Steve Jobs Budget

What is the budget of Steve Jobs?

"Steve Jobs," a drama released in 2015, was directed by Danny Boyle and stars Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet. The production budget was $30,000,000, 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.
• Development: Sony Pictures acquired the rights to Isaacson's book in October 2011, hiring Aaron Sorkin to adapt it.

What were the major cost factors in Steve Jobs?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Steve Jobs."

• 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 Steve Jobs's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $30,000,000, Steve Jobs sits in the mid-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

• A Hologram for the King (2016): Budget $30,000,000, Worldwide Gross $9,169,507
• A Lot Like Love (2005): Budget $30,000,000, Worldwide Gross $42,886,719
• Big Momma's House (2000): Budget $30,000,000, Worldwide Gross $173,959,438
• Crazy Rich Asians (2018): Budget $30,000,000, Worldwide Gross $238,539,198
• Doomsday (2008): Budget $30,000,000, Worldwide Gross $22,472,631

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

Steve Jobs Box Office Performance

"Steve Jobs" earned $34,400,000 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $30,000,000, 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 "Steve Jobs," that break-even threshold was roughly $60,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $34,400,000, the film fell short of that threshold but recouped its production costs in theatrical release.

• Production Budget: $30,000,000
• Worldwide Gross: $34,400,000
• Net Return: $4,400,000
• ROI: approximately 14.7%

At 14.7%, "Steve Jobs" returned its production investment but margin was tight after marketing and distribution costs.

Steve Jobs Production History

Sony Pictures acquired the rights to Isaacson's book in October 2011, hiring Aaron Sorkin to adapt it. In November 2011, George Clooney and Noah Wyle (the latter of whom had previously portrayed Jobs in the 1999 television film Pirates of Silicon Valley) were rumored to be considered for the title role. In May 2012, Sorkin officially confirmed that he was writing the script, and had enlisted the help of Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, for historical accuracy.

Principal photography began on January 16, 2015, at Jobs's childhood home in Los Altos, California, with additional scenes shot throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Production next moved to Berkeley on January 23 to 24, 2015 (at La Méditerranée, a restaurant on College Avenue in the Elmwood district). On January 29, 2015, filming continued at Flint Center, De Anza college (the location of the original unveiling of the Macintosh in 1984).

Daniel Pemberton composed the music for the film. Much like the film's visual approach, the score is divided into three distinguishable sections, each corresponding to the intended feel of the act in which the section is heard. "You have the first act which is analog," Pemberton explains, "you have the second act which is orchestral, and you have the third act which is digital." For the first act's composition, Pemberton primarily used analog synthesizers, in particular ones released no later than 1984 , the time the first act takes place , such as the Roland SH-1000 and Yamaha CS-80.

Critical Reception

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 319 reviews with an average rating of 7.70/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Like the tech giant co-founded by its subject, Steve Jobs gathers brilliant people to deliver a product whose elegance belies the intricate complexities at its core." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 82 out of 100, based on 45 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".