Napoleon Budget

What is the budget of Napoleon?

"Napoleon," a history released in 2023, was directed by Ridley Scott and stars Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby. The production budget was $165,000,000, placing it in the blockbuster range for history productions of its era.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a history 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.
• Writing: Scarpa had been approached by Scott to write a film based on Napoleon following production of All the Money in the World.

What were the major cost factors in Napoleon?

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

• Above-the-Line Talent: Above-the-Line Talent is one of the primary cost drivers in history productions of this scale.
• Location Filming: Location Filming & Period Production Design is one of the primary cost drivers in history productions of this scale.
• Post-Production: Post-Production, Color Grading & Score is one of the primary cost drivers in history productions of this scale.

How Does Napoleon's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $165,000,000, Napoleon sits in the blockbuster range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

• Big Hero 6 (2014): Budget $165,000,000, Worldwide Gross $657,870,525
• Dune (2021): Budget $165,000,000, Worldwide Gross $410,668,500
• Independence Day: Resurgence (2016): Budget $165,000,000 , Gross $389,681,935
• Interstellar (2014): Budget $165,000,000, Worldwide Gross $746,606,706
• Cowboys & Aliens (2011): Budget $163,000,000, Worldwide Gross $174,822,325

The median budget for wide-release history films in the 2020s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

Napoleon Box Office Performance

"Napoleon" earned $61,524,375 domestically and $222,435,664 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $165,000,000, 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 "Napoleon," that break-even threshold was roughly $330,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $222,435,664, the film fell short of that threshold but recouped its production costs in theatrical release.

• Production Budget: $165,000,000
• Worldwide Gross: $222,435,664
• Net Return: $57,435,664
• ROI: approximately 34.8%

At 34.8%, "Napoleon" returned its production investment but margin was tight after marketing and distribution costs.

Napoleon Production History

Scarpa had been approached by Scott to write a film based on Napoleon following production of All the Money in the World. As he initially had a "high school basic knowledge" of his life, he researched Napoleon and after realizing that writing a film encompassing his entire life was impractical, he decided to focus on Napoleon's relationship with his wife, Josephine. He began by reading Napoleon: A Concise Biography by David A.

Joaquin Phoenix was reportedly attached to star as the French general and emperor Napoléon, reuniting him with the director after Gladiator (2000). Scott had Phoenix and another actor in mind to play Napoléon, but felt "blown away" by Phoenix's performance in Joker (2019) and concluded that Phoenix could be an "amazing asset" for Napoleon, both creatively and commercially. The Last Duel actress Jodie Comer was reportedly Scott's first choice to play Joséphine.

Production began in February 2022. The battles featured in the film are the siege of Toulon, Battle of the Pyramids, Battle of Marengo, Battle of Austerlitz, Battle of Borodino, and Battle of Waterloo. The Battle of Marengo sequence was removed from the theatrical cut but was retained in the director's cut.

Awards and Recognition

Nominated for 3 Oscars. 6 wins & 47 nominations total

Critical Reception

Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it a 72% overall positive score, with 46% saying they would definitely recommend the film. French critics had a less enthusiastic view than those from Britain and America, considering Napoleon "lazy, pointless, boring, migraine-inducing, too short and historically inaccurate".