My Fellow Americans Budget

What is the budget of My Fellow Americans?

"My Fellow Americans," a comedy released in 1996, was directed by Peter Segal and stars Jack Lemmon, James Garner. The production budget was $21,500,000, placing it in the mid-budget range for comedy productions of the 1990s.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a comedy 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.
• Production: The film had initially been written for Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon before the Matthau role ultimately went to James Garner due to Matthau vacating for health reasons.

What were the major cost factors in My Fellow Americans?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "My Fellow Americans."

• Talent Salaries: Talent Salaries & Producing Deals is one of the primary cost drivers in comedy productions of this scale.
• Production: Production & Location Filming is one of the primary cost drivers in comedy productions of this scale.
• Marketing: Marketing & P&A (Prints & Advertising) is one of the primary cost drivers in comedy productions of this scale.

How Does My Fellow Americans's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $21,500,000, My Fellow Americans sits in the mid-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

• The White Ribbon (2009): Budget $21,555,450, Worldwide Gross $11,652,157
• Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (2001): Budget $21,150,000, Worldwide Gross $39,438,674
• 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
• Blockers (2018): Budget $21,000,000, Worldwide Gross $94,017,294

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

My Fellow Americans Box Office Performance

"My Fellow Americans" earned $22,313,201 domestically. Against a production budget of $21,500,000, 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 "My Fellow Americans," that break-even threshold was roughly $43,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $22,313,201, the film fell short of that threshold but recouped its production costs in theatrical release.

• Production Budget: $21,500,000
• Worldwide Gross: $22,313,201
• Net Return: $813,201
• ROI: approximately 3.8%

At 3.8%, "My Fellow Americans" returned its production investment but margin was tight after marketing and distribution costs.

My Fellow Americans Production History

Most of the principal filming for the film was done in the mountains of western North Carolina. Scenes were filmed along the Broad River where it flows into Lake Lure in Rutherford County, Dillsboro, along the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad; Waynesville, where a giant clown sign crashes through their windshield as they try to flee and where they find the baby in the stolen car is in Marshall, North Carolina; and in Asheville, at the Biltmore Estate. In Asheville, North Carolina, the downtown area stands in for an unnamed town in West Virginia.

Awards and Recognition

N/A

Critical Reception

My Fellow Americans received mixed reviews from critics. It holds a 48% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 61 reviews and the critical consensus: "It doesn't commit any impeachable offenses, but My Fellow Americans lacks strong regulatory oversight of its toothless political satire and misuse of comedic talent."