The Good Dinosaur Budget
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Synopsis
The Good Dinosaur asks the generations-old question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? The film is an original story about Arlo, a lively Apatosaurus with a big heart. After a traumatic event unsettles Arlo’s family, he sets out on a remarkable journey, gaining an unlikely companion along the way - a human boy.
What is the budget of The Good Dinosaur?
"The Good Dinosaur," an adventure released in 2015, was directed by Peter Sohn and stars Frances McDormand, Raymond Ochoa. The production budget was $175,000,000, placing it in the blockbuster range for adventure productions of its era.
Key Budget Allocation Categories
While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for an adventure production like this include:
- Stunts, Action Sequences & Visual Effects: Action films allocate a substantial portion of their budget to choreographing and executing practical stunts, pyrotechnics, and CGI-heavy sequences.
- Above-the-Line Talent (Cast & Director): A-list talent commands significant upfront fees plus backend participation.
- Production Design, Sets & Locations: Action films frequently require multiple international shooting locations, large-scale set construction, vehicle acquisitions and modifications, and specialized equipment , all of which drive production costs well above those of dialogue-driven genres.
- Music & Score: The film's score was composed by Mychael Danna and his brother, Jeff, It marks the first Pixar film to be scored by two composers.
What were the major cost factors in The Good Dinosaur?
Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "The Good Dinosaur."
- Stunts: Stunts, Action Sequences & Visual Effects is one of the primary cost drivers in adventure productions of this scale.
- Above-the-Line Talent (Cast: Above-the-Line Talent (Cast & Director) is one of the primary cost drivers in adventure productions of this scale.
- Production Design: Production Design, Sets & Locations is one of the primary cost drivers in adventure productions of this scale.
How Does The Good Dinosaur's Budget Compare to Similar Films?
At $175,000,000, The Good Dinosaur sits in the blockbuster range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:
- 47 Ronin (2013): Budget $175,000,000, Worldwide Gross $151,783,839
- Cars 3 (2017): Budget $175,000,000, Worldwide Gross $383,925,276
- Coco (2017): Budget $175,000,000, Worldwide Gross $814,641,172
- Dolittle (2020): Budget $175,000,000, Worldwide Gross $251,410,631
- Evan Almighty (2007): Budget $175,000,000, Worldwide Gross $174,440,724
The median budget for wide-release adventure films in the 2010s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.
The Good Dinosaur Box Office Performance
"The Good Dinosaur" earned $123,087,120 domestically and $332,207,671 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $175,000,000, 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 "The Good Dinosaur," that break-even threshold was roughly $350,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $332,207,671, the film fell short of that threshold but recouped its production costs in theatrical release.
- Production Budget: $175,000,000
- Worldwide Gross: $332,207,671
- Net Return: $157,207,671
- ROI: approximately 89.8%
At 89.8%, "The Good Dinosaur" returned its production investment but margin was tight after marketing and distribution costs.
The Good Dinosaur Production History
The film's score was composed by Mychael Danna and his brother, Jeff, It marks the first Pixar film to be scored by two composers. Danna was approached by Sohn and Ream due to his score for Life of Pi (2012), which won an Academy Award.
Critical Reception
Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did it cost to make The Good Dinosaur (2015)?
The production budget was $175,000,000, covering principal photography, cast and crew salaries, locations, sets, post-production, and music. Marketing and distribution (P&A) costs are estimated at an additional $87,500,000 - $140,000,000, bringing the total studio investment to approximately $262,500,000 - $315,000,000.
How much did The Good Dinosaur (2015) earn at the box office?
The Good Dinosaur grossed $123,087,120 domestic, $209,120,551 international, totaling $332,207,671 worldwide.
Was The Good Dinosaur (2015) profitable?
The film did not break even theatrically, earning $332,207,671 against an estimated $437,500,000 needed. Ancillary revenue may have improved the picture.
What were the biggest costs in producing The Good Dinosaur?
The primary cost drivers were above-the-line talent (Frances McDormand, Raymond Ochoa, Jeffrey Wright); visual effects, practical stunts, and A-list talent compensation.
How does The Good Dinosaur's budget compare to similar adventure films?
At $175,000,000, The Good Dinosaur is classified as a big-budget production. The median budget for wide-release adventure films in the 2010s ranges from $30 - 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles. Comparable budgets: 47 Ronin (2013, $175,000,000); Cars 3 (2017, $175,000,000); Coco (2017, $175,000,000).
Did The Good Dinosaur (2015) 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 The Good Dinosaur?
The theatrical ROI was 89.8%, calculated as ($332,207,671 − $175,000,000) ÷ $175,000,000 × 100. This measures gross revenue against production budget only - it does not account for P&A or exhibitor shares.
Who directed The Good Dinosaur and who were the key crew members?
Directed by Peter Sohn, written by Bob Peterson, Erik Benson, Kelsey Mann, Peter Sohn, shot by Sharon Calahan, Mahyar Abousaeedi, with music by Jeff Danna, Mychael Danna, edited by Stephen Schaffer.
Where was The Good Dinosaur filmed?
The Good Dinosaur was filmed in United States of America. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Filmmakers
The Good Dinosaur
Official Trailer
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