Little Monsters Budget
AdventureFantasyComedyFamily1h 42mUpdated
Synopsis
A child meets the monster that lives under his bed. He even becomes one of his best friends. Soon the child discovers a whole new world of fun and games under his bed where pulling pranks on kids and other monsters is the main attraction.
What is the budget of Little Monsters?
"Little Monsters," an adventure released in 1989, was directed by Richard Greenberg and stars Fred Savage, Howie Mandel. The production budget was $7,000,000, placing it in the low-budget range for adventure productions of the 1980s.
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 Little Monsters?
Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Little Monsters."
- 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 Little Monsters's Budget Compare to Similar Films?
At $7,000,000, Little Monsters sits in the low-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:
- Capote (2005): Budget $7,000,000, Worldwide Gross $49,327,405
- Norm of the North (2016): Budget $7,000,000, Worldwide Gross $17,062,499
- American Psycho (2000): Budget $7,000,000, Worldwide Gross $34,269,748
- Jaws (1975): Budget $7,000,000, Worldwide Gross $470,653,000
- High School Musical 2 (2007): Budget $7,000,000
The median budget for wide-release adventure films in the era ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.
Little Monsters Box Office Performance
"Little Monsters" earned $793,775 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $7,000,000, 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 "Little Monsters," that break-even threshold was roughly $14,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $793,775, the film did not reach break-even in theatrical release.
- Production Budget: $7,000,000
- Worldwide Gross: $793,775
- Net Return: −$6,206,225
- ROI: approximately -88.7%
At -88.7%, "Little Monsters" did not recoup its production budget through theatrical release alone.
Awards and Recognition
2 nominations
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did it cost to make Little Monsters (1989)?
The production budget was $7,000,000, covering principal photography, cast and crew salaries, locations, sets, post-production, and music. Marketing and distribution (P&A) costs are estimated at an additional $3,500,000 - $5,600,000, bringing the total studio investment to approximately $10,500,000 - $12,600,000.
How much did Little Monsters (1989) earn at the box office?
Little Monsters grossed $793,775 domestic, totaling $793,775 worldwide.
Was Little Monsters (1989) profitable?
The film did not break even theatrically, earning $793,775 against an estimated $17,500,000 needed. Ancillary revenue may have improved the picture.
What were the biggest costs in producing Little Monsters?
The primary cost drivers were above-the-line talent (Fred Savage, Howie Mandel, Daniel Stern); visual effects, practical stunts, and A-list talent compensation.
How does Little Monsters's budget compare to similar adventure films?
At $7,000,000, Little Monsters is classified as a micro-budget production. The median budget for wide-release adventure films in the era ranges from $30 - 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles. Comparable budgets: Capote (2005, $7,000,000); Norm of the North (2016, $7,000,000); American Psycho (2000, $7,000,000).
Did Little Monsters (1989) 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 Little Monsters?
The theatrical ROI was -88.7%, calculated as ($793,775 − $7,000,000) ÷ $7,000,000 × 100. This measures gross revenue against production budget only - it does not account for P&A or exhibitor shares.
What awards did Little Monsters (1989) win?
2 nominations.
Who directed Little Monsters and who were the key crew members?
Directed by Richard Greenberg, written by Terry Rossio, Ted Elliott, shot by Dick Bush, with music by David Newman, edited by Patrick McMahon.
Where was Little Monsters filmed?
Little Monsters was filmed in United States of America. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Filmmakers
Little Monsters
Official Trailer
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