Silence Budget

What is the budget of Silence?

"Silence," a drama released in 2016, was directed by Martin Scorsese and stars Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver. The production budget was $46,000,000, 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.
• Writing: This film marks the second adaptation of Shūsaku Endō's novel, which was previously adapted by Masahiro Shinoda into the 1971 film of the same name.

What were the major cost factors in Silence?

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

• 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 Silence's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $46,000,000, Silence sits in the mid-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

• Prisoners (2013): Budget $46,000,000, Worldwide Gross $122,127,446
• Strays (2023): Budget $46,000,000, Worldwide Gross $32,000,000
• Shaft (2000): Budget $46,000,000, Worldwide Gross $107,626,125
• Insomnia (2002): Budget $46,000,000, Worldwide Gross $113,714,830
• 65 (2023): Budget $45,000,000, Worldwide Gross $60,730,568

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

Silence Box Office Performance

"Silence" earned $7,100,177 domestically and $23,834,809 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $46,000,000, 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 "Silence," that break-even threshold was roughly $92,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $23,834,809, the film did not reach break-even in theatrical release.

• Production Budget: $46,000,000
• Worldwide Gross: $23,834,809
• Net Return: −$22,165,191
• ROI: approximately -48.2%

At -48.2%, "Silence" did not recoup its production budget through theatrical release alone.

Silence Production History

This film marks the second adaptation of Shūsaku Endō's novel, which was previously adapted by Masahiro Shinoda into the 1971 film of the same name. Scorsese penned the initial screenplay in 1991 with co-writer and long-time collaborator Jay Cocks. However, they were unsatisfied with the script and conducted rewrites for an additional 15 years.

Beginning in 2009 and into 2010, Daniel Day-Lewis, Benicio del Toro and Gael García Bernal were in negotiations to star. In May 2013, Andrew Garfield and Ken Watanabe joined the cast with Watanabe as the priests' translator. However, due to scheduling conflicts, Watanabe was replaced by Tadanobu Asano in January 2015.

In January 2012, Scorsese discussed the possibility of utilizing 3D, however reconsidered. By February 2014, Scorsese had begun scouting locations in Taiwan, with filming set for the summer, and eventually pushed back to early 2015. Principal photography took place in Taiwan from January 30 to May 15, 2015, using studios in Taipei and Taichung and locations in Hualien County.

Awards and Recognition

• National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Critical Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 83% based on 286 reviews, and an average rating of 7.60/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Silence ends Martin Scorsese's decades-long creative quest with a thoughtful, emotionally resonant look at spirituality and human nature that stands among the director's finest works." On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating, the film has a score of 79 out of 100, based on 48 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".