Synopsis

Wayne Beering and Buck Dolby are drugged-out geniuses with lots of ideas but they can never seem to get their act together. But when they come up with the idea to create a porn site--and charge for it (the first-ever site to do so), their idea may be too lucrative for them to handle. Straight-laced business man Jack Harris is brought in to team up with them and turn their profitable idea into a legit business. Making money in the pornography industry is pretty easy, but staying true to yourself when surrounded by that much wealth, luxury, sex, crime, and temptation is much harder.

What is the budget of Middle Men?

"Middle Men," a drama released in 2010, was directed by George Gallo and stars Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi. The production budget was $22,000,000, placing it in the mid-budget range for drama productions of its era.

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.
Music & Score: Two soundtrack albums were released, both on August 3, 2010: Middle Men: Original Motion Picture Score, composed by Brian Tyler, and Middle Men: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, collecting songs used in the film.

What were the major cost factors in Middle Men?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Middle Men."

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 Middle Men's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $22,000,000, Middle Men sits in the mid-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

12 Rounds (2009): Budget $22,000,000, Worldwide Gross $17,280,326
Before I Go to Sleep (2014): Budget $22,000,000, Worldwide Gross $17,669,776
Dances with Wolves (1990): Budget $22,000,000, Worldwide Gross $424,208,848
Derailed (2005): Budget $22,000,000, Worldwide Gross $57,479,076
Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005): Budget $22,000,000 , Gross $45,109,561

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

Middle Men Box Office Performance

"Middle Men" earned $754,301 domestically. Against a production budget of $22,000,000, 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 "Middle Men," that break-even threshold was roughly $44,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $754,301, the film did not reach break-even in theatrical release.

Production Budget: $22,000,000
Worldwide Gross: $754,301
Net Return: −$21,245,699
ROI: approximately -96.6%

At -96.6%, "Middle Men" did not recoup its production budget through theatrical release alone.

Middle Men Production History

Two soundtrack albums were released, both on August 3, 2010: Middle Men: Original Motion Picture Score, composed by Brian Tyler, and Middle Men: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, collecting songs used in the film. ;Score ;Soundtrack