The Post Budget

What is the budget of The Post?

"The Post," a drama released in 2017, was directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks. The production budget was $50,000,000, 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.
• Production: In October 2016, Amy Pascal won a bid for the rights to the screenplay The Post, written by Liz Hannah.

What were the major cost factors in The Post?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "The Post."

• 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 Post's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $50,000,000, The Post sits in the mid-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

• Angela's Ashes (1999): Budget $50,000,000, Worldwide Gross $13,042,112
• Dredd (2012): Budget $50,000,000, Worldwide Gross $41,037,742
• Lord of War (2005): Budget $50,000,000, Worldwide Gross $72,600,000
• Shall We Dance? (2004): Budget $50,000,000, Worldwide Gross $170,128,460
• The Iron Giant (1999): Budget $50,000,000, Worldwide Gross $23,300,000

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

The Post Box Office Performance

"The Post" earned $81,903,458 domestically and $179,769,467 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $50,000,000, 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 Post," that break-even threshold was roughly $100,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $179,769,467, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.

• Production Budget: $50,000,000
• Worldwide Gross: $179,769,467
• Net Return: $129,769,467
• ROI: approximately 259.5%

At 259.5%, "The Post" earned roughly $3.6 for every $1 invested in production.

The Post Production History

The film began principal photography in New York on May 30, 2017. On June 6, 2017, it was announced that the project, retitled The Papers, would also star Alison Brie, Carrie Coon, David Cross, Bruce Greenwood, Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, Jesse Plemons, Matthew Rhys, Michael Stuhlbarg, Bradley Whitford, and Zach Woods. On August 25, 2017, the film's title reverted to The Post.

The score for the film was written by John Williams; it is his 28th collaboration with Spielberg. The music is a combination of traditional orchestral instrumentation and what Williams has called "very light, computerised electronic effects." Williams was originally attached to write the music for Spielberg's 2018 film Ready Player One, but, because both films had similar post-production schedules, Williams chose to work on The Post, while Alan Silvestri composed for Ready Player One. Recording began on October 30, 2017, in Los Angeles.

Awards and Recognition

• National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
• National Board of Review Award for Best Film

Critical Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 88% based on 409 reviews, with an average rating of 7.90/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Post period setting belies its bitingly timely themes, brought compellingly to life by director Steven Spielberg and an outstanding ensemble cast." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 83 out of 100, based on 51 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".