

Out of the Furnace Budget
Updated
Synopsis
Russell Baze has a rough life: he works a dead-end blue collar job at the local steel mill by day, and cares for his terminally ill father by night. When Russell’s brother Rodney returns home from serving time in Iraq, he gets lured into one of the most ruthless crime rings in the Northeast and mysteriously disappears. The police fail to crack the case, so—with nothing left to lose—Russell takes matters into his own hands, putting his life on the line to seek justice for his brother.
What is the budget of Out of the Furnace?
"Out of the Furnace," a thriller released in 2013, was directed by Scott Cooper and stars Christian Bale, Zoe Saldaña. The production budget was $22,000,000, placing it in the mid-budget range for thriller productions of its era.
Key Budget Allocation Categories
While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a thriller production like this include:
- Talent & Director Compensation: Thrillers depend on compelling lead performances to sustain tension, making cast compensation a primary budget concern. Directors with proven thriller credentials command premium fees.
- Cinematography & Location Photography: Thriller aesthetics demand specific visual languages , surveillance-style photography, claustrophobic framing, or expansive location work across multiple cities or countries.
- Editorial & Sound Post-Production: Precision editing , controlling information flow, building suspense through pacing, and orchestrating reveals , requires extended post-production schedules.
- Development: The film was produced by Relativity Media, Appian Way Productions, Red Granite Pictures, and Scott Free Productions, with Jeff Waxman, Tucker Tooley, Brooklyn Weaver, Riza Aziz, Joey McFarland, Joe Gatta, Danny Dimbort, and Christian Mercuri serving as executive producers.
What were the major cost factors in Out of the Furnace?
Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Out of the Furnace."
- Talent: Talent & Director Compensation is one of the primary cost drivers in thriller productions of this scale.
- Cinematography: Cinematography & Location Photography is one of the primary cost drivers in thriller productions of this scale.
- Editorial: Editorial & Sound Post-Production is one of the primary cost drivers in thriller productions of this scale.
How Does Out of the Furnace's Budget Compare to Similar Films?
At $22,000,000, Out of the Furnace sits in the mid-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:
- 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
- Dances with Wolves (1990): Budget $22,000,000, Worldwide Gross $424,208,848
- Derailed (2005): Budget $22,000,000, Worldwide Gross $57,479,076
- Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005): Budget $22,000,000 , Gross $45,109,561
The median budget for wide-release thriller films in the 2010s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.
Out of the Furnace Box Office Performance
"Out of the Furnace" earned $11,330,849 domestically and $15,400,000 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $22,000,000, 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 "Out of the Furnace," that break-even threshold was roughly $44,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $15,400,000, the film did not reach break-even in theatrical release.
- Production Budget: $22,000,000
- Worldwide Gross: $15,400,000
- Net Return: −$6,600,000
- ROI: approximately -30%
At -30%, "Out of the Furnace" did not recoup its production budget through theatrical release alone.
Out of the Furnace Production History
The film was produced by Relativity Media, Appian Way Productions, Red Granite Pictures, and Scott Free Productions, with Jeff Waxman, Tucker Tooley, Brooklyn Weaver, Riza Aziz, Joey McFarland, Joe Gatta, Danny Dimbort, and Christian Mercuri serving as executive producers. Director Scott Cooper read an article about Braddock, Pennsylvania, a declining steel industry town outside Pittsburgh, and the efforts to revitalize it, led by mayor John Fetterman. After visiting, Cooper was inspired to use the borough as the backdrop for a film.
Principal photography began in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area on April 13, 2012, and wrapped on June 1, 2012. The majority of filming took place in Braddock, and additional filming was in nearby North Braddock, Imperial, Rankin, and Swissvale. Cinematographer Masanobu Takayanagi shot the feature in anamorphic format on Kodak 35mm film.
The musical score to Out of the Furnace was composed by Dickon Hinchliffe. Originally, it was announced that Alberto Iglesias had reached an agreement to compose the score for the film. However, Hinchliffe later took over scoring duties.
Awards and Recognition
1 win & 10 nominations total
Critical Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an average approval rating of 53% based on 197 reviews, and an average rating of 5.91/10. The general consensus for the site says: "While it may not make the most of its incredible cast, Out of the Furnace is still so packed with talent that it's hard to turn away." Metacritic gave the film a weighted average score of 63 out of 100 based on 40 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did it cost to make Out of the Furnace (2013)?
The production budget was $22,000,000, covering principal photography, cast and crew salaries, locations, sets, post-production, and music. Marketing and distribution (P&A) costs are estimated at an additional $11,000,000 - $17,600,000, bringing the total studio investment to approximately $33,000,000 - $39,600,000.
How much did Out of the Furnace (2013) earn at the box office?
Out of the Furnace grossed $11,330,849 domestic, $4,069,151 international, totaling $15,400,000 worldwide.
Was Out of the Furnace (2013) profitable?
The film did not break even theatrically, earning $15,400,000 against an estimated $55,000,000 needed. Ancillary revenue may have improved the picture.
What were the biggest costs in producing Out of the Furnace?
The primary cost drivers were above-the-line talent (Christian Bale, Zoe Saldaña, Woody Harrelson); talent compensation, location cinematography, and tension-driven editorial; international production across United States of America, United Kingdom.
How does Out of the Furnace's budget compare to similar thriller films?
At $22,000,000, Out of the Furnace is classified as a low-budget production. The median budget for wide-release thriller films in the 2010s ranges from $30 - 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles. Comparable budgets: 12 Rounds (2009, $22,000,000); Before I Go to Sleep (2014, $22,000,000); Dances with Wolves (1990, $22,000,000).
Did Out of the Furnace (2013) go over budget?
There are no widely reported accounts of significant budget overruns for this production. However, studios rarely disclose precise budget overrun figures publicly. The reported production budget reflects the final estimated cost.
What was the return on investment (ROI) for Out of the Furnace?
The theatrical ROI was -30.0%, calculated as ($15,400,000 − $22,000,000) ÷ $22,000,000 × 100. This measures gross revenue against production budget only - it does not account for P&A or exhibitor shares.
What awards did Out of the Furnace (2013) win?
1 win & 10 nominations total.
Who directed Out of the Furnace and who were the key crew members?
Directed by Scott Cooper, written by Scott Cooper, Brad Ingelsby, shot by Masanobu Takayanagi, with music by Dickon Hinchliffe, edited by David Rosenbloom.
Where was Out of the Furnace filmed?
Out of the Furnace was filmed in United States of America, United Kingdom. Principal photography began in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area on April 13, 2012, and wrapped on June 1, 2012. The majority of filming took place in Braddock, and additional filming was in nearby North Braddock, Imperial, Rankin, and Swissvale. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Filmmakers
Out of the Furnace
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