Reagan Budget

What is the budget of Reagan?

"Reagan," a history released in 2024, was directed by Sean McNamara and stars Dennis Quaid, Penelope Ann Miller. The production budget was $25,000,000, placing it in the mid-budget range for history productions of its era.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a history 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: In 2010, it was announced producer Mark Joseph would be producing a feature film biopic of Ronald Reagan with Joseph having been inspired to take on such a project after reacting to the miniseries The Reagans with distaste.

What were the major cost factors in Reagan?

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

• Above-the-Line Talent: Above-the-Line Talent is one of the primary cost drivers in history productions of this scale.
• Location Filming: Location Filming & Period Production Design is one of the primary cost drivers in history productions of this scale.
• Post-Production: Post-Production, Color Grading & Score is one of the primary cost drivers in history productions of this scale.

How Does Reagan's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $25,000,000, Reagan sits in the mid-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

• 1408 (2007): Budget $25,000,000, Worldwide Gross $133,000,000
• A Journal for Jordan (2021): Budget $25,000,000, Worldwide Gross $6,700,000
• Abandon (2002): Budget $25,000,000, Worldwide Gross $10,719,357
• All My Life (2020): Budget $25,000,000, Worldwide Gross $2,000,000
• August Rush (2007): Budget $25,000,000, Worldwide Gross $66,122,026

The median budget for wide-release history films in the 2020s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

Reagan Box Office Performance

"Reagan" earned $30,047,417 domestically and $30,107,173 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $25,000,000, 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 "Reagan," that break-even threshold was roughly $50,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $30,107,173, the film fell short of that threshold but recouped its production costs in theatrical release.

• Production Budget: $25,000,000
• Worldwide Gross: $30,107,173
• Net Return: $5,107,173
• ROI: approximately 20.4%

At 20.4%, "Reagan" returned its production investment but margin was tight after marketing and distribution costs.

Reagan Production History

The film features prominent musicians' covers of standards. Bob Dylan sings Cole Porter's "Don't Fence Me In" over the end credits. Gene Simmons covers the 1930s standard "Stormy Weather". Clint Black sings John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads." The original score was composed by John Coda.

Awards and Recognition

3 wins & 7 nominations total

Critical Reception

The audience score was much more favorable at 98%, giving the film one of the largest audience-to-critic score gaps in the site's history. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it an average 4.5 out of 5 stars, with 77% saying they would definitely recommend it.