggro bluster and bombast that's so pure, undiluted, and unsubtle that it verges on—and sometimes tips over into—comedy. Nonetheless, beneath its puffed chest lurks earnest affection for the men and women who risk their lives for their country and, more importantly, for each other, and that goes some way toward helping it earn its climactic feel-good pathos."