Nobody’s Fool Budget

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.

Awards and Recognition

Nominated for 2 Oscars. 5 wins & 10 nominations total

• National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Nobody's Fool Production History

Nobody's Fool was developed by writer and director Tyler Perry as a vehicle for Tiffany Haddish, who had broken out the prior year in Girls Trip. Perry positioned the picture as his first R rated theatrical release and his first feature distributed by Paramount Players, the studio specialty label launched in 2017.

Paramount Players, Tyler Perry Studios, and BET Films co-financed the production at a reported $20 million. The deal allowed Perry to write, direct, and produce within his usual short turnaround model while benefiting from Paramount's wider theatrical distribution footprint than his previous Lionsgate releases.

Principal photography took place at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, in early 2018, with the Atlanta-area soundstages standing in for New York City and using Georgia's film production tax incentives. Perry shot the picture in his customary tight schedule of roughly three to four weeks, a workflow that drew industry attention for its efficiency relative to comparable studio comedies. Paramount Players released the film on November 2, 2018, opening it counterprogrammed against horror title Bohemian Rhapsody.

Critical Reception

Nobody's Fool holds a 22 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 35, among the lowest critical scores of Tyler Perry's directorial career. CinemaScore audiences awarded the film a B+, in line with the disconnect that often separates Perry's critical and audience reception. Manohla Dargis of The New York Times wrote that the picture "struggles to find a single rhythm, swinging from raunchy farce to tearful sermon without warning." Brian Tallerico at RogerEbert.com awarded one and a half stars and praised Tiffany Haddish's energy while criticizing the screenplay as "a series of disconnected scenes." Jocelyn Noveck of the Associated Press called the picture "sour and confused." Several critics highlighted Haddish's commitment as the brightest element, with some defending the film's catfishing twist as more honest about online romance than glossier studio comedies. Audience tracking showed strong opening night attendance among Tyler Perry's core base, which is the demographic that drove the picture to recoup its budget in less than two weeks.