The Last Picture Show Budget

What is the budget of The Last Picture Show?

"The Last Picture Show," a drama released in 1971, was directed by Peter Bogdanovich and stars Timothy Bottoms, Cybill Shepherd. The production budget was $1,300,000, placing it in the micro-budget range for drama productions of the 1970s.

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.
• Production: Going into The Last Picture Show Peter Bogdanovich was a 31-year-old stage actor, film essayist, and critic.

What were the major cost factors in The Last Picture Show?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "The Last Picture Show."

• 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 The Last Picture Show's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $1,300,000, The Last Picture Show sits in the micro-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

• Andrei Rublev (1966): Budget $1,300,000, Worldwide Gross $24,173
• The Celebration (1998): Budget $1,300,000
• Drive My Car (2021): Budget $1,300,000, Worldwide Gross $15,356,046
• Mustang (2015): Budget $1,300,000, Worldwide Gross $5,300,000
• Nine Queens (2000): Budget $1,300,000, Worldwide Gross $12,413,888

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

The Last Picture Show Box Office Performance

"The Last Picture Show" earned $29,133,000 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $1,300,000, the film performed strongly at the box office.

A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "The Last Picture Show," that break-even threshold was roughly $2,600,000. With worldwide earnings of $29,133,000, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.

• Production Budget: $1,300,000
• Worldwide Gross: $29,133,000
• Net Return: $27,833,000
• ROI: approximately 2141%

At 2141%, "The Last Picture Show" earned roughly $22.41 for every $1 invested in production.

The Last Picture Show Production History

The film features entirely diegetic music, including many songs of Hank Williams Sr. and other country and western and 1950s popular music recording artists. In interviews, Bogdanovich emphasized that a lot of attention was paid to the music being accurate and contemporary to the narrated time span between November 1951 to October 1952, and that no songs were used that were released later than that.

Awards and Recognition

Won 2 Oscars. 19 wins & 22 nominations total

• Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor: Ben Johnson (44th Academy Awards)
• BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Cloris Leachman (26th British Academy Film Awards)
• National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress: Ellen Burstyn
• BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Ben Johnson (26th British Academy Film Awards)
• National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
• Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress: Cloris Leachman (44th Academy Awards)
• Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor , Motion Picture: Ben Johnson

Critical Reception

Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars in his original review and named it the best film of 1971. He later added it to his "Great Movies" list, writing that "the film is above all an evocation of mood. It is about a town with no reason to exist, and people with no reason to live there.