Magnolia Budget
Drama3h 9mUpdated
Synopsis
24 hours in L.A.; it's raining cats and dogs. Two parallel and intercut stories dramatize men about to die: both are estranged from a grown child, both want to make contact, and neither child wants anything to do with dad. Earl Partridge's son is a charismatic misogynist; Jimmy Gator's daughter is a cokehead and waif. A mild and caring nurse intercedes for Earl, reaching the son; a prayerful and upright beat cop meets the daughter, is attracted to her, and leads her toward a new calm. Meanwhile, guilt consumes Earl's young wife, while two whiz kids, one grown and a loser and the other young and pressured, face their situations. The weather, too, is quirky.
What is the budget of Magnolia?
"Magnolia," a drama released in 1999, was directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and stars Tom Cruise, Philip Baker Hall. The production budget was $37,000,000, placing it in the mid-budget range for drama productions of the 1990s.
Key Budget Allocation Categories
While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a drama production like this include:
- Above-the-Line Talent: Drama films live or die on the strength of their performances.
- Location Filming & Period Production Design: Authentic locations , whether contemporary or historical , require scouting, permits, travel, lodging, and often significant dressing to match the story's time period.
- Post-Production, Color Grading & Score: The editorial process for dramas is typically longer than genre films, with careful attention to pacing and tone.
- Casting: Tom Cruise was a fan of Anderson's previous film, Boogie Nights, and contacted Anderson while he was working on Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut (1999).
What were the major cost factors in Magnolia?
Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Magnolia."
- Above-the-Line Talent: Above-the-Line Talent is one of the primary cost drivers in drama productions of this scale.
- Location Filming: Location Filming & Period Production Design is one of the primary cost drivers in drama productions of this scale.
- Post-Production: Post-Production, Color Grading & Score is one of the primary cost drivers in drama productions of this scale.
How Does Magnolia's Budget Compare to Similar Films?
At $37,000,000, Magnolia sits in the mid-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:
- House on Haunted Hill (1999): Budget $37,000,000, Worldwide Gross $40,846,082
- Twilight (2008): Budget $37,000,000, Worldwide Gross $393,616,788
- 13 Going on 30 (2004): Budget $37,000,000, Worldwide Gross $96,458,118
- White Chicks (2004): Budget $37,000,000, Worldwide Gross $113,100,000
- Creed (2015): Budget $37,000,000, Worldwide Gross $173,600,000
The median budget for wide-release drama films in the era ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.
Magnolia Box Office Performance
"Magnolia" earned $22,455,976 domestically and $48,451,803 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $37,000,000, 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 "Magnolia," that break-even threshold was roughly $74,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $48,451,803, the film fell short of that threshold but recouped its production costs in theatrical release.
- Production Budget: $37,000,000
- Worldwide Gross: $48,451,803
- Net Return: $11,451,803
- ROI: approximately 31%
At 31%, "Magnolia" returned its production investment but margin was tight after marketing and distribution costs.
Magnolia Production History
Tom Cruise was a fan of Anderson's previous film, Boogie Nights, and contacted Anderson while he was working on Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut (1999). Anderson met with Cruise on the set of Kubrick's film and Cruise told him to keep him in mind for his next film. After Anderson finished the script, he sent Cruise a copy and the next day, Cruise called him.
Filming began on January 12, 1999, and was initially scheduled to be 79 days, but ended up lasting until June 24, 1999, making a total of 90 filming days plus 10 days of second unit filming. Anderson is known for the use of long takes in his films that move along considerable distances with complex camera movements and transitions with actors and the sets. Of the long takes in Magnolia, the most notable may be the 2 minutes 15 seconds where character Stanley Spector arrives at the studio for a taping of What Do Kids Know?, the camera seamlessly moving through multiple rooms and hallways and transitioning to follow different characters throughout the single take.
Anderson met Aimee Mann in 1996 when he asked her husband, Michael Penn, to write the score and songs for his film, Hard Eight. Mann had songs on soundtracks before but never "in such an integral way", she said in an interview. Two songs were written expressly for the film: "You Do", which was based on a character later cut from the film, and "Save Me", which closes the film; the latter was nominated in the 2000 Academy Awards and Golden Globes and in the 2001 Grammys.
Awards and Recognition
Nominated for 3 Oscars. 28 wins & 59 nominations total
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
- Golden Bear
- National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress: Julianne Moore
Critical Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 82% of 219 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: “An eruption of feeling that's as overwhelming as it is overwrought, Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia reaches a fevered crescendo and sustains it thanks to its fearlessly committed ensemble.” Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C−" on an A+ to F scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did it cost to make Magnolia (1999)?
The production budget was $37,000,000, covering principal photography, cast and crew salaries, locations, sets, post-production, and music. Marketing and distribution (P&A) costs are estimated at an additional $18,500,000 - $29,600,000, bringing the total studio investment to approximately $55,500,000 - $66,600,000.
How much did Magnolia (1999) earn at the box office?
Magnolia grossed $22,455,976 domestic, $25,995,827 international, totaling $48,451,803 worldwide.
Was Magnolia (1999) profitable?
The film did not break even theatrically, earning $48,451,803 against an estimated $92,500,000 needed. Ancillary revenue may have improved the picture.
What were the biggest costs in producing Magnolia?
The primary cost drivers were above-the-line talent (Tom Cruise, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman); talent compensation, authentic period production design, and meticulous post-production.
How does Magnolia's budget compare to similar drama films?
At $37,000,000, Magnolia is classified as a low-budget production. The median budget for wide-release drama films in the era ranges from $30 - 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles. Comparable budgets: House on Haunted Hill (1999, $37,000,000); Twilight (2008, $37,000,000); 13 Going on 30 (2004, $37,000,000).
Did Magnolia (1999) 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 Magnolia?
The theatrical ROI was 31.0%, calculated as ($48,451,803 − $37,000,000) ÷ $37,000,000 × 100. This measures gross revenue against production budget only - it does not account for P&A or exhibitor shares.
What awards did Magnolia (1999) win?
Nominated for 3 Oscars. 28 wins & 59 nominations total.
Who directed Magnolia and who were the key crew members?
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, written by Paul Thomas Anderson, shot by Robert Elswit, with music by Jon Brion, edited by Dylan Tichenor.
Where was Magnolia filmed?
Magnolia was filmed in United States of America. Filming began on January 12, 1999, and was initially scheduled to be 79 days, but ended up lasting until June 24, 1999, making a total of 90 filming days plus 10 days of second unit filming. Anderson is known for the use of long takes in his films that move along considerable distances with complex camera movements and transitions with actors and the sets. Of the long takes in Magnolia, the most notable may be the 2 minutes 15 seconds where character Stanley Spector arrives at the studio for a taping of What Do Kids Know?, the camera seamlessly moving through multiple rooms and hallways and transitioning to follow different characters throughout the single take. For the look of the film, the production designers analyzed films with close, tight and warm color palettes and applied it to Magnolia. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Filmmakers
Magnolia
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