Those Who Wish Me Dead Budget

What Is the Budget of Those Who Wish Me Dead?

Those Who Wish Me Dead was produced on a budget of $20 million, positioning it as a mid-budget thriller in an era when studios increasingly favored either micro-budget horror or tentpole blockbusters. The film was financed through a partnership between New Line Cinema and Bron Studios (BRON Creative), with Warner Bros. handling distribution. For a survival thriller set primarily in the Montana wilderness, $20 million allowed for practical location shooting, controlled fire effects, and a cast led by Angelina Jolie.

Taylor Sheridan, who had built his reputation writing Sicario and Hell or High Water before directing Wind River, brought a lean production sensibility to the project. The budget reflects a deliberate strategy: invest in authentic locations and practical effects rather than CGI spectacle, keeping costs contained while delivering visceral action sequences.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

• Above-the-Line Talent: Angelina Jolie headlined the cast, with supporting roles from Nicholas Hoult, Jon Bernthal, Aidan Gillen, Tyler Perry, and Medina Senghore. Taylor Sheridan served as director and co-writer. These combined fees represented the largest single budget category for a mid-range production.
• Location and Production Design: Filming took place across New Mexico, standing in for the Montana wilderness. The production utilized remote forest locations, fire lookout towers, and rugged terrain that required specialized logistics for crew access, equipment transport, and safety infrastructure.
• Practical Fire Effects: Rather than relying on CGI for the wildfire sequences, the production employed controlled burns and practical fire effects supervised by specialized stunt and effects teams. This approach demanded extensive safety precautions, fire marshals on set, and coordination with local emergency services.
• Stunt Coordination: The film features parachute jumps, hand-to-hand combat, and characters navigating active fire zones. Stunt doubles, wire rigs, and safety equipment added to production costs, along with multiple takes required for dangerous sequences.
• Cinematography: Ben Richardson, known for his work on Beasts of the Southern Wild, shot the film with an emphasis on natural light and wide landscape compositions. The remote locations and night shoots required portable lighting rigs and extended shooting schedules.
• Post-Production and VFX: While the production prioritized practical effects, digital enhancement was still necessary for expanding fire sequences, compositing smoke elements, and ensuring continuity across takes shot under varying weather conditions.

How Does Those Who Wish Me Dead's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

• Wind River (2017): Budget $11M | Worldwide $45.4M. Sheridan's directorial debut operated on nearly half the budget and outperformed it commercially, proving the filmmaker could deliver compelling thrillers at modest cost.
• The Shallows (2016): Budget $17M | Worldwide $119.1M. Another survival thriller with a single A-list female lead (Blake Lively), this Sony release demonstrated the genre's commercial ceiling when paired with strong marketing.
• Only the Brave (2017): Budget $38M | Worldwide $26.4M. A wildfire-themed drama with an ensemble cast that struggled at the box office despite strong reviews, suggesting the subject matter alone does not guarantee audience interest.
• Wander Darkly (2020): Budget $2M | Worldwide $0.1M. At the opposite end of the scale, this micro-budget thriller shows how far down production costs can go in the genre, though with correspondingly limited reach.
• The Grey (2012): Budget $25M | Worldwide $77.3M. A wilderness survival film starring Liam Neeson that achieved solid returns, offering a benchmark for what this type of star-driven outdoor thriller can earn under normal theatrical conditions.

Those Who Wish Me Dead Box Office Performance

Those Who Wish Me Dead earned $7,861,554 domestically and $23,411,554 worldwide during its theatrical run. With a $20 million production budget, the film needed roughly $40 million worldwide (factoring in prints and advertising) to break even on theatrical revenue alone. By that measure, the theatrical performance fell short.

However, the box office numbers tell only part of the story. The film debuted on May 14, 2021, as a day-and-date release in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously, part of Warner Bros.' controversial 2021 strategy of releasing its entire theatrical slate on the streaming platform. This dual-window approach suppressed ticket sales across the board, as subscribers could watch from home at no additional cost. Films like Godzilla vs. Kong and Mortal Kombat faced the same headwind.

The international gross of $15.55 million accounted for roughly two-thirds of the worldwide total, indicating stronger interest overseas where the HBO Max simultaneous window was not a factor in most markets. Domestically, the opening weekend pulled in approximately $2.8 million from 3,125 theaters, a modest start that reflected both pandemic-era audience hesitancy and the streaming alternative.

Using the standard ROI formula: ($23.4M - $20M) / $20M x 100 = 17% return on production budget alone. When marketing and distribution costs are included, the theatrical run likely operated at a loss. Warner Bros. treated the HBO Max viewership data as the primary success metric for 2021 releases, and internal reports suggested strong streaming engagement for the title.

• Production Budget: $20,000,000
• Estimated P&A: approximately $14,000,000
• Total Investment: approximately $34,000,000
• Worldwide Gross: $23,384,502
• Net Return: approximately $10,600,000 (loss)
• ROI (on production budget): approximately +17%

Those Who Wish Me Dead Production History

The project originated with Michael Koryta's 2014 novel of the same name, a survival thriller about a teenage witness to a murder who is placed in a wilderness skills program in Montana while assassins close in. Warner Bros. and Bron Studios acquired the film rights, and the property cycled through development before Taylor Sheridan signed on to direct and co-write the screenplay adaptation.

Sheridan reworked the source material significantly, shifting the protagonist from a teenage boy paired with a survival instructor to a broader ensemble centered on a smokejumper played by Angelina Jolie. He collaborated on the screenplay with Koryta and Charles Leavitt (Blood Diamond), restructuring the story to emphasize the wildfire setting and give Jolie's character a trauma backstory involving a failed rescue mission.

Jolie signed on in 2019, marking her return to an action-oriented role after a period focused on directing. Nicholas Hoult and Aidan Gillen were cast as the assassin duo, while Jon Bernthal and Medina Senghore took on the roles of a local sheriff and his pregnant wife, with Finn Little cast as the boy at the center of the story. Tyler Perry joined in a supporting role as a forensic accountant whose murder sets the plot in motion.

Principal photography began in May 2019 in New Mexico. The production built a functional fire lookout tower and utilized remote forested locations to create the Montana wilderness setting. Practical fire effects were a priority for Sheridan, who wanted the flames and smoke to feel tangible rather than digitally generated. Controlled burns were staged with extensive safety protocols, and Jolie performed several of her own stunts in the fire sequences.

The film was initially slated for a 2020 release but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. When Warner Bros. announced its 2021 day-and-date HBO Max strategy, Those Who Wish Me Dead was included in the lineup. The decision drew criticism from filmmakers and exhibitors, though Sheridan publicly took the news in stride, noting the unprecedented circumstances.

Awards and Recognition

Those Who Wish Me Dead received limited awards attention, which is common for mid-budget action thrillers released during the crowded 2021 awards season. The film was not positioned as a prestige contender, and its May release date placed it outside the typical fall window where studios concentrate their awards campaigns.

Angelina Jolie's performance was noted by critics for its physicality and restraint, though it did not translate into major nominations. The practical fire effects and Ben Richardson's cinematography drew praise from genre enthusiasts, and the film earned some recognition at genre-specific festivals and fan-voted awards. Medina Senghore's supporting performance as a resourceful pregnant woman defending her home drew particular attention as a standout sequence.

Taylor Sheridan's broader body of work, including his concurrent success with the Yellowstone television franchise, kept his profile elevated regardless of the film's commercial trajectory.

Critical Reception

Those Who Wish Me Dead holds a 63% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critical consensus describing it as a competent but conventional thriller elevated by its performances and practical filmmaking. On Metacritic, the film scored 55 out of 100, indicating mixed to average reviews.

Critics who responded favorably praised Sheridan's commitment to old-school thriller mechanics: real locations, practical effects, and a lean runtime of 100 minutes that avoided the bloat common in modern action films. Jolie's physical performance was highlighted, with reviewers noting her credibility in the smokejumper role. The dynamic between the two assassins, played by Hoult and Gillen, was cited as an effective source of tension.

Negative reviews pointed to underdeveloped characters and a screenplay that simplified the novel's more complex plotting. Some critics felt the film's multiple storylines never fully cohered, leaving supporting characters like Tyler Perry's forensic accountant and Jon Bernthal's sheriff without sufficient screen time. The tonal balance between survivalist action and family drama was described as uneven by several reviewers.

Audience reception was warmer, with viewers on CinemaScore giving the film a B+ grade. The consensus among general audiences leaned toward appreciation for a straightforward, no-nonsense thriller that did not overstay its welcome. The film found a larger audience on HBO Max, where its accessibility and compact runtime suited the streaming viewing pattern.