Scary Movie Budget
Comedy1h 28mUpdated
Synopsis
"Scary Movie" (2000) is a hilarious parody that takes aim at the horror genre, particularly the iconic films of the late 1990s. The story follows a group of teenagers who find themselves embroiled in a series of bizarre and comedic events after a mysterious killer begins to stalk them. As they navigate through a night filled with absurd situations, outrageous gags, and pop culture references, the characters must confront their fears while also poking fun at the clichés and tropes commonly found in horror films. With a blend of slapstick humor and clever satire, "Scary Movie" delivers a unique take on the genre, making it a memorable entry in the realm of comedy.
What is the budget of Scary Movie?
"Scary Movie," a comedy released in 2000, was directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and stars Anna Faris, Regina Hall. The production budget was $19,000,000, placing it in the low-budget range for comedy productions of its era.
Key Budget Allocation Categories
While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a comedy production like this include:
- Talent Salaries & Producing Deals: Established comedic talent can command $15 to 20 million per film, with top-tier stars earning even more through producing credits and backend deals.
- Production & Location Filming: While comedies generally avoid the VFX costs of action films, location shooting in recognizable cities or exotic locales adds meaningful production expense.
- Marketing & P&A (Prints & Advertising): Comedies rely heavily on marketing to build opening-weekend momentum.
- Production: Shawn Wayans conceived a movie that would parody 1990s teen-slasher movies, and he along with Marlon Wayans, and writing partners Buddy Johnson and Phil Beauman wrote a script with the reported working title of Last Summer I Screamed Because Halloween Fell on Friday the 13th.
What were the major cost factors in Scary Movie?
Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Scary Movie."
- Talent Salaries: Talent Salaries & Producing Deals is one of the primary cost drivers in comedy productions of this scale.
- Production: Production & Location Filming is one of the primary cost drivers in comedy productions of this scale.
- Marketing: Marketing & P&A (Prints & Advertising) is one of the primary cost drivers in comedy productions of this scale.
How Does Scary Movie's Budget Compare to Similar Films?
At $19,000,000, Scary Movie sits in the low-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:
- A Cinderella Story (2004): Budget $19,000,000, Worldwide Gross $70,067,909
- A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2011): Budget $19,000,000, Worldwide Gross $36,192,775
- Action Point (2018): Budget $19,000,000, Worldwide Gross $5,059,608
- Arthur the King (2024): Budget $19,000,000, Worldwide Gross $40,829,138
- Back to the Future (1985): Budget $19,000,000, Worldwide Gross $381,109,762
The median budget for wide-release comedy films in the 2000s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.
Scary Movie Box Office Performance
"Scary Movie" earned $157,019,771 domestically and $278,023,280 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $19,000,000, 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 "Scary Movie," that break-even threshold was roughly $38,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $278,023,280, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.
- Production Budget: $19,000,000
- Worldwide Gross: $278,023,280
- Net Return: $259,023,280
- ROI: approximately 1363.3%
At 1363.3%, "Scary Movie" earned roughly $14.63 for every $1 invested in production.
Scary Movie Production History
The soundtrack to Scary Movie was released on July 4, 2000, through TVT Records and consists of a blend of hip hop and rock music. ; Track listing # "Too Cool for School" - 2:27 (Fountains of Wayne) # "The Inevitable Return of the Great White Dope" - 3:53 (Bloodhound Gang) # "Stay" - 3:56 (Radford) # "The Only Way to Be" - 3:20 (Save Ferris) # "My Bad" - 3:22 (Oleander) # "Punk Song #2" - 2:46 (Silverchair) # "Everybody Wants You" - 4:11 (Unband) # "Superfly" - 2:55 (Bender) # "I Wanna Be Sedated" - 2:31 (The Ramones) # "Scary Movies" - 3:56 (Bad Meets Evil) # "All Bout U" - 4:34 (2Pac, Top Dogg, Yaki Kadafi, Hussein Fatal, Nate Dogg & Dru Down) # "I Want Cha" - 4:37 (Black Eyed Peas) # "What What" - 5:03 (Public Enemy) # "Feel Me" - 3:49 (Rah Digga, Rampage & Rock) # "I'm the Killer" - 3:57 (Lifelong & Incident).
Awards and Recognition
8 wins & 7 nominations total
Critical Reception
Scary Movie received mixed reviews from critics. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 51% based on 117 reviews, with an average score of 5.50/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Critics say Scary Movie overloads on crudity and grossness to get its laughs." On Metacritic, the film received a score of 48 based on 32 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did it cost to make Scary Movie (2000)?
The production budget was $19,000,000, covering principal photography, cast and crew salaries, locations, sets, post-production, and music. Marketing and distribution (P&A) costs are estimated at an additional $9,500,000 - $15,200,000, bringing the total studio investment to approximately $28,500,000 - $34,200,000.
How much did Scary Movie (2000) earn at the box office?
Scary Movie grossed $157,019,771 domestic, $121,003,509 international, totaling $278,023,280 worldwide.
Was Scary Movie (2000) profitable?
Yes. Against a production budget of $19,000,000 and estimated total costs of ~$47,500,000, the film earned $278,023,280 theatrically - a 1363% ROI on production costs alone.
What were the biggest costs in producing Scary Movie?
The primary cost drivers were above-the-line talent (Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Marlon Wayans); star comedian salaries, location filming, and aggressive marketing campaigns.
How does Scary Movie's budget compare to similar comedy films?
At $19,000,000, Scary Movie is classified as a low-budget production. The median budget for wide-release comedy films in the 2000s ranges from $30 - 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles. Comparable budgets: A Cinderella Story (2004, $19,000,000); A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2011, $19,000,000); Action Point (2018, $19,000,000).
Did Scary Movie (2000) 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 Scary Movie?
The theatrical ROI was 1363.3%, calculated as ($278,023,280 − $19,000,000) ÷ $19,000,000 × 100. This measures gross revenue against production budget only - it does not account for P&A or exhibitor shares.
What awards did Scary Movie (2000) win?
8 wins & 7 nominations total.
Who directed Scary Movie and who were the key crew members?
Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, written by Shawn Wayans, Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg, shot by Francis Kenny, with music by David Kitay, edited by Mark Helfrich.
Where was Scary Movie filmed?
Scary Movie was filmed in United States of America. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Filmmakers
Scary Movie
Official Trailer
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