Only the Brave Budget

What is the budget of Only the Brave?

"Only the Brave," a drama released in 2017, was directed by Joseph Kosinski and stars Josh Brolin, Miles Teller. The production budget was $38,000,000, 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.
• Production: On March 1, 2016, Josh Brolin and Miles Teller joined the cast of the film.

What were the major cost factors in Only the Brave?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Only the Brave."

• 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 Only the Brave's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $38,000,000, Only the Brave sits in the mid-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

• Weapons (2025): Budget $38,000,000, Worldwide Gross $269,972,492
• The Fast and the Furious (2001): Budget $38,000,000, Worldwide Gross $207,283,925
• News of the World (2020): Budget $38,000,000, Worldwide Gross $12,700,000
• Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017): Budget $38,000,000 , Gross $125,427,681
• Why Him? (2016): Budget $38,000,000, Worldwide Gross $118,102,725

The median budget for wide-release drama films in the 2010s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

Only the Brave Box Office Performance

"Only the Brave" earned $25,754,775 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $38,000,000, the film faced challenges in theatrical release. Home video, streaming, and ancillary revenue may have contributed to its overall performance.

A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "Only the Brave," that break-even threshold was roughly $76,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $25,754,775, the film did not reach break-even in theatrical release.

• Production Budget: $38,000,000
• Worldwide Gross: $25,754,775
• Net Return: −$12,245,225
• ROI: approximately -32.2%

At -32.2%, "Only the Brave" did not recoup its production budget through theatrical release alone.

Critical Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 87% based on 160 reviews, with an average rating of 7.09/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Only the Braves impressive veteran cast and affecting fact-based story add up to a no-frills drama that's just as stolidly powerful as the real-life heroes it honors." On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating to reviews, the film has a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".