"There's Something About Mary" is a romantic comedy that revolves around the misadventures of Ted Stroehmann, played by Ben Stiller, who is hopelessly in love with his high school crush, Mary Jensen, portrayed by Cameron Diaz. After a disastrous prom night, Ted is left heartbroken but never forgets Mary. Years later, he decides to reconnect with her, only to find himself entangled in a web of comedic chaos as various suitors, including the eccentric Pat Healy (Matt Dillon) and the quirky Dom Woganowski (Lee Evans), vie for Mary's affection. The film cleverly blends humor and romance, showcasing the lengths to which people will go for love, while also delivering memorable moments and outrageous situations that have made it a cult classic.

What is the budget of There's Something About Mary?

"There's Something About Mary," a romance released in 1998, was directed by Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly and stars Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon. The production budget was $23,000,000, placing it in the mid-budget range for romance productions of the 1990s.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a romance production like this include:

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 to 500,000 to license per use, and a well-curated soundtrack is often as important to marketing as the trailer itself.

What were the major cost factors in There's Something About Mary?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "There's Something About Mary."

Lead Cast Compensation: Lead Cast Compensation is one of the primary cost drivers in romance productions of this scale.
Location Filming: Location Filming is one of the primary cost drivers in romance productions of this scale.
Music Supervision: Music Supervision & Soundtrack is one of the primary cost drivers in romance productions of this scale.

How Does There's Something About Mary's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $23,000,000, There's Something About Mary sits in the mid-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

The Secret World of Arrietty (2010): Budget $23,000,000, Worldwide Gross $149,660,003
Bad Santa (2003): Budget $23,000,000, Worldwide Gross $76,500,000
Chasing Liberty (2004): Budget $23,000,000, Worldwide Gross $12,195,626
Chéri (2009): Budget $23,000,000, Worldwide Gross $9,400,000
Eddie the Eagle (2016): Budget $23,000,000, Worldwide Gross $46,152,411

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

There's Something About Mary Box Office Performance

"There's Something About Mary" earned $176,484,651 domestically and $369,900,000 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $23,000,000, 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 "There's Something About Mary," that break-even threshold was roughly $46,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $369,900,000, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.

Production Budget: $23,000,000
Worldwide Gross: $369,900,000
Net Return: $346,900,000
ROI: approximately 1508.3%

At 1508.3%, "There's Something About Mary" earned roughly $16.08 for every $1 invested in production.