Production Budget Analysis

What was the production budget for Moonrise Kingdom?

Directed by Wes Anderson, with Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis leading the cast, Moonrise Kingdom was produced by Indian Paintbrush with a confirmed budget of $16,000,000, placing it in the low-budget category for comedy films.

At $16,000,000, Moonrise Kingdom was produced on a modest budget. Lower-budget films benefit from reduced break-even thresholds, with profitability achievable at approximately $40,000,000.

Budget Comparison — Similar Productions

• Nobody (2021): Budget $16,000,000 | Gross $57,512,470 → ROI: 259% • Thelma & Louise (1991): Budget $16,000,000 | Gross $45,361,000 → ROI: 184% • 10 Things I Hate About You (1999): Budget $16,000,000 | Gross $53,478,166 → ROI: 234% • Bones and All (2022): Budget $16,000,000 | Gross $15,234,907 → ROI: -5% • The Princess Bride (1987): Budget $16,000,000 | Gross $30,900,000 → ROI: 93%

Key Budget Allocation Categories

▸ Talent Salaries & Producing Deals Established comedic talent can command $15–20 million per film, with top-tier stars earning even more through producing credits and backend deals. Comedy ensembles multiply this cost across several well-known performers.

▸ 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. Studios typically spend 50–100% of the production budget on marketing, with comedy trailers and social media campaigns being particularly expensive.

Key Production Personnel

CAST: Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray Key roles: Jared Gilman as Sam Shakusky; Kara Hayward as Suzy Bishop; Bruce Willis as Captain Sharp; Edward Norton as Scout Master Ward

DIRECTOR: Wes Anderson CINEMATOGRAPHY: Robert D. Yeoman MUSIC: Alexandre Desplat EDITING: Andrew Weisblum PRODUCTION: Indian Paintbrush, American Empirical Pictures FILMED IN: United States of America

Box Office Performance

Moonrise Kingdom earned $45,512,466 domestically and $22,750,700 internationally, for a worldwide total of $68,263,166. The film skewed heavily domestic (67%), suggesting strong North American appeal.

Break-Even Analysis

Using the industry-standard 2.5x multiplier (P&A + exhibitor shares of 40–50% + distribution fees), Moonrise Kingdom needed approximately $40,000,000 to break even. The film surpassed this threshold by $28,263,166.

Return on Investment (ROI)

Revenue: $68,263,166 Budget: $16,000,000 Net: $52,263,166 ROI: 326.6%

Profitability Assessment

VERDICT: Highly Profitable

Moonrise Kingdom was a clear financial success, generating $68,263,166 worldwide against a $16,000,000 production budget — a 327% ROI. After estimated marketing costs, the film still delivered substantial profit to Indian Paintbrush.