Autistic since birth, 28-year-old Molly McKay is a carefree young woman with an incredible zest for life. Her brother Buck McKay, a 32-year-old bachelor with a full social calendar and a booming career, has had little contact with Molly over the years until the institution that cares for her closes down. Now it's up to Buck to take his sister in...and that's turning into a full-time job. Daring, childlike and very energetic, Molly completely envelops her brother's life and turns his ordered world into chaos. Then just when Buck becomes desperate, Molly becomes a candidate for a new medical procedure that could cure her completely...but is it worth the risk? Molly sure thinks so...she's ready to experience everything.

What is the budget of Molly?

"Molly," a drama released in 1999, was directed by John Duigan and stars Elisabeth Shue, Aaron Eckhart. The production budget was $21,000,000, 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.

What were the major cost factors in Molly?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Molly."

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 Molly's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $21,000,000, Molly sits in the mid-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

Blockers (2018): Budget $21,000,000, Worldwide Gross $94,017,294
Death at a Funeral (2010): Budget $21,000,000, Worldwide Gross $49,050,886
Everybody's Fine (2009): Budget $21,000,000, Worldwide Gross $16,443,609
For Colored Girls (2010): Budget $21,000,000, Worldwide Gross $38,000,000
Freedom Writers (2007): Budget $21,000,000, Worldwide Gross $43,095,175

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

Molly Box Office Performance

"Molly" earned $17,650 domestically. Against a production budget of $21,000,000, 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 "Molly," that break-even threshold was roughly $42,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $17,650, the film did not reach break-even in theatrical release.

Production Budget: $21,000,000
Worldwide Gross: $17,650
Net Return: −$20,982,350
ROI: approximately -99.9%

At -99.9%, "Molly" did not recoup its production budget through theatrical release alone.