The Woman King Budget

What is the budget of The Woman King?

"The Woman King," an action released in 2022, was directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and stars Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu. The production budget was $50,000,000, placing it in the mid-budget range for action productions of its era.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for an action 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.
• Filming & Locations: In November 2021, the cast and crew flew to South Africa for a five-month shoot.

What were the major cost factors in The Woman King?

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

• Stunts: Stunts, Action Sequences & Visual Effects is one of the primary cost drivers in action productions of this scale.
• Above-the-Line Talent (Cast: Above-the-Line Talent (Cast & Director) is one of the primary cost drivers in action productions of this scale.
• Production Design: Production Design, Sets & Locations is one of the primary cost drivers in action productions of this scale.

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

At $50,000,000, The Woman King 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 action films in the 2020s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

The Woman King Box Office Performance

"The Woman King" earned $67,328,130 domestically and $97,300,000 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $50,000,000, 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 Woman King," that break-even threshold was roughly $100,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $97,300,000, the film fell short of that threshold but recouped its production costs in theatrical release.

• Production Budget: $50,000,000
• Worldwide Gross: $97,300,000
• Net Return: $47,300,000
• ROI: approximately 94.6%

At 94.6%, "The Woman King" returned its production investment but margin was tight after marketing and distribution costs.

The Woman King Production History

In November 2021, the cast and crew flew to South Africa for a five-month shoot. Prince-Bythewood prioritized department heads who were women and people of color, production designer Akin McKenzie, costume designer Gersha Phillips, hairstylist Louisa Anthony, visual effects supervisor Sara Bennett, and editor Terilyn Shropshire. Makeup was handled by a local, South African artist, Babalwa Mtshiselwa.

Awards and Recognition

Nominated for 2 BAFTA 28 wins & 126 nominations total

Critical Reception

The Woman King received positive reviews from critics for the cast's performance, including Viola Davis's starring role and Thuso Mbedu's breakout performance, and its action choreography, while some minor disappointment was expressed with the script. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a rare average grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave the film a 95% overall positive score.