Philomena Budget

What is the budget of Philomena?

"Philomena," a drama released in 2013, was directed by Stephen Frears and stars Judi Dench, Steve Coogan. The production budget was $12,000,000, placing it in the low-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.
• Music & Score: The score of the film was composed by Alexandre Desplat, which was released on 25 October 2013 by Decca Records.

What were the major cost factors in Philomena?

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

• 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 Philomena's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $12,000,000, Philomena sits in the low-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

• Goon (2012): Budget $12,000,000, Worldwide Gross $6,985,158
• Jobs (2013): Budget $12,000,000, Worldwide Gross $42,100,000
• All That Jazz (1979): Budget $12,000,000, Worldwide Gross $37,823,676
• 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): Budget $12,000,000 , Gross $71,923,560
• Wolfwalkers (2020): Budget $12,000,000, Worldwide Gross $1,310,720

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

Philomena Box Office Performance

"Philomena" earned $100,100,000 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $12,000,000, the film performed strongly at the box office.

A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "Philomena," that break-even threshold was roughly $24,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $100,100,000, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.

• Production Budget: $12,000,000
• Worldwide Gross: $100,100,000
• Net Return: $88,100,000
• ROI: approximately 734.2%

At 734.2%, "Philomena" earned roughly $8.34 for every $1 invested in production.

Philomena Production History

The score of the film was composed by Alexandre Desplat, which was released on 25 October 2013 by Decca Records.

Awards and Recognition

• Queer Lion

Critical Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 91% based on 199 reviews, with an average rating of 7.74/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Based on a powerful true story and led by note-perfect performances from Judi Dench and Steve Coogan, Philomena offers a profoundly affecting drama for adult filmgoers of all ages." At Metacritic, the film received a weighted average score of 77 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.