Production Budget Analysis

What was the production budget for The Space Between Us?

Directed by Peter Chelsom, with Asa Butterfield, Britt Robertson, Carla Gugino leading the cast, The Space Between Us was produced by Los Angeles Media Fund with a confirmed budget of $30,000,000, placing it in the low-budget category for romance films.

With a $30,000,000 budget, The Space Between Us 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 $75,000,000.

Budget Comparison — Similar Productions

• A Hologram for the King (2016): Budget $30,000,000 | Gross $9,169,507 → ROI: -69% • A Lot Like Love (2005): Budget $30,000,000 | Gross $42,886,719 → ROI: 43% • Big Momma's House (2000): Budget $30,000,000 | Gross $173,959,438 → ROI: 480% • Crazy Rich Asians (2018): Budget $30,000,000 | Gross $238,539,198 → ROI: 695% • Doomsday (2008): Budget $30,000,000 | Gross $22,472,631 → ROI: -25%

Key Budget Allocation Categories

▸ Lead Cast Compensation Romantic films depend entirely on the chemistry and appeal of their leads, making star casting decisions the most consequential budget item.

▸ Location Filming Picturesque, often international locations are central to the romantic genre's visual appeal.

▸ Music Supervision & Soundtrack Iconic songs can cost $250,000–500,000 to license per use, and a well-curated soundtrack is often as important to marketing as the trailer itself.

Key Production Personnel

CAST: Asa Butterfield, Britt Robertson, Carla Gugino, Gary Oldman, Janet Montgomery Key roles: Asa Butterfield as Gardner Elliot; Britt Robertson as Tulsa; Carla Gugino as Kendra Wyndham; Gary Oldman as Nathaniel Shepherd

DIRECTOR: Peter Chelsom CINEMATOGRAPHY: Barry Peterson MUSIC: Andrew Lockington EDITING: David Moritz PRODUCTION: Los Angeles Media Fund, Southpaw Entertainment, STXfilms, Scarlet Fire Entertainment, Huayi Brothers Pictures 浙江华谊兄弟影业, Universal Pictures FILMED IN: China, United States of America

Box Office Performance

The Space Between Us earned $14,793,385 in worldwide box office revenue.

Break-Even Analysis

Using the industry-standard 2.5x multiplier (P&A + exhibitor shares of 40–50% + distribution fees), The Space Between Us needed approximately $75,000,000 to break even. The film fell $60,206,615 short in theatrical revenue. Ancillary streams (home media, streaming, TV) may have bridged the gap.

Return on Investment (ROI)

Revenue: $14,793,385 Budget: $30,000,000 Net: $-15,206,615 ROI: -50.7%

Detailed Box Office Notes

The Space Between Us grossed $7.9 million in the United States and Canada and $6.9 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $14.8 million, against a production budget of $30 million. The film ended up grossing $1.4 million on its first day and $3.8 million in its opening weekend, finishing well below expectations, and 7th at the box office. In its third weekend the film grossed $260,000 after being pulled from 2,441 theaters (dropping 84.6% to 331), marking the 11th biggest theater drop in history.

Profitability Assessment

VERDICT: Unprofitable (Theatrical)

The Space Between Us earned $14,793,385 against a $30,000,000 budget (-51% ROI), falling short of theatrical profitability. Ancillary revenue may have reduced the deficit.

INDUSTRY IMPACT

The underperformance may have increased risk aversion around low-budget romance productions.

PRODUCTION NOTES

▸ Production

In 1999, Universal Pictures and Mike Lobell Productions acquired a screenplay, then titled Mainland, about a rebellious teen born on the moon who desired to come to the earth but whose physiology, it was feared, would not be able to survive the transition. After failed rewrites by Allison Burnett (Autumn in New York), the project was placed on hiatus, as Lobell left Universal for a deal at Castle Rock Entertainment. The project remained unproduced for over a decade.

On March 13, 2014, an industry source revealed that a science fiction-adventure film titled Out of This World was in development at Relativity Media, scripted by Allan Loeb. Later in August 2014, it was reported that Peter Chelsom, who had previously directed Hector and the Search for Happiness for Relativity, was hired to direct the film, while Relativity would produce and distribute. Southpaw Entertainment's Richard B. Lewis was attached to produce the film, and also received a "story by" credit. On July 13, 2015, it was announced that Relativity was selling the project to STX Entertainment, in order to reach an agreement with its creditors and avoid having to file for bankruptcy. STX produced and distributed the film. Robertson would play the female lead, a teen girl from Colorado. On September 30, 2015, Trey Tucker joined the film to play an astronaut, and on October 23, 2015, Scott Takeda was cast to play a doctor in the film.

The actors Asa Butterfield (20 years old at the time of the film's release) and Britt Robertson (27 at the time) have a seven-year age gap between them, greater than their respective characters (both of whom are around 16 or 17), which caused controversy, but in an interview Robertson explains that the age difference helped with the dynamic of the relationship between Tulsa and Gardner: I don't think Tulsa is really a teenager. She's had to be an adult for a really long time. She's had to take care of herself.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Additional Recognition: ! Award ! Date of ceremony ! Category ! Nominee ! Result !

CRITICAL RECEPTION

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 16% based on 136 reviews, with an average rating of 4.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Space Between Us strands its star-crossed young lovers in a mind-numbingly vast expanse of shameless cheese that will send all but the most forgiving viewers eye-rolling for the exits." On Metacritic, the film holds a score 33 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.

Writing for IndieWire, David Ehrlich gave the film a grade of "C", calling it a "guileless and good-natured sci-fi love story". Kevin Maher gave a scathing review in The Times, writing that the film is "notable only for some horrendously bad science and a career-low performance from Gary Oldman".