Missing Link Budget
FamilyAnimationComedyAdventureAction1h 34mUpdated
Synopsis
The charismatic Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) considers himself to be the world's foremost investigator of myths and monsters. The trouble is none of his small-minded high-society peers seems to recognize this. Sir Lionel's last chance for acceptance by the adventuring elite rests on traveling to America's Pacific Northwest to prove the existence of a legendary creature. A living remnant of Man's primitive ancestry. The Missing Link (Zach Galifianakis).
What is the budget of Missing Link?
"Missing Link," a family released in 2019, was directed by Chris Butler and stars Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldaña. The production budget was $100,000,000, placing it in the high-budget range for family productions of its era.
Key Budget Allocation Categories
While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a family production like this include:
- Talent Salaries & Producing Deals: Established comedic talent can command $15 to 20 million per film, with top-tier stars earning even more through producing credits and backend deals.
- Production & Location Filming: While comedies generally avoid the VFX costs of action films, location shooting in recognizable cities or exotic locales adds meaningful production expense.
- Marketing & P&A (Prints & Advertising): Comedies rely heavily on marketing to build opening-weekend momentum.
What were the major cost factors in Missing Link?
Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Missing Link."
- Talent Salaries: Talent Salaries & Producing Deals is one of the primary cost drivers in family productions of this scale.
- Production: Production & Location Filming is one of the primary cost drivers in family productions of this scale.
- Marketing: Marketing & P&A (Prints & Advertising) is one of the primary cost drivers in family productions of this scale.
How Does Missing Link's Budget Compare to Similar Films?
At $100,000,000, Missing Link sits in the high-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:
- 1917 (2019): Budget $100,000,000, Worldwide Gross $446,064,352
- American Gangster (2007): Budget $100,000,000, Worldwide Gross $269,755,430
- Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024): Budget $100,000,000 , Gross $404,547,819
- Batman Forever (1995): Budget $100,000,000, Worldwide Gross $336,529,144
- Bicentennial Man (1999): Budget $100,000,000, Worldwide Gross $87,423,861
The median budget for wide-release family films in the 2010s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.
Missing Link Box Office Performance
"Missing Link" earned $16,649,539 domestically and $26,565,710 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $100,000,000, 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 "Missing Link," that break-even threshold was roughly $200,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $26,565,710, the film did not reach break-even in theatrical release.
- Production Budget: $100,000,000
- Worldwide Gross: $26,565,710
- Net Return: −$73,434,290
- ROI: approximately -73.4%
At -73.4%, "Missing Link" did not recoup its production budget through theatrical release alone.
Awards and Recognition
Nominated for 1 Oscar. 5 wins & 43 nominations total
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did it cost to make Missing Link (2019)?
The production budget was $100,000,000, covering principal photography, cast and crew salaries, locations, sets, post-production, and music. Marketing and distribution (P&A) costs are estimated at an additional $50,000,000 - $80,000,000, bringing the total studio investment to approximately $150,000,000 - $180,000,000.
How much did Missing Link (2019) earn at the box office?
Missing Link grossed $16,649,539 domestic, $9,916,171 international, totaling $26,565,710 worldwide.
Was Missing Link (2019) profitable?
The film did not break even theatrically, earning $26,565,710 against an estimated $250,000,000 needed. Ancillary revenue may have improved the picture.
What were the biggest costs in producing Missing Link?
The primary cost drivers were above-the-line talent (Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldaña, Zach Galifianakis); star comedian salaries, location filming, and aggressive marketing campaigns.
How does Missing Link's budget compare to similar family films?
At $100,000,000, Missing Link is classified as a big-budget production. The median budget for wide-release family films in the 2010s ranges from $30 - 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles. Comparable budgets: 1917 (2019, $100,000,000); American Gangster (2007, $100,000,000); Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024, $100,000,000).
Did Missing Link (2019) 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 Missing Link?
The theatrical ROI was -73.4%, calculated as ($26,565,710 − $100,000,000) ÷ $100,000,000 × 100. This measures gross revenue against production budget only - it does not account for P&A or exhibitor shares.
What awards did Missing Link (2019) win?
Nominated for 1 Oscar. 5 wins & 43 nominations total.
Who directed Missing Link and who were the key crew members?
Directed by Chris Butler, written by Chris Butler, with music by Carter Burwell, edited by Stephen Perkins.
Where was Missing Link filmed?
Missing Link was filmed in United States of America. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Filmmakers
Missing Link
Official Trailer
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