Synopsis

Trying to get back on her feet, wild child Tanya looks to her buttoned-up, by the book sister Danica to help her get back on track. As these polar opposites collide — with hilarious and sometimes disastrous results — Tanya discovers that Danica’s picture-perfect life — including her mysterious boyfriend — may not be what it seems.

What is the budget of Nobody’s Fool?

"Nobody’s Fool," a drama released in 2018, was directed by Robert Benton and stars Paul Newman, Bruce Willis. The production budget was $20,000,000, placing it in the mid-budget range for drama productions of its era.

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 Nobody’s Fool?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Nobody’s Fool."

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 Nobody’s Fool's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $20,000,000, Nobody’s Fool sits in the mid-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

12 Years a Slave (2013): Budget $20,000,000, Worldwide Gross $187,000,000
21 Grams (2003): Budget $20,000,000, Worldwide Gross $60,427,839
3 Ninjas Kick Back (1994): Budget $20,000,000, Worldwide Gross $11,798,854
A Guy Thing (2003): Budget $20,000,000, Worldwide Gross $17,400,000
A Most Violent Year (2014): Budget $20,000,000, Worldwide Gross $12,007,070

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

Nobody’s Fool Box Office Performance

"Nobody’s Fool" earned $39,491,975 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $20,000,000, 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 "Nobody’s Fool," that break-even threshold was roughly $40,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $39,491,975, the film fell short of that threshold but recouped its production costs in theatrical release.

Production Budget: $20,000,000
Worldwide Gross: $39,491,975
Net Return: $19,491,975
ROI: approximately 97.5%

At 97.5%, "Nobody’s Fool" returned its production investment but margin was tight after marketing and distribution costs.