Sully

Production Budget Analysis

What was the production budget for Sully?

Directed by Clint Eastwood, with Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Anna Gunn leading the cast, Sully was produced by Warner Bros. Pictures with a confirmed budget of $60,000,000, placing it in the mid-budget category for drama films.

With a $60,000,000 budget, Sully sits in the mid-range of studio releases. Marketing costs for a wide release at this level typically add $30–60 million, putting the break-even point near $150,000,000.

Budget Comparison — Similar Productions

• 15 Minutes (2001): Budget $60,000,000 | Gross $56,359,980 → ROI: -6% • Almost Famous (2000): Budget $60,000,000 | Gross $47,386,287 → ROI: -21% • Analyze That (2002): Budget $60,000,000 | Gross $55,003,135 → ROI: -8% • Antz (1998): Budget $60,000,000 | Gross $171,757,863 → ROI: 186% • Cats & Dogs (2001): Budget $60,000,000 | Gross $200,687,492 → ROI: 234%

Key Budget Allocation Categories

▸ Above-the-Line Talent Drama films live or die on the strength of their performances. Securing award-caliber actors and experienced directors represents the single largest budget line item, often consuming 30–40% of the total production budget.

▸ 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. Period dramas add the cost of era-accurate props, vehicles, and set decoration.

▸ Post-Production, Color Grading & Score The editorial process for dramas is typically longer than genre films, with careful attention to pacing and tone. Color grading, a nuanced musical score, and detailed sound mixing are critical to achieving the emotional resonance that defines the genre.

Key Production Personnel

CAST: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Anna Gunn, Holt McCallany, Mike O'Malley Key roles: Tom Hanks as Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger; Aaron Eckhart as Jeff Skiles; Anna Gunn as Elizabeth Davis; Holt McCallany as Mike Cleary

DIRECTOR: Clint Eastwood CINEMATOGRAPHY: Tom Stern MUSIC: Christian Jacob EDITING: Blu Murray PRODUCTION: Warner Bros. Pictures, Malpaso Productions, RatPac Entertainment, Flashlight Films, The Kennedy/Marshall Company, Village Roadshow Pictures FILMED IN: United States of America

Box Office Performance

Sully earned $125,070,033 domestically and $115,729,967 internationally, for a worldwide total of $240,800,000. Revenue was split 52% domestic / 48% international.

Break-Even Analysis

Using the industry-standard 2.5x multiplier (P&A + exhibitor shares of 40–50% + distribution fees), Sully needed approximately $150,000,000 to break even. The film surpassed this threshold by $90,800,000.

Return on Investment (ROI)

Revenue: $240,800,000 Budget: $60,000,000 Net: $180,800,000 ROI: 301.3%

Profitability Assessment

VERDICT: Highly Profitable

Sully was a clear financial success, generating $240,800,000 worldwide against a $60,000,000 production budget — a 301% ROI. After estimated marketing costs, the film still delivered substantial profit to Warner Bros. Pictures.

INDUSTRY IMPACT

The outsized success of Sully likely influenced studio greenlight decisions for similar drama projects.

PRODUCTION NOTES

▸ Casting

By June 2015, it was reported that Tom Hanks was already in talks to play the lead role of Sullenberger. Much of the rest of the cast was announced in August (with Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney, Holt McCallany, and Jamey Sheridan joining), September (Jerry Ferarra), and October (Max Adler, Sam Huntington, and Wayne Bastrup).

▸ Filming & Locations

Principal photography on the film began on September 28, 2015, in New York City. On October 15, filming started in Atlanta, where a building in downtown Atlanta was transformed into a New York hotel. Most of the film's budget was spent in Los Angeles, where the crash sequence and water evacuation scenes were filmed at Warner Bros. Studios and Universal Studios Hollywood. Filming also took place in North Carolina; Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico; and Kearny, New Jersey and concluded on November 25, 2015. The film was shot almost entirely with Arri Alexa IMAX cameras. The film was initially going to be framed for IMAX 1.90:1 and protected for 2.39:1, but by the second day of filming, Eastwood said that they were shooting a movie in IMAX and decided to frame for IMAX. However, the film was released in 2.39 in standard theaters and 1.90 in IMAX. The aviation mock-up/props and effects were supplied by Scroggins Aviation Mockup & Effects. They used three retired decommissioned airplanes (Aircraft Mock-up/Props) during the making of the film.

[Filming] Principal photography on the film began on September 28, 2015, in New York City. On October 15, filming started in Atlanta, where a building in downtown Atlanta was transformed into a New York hotel. Most of the film's budget was spent in Los Angeles, where the crash sequence and water evacuation scenes were filmed at Warner Bros. Studios and Universal Studios Hollywood. Filming also took place in North Carolina; Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico; and Kearny, New Jersey and concluded on November 25, 2015. The film was shot almost entirely with Arri Alexa IMAX cameras. The film was initially going to be framed for IMAX 1.90:1 and protected for 2.39:1, but by the second day of filming, Eastwood said that they were shooting a movie in IMAX and decided to frame for IMAX. However, the film was released in 2.39 in standard theaters and 1.90 in IMAX.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Awards Won: ★ National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Nominations: ○ Academy Award for Best Sound Editing (89th Academy Awards)

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! scope="row" rowspan="3"| AARP Annual Movies for Grownups Awards

! scope="row"| Academy Awards

! scope="row"| Alliance of Women Film Journalists

! scope="row"| Cinema Audio Society Awards

! scope="row" rowspan="4"| Critics' Choice Awards

! scope="row"| Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association

! scope="row"| Hollywood Film Awards

! scope="row"| Japan Academy Film Prize

! scope="row"| Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild

! scope="row"| MPSE Golden Reel Awards

! scope="row"| Palm Springs International Film Festival

! scope="row" rowspan="2"| People's Choice Awards

! scope="row"| San Diego Film Critics Society

! scope="row"| San Francisco Film Critics Circle

! scope="row" rowspan="3"| Satellite Awards

! scope="row"| Society of Operating Cameramen

! scope="row"| St. Louis Film Critics Association

! scope="row"| Visual Effects Society Awards

! scope="row"| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association

CRITICAL RECEPTION

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 85% based on 346 reviews, with an average rating of 7.20/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "As comfortingly workmanlike as its protagonist, Sully makes solid use of typically superlative work from its star and director to deliver a quietly stirring tribute to an everyday hero." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 74 out of 100, based on 46 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it a 90% positive score, with 72% saying they would definitely recommend it. 48% said they went to see the film due to interest on Flight 1549's story, while 40% went because of Hanks.

Peter Debruge of Variety gave a positive review, praising Hanks and saying, "This is Hanks' show, and he delivers a typically strong performance, quickly allowing us to forget that we're watching an actor. With his snowy white hair and moustache to match, Hanks conveys a man confident in his abilities, yet humble in his actions, which could also be said of Eastwood as a director." IGN reviewer Simon Thompson awarded 9/10, writing: "Sully is a beautifully balanced, classily nuanced and hugely engaging film that avoids all the clichéd pitfalls it could have slipped into. Tom Hanks gives one of the best performances of his career and Clint Eastwood's direction is beautiful and rich. It's not just a great movie, Sully is one of the best pieces of cinema that a major Hollywood studio has released this year." Manohla Dargis of The New York Times praised both the film and Eastwood's direction, saying it is "economical and solid, and generally low-key when it's not freaking you out".

Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter called it "[A] vigorous and involving salute to professionalism and being good at your job".