The King Budget

What Is the Budget of The King (2019)?

The King (2019), directed by David Michôd and released by Netflix, was produced on an estimated budget of approximately $25,000,000 to $30,000,000. Neither Netflix nor the production team publicly disclosed a precise figure, but the budget aligns with the upper tier of Netflix's prestige-drama original slate alongside The Two Popes (2019) and The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020). The film was produced by Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment in partnership with the Australian production company Porchlight Films and David Michôd and Joel Edgerton's Blue-Tongue Films.

At approximately $25,000,000 to $30,000,000, The King sat within the tier of Netflix's award-targeting prestige drama originals. The budget covered an A-list lead in Timothée Chalamet (fresh off Call Me by Your Name and Beautiful Boy), a recognizable supporting ensemble including Joel Edgerton, Robert Pattinson, Sean Harris, Ben Mendelsohn, and Lily-Rose Depp, an extensive Hungary and UK location block including elaborate battle-of-Agincourt set pieces, and a Venice Film Festival premiere and limited theatrical opening designed to position the film for awards-circuit consideration.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

The King's estimated $25,000,000 to $30,000,000 budget was distributed across the standard Netflix prestige-drama original allocation:

• Above-the-Line Talent: Timothée Chalamet, post-Call Me by Your Name Oscar nomination and pre-Dune, took the lead at a top-tier streaming-prestige quote. Joel Edgerton (also co-writer) took the Falstaff role at his standard rate plus writing fees. Robert Pattinson took the showy Dauphin supporting role at a Pattinson-tier rate. Sean Harris, Ben Mendelsohn, Lily-Rose Depp, and Thomasin McKenzie filled out the supporting ensemble at rates appropriate to their respective career positions.
• Hungary and UK Production Block: Principal photography took place primarily in Hungary across mid-2018, with additional location work in the UK. The Hungarian National Film Fund production incentive program provided substantial cash rebates on qualified Hungarian spend, anchoring the production's below-the-line economics. UK location work used the UK Film Tax Credit program for the supplemental shoot days.
• Production Design and 15th-Century Period Detail: Production designer Fiona Crombie (The Favourite) anchored the film's 15th-century court, castle, and battlefield environments across multiple practical exterior and interior locations. Period-accurate construction, set dressing, and propmaking represented a substantial share of the production budget, building on the broader Plan B Entertainment prestige-drama production standard.
• Costumes and Specialty Armor: Costume designer Jane Petrie worked across the film's extensive court wardrobe, military costumes, and specialty armor for the Agincourt sequence. The Agincourt battle costuming, including full plate armor for principals and stunt performers, was a notable specialty line item compared to the standard prestige-drama wardrobe budget.
• Battle of Agincourt and Stunts: The film's centerpiece Battle of Agincourt sequence required extensive stunt coordination, choreographed combat, period-accurate weapons handling, multiple horse units, and elaborate practical-effects support. Stunt coordinator Marc Mailley supervised the multi-week battle photography, with the sequence representing one of the largest practical set pieces in Netflix's 2019 original slate.
• Score and Post-Production: Composer Nicholas Britell (Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk) scored the film with a distinctive Renaissance-and-baroque-inflected orchestral palette. Editing by Peter Sciberras, sound design, color grading, and the score recording at Abbey Road Studios were completed in London and Sydney across the second half of 2018 and into early 2019, ahead of the August 2019 Venice Film Festival premiere.

How Does The King's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At approximately $25,000,000 to $30,000,000, The King sits in the upper tier of Netflix's prestige-drama original slate. The comparison set illustrates the broader medieval-and-historical-drama landscape:

• The Two Popes (2019): Budget approximately $25,000,000 | Worldwide N/A (Netflix limited theatrical). Fernando Meirelles' Anthony Hopkins-Jonathan Pryce papal drama operated at the same Netflix prestige-drama budget tier and earned three Academy Award nominations including Best Adapted Screenplay.
• The Last Duel (2021): Budget approximately $100,000,000 | Worldwide $30,575,290. Ridley Scott's Matt Damon-Adam Driver 14th-century French historical drama operated at more than three times The King's budget on a wide theatrical release and underperformed worldwide, illustrating the commercial risk of medieval-historical-drama on a fully theatrical scale.
• Outlaw King (2018): Budget approximately $120,000,000 | Worldwide N/A (Netflix limited theatrical). David Mackenzie's Chris Pine-led Robert the Bruce historical drama operated at four times The King's budget on a similar Netflix prestige-drama release model.
• Henry V (1989): Budget approximately $9,000,000 | Worldwide $10,200,000. Kenneth Branagh's Shakespeare-adaptation Henry V operated at one third of The King's budget and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Director and Best Actor, illustrating the Shakespeare-adaptation comparable for the period.
• The King's Speech (2010): Budget approximately $15,000,000 | Worldwide $427,232,000. Tom Hooper's Colin Firth-led British historical drama operated at half The King's budget on a wide theatrical release and earned more than 28 times its budget worldwide, illustrating the upside ceiling for the contemporary British historical drama genre.

The King Box Office Performance

The King premiered at the Venice Film Festival on September 2, 2019, followed by a limited North American theatrical release on October 11, 2019, and a global Netflix streaming launch on November 1, 2019. The hybrid theatrical-and-streaming release model reflected Netflix's 2019 strategic positioning for awards-eligible prestige-drama originals.

• Production Budget: approximately $25,000,000 to $30,000,000
• Estimated Prints & Advertising (P&A): approximately $15,000,000 to $25,000,000 (Netflix global marketing and awards campaign)
• Total Estimated Investment: approximately $40,000,000 to $55,000,000
• Worldwide Gross: approximately $300,000 (limited North American theatrical) plus streaming engagement
• Net Return: measured in subscriber engagement and awards-circuit positioning, not theatrical gross
• ROI: reported strong opening-month Netflix engagement; awards-circuit visibility supported by Venice premiere and limited theatrical run

The King's limited theatrical gross of approximately $300,000 reflected the deliberate platform-release strategy, which prioritized awards-circuit visibility and Netflix streaming engagement rather than theatrical scale. The film's November 1, 2019 global Netflix launch drew strong opening-month engagement, with the film hitting the platform's Top 10 chart in multiple territories.

The strategic value to Netflix centered on the Timothée Chalamet star vehicle positioning, the awards-circuit visibility provided by the Venice premiere, the broader Brad Pitt and Plan B Entertainment production-pedigree association, and the global engagement footprint of a prestige-drama original. The film's sustained streaming life supported continued subscriber retention across 2020 and beyond.

The King Production History

David Michôd and Joel Edgerton developed The King across 2014 and 2015, drawing on Shakespeare's Henry IV (Parts 1 and 2) and Henry V plays alongside the broader historical-chronicle sources around the early-15th-century reign of Henry V and the Battle of Agincourt. The screenplay deliberately departed from the Shakespearean source language, instead delivering a modern English script that preserved the broad narrative shape while moving the dialogue into contemporary register.

Plan B Entertainment, the Brad Pitt production company that had previously produced Michôd's War Machine (2017) for Netflix, came aboard to produce alongside Porchlight Films and Blue-Tongue Films. Netflix financed the production in 2017, with Timothée Chalamet committing to the lead in early 2018. Joel Edgerton committed to the Falstaff role, and Robert Pattinson, Sean Harris, Ben Mendelsohn, Lily-Rose Depp, and Thomasin McKenzie rounded out the supporting cast through mid-2018.

Principal photography took place primarily in Hungary across June through October 2018, with additional location work in the UK. The Hungarian National Film Fund production incentive program provided substantial cash rebates on qualified Hungarian spend. The shoot encompassed elaborate court and castle interiors at multiple Hungarian historical locations and the centerpiece Battle of Agincourt sequence, which required multi-week practical battle photography with substantial stunt and horse-unit support.

Post-production was completed across late 2018 and into early 2019, with the film premiering at the Venice Film Festival on September 2, 2019. The limited North American theatrical release on October 11, 2019 preceded the global Netflix streaming launch on November 1, 2019. The release strategy combined awards-circuit visibility through the Venice premiere with the global engagement value of the Netflix subscriber base.

Awards and Recognition

The King received modest awards recognition consistent with Netflix's 2019 prestige-drama strategy. The film drew a Venice Film Festival competition slot, alongside multiple AACTA Awards (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) nominations including Best Direction (David Michôd), Best Adapted Screenplay (David Michôd and Joel Edgerton), Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Sound. The AACTA recognition reflected the Australian production heritage of the project.

Timothée Chalamet drew several critics'-circuit award nominations for his lead performance, including from the Hollywood Critics Association Awards. The film also drew Critics' Choice Awards consideration in technical categories, particularly cinematography by Adam Arkapaw and the production design by Fiona Crombie. The broader awards landscape engaged with the film modestly: it was not nominated at the Academy Awards or BAFTA Film Awards, where Netflix's 2019 prestige push centered on The Irishman, Marriage Story, and The Two Popes instead.

Critical Reception

The King received mixed-to-positive reviews. The film holds a 71 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 232 critic reviews, with a critical consensus that called it "an ambitious historical drama" anchored by "Timothée Chalamet's charismatic central turn." On Metacritic, the film scored 62 out of 100, indicating generally favorable reviews.

Critics broadly praised Timothée Chalamet's lead performance, Adam Arkapaw's cinematography, the centerpiece Battle of Agincourt sequence, and Nicholas Britell's score. Variety's Owen Gleiberman called Chalamet "the film's magnetic center," while The Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy wrote that the Battle of Agincourt "delivers some of the most visceral medieval combat photography of the decade."

Critics objected to Robert Pattinson's deliberately heightened performance as the Dauphin, the screenplay's loose adaptation of the Shakespearean source material, and the pacing of the court-politics sections that precede the battle. The mixed critical reception did not impede the film's strong streaming engagement, which validated Netflix's prestige-drama investment strategy and supported the platform's continued production of similar historical and biographical titles across 2020 and beyond.